Sandberg Cyclone Headset – Hardware Review
Sandberg is a relatively new brand on the site, but nonetheless, we have featured some of their items and so far we haven’t had a bad product in the batch they gave us. This time we’re lining up to discuss several new products, starting off with one of their two lower priced headsets. While the Derecho Headset was relatively affordable compared to many other brands on the market, Sandberg’s Cyclone and Twister headsets aim to please a different audience, one with a lower budget. Nonetheless, don’t let this mislead you, as we were awfully surprised by this low priced glossy gaming peripheral.
Design
Truth be told, we were a bit on the fence when it came to the two newest Sandberg headsets, as cheap often means a hideous design, or poor looking parts, which results in something that looks as if Aliexpress was your first choice. Nonetheless, when opening the box, we were treated to a very glossy and good-looking headset that made it hard to believe that it comes at half the price of the Derecho Headset.
The Cyclone headset looks a bit like a mix of a futuristic headset and one that dates back from the nineties, the latter being thanks to the protruding metal pieces that are used to adjust the width/length of the headset. The futuristic aspect can be found in the LED lighting on the sides, which simply looks quite stunning. Sadly, if you’re not gaming in front of a mirror, only those who are in the same room as you can look at you in awe, not realizing this great design is actually from a budget priced headset.
While the LED lighting certainly steals the show, the metallic finish with the Sandberg logo and brand name on it, gives the device a very nice touch. The headband is finished with blue rubber pieces, which also add a lot to the overall design of this device. The microphone itself is only a little stub, which doesn’t look too bad, but it doesn’t add too much to the headset’s appearance.
Comfort
Sandberg’s Cyclone Headset is rather light in weight, and thus it does fairly well without too much padding. You’ll have a reasonable amount of rubberized padding in the headband, and the ear cups are soft as well, with a very pleasing leathery fabric. You’ll also notice that the device doesn’t clamp your head too tightly, which is certainly a plus for gamers who get annoyed or stressed easily when a device grips them too tightly.
The headset itself is easily adjustable, and all the buttons you’ll need (volume and mic on/off) are well within reach on the bottom side of the left ear cup. There’s also no microphone that gets in the way, or needs to be adjusted to pick up the sound properly, as this device has a short static microphone that picks up sound as it should.
Only one minor issue with the material used for this headset, namely mainly rubber, is that it attracts a lot of dust particles, and it gets ‘dirty’ quite rapidly. If you have a proper cloth to clean the device, there’s a minimum amount of maintenance required, but trying to wipe off dust with your hands doesn’t work all too well on a material such as this, so keep that in mind. Same can be said for the leathery cloth that covers the ear cups, as it shows stains quite easily. Then again, the latter is quite common with all headsets that use said material.
Specs
- 1 surround sound
- 2 meters braided cable
- 40 mm drivers
- USB connection
- LED lights
Overview
Not completely to our surprise, the Cyclone Headset is a plug and play device, which means you’re good to go in a matter of seconds. The device also doesn’t come with any additional software, thus it’s smooth sailing all the way, after you’ve connected the device to one of your empty USB ports, but it also means that you don’t have any real customization options. Then again, most headsets don’t really offer that much in terms of customization.
The headset doesn’t come with that many whistles and bells, as you’ll simply find a volume regulator on the left ear cup, and a button to mute the microphone. As expected, a headset that finds itself in this price range comes without that many options, but you’ll at least have the crucial ones to work with. In the end, even high end headsets often only come with these two options, so there’s nothing to really complain about.
Overall you’ll be treated to a decent sound quality, with a strong bass to it. Of course, once again you can’t expect the same sound as you would receive in headsets that are nearly thrice the price of this one, but you’ll get very clear sound, albeit a bit hollow at times. The short microphone also properly picks up your voice, but it also sounds a bit more hollow on the receiving end. The latter is probably due to the fact the mic is rather far away from your mouth.
Conclusion
While the Cyclone Headset may not come with many whistles and bells when it comes to options, this little device blew us away when looking at its retail price. For a price that is considered budget, you’ll not only get an extremely good looking headset, you’ll also get one that rivals its comfort with devices priced more than double of this one. The Cyclone’s performance is decent when it comes to crystal clear sound, bass and of course the proper functionality of its tiny microphone.
Sandberg Cyclone Headset - Hardware Review,
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