Cooler Master Masterpulse Gaming Headset Review

Introduction

Manufacturer: Cooler Master
Model: Masterpulse
UK Price: £59.99 MSRP (at time of review)
US Price: $TBC (at time of release)

Cooler Master are a company that have been in the realm of computer hardware manufacturing since 1992. They are known the world over by PC enthusiasts mostly for their CPU coolers, PC cases and their PSU’s, as well as this however they also make many other products, one of them being headsets.

The Cooler Master Masterpulse is a gaming headset that has stereo surround sound with bass FX technology so yeah… rather snazzy! It is connected through a 3.5mm audio jack which allows it to be compatible with the new consoles, phones and tablets – anything with a 4-pole 3.5mm audio jack really. There is also an adaptor which allows you to use the headset on your pc with full functionality but also gives a little extra cable length too. It is a noise cancelling headset which is perfect for immersing yourself in whatever gaming world you want to delve into, or if you simply want peace to watch a movie or listen to music. The Bass FX (BFX) technology is something that is rather impressive which means you can increase the bass and volume that the headset produces simply by taking off the earcup side panels!

Specification

If you’re not looking at the specifications for a headset, you could simply end up buying a piece of trash gamers or not, make sure you have a quick read and make sure this headset suits your needs for a headset.

This headset has a lot going for it looking at the specifications alone and will work well for any gamer and in any genre I would say! Time to get into more nitty gritty and really show what this headset is like!

Closer Look

The look of a headset is always something that will strike you first and it’s important that your headset is pleasing aesthetically as well as technically. The colour scheme for this headset is black with red on the cables so while it’s a rather simple colour scheme the headset itself is pretty cool looking!

The front of the box is rather simple, doing what it has to by showing the headset, naming it and telling about the surround sound and the Bass FX technology. While it is simple I do like it, it’s not being flashy and shows that you get what you see.

The back of the box is rather detailed in multiple languages and goes into a bit more detail about the headset with things like the audio experience, BFX technology, etc.

A nice little addition to the box is the magnetic flap that lets you have a look in at the headset and gives more detail again about the headset. It shows specifications about the headset and even goes as far as to show you what goes into that headset you’ll be paying for!

Inside the box you finally get your hands on the product itself, with it comes a pamphlet that goes into more specifications, package contents and an overview of the headset. No stickers though… it sounds rather daft, but I do like getting them.

Having a look at the headset you see the red cable pops very well with the black of the rest of the product. There is a headband on the headset instead of that annoying clicking system that you usually have to do with headsets that changes every time someone else uses the headset.

The headband itself is cushioned so you don’t have to take it off quite so much when it starts getting a little annoying on your head! We’ve all been there, especially if you’re wearing a hat at the same time (or is that just me?).

The earcups themselves have a nice padding to make sure it’s comfortable on your ears they also feel big enough that they can’t nip at your ears like others have done in the past with me.

This is the outside shell of the earcups with a nice Cooler Master logo on the plate, while the plate is on, it means the bass is off. A cool thing is that it’s not a clip or anything like that keeping it on, it’s all magnetic, some cool Magneto stuff going on here!

Off with that plate, this means of course that bass is now on, and you see the Cooler Master logo again underneath, you see the magnets on the inside of the plate too, again Magneto would be proud!

The audio jack is my favourite input for a headset as it feels like I get a better sound by using a headset with this. The remote control box is a nice little addition to the cable and allows you to turn the volume up or down through it and even mute the microphone too.

This is the adaptor that allows you to use your microphone with the headset should you choose to do so. It also adds extra length to the cable so I’d actually recommend using it due to the cable not being quite long enough for me to begin with. With it being a 4 pole jack it also allows you to use the microphone on your headset on things like phones, tablets and if you have a laptop that has a combined headphone/audio jack, then there you go!

Performance and testing time it is!

Performance and Testing

Once more into the fray! I’ll be looking at the performance and all the lovely things that makes this headset what it is. Another headset that is marketed as a gaming headset, but is more than capable to do more than just that, for example, the bass FX technology opens it up to be used with musical work possibly too. I think Cooler Master have given a good price for this product and the performance is fantastic too!

As stated before I’m not a PC gamer that confines myself and my PC to the world of gaming. My PC is a multi-purpose tool for me as well as an entertainment centre for multiple things (get your minds out of the gutter), and if it wasn’t for the adaptor that came with this I wouldn’t be able to use this casually as I do now, the comfort a specific pleasing thing. As with any headset I tried it with bass heavy songs, along with generally heavy metal, YouTube, etc. I then moved onto games of which I tried a few, The Witcher 3, Star Wars: Battlefront, Alien: Isolation, etc. The games played wonderfully and I felt fully immersed in them all, especially with Alien which was both good and bad, the last thing my 6 month old needs to hear is her daddy whimpering.

I love the build quality of this headset more so than any previous I’ve used, it feels like it could take a good bash and be fine. With two kids in the house, the headset being able to last is an important feature for me and for most PC users out there too I would reckon too, especially considering the average price for a good headset. The worst thing I have to say about this is the cable length is just not good enough sadly, if it didn’t come with the adaptor I straight up wouldn’t really be able to use this, or I’d have to move my PC right beside me just to sit comfortably.

Comfort

Comfort is usually around number two on the check list when it comes to choosing a headset. I put it tied in first place with sound quality, I have sensitive ears at times and making sure they don’t irritate me is hugely important, big congrats to Cooler Master for successfully making me completely at ease with this headset. The lightweight aluminium frame helped make sure that there was no excessive weight bearing on my ears or head and the thing is light as hell at only 332g! I felt this covered my ears perfectly and having the remote control box made me able to turn down volume if needed in the blink of an eye. The headband like the Steelseries headset is a favourite again, the headset slips right onto my head with no re-adjusting necessary, and sharing the PC with the partner means we’re not having a silly little argument about how big my head is.

Earcups as I say fully surround my ears which means no sound escapes or slips in from the outside which is essential for full immersion. It does get me in a spot of bother once in a while when my partner asks for help with housework or with the baby and I’m sitting here focusing in CS:GO or something. With glasses on I think there is little or no discomfort with this headset unless you’re playing for extended periods of time, which if you’re a PC gamer, you likely are…

Sound Quality

Testing this was a delight, the headset has 2.0 channel surround with 44mm drivers to give you a fantastic performance. I enjoyed having the headset on, mostly because after a while, I do forget I’m wearing it. It works perfectly fine with smartphones and the newer consoles, I do feel it shines most on a PC where it is specifically designed to be performing in the first place. This headset is serious competition for all other top tier headsets out there and I think it pips the Steelseries Siberia 350 for me, even if it doesn’t have the LED customisation and the software. The earcups fully encapsulate my ears and again, I can’t hear the outside noise that has moved on from My Little Pony to Word Party… Netflix… Y U DO DIS! The games do become more immersive for me with a headset that stops outside noise, and this is no exception, especially horror games, dear lord why do I do this to myself…

Microphone Quality

The microphone is a surprising one, mostly because I didn’t realise there was one at first, it is literally a little hole in the left earcup! It is a really good microphone for being what is literally a hidden one, and works fairly well when in a Skype call, but I felt it was a little crackly when in an online game which has forced me to go back to my main microphone.

Conclusion

Looking at all that has been said for the Cooler Master Masterpulse the real thing is whether it’s worth the price tag attached which is £59.99 (MSRP).

This headset is great for multipurpose use which means you could buy this for daily life as well as your in home PC if you choose to. Everything from the headband to the padding on the earcups, OH and especially the plates that help you change the bass FX are things that I really love about this headset, and it definitely gives a fantastic performance.

You must be asking now, is it really worth the money? Well I would say definitely, I personally see £59.99 as cheap for a headset. This quality alone makes it worth having, and with the price being remarkably almost half of what you would pay for the Siberia 350 I think Cooler Master have achieved a great thing with the Masterpulse, adding things like the Bass FX technology, the headband and the remote control box I think you would be getting an absolute bargain getting this headset.

All in all I would rate this in one of the essentials in a build list  and we bestow it with our Gold Award for price and quality! I dearly hope Cooler Master continue to bring out quality peripherals for prices like this because it really starts to make PC gaming affordable without skimping on quality.