Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 review

Page 4 - Software, tests

Софтуер

The software is easy to install and it is nothing special by the way. As whole it is kind of unfinished, leaving a lot to be desired, yet without it the headphones more or less useless.

This is the main screen of the software. Here we choose the audio output we want. We could separately set the the output power for each speaker, which is rather important. By default the sound is quite flat, definitely lacking volume. Bass speakers are quiet too, the only thing coming ahead are the central speakers, though they fail at high frequencies. After a precise setting (manifested mostly by boosting the front and back speakers) things do get much better. Because the front and back speakers are placed higher their boost reflects in sound with much more volume. Normal high frequencies are present at last, and as for the base – it's more or less average, not too powerful, but definitely felt.

The screen from the first screenshot is the settings for a virtual 7.1 channel system. Though it's useless – virtual 7.1 channels on a 5.1 channel headphones just doesn't works. Difference is nonessential. We could set the position of each and every speaker, as well as the distance from the alleged center (that is you). Surely another useless function – all you get is louder/quieter speakers, that's it. Physically the speakers are merely fixed on unchangeable position, so the same effect is achieved bu the other settings by simply turning the volume up or down. The screen of the mixer offers the standard settings functions, as expected from every mixer. It offers fine settings for the mic and sound strength, though the same could be done by the OS provided mixer. The only difference here is the main sound strength, which is directly adjusted from the remote control and is responsible for only the headphones - separated from the main sound card setting. The mixer does have functionality, still it appears as just another not too well implemented thing with this software. As for the effects – they aren't anything special either, though standard stuff is available. Most useful in it is the equalizer, that allows you to finely set the frequencies of the headphones, just the way you like it.

Those are two demos for the 5.1 sound – helicopter, circling around radar (that's you) and a game which is more or less the same thing, though with asteroids that make sound upon which you have to orientate and shoot 'em up.

This is the place to mention one more thing about the software – it doesn't always remember its settings so from time to time it has to be set up all over. There is also the issue with different applications (movies, games, music) you need a different setting for each in order to get optimal sound settings, otherwise you'll get a sound of irritating quality.

Comfortability

Ciber Snipa Sonar 5.1 are very comfortable to wear and fit nicely to the head, but are a bit big and heavy and after a while do tire your muscles. Their excellent flexibility has a price though – they're not griping the head firmly enough and when bending backward they tend to fall off. They are Те са lined with breathing cloth, yet despite that tend to hot and in time would definitely make your ears sweat :). On the other hand the mic is very flexible and it allows very precise position setting:

Remote

The remote is quite convenient, having a clip to keep it from messing with the cable. Very useful function is the mic control too. Though this is another of the setbacks with the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 – the manufacturers choose very bright blue leds, and on top of that the one for the headphones blinks when there is sound. They are too bright even at day, at night... well the polite way to describe the light is - unpleasant. Not that they are an unsolvable problem, heck no. Still that leaves a bitter taste for such good product. As for the cable itself – 3m is nowadays standard length, though that isn't necessarily a plus. But he USB is definitely one huge one for Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1.