CM Storm Ceres-500 – Gaming Headset
ASUS ChromeboxThe CM Storm line has been enhanced with a new headset for Gamer and consoles by the excellent price-performance ratio. For those not familiar, the CM Storm line of products has been developed by Cooler Master to meet the needs of users pay more attention to the quality and performance, especially on the PC.
We are talking about keyboards, mice, headsets and cabinets born from the collaboration between the American company and the people of eSports enthusiasts, designed around extensive testing sessions and specific suggestions.
After the excellent model Ceres 300, available in stores at prices starting from just $49, characterized by cutting-edge design, but only by the compatibility with the personal computer, Cooler Master has decided to produce a new pair of gaming headsets starting just from that experience but opening up to the world of the console. Here is the CM Storm Ceres-500, a high-quality product that is offered at just $60 (although the official price is about 80) and that has analog audio connections for use also on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
CM Storm Ceres-500 – Appearance
The packaging of the CM Storm Ceres-500 looks quite elegant, though far from the luxury found in high-end models of competing brands. Indeed, we have a simple black box, cut on the right side because of the headphones is visible from the plastic container.
Also essential equipment: once you open the box, the headset are more than just a quick start for connections on PCs and consoles (which considers only the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but the analog system also allows the use of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), a small brochure with the technical specifications, the detachable microphone and a sachet containing the analog stereo audio adapter cable and a 2.5 mm jack for connecting headphones to the Xbox controller. But little good, as they say, because in purely aesthetic terms the Ceres 500 headphones are among the best, we’ve ever seen.
The designers have gone aesthetics of Ceres and 300 have substantially improved, keeping the padded headband on all sides and playing with white and with black to achieve a modern and elegant solution, really pleasant to see. The arrangement of the cable, three meters long, it creates positioning problems with the controls, and the terminal is light enough not to weigh in any way the headset, as sometimes is the case.
The CM Storm Ceres-500 have an internal amplifier and thus provide an independent volume control, the ability to adjust the switch from PC to the console (in this mode you can adjust the volume of the chat) and to activate the mute quickly and intuitively. Here, too, the choices made are terribly basic but functional, ergonomic handling of the headphones is never complicated or is likely to go wrong button.
CM Storm Ceres-500 and … the Substance
The double padded headband is not only an aesthetic value, as it provides excellent comfort even during longer sessions. The writer is not a fan of headphones and prefers the use of in-ear headphones with membrane just a matter of long-term comfort, even at the expense of quality, but from this point of view, the CM Storm Ceres-500 are really fantastic.
Merit also of the pavilions, particularly large and able to completely surround the ears without ” plug ” the head. This means that outside feel what you are hearing almost as if they were next to a stereo, and this is undoubtedly a defect in situations where you prefer an ” insulator “.
One factor that must be taken into account. Audio quality, there’s just nothing to say, confirming an excellent price/performance ratio. The CM Storm Ceres-500 give their best on the PC, where you just connect via USB, but behave well on the console and are quite versatile, lending itself to any type of situation, from gaming to music, from sports to movies.
I drive 40 mm ensure a good push on the middle frequencies and the need to ” hit ” on the bass, but without letting too dark and unbalanced approaches. Remains unknown at high frequencies, which tend a bit to mingle and not be defined as in the high-end headset, but we’re talking about a price difference of over $200, and the results appear in every case of a good standard.
CM Storm Ceres-500 – Conclusions
The CM Storm Ceres-500 manage to combine the best possible aesthetics, need for long-term comfort, versatility and cost-platform. We’re not talking about a high-end device with regard to aspects such as internal pressure equalization, wireless transmission, surround or digital connectivity, but a headset that is fixed on the basic needs of the fans and that can, without going to the Beyond this area, to give us an excellent sound quality, characterized by a price / performance ratio that at the moment it seems hard to beat. We are facing an ideal product for those users who are looking for a simple, solid, able to combine sound quality and comfort but without requiring exorbitant amounts.
Our Opinion
PROS : Excellent price / performance ratio., Excellent design and ergonomics., Good performance on medium and low.
CONS : High frequencies are not always clear., "Noisy" from the outside, do not isolate.
- Overall
