Tt eSports Cronos: Hands-On Review And Sound Check
Packaging and In The Box
A flatter box gives us our first hint that the mechanism for attaching cups to the headset is different. The bundled fabric bag is a nice touch for gamers on the go. Otherwise, you get a small manual and a couple of stickers.
Hands-On
The Cronos' headband doesn’t just look different than the Dracco Captain’s, but it's also a good deal tighter as well. This can become a problem if you wear glasses because it does apply quite a bit of pressure to your head, and that can get uncomfortable. The microphone arm is large and a bit bulky, which looks disproportionate on the headset. Moreover, a piano-black polished plastic surface collects more fingerprints than the FBI (though it does complement the headset’s red lighting).
On the plus side, the Cronos sports new joints between the ear cups and headband that allow the former to be turned sideways. You can flatten the whole headset in a matter of seconds to where it'll fit in much thinner bags. The cups and headband surface are covered by a Lycra material that's both tough and freer-breathing than the Dracco Captain’s fake leather. The headphones are still closed, which results in the same hot, wet ears after a few hours of gaming, but it takes a lot longer to get there.
The cable attaches to a connector that looks a lot like mini-USB. It doesn’t have any mechanism to lock it into place though. So, the Dracco Captain’s more secure solution has the advantage.
A small inline remote, with a mute switch and volume control, doesn't include a clip, making it harder to find quickly. The impact on sound quality using the volume control isn't as severe on Tt eSports' Cronos, either.
The headset comes with two different cables, which are 1 and 2 m in length. The shorter one is meant for mobile devices, but it isn’t really long enough for anyone of more than average height. In fact, both cables could benefit from another 30 cm.
The pictured USB connector powers the headset’s lighting. If you’d rather play in the dark, then don't plug it in. There is no switch to toggle the lights on or off.
Sound Check
The Cronos offers a fairly balanced curve in the ±6 dB range. Smaller problems in the mid-range would likely annoy an audiophile. Once again, the headset doesn’t quiet match its manufacturer specifications. Perhaps wisely, Tt eSports opted to not include the tolerance margins for its measurements.
At the end of the day, though, the data supports our subjective impressions. Mainly, the Cronos’ strengths lie with spatial localization and very quiet sounds. Resolution is good across the board and the maximum sound pressure is massive. The headset might not quite make it to the advertised 117 dB (and I’m wondering at which distortion factor this is supposed to have been measured), but it does get close enough to cause permanent hearing damage if you listen at maximum levels for prolonged periods. The Cronos’ smaller 40 mm drivers do a better job than the Dracco Captain's in the high range, but they can’t compete when it comes to the lows. There’s sufficient bass to give the headset some punch, but the really deep “oomph” is definitely missing.
The results might be improved a bit using an equalizer, but the Cronos’ performance is generally acceptable as-is, especially when its $60 price tag is taken into account.
Microphone Check
Everything I said about the Dracco Captain applies here as well, so I won’t repeat it all. The Tt eSports Cronos’ microphone is more than acceptable for the headset’s price point, but don’t expect high-end performance, either.
