Home : Hardware : Reviews : Cyborg 5.1
Use and Testing
Drivers setup is simple, but can make a big difference in the quality of sound. Once installed and you reboot the system, every time you plug the USB jack in, a sound configurator enables with a load of options. At the default setting, it's hard to fathom most people needing any change. The sound quality is fine and requires no change. However, for those particular to audio and have specific tastes, or perhaps are in different environments, room sizes or something else, there is an option for everyone.
To test the 5.1, we listened to music, watched movies and played games. While most MP3's sound pretty generic, regardless if its listened to on speakers or headphones, high quality or not, the 5.1's in both stereo and surround mode impressed. On full CD quality they were even better, though it took a bit of tweaking to get the sound just right. Sound came through crisp and clear, and as expected the USB performed slightly better than the 3.5mm, though the difference is exceptionally slight. 
That same performance carried over to movies as well, with a steady stream of great audio flowing through the speakers. Not only that, the headset was comfortable to wear throughout the entire movie (Casino Royale) and our music listening (several different soundtracks and bands). It's much easier to deal with discomfort from the top band than from the ears, and surprisingly on our ears it was very easygoing. Some of the staff with bigger ears complained that their ear-extremities, if you will, did have some discomfort, but that's to be expected.
Finally, the true test: how the surround sound works in games. We tested with Team Fortress 2 and Crysis. Sound quality once again was crisp coming in, but going out was a big more problematic.
This is mainly because it's a plug-in mic as opposed to an attached one. At first it didn't register any sound going through, and after a lot of twisting and turning and plugging in and out, it finally connected normally. However, sharp movements threw it out of place and we'd be forced to jiggle it around until it hit that sweet spot.
Sound quality from the microphone was fine from both the USB and 3.5mm, and friends and fellow players couldn't tell the difference when it actually worked. On the bright side, every time it disconnected a heavy crackle went through the headphones, so it was always easy to tell when no one could hear me.
