CM Storm Ceres-300 – Hardware Review
The last Cooler Master headset we discussed was the Ceres-400, a headset which situated itself in between the bulky headsets and the lightweights on the market. Recently Cooler Master released the Ceres-300 and the Ceres-500. Today we’ll present you with our opinion of the Ceres-300. (The 500 model will be discussed later this week.) The Ceres-300 is a headset with a low price tag, but this does not necessary mean it’s lacking in quality.
For a budget priced headset one thing can be said and it’s that the design on this headset looks great. You’re never under the impression you’re buying a cheaper model and it happens to look better than some expensive models from other brands. The overall design is slick and smooth and the white touches blend in great with the otherwise black design.
Like the Ceres-400 this headset is fairly light. This will be ideal for those who don’t like to much weight on their heads or too much pressure on their ears. The Ceres-300 can of course be adjusted to your liking to either go for a more snug fit or perhaps a looser approach.
This means comfort wise the Ceres-300 will not start to annoy you after longer gaming sessions. The headset is also fitted with ‘leathery’ padding inside the headband itself.
The ear cups will fully cover your ears but will still allow environment sounds to reach you. This means you’ll be able to enjoy your gaming sounds/music and your online conversations without completely secluding yourself from the outside world. Nonetheless in the end this is all about personal preference.
As with most headsets, the Ceres-300’s connection works with the two standard jacks, namely audio and microphone input. This is fitted together with a cable as long as 2.5 meters, which will surely provide you with the mobility you’re looking for.
Of course the headset has a small control mechanism incorporated within the connection cable. The mechanism only allows you to adjust volume settings as well as turn your microphone on or off. Honestly not that much more should be expected from a microphone in this price range.
For a headset this cheap, the sound quality is comparable to those in a higher price range. The sound is clear, the bass is sharp and your companions can be heard soundly. The quality does not lack in any department.
The microphone on the Ceres-300 is quite sensitive and detects sound just as one should expect. The piece itself is very flexible and can be bent in any kind of direction to please your needs.
Own opinion
When one hears the term budget priced, it’s only natural to have a prejudice towards an item, seeing most of the time budget priced means low quality. How wrong one can be. When unboxing the headset it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary low priced headset. The design was comparable with other high priced headsets and the material did not feel any cheaper as well.
Design wise the blending of the black and white may be quite common and simple, yet the subtlety makes this design look as if it belongs to a more expensive price class.
Comfort wise the headset felt light enough for long gaming sessions and the padding softened sufficiently. Of course having a light headset might pair up with having lower quality material to work with. Luckily for the Ceres-300 this was not the case. The materials used to the headset might feel a bit more on the ‘plastic’ side but it’s a sturdy headset nonetheless.
Only one thing that is quite disappointing is the fact the microphone piece was fairly short. It hardly reached my mouth and as a personal preference I prefer to have it in front of my mouth instead of beside it. Again this is only personal taste, but having the option would have been nice.
Conclusion
The Ceres-300 is one of those rare budget priced items that comes along that is actually pretty damn good. The sound is refined, the design is fancy and it still provides the necessary comfort to make your gaming sessions pleasant.
The low price makes this piece of hardware great for those who are frightened to buy their first headset because of all the options on the market. Not only those looking for their first headset will be pleased with the Ceres-300, those who might not have the biggest budget to spend will certainly be happy with this purchase. This does not mean hardcore gamers will not be pleased with this headset. Truth be told, most hardcore gamers tend to overlook this price range and with low priced hardware like this, they should consider checking out the lower price range as well.
Note: Click here for a full list of specs.
CM Storm Ceres-300 - Hardware Review,
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