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 [Review] Roccat Kave - Updated 8:55PM 27/Oct/2010, real 5.1 surround sound headset

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TSSilverfire
post Apr 12 2010, 08:54 AM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 12 2010, 08:46 AM)
thanks for the link. i already download and install it.

i tried to set like you shown (Media Player Classic > Option > Audio Switcher > Enable Custom Channel Mapping > 3) and play .mp3 @ 320 kbps + SRS Audio Sandbox ON + Desk EQ 100/100/100/100 Game Mode. yet, still no vibration at all.

is there any basic setting that needed to tweak which i might forgotten? hmm.gif
*

You did like this?
user posted image
Mr.Docter
post Apr 12 2010, 08:57 AM

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^ yep sir smile.gif
gzero
post Apr 12 2010, 03:27 PM

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You will need boost your bass level via software, it's included in my X-fi software. Not very sure about other sound card though. The reason you dont feel any vibration is because the default bass is not high enough to trigger the vibration. Set your Kave bass equalizer to max, Rear,Center,Front at about 1/4 to 1/2 level, and crank your master volume knob as high as possible. If there's still no vibration, chances is that you need to boost your bass via software means (i.e:equalizer)

This post has been edited by gzero: Apr 12 2010, 03:31 PM


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tkh_1001
post Apr 12 2010, 07:38 PM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 12 2010, 06:43 AM)
thanks for the download link. i am using Vista 64bit, so i assume K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit is for me right?

don't know what kind of soundcard since i am using my laptop. thanks god my laptop have all 4 jack plug.

for audio driver, i am using SRS Labs of Audio Sandbox. seriously i am still newbie in high-end headphone like this. sweat.gif

i really appeciate all your tips notworthy.gif  notworthy.gif  notworthy.gif
*
actaully this headset is not really high end sweat.gif

QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 12 2010, 08:46 AM)
thanks for the link. i already download and install it.

i tried to set like you shown (Media Player Classic > Option > Audio Switcher > Enable Custom Channel Mapping > 3) and play .mp3 @ 320 kbps + SRS Audio Sandbox ON + Desk EQ 100/100/100/100 Game Mode. yet, still no vibration at all.

is there any basic setting that needed to tweak which i might forgotten? hmm.gif
done, but still negative.

/do you have any recommendation of good Sound Driver?
*
try set ur equalizer to something like this and see if it works


user posted image
Mr.Docter
post Apr 14 2010, 12:52 AM

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tried everything and i made conclusion that my vibration device is broken sad.gif

gonna send to be fixed once back to Malaysia this mid of June.
TSSilverfire
post Apr 14 2010, 12:54 AM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 14 2010, 12:52 AM)
tried everything and i made conclusion that my vibration device is broken sad.gif

gonna send to be fixed once back to Malaysia this mid of June.
*

How much volume are you using?
Mr.Docter
post Apr 14 2010, 06:17 AM

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currently 12 @ 100/100/100/100.

but already tried till reaching 85%.
Cyclonechuah
post Apr 15 2010, 08:41 AM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 14 2010, 06:17 AM)
currently 12 @ 100/100/100/100.

but already tried till reaching 85%.
*
what songs or games did you try with it? hmm.gif
Mr.Docter
post Apr 15 2010, 09:13 AM

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QUOTE(Cyclonechuah @ Apr 15 2010, 08:41 AM)
what songs or games did you try with it? hmm.gif
*
Crysis Warhead, MW2, DiRT2. songs - A LOT. especially The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga.

if i want to send for repair, where i have to send? back to my seller rite?
BladeRider88
post Apr 15 2010, 10:11 AM

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Roocat Kave user reporting here. Will get my headphone 2molow. Btw, i'm using AudioTrack Prodigy 7.1 HiFi. Hope this headphone n soundcards works perfectly.

zero07
post Apr 15 2010, 10:37 AM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 14 2010, 12:52 AM)
tried everything and i made conclusion that my vibration device is broken sad.gif

gonna send to be fixed once back to Malaysia this mid of June.
*
if u want to try if ur vibration is broken or not. firstly try put the orange jack only into your soundcard or laptop. then try hear it as loud as u can. coz when i try put that orange jack only the bass became more louder and can feel the vibration. when i put them all i dont know why but it seem the bass become more slower. smile.gif

p.s. i put the orange jack into stereo jack

This post has been edited by zero07: Apr 15 2010, 10:38 AM
prinny101
post Apr 15 2010, 08:16 PM

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the headset is giving my alot of small static sound whenever i turn up the center piece volume.....it didnt before

and now its giving me weird low pitch wavelength statics(dont know any more way i can interpret it) whenever i enable equalizer....is this internal issue, has
it gone bad already??....i just bought mine the day before yesterday...

This post has been edited by prinny101: Apr 15 2010, 08:52 PM
BladeRider88
post Apr 18 2010, 08:36 AM

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After using it,i had to said Kave is rocking.I use foobar2000 with Channel Mix,Noise Sharpening and running ASIO Output. The sound is so solid and clear. Btw,did you guys use Pink Noise to burn in your Kave?
GundamManiac
post Apr 19 2010, 05:36 PM

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Hi all,

New Roccat-eer here. I just wanna share my experience with everyone. And maybe get some advice.

I bought the Roccat Kave the day after I read the review on The Star In-Tech. I didn't even know the brand existed before that, cause I don't read HWM and have never seen it on sale in Low Yat. Maybe I didn't look hard enough cause I am not big into gaming. I just play L4D2 and not even very good at it. I just play for the fun and laughter of spitting at Survivors.

Anyway, what attracted me to the Kave is that it has real 5.1 surround with actual speakers inside, and not just virtual surround (which although impressive, just isn't the same thing). As you might have guessed, I am heavy into surround sound. My home theater is all 7.1 Blu-ray lossless and all that, but lately I have been getting complains, and my work brings me home late at night so I can't really enjoy movies at louder settings. So I have been searching for a good surround headphone and the Kave was just what the doctor ordered, with multiple speakers and 3 x 3.5mm stereo inputs.

However, my experience with the Kave was not all sunshine and lollipops. When I first unboxed and plugged it in, I got a very loud static from the USB. This I connected to my PC. I tried connecting it to my amplifier, same thing. I connected it to my PS3, same thing. Not knowing what else I could do, I called the distributor (not the shop where I bought it from) and they adviced me (a day later) to bring it back to the shop for testing and maybe replacement. I did. I knew the shop very well by the way. The interesting thing was, when we tested it there, the static was not present. It was dead silent. Frustrated, I whipped out my laptop (which I had forgotten to test at home), and not only were there no static, it even sounded good. I brought the Kave back home and plugged it into my PC again, and this time around, no static! It's been over a week and the static issue has not re-surfaced. I hope it won't, ever again.

Then another issue arises. I read the reviews from a lot of sites, local and international, and almost all commended the Kave. I believe in them, that's why I bought it. Unfortunately, I can't quite get the Kave to work for me as I wanted it to. The sound was somehow not there. I mean, I am not comparing this to an Audio Technica or Sennheiser or AKG or Denon or Shure, but it just didn't convince me that this is what the reviewers heard. I mean, I didn't even get any vibrations. I was about to return the headphone to exchange with the Logitech G35.

Before I decided to do that, I thought maybe I should call up the distributor again. This time, I spoke to a product specialist, who discussed with me in great details on how to get the best out of the headphone, listened intently on my concerns and tried his best to help me with any advices that he could give. And after that, he even sent me an e-mail chronicling our conversation. I am more than impressed. At that point, I decided regardless of whether I can get the headphone to work or not, I am not returning it, just to show my support and appreciation for this kind of rare after-sales service.

But like I said, I wasn't expecting the Kave to sound like an AKG. I only wanted to hear what the reviewers heard. So I began to suspect my sound card settings (which worked for my Logitech Z5500), may not work this headphone. Ok, I knew it won't work (after all, I am not THAT noob) but no matter how much I tinker with the settings, I didn't get THAT sound. After reading through this thread, I realized something. I am using the Creative X-Fi ExtremeMusic sound card, 5-years old and discontinued. It was introduced even before Vista. And when I migrated to Vista, I only installed the driver and has been configuring the sound card from only the driver itself. So when I saw the screenshot of the Creative Launcher, I knew I have found the solution. Downloaded it, installed it, and from the various posts in this thread, I finally hear THAT sound.

The treble is clear and crisp even at higher volume. The mid-range is nothing to shout about, but not bad either. The surround, although not as pronounced as the Logitech Z5500, but that is to be expected. Still, I could pinpoint to the bulleyes where zombies are coming from. The vibration is kinda nifty, but very selective. L4D2 didn't seem to have it (although a teammate from Singapore told me that his similarly priced SkullCandy emits vibration from L4D2). No matter. Music and movies are properly configured now, but I only got the game settings in late last night. I was having trouble with the equalizer because the gunshots were either too sharp, or I couldn't hear the Special Infected. It's good now. Although, if anyone has some good settings, I'd welcome the advice.

And the headphone is LOUD! I often use it as a speaker! This is because I only have one soundcard and I need to pull out and plug in every time I want to switch between speakers and headphone. Actually, I do have an on-board Realtek soundcard but I really don't like the sound of it compared to the Creative. Maybe I am missing some calibration software again. I am not sure. So my problem now is, I need to be able to switch between the speakers and the headphone on the fly. I bought some splitters, but they were too big and they cannot fit side by side on the soundcard. So I bought extender cables for the splitters, and you know what I got after splitting the output? Mono sound. I have no idea why this is so. The splitters I bought were supposed to be stereo splitters, unless I was duped. So as of now, the Kave is connected to the X-Fi while the Z5500 is connected to the Realtek. Any advices?

On a related note, I am also looking into audiophile music playback on the PC, so maybe getting the Asus Xonar Prestige will solve my problem. Wonder if it will be as good for movies as it is for music. But then again, I will need to get another headphone for music. Maybe the Audio Technica M30 (I can't afford the jump to M50 and I owned the M30 before and I liked it).

It's a bit confusing right now with all the cables and multiple set-ups. Any advices you guys can give me will be very much appreciated. If not, I'll just keep testing out components by components. Thanks for reading by the way. It's a long post.

This post has been edited by GundamManiac: Apr 19 2010, 05:40 PM
BladeRider88
post Apr 19 2010, 05:46 PM

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QUOTE(GundamManiac @ Apr 19 2010, 05:36 PM)
Hi all,

   New Roccat-eer here. I just wanna share my experience with everyone. And maybe get some advice.

   I bought the Roccat Kave the day after I read the review on The Star In-Tech. I didn't even know the brand existed before that, cause I don't read HWM and have never seen it on sale in Low Yat. Maybe I didn't look hard enough cause I am not big into gaming. I just play L4D2 and not even very good at it. I just play for the fun and laughter of spitting at Survivors.

   Anyway, what attracted me to the Kave is that it has real 5.1 surround with actual speakers inside, and not just virtual surround (which although impressive, just isn't the same thing). As you might have guessed, I am heavy into surround sound. My home theater is all 7.1 Blu-ray lossless and all that, but lately I have been getting complains, and my work brings me home late at night so I can't really enjoy movies at louder settings. So I have been searching for a good surround headphone and the Kave was just what the doctor ordered, with multiple speakers and 3 x 3.5mm stereo inputs.

   However, my experience with the Kave was not all sunshine and lollipops. When I first unboxed and plugged it in, I got a very loud static from the USB. This I connected to my PC. I tried connecting it to my amplifier, same thing. I connected it to my PS3, same thing. Not knowing what else I could do, I called the distributor (not the shop where I bought it from) and they adviced me (a day later) to bring it back to the shop for testing and maybe replacement. I did. I knew the shop very well by the way. The interesting thing was, when we tested it there, the static was not present. It was dead silent. Frustrated, I whipped out my laptop (which I had forgotten to test at home), and not only were there no static, it even sounded good. I brought the Kave back home and plugged it into my PC again, and this time around, no static! It's been over a week and the static issue has not re-surfaced. I hope it won't, ever again.

   Then another issue arises. I read the reviews from a lot of sites, local and international, and almost all commended the Kave. I believe in them, that's why I bought it. Unfortunately, I can't quite get the Kave to work for me as I wanted it to. The sound was somehow not there. I mean, I am not comparing this to an Audio Technica or Sennheiser or AKG or Denon or Shure, but it just didn't convince me that this is what the reviewers heard. I mean, I didn't even get any vibrations. I was about to return the headphone to exchange with the Logitech G35.

   Before I decided to do that, I thought maybe I should call up the distributor again. This time, I spoke to a product specialist, who discussed with me in great details on how to get the best out of the headphone, listened intently on my concerns and tried his best to help me with any advices that he could give. And after that, he even sent me an e-mail chronicling our conversation. I am more than impressed. At that point, I decided regardless of whether I can get the headphone to work or not, I am not returning it, just to show my support and appreciation for this kind of rare after-sales service.

   But like I said, I wasn't expecting the Kave to sound like an AKG. I only wanted to hear what the reviewers heard. So I began to suspect my sound card settings (which worked for my Logitech Z5500), may not work this headphone. Ok, I knew it won't work (after all, I am not THAT noob) but no matter how much I tinker with the settings, I didn't get THAT sound. After reading through this thread, I realized something. I am using the Creative X-Fi ExtremeMusic sound card, 5-years old and discontinued. It was introduced even before Vista. And when I migrated to Vista, I only installed the driver and has been configuring the sound card from only the driver itself. So when I saw the screenshot of the Creative Launcher, I knew I have found the solution. Downloaded it, installed it, and from the various posts in this thread, I finally hear THAT sound.

   The treble is clear and crisp even at higher volume. The mid-range is nothing to shout about, but not bad either. The surround, although not as pronounced as the Logitech Z5500, but that is to be expected. Still, I could pinpoint to the bulleyes where zombies are coming from. The vibration is kinda nifty, but very selective. L4D2 didn't seem to have it (although a teammate from Singapore told me that his similarly priced SkullCandy emits vibration from L4D2). No matter. Music and movies are properly configured now, but I only got the game settings in late last night. I was having trouble with the equalizer because the gunshots were either too sharp, or I couldn't hear the Special Infected. It's good now. Although, if anyone has some good settings, I'd welcome the advice.

   And the headphone is LOUD! I often use it as a speaker! This is because I only have one soundcard and I need to pull out and plug in every time I want to switch between speakers and headphone. Actually, I do have an on-board Realtek soundcard but I really don't like the sound of it compared to the Creative. Maybe I am missing some calibration software again. I am not sure. So my problem now is, I need to be able to switch between the speakers and the headphone on the fly. I bought some splitters, but they were too big and they cannot fit side by side on the soundcard. So I bought extender cables for the splitters, and you know what I got after splitting the output? Mono sound. I have no idea why this is so. The splitters I bought were supposed to be stereo splitters, unless I was duped. So as of now, the Kave is connected to the X-Fi while the Z5500 is connected to the Realtek. Any advices?

   On a related note, I am also looking into audiophile music playback on the PC, so maybe getting the Asus Xonar Prestige will solve my problem. Wonder if it will be as good for movies as it is for music. But then again, I will need to get another headphone for music. Maybe the Audio Technica M30 (I can't afford the jump to M50 and I owned the M30 before and I liked it).

   It's a bit confusing right now with all the cables and multiple set-ups. Any advices you guys can give me will be very much appreciated. If not, I'll just keep testing out components by components. Thanks for reading by the way. It's a long post.
*
I understand ur feeling regarding plug in n out the headphone/speaker. Well,i own a AudioTrak Prodigy 7.1 HiFi and i have no problem with dual audio setup. My Kave is connected to the breakout cable which shown below:

user posted image

While my 2.1 speaker is connected via RCA which show below:

user posted image

With this setup,when i want to use speaker,i just need to unplug the Kave's USB and my speaker sounds like a charm. When i wish to use Kave,i just need to plug back the USB and switch off my speaker. Simple and easy.By the way,do you burn in your Kave ?I had burn in it with Pink Noise and it sounds better compare when i unboxing it.

This post has been edited by BladeRider88: Apr 19 2010, 05:47 PM
GundamManiac
post Apr 19 2010, 05:52 PM

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Nope, I have not burn-in my Kave yet, but the sound actually sounds better as every day goes by.

It's a nice setup, but unfortunately my Z5500 is also a 5.1 speaker system, so it won't exactly work for me if I want the option to go 5.1 on both my headphone and my speakers. Thanks for the advice though!
TDUEnthusiast
post Apr 19 2010, 09:38 PM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 14 2010, 06:17 AM)
currently 12 @ 100/100/100/100.

but already tried till reaching 85%.
*
What sound card are you using?
Mr.Docter
post Apr 20 2010, 01:32 AM

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QUOTE(TDUEnthusiast @ Apr 19 2010, 09:38 PM)
What sound card are you using?
*
its the default soundcard that equipped in my laptop. but i am surveying external soundcard. any recommendation, bro TDUEnthusiast?
GundamManiac
post Apr 20 2010, 11:39 AM

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Sorry, not the Asus Xonar Prestige, but the Asus Xonar Essence ST. I have no idea why I said Prestige.
TDUEnthusiast
post Apr 20 2010, 03:58 PM

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QUOTE(Mr.Docter @ Apr 20 2010, 01:32 AM)
its the default soundcard that equipped in my laptop. but i am surveying external soundcard. any recommendation, bro TDUEnthusiast?
*
hmm.gif. Well.. Not sure about what external sound cards there are... You could ask for some recommendations though either in the Hardware Question And Answers, or perhaps in the audiophile section wink.gif.

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