Genius GX Gaming Series Cavimanus headset review

Over the last few years the gaming headset market has become saturated with products, with many companies launching similar versions of the same headset multiple times in a single year. With technology improving every financial quarter it can be hard to find that sweet middle-ground where price meets functionality, hard but not impossible.

When technology like 7.1 surround sound, omnidirectional microphones and dolby digital qualifications were first announced, you could expect to pay hundreds of dollars to obtain these features in a headset. Now these technologies are becoming standard, and product manufactures have found cheaper ways to include these features into more affordable headphones. Offering things like ‘Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound’ is a great way to include a higher-end feature at a low-market value, if it is done correctly.

That’s what I found after reviewing the ‘Cavimanus’ headset from Genius this past week. I’ve had the luxury of having top-brand headsets, well over $200 float across my office desk since I started writing reviews a few years ago. While their sound quality is usually the best in class, there came a point in recent years when the technology reached an apex. Just like when televisions when 1080p became the new standard, headsets with 7.1 surround sound and adjustable features found their own pinnacle moment and reached a point where sound was being produced at such a clear level, that improving it just became unnecessary for the general population.

When this happens in technology the companies producing these products can start working on the other aspects of the headsets that will make them more convenient,Learn how an embedded microprocessor in a smart card can authenticate your computer usage and data. and cheaper, for the consumer. I feel this is exactly what the Cavimanus headset set-out to do. It includes the standard fatures that gamers have come to expect in a headset, ’7.1 surround sound’ is emulated with ‘virtual 7.If we don't carry the bobblehead you want we can make a personalized bobbleheads for you!1 surround sound’ and there is an ample bass mechanic and software that allows the consumer to personalize the sound for their experiences. The Cavimanus also improves the basics that provide a better overall experience for the user.

Out of the box the Cavimanus has a list of technical specifications that any reviewer could just list off, and for the average consumer this does very little to help them pick a headset that will justify the price that they have to spend. I’ve had ‘high-end’ headsets snap in two after two months, have cords and ‘user controls’ that sit on the wires and became more annoying than I ever thought possible, and software that was so convoluted that I really questioned who these products were being targeted for. The technical specs on a box won’t help you avoid these troubles, but I will try.

With the Cavimanus headset I can confidently state who these headphones were designed for, gamers that love to play games and not play with settings for hours. I wouldn’t say these are the perfect match for the tech-junkies that need to have every number on the box be the most up-to-date version or the audiophiles that can tell you the frequency response from any headset just by touching it. These are for the general population, that want a great headset with modern features at a reasonable price.Welcome to www.drycabinets.net! People that want to enjoy the amazing sound that their PC or Mac can produce; without having to learn the ins and outs of sound design, and audio technology.

Here’s what the Cavimanus did right. First of all, the volume controls are located on the headset on the left ear-piece. Pretend you are putting on a pair of over-the-ear headsets right now. Feel where your thumb is on you left hand? That’s exactly where the volume control is and it’s perfect. Before this I had a very popular headset manufacturer send me one of their latest over-the-ear wired headsets with the volume control in-line on the cord (think iPhone headsets with Mic). Even though the control had a clip that was designed to attach to a shirt, I found it annoying to use or I would just forget to clip it. Now to be fair, that was my doing and I admit that but was annoying about that design was that without clipping it, my moving around while playing would cause the dial to ramp up the volume to ear-blistering levels unexpectedly, or mute when I didn’t want it to. It was a chore, clipping it was a chore and it wasn’t an option because if you didn’t you would destroy your brain with kids screaming and guns blazing by simply moving around.

The next thing I loved in the Cacimanus, was the weight. Although carrying something in your hands that weighs 12oz feels like nothing, wearing that on your head for a few hours while gaming can be a noticeable distraction. The Cavimanus are extremely comfortable, they didn’t slide around I moved or get hot after hours of use. They fit tight around my ears, even after I had to adjust them to a longer length (is my head too big I wonder?) and weren’t really noticeable when playing. There’s only one cord as well, not a cord that goes to a box, that goes to 3 points on your PC, there’s one cord. The cord is also about 6 feet which is long enough to have at your desk and stand up if you have too, but not so long that it feels like you have a vine leaching from your PC or laptop.

Let’s talk features, if you have a PC then you are going to love the customization options that you can do with the included software. Almost everything is adjustable on the headsets and the software is self-explanatory and very easy to use, even if sound design isn’t you area of expertise. I tested the headset out on a Macbook Pro and they worked without any installation or drivers (Macbook Pro late 2011 edition). There are no drivers or software downloads available for Mac users but they did work right out of the box. To test them out on a standard game I loaded up ‘Guild Wars 2′ and hit the biggest lake I could find to test out the ambient sound and emulated surround-sound mechanic underwater. They worked beautifully, ambient sounds were light and clear,I thought it would be fun to show you the inspiration behind the broken china-mosaics. and it was very easy to tell if a noise was coming from the left, back. right or any other direction.

There is also an optional vibration mechanic, that seems to work when a certain sound range hits a particular volume. Its a really great feature and one that I hope is improved by game developers building it into games. Where this would shine is a survival-horror game, I can see this feature really upping the quality of sound-immersion in a game like Dead Space 3. The vibration is optional but I really enjoyed it and would love to see more features like this across the board in headsets. You can turn on/off the vibration by simply clicking a button on the headset near the earpiece.

If you want to get really technical, beyond standard uses there are a few things I would have liked to see changed. One, you can only use this headset on a PC or Mac, consoles are not available to use with this headset though the company does make headsets that work for more platforms. I asked if drivers and software would be available in the future for Mac, and it doesn’t appear to be in the works at this time. The vibration button doesn’t have a clear ‘on or off’ visual setting, but that’s not really a huge setback as it is just one button.

There is also no mute button, which isn’t really big deal on a PC or Mac since most games offer a ‘push-to-talk’ option within the settings.Service Report a problem with a street light. I liked the mic’s ability to fold up and down and it was very clear and very responsive. It ‘clicks’ into place and isn’t very long, which I like because if I bump it on something or push my hair out of my face I really do not like that microphone ‘scratching’ sound that some headsets produce when you accidentally touch the microphone.

Those are really the only setbacks to the headset, they come in at a MSRP of $79.99 but I found that you can pick them up for about $60 to $67 on sites like amazon. Even though the 7.1 Surround Sound is ‘virtual’ it was done really well and it’s the closest to actual 7.1 surround sound that I have found at this price-point. Though the technical-gamer might want something more authentic, I think the average consumer wold really enjoy the headsets and find them to be a perfect fit for their needs.