CM Storm Sonuz Stereo Gaming Headset Review

Rob Williams · 07-31-2012, 10:52 PM

Cooler Master impressed us with its Sirus surround-sound headset last fall so much that we slapped an Editor's Choice award on it. But what about those folks who prefer their audio to be in stereo? Well, CM has answered the call and the result is Sonuz. Let's check it out, and see if it can impress us like the Sirus managed.

Read through J.D.'s in-depth look at Cooler Master's Sonuz stereo gaming headset and then discuss it here!

Who the heck is J.D., you ask? Techgage's freshest writer; so please bid him a welcome!

08-01-2012, 12:46 AM

Very well written and informative. J.D. sounds like a wonderful addition to Techgage.

Optix · 08-01-2012, 04:09 PM

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 for test games? I think we'll get along just peachy.

Kayden · 08-01-2012, 04:15 PM

Good review J.D.. I myself prefer stereo headphones, cause all of the 5.1 or 7.1 ones never work the way they should IMO, it's just smoke and mirrors unless you shell out a crap ton of money. I am now putting this on a short list if I ever have to get a pair of headphones.

Optix · 08-01-2012, 11:57 PM

I need 5.1 for games - I find them unimmersive without the directional sound, plus hearing foot steps behind me has saved my bacon in more than one occasion, but when it comes to music, you're right JD. Stereo is the way to go. In most cases I'm flipping between the two through software.

The price point on this set of cans is a tad high for a stereo unit though.

Big Red Machine · 08-02-2012, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optix

I need 5.1 for games - I find them unimmersive without the directional sound, plus hearing foot steps behind me has saved my bacon in more than one occasion, but when it comes to music, you're right JD. Stereo is the way to go. In most cases I'm flipping between the two through software.

The price point on this set of cans is a tad high for a stereo unit though.

I don't know if I agree. Just for the build quality (I should have said more about that aspect of the product, come to think of it) and the sound quality, I think it's quite fairly priced. The thing's built like a tank, and the sound quality is very good for something that's marketed as "gamer's gear."

When it comes to headphones, I don't necessarily subscribe to the "more is better" philosophy. Just from the stuff I've sampled (which, admittedly, represents a small sample size), anything more than stereo comes off as sounding very artificial. To my ears, surround sound headphones just don't sound right. Just for my sensibilities, that artificiality is a deal-breaker. I've yet to find surround sound headphones that didn't have that artificial quality.

But, hey, what's not so good for the goose is great for the gander, eh?

Rob Williams · 08-02-2012, 01:09 AM

I thought $70 was a relative steal for this headset given what's offered. I admit I haven't kept up on what's out there though, so what's a typical price for a quality gaming model? $70 just sounds like a good price to me, but it might be the fact that $200+ headphones have warped my thinking.

On a side note, I much prefer stereo also, for any type of content. Though to be fair, I haven't used a good 5.1 pair for gaming in quite some time.

07-31-2012, 10:52 PM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	CM Storm Sonuz Stereo Gaming Headset Review Cooler Master impressed us with its Sirus surround-sound headset last fall so much that we slapped an Editor's Choice award on it. But what about those folks who prefer their audio to be in stereo? Well, CM has answered the call and the result is Sonuz. Let's check it out, and see if it can impress us like the Sirus managed. Read through J.D.'s in-depth look at Cooler Master's Sonuz stereo gaming headset and then discuss it here! Who the heck is J.D., you ask? Techgage's freshest writer; so please bid him a welcome! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

08-01-2012, 12:46 AM	#2
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Great review Very well written and informative. J.D. sounds like a wonderful addition to Techgage.

08-01-2012, 04:15 PM	#4
Kayden Techgage Staff Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: CA Posts: 709	Good review J.D.. I myself prefer stereo headphones, cause all of the 5.1 or 7.1 ones never work the way they should IMO, it's just smoke and mirrors unless you shell out a crap ton of money. I am now putting this on a short list if I ever have to get a pair of headphones. __________________ Koolance PC4-1036BK Liquid Cooled Aluminum Full Tower Case (Upgraded to displace 1320watt of heat) - Koolance 360 ver 1.2 CPU Water Block - PrimoChill ICE Non-Conductive Fluid - Asus P6X58D Premium - Intel I7 950 - Evga GTX580 FTW Hydro Copper 2 x2 in SLI - Tt SMART M1200W PSU - Mushkin Enhanced Radioactive 12GB 1600 XMP - Klipsch 5.1 THX Cert Speakers - Sata II OCZ Vertex 4 128GB, Kingston 120GB SV300, WD 2TB, 320GB & 1TB - Cyborg RAT 7 MMO Mouse - Logitech G19 - Logitech G13 Gameboard - 1-over-3 Viewsonic's VA2448M-LED 24-Inch for Nvidia Surround - Ergotech Triple Horizontal LCD Monitor Arm Desk Stand

08-02-2012, 01:09 AM	#7
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	I thought $70 was a relative steal for this headset given what's offered. I admit I haven't kept up on what's out there though, so what's a typical price for a quality gaming model? $70 just sounds like a good price to me, but it might be the fact that $200+ headphones have warped my thinking. On a side note, I much prefer stereo also, for any type of content. Though to be fair, I haven't used a good 5.1 pair for gaming in quite some time. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

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