CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset Review

By Hank Tolman

Manufacturer: Cooler Master Ltd. Inc.
Product Name: CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset
Model Number: SGH-4330-KATA1
UPC: 884102021114
Price As Tested: $84.99 (NewEgg / Amazon)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Cooler Master.

I’ve never been a big fan of headsets. Instead, I’ve always tried to use a speaker system whenever possible. After my fourth kid was born a few months ago, however, my home office was converted into a nursery. That meant that my trusty 5.1 surround speaker system that had traveled to Iraq and back with me, was now a set of paperweights. Since then, I’ve become somewhat of an audiophile, seeking the most comfortable headset that produces the highest quality sound for the best price. Recently, Benchmark Reviews received the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset SGH-4330-KATA1 for testing. In this article, I will outline my experience with the CM Storm Pulse-R and show you where it fits in the gaming headset niche.

Cooler Master’s gaming division, CM Storm, produces a wide variety of computing peripherals and accessories aimed specifically at gamers and enthusiasts. While some gamers might have unlimited funds and can spend hundreds on audio peripherals like a gaming headset, that isn’t the case for everyone. For those gamers that desire high quality sound and a comfortable headset without breaking the bank, CM Storm offers the Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset SGH-4330-KATA1. We have a set here at Benchmark Reviews and I was actually quite impressed with their balance of cost, comfort, and quality.
Optimized for Gaming – 42mm drivers deliver clear highs as well as powerful bass in all range of tones, creating an unprecedented audio experience for gamers. Cushioned ear cups and headband provide a luxurious feel and remain comfortable even after the most epic gaming sessions.

Light ‘Em Up – Stylish white illuminated grooves within earcups and mic (USB powered) intimidate your foes and keep your gaming gear looking stylish.

Durable Aluminum Plating – Ready to Mod – CM Storm’s Pulse-R is the first gaming headset that empowers users to take their creativity to new levels and create a product that represents their individual style. Remove the aluminum plates and customize it as you see fit. The ultimate E-Sports headset.

A Versatile Weapon – Reinforced cushioned ear cups and headband give noise cancellation and maximum comfort during long gaming sessions. Unique lightweight, adjustable aluminum headband keeps you concentrated on what matters – winning.

Convenient In-Line Remote With Volume Slider and Mic Mute Switch – Easily control volume and mic levels within arm’s reach with the sliders. The cable is detachable for easy storage and transportation.

Command With Clarity – Detachable microphone arm with noise-canceling mic system ensures clear in-game team chats. When you see the white LED on, you’re ready to command.

Model Number	SGH-4330-KATA1
Headphones
Driver	42mm driver
Frequency Response	20Hz-20KHz
Impedance	50O
Connector	3.5mm headphone jack
Cable Length	3m Removable Cable
Microphone
Pick-up Pattern	Omni-Directional
Frequency Response	100 Hz – 10000 Hz
Sensitivity	-42 ± 3dB (0dB = 1V/pa.1KHz)
Signal to Noise Ratio	60dB or more
Removable Mic	Volume control and Mic mute

The CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset came in a giant cardboard box. It was on the doorstep when I got home and I couldn’t figure out what it was. I knew I wasn’t expecting a case, but the box was big enough to fit a small case. I opened the box to discover the CM Storm Pulse-R headset comfortably nestled within at least a mile of packing paper. The actual retail box of the CM Storm Pulse-R is much more manageable.

The box itself is straight black with a hinged top. When closed, it fits inside of a sheath that shows off a graphic of the Pulse-R headset and includes a description of some of the features. Opened, the box consists of a plastic mold that holds the CM Storm Pulse-R snugly in place. It also has a separate slot for the microphone. Under the headset itself is where the expected additions reside; the manual, driver disc, and the cord.

The Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset has large cushioned ear cups that fit completely around my ears. That’s saying something. I guess I must have larger than normal ears, because my Bose QuietComfort 15 headphones don’t cover them completely. The Pulse-R headphones do, so around the ear at least, they are more comfortable for me. The headband is also cushioned. The cushioning is a little thicker than on other headsets I have used, making it pretty firm. That makes it feel a little tighter-fitting around the ears and it sits somewhat heavily on your head. The CM Storm Pulse-R headset is still very comfortable, it just feels a little heavy.

The CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset is one of only a handful of gaming headsets that are illuminated. That actually makes sense, considering the fact that you can’t see your headset while you are wearing it. The exception, of course, being the microphone. The Pulse-R Gaming Headset is illuminated on the outside of the earcups as well as the tip of microphone. The end of the microphone lights up whenever the microphone is activated via the inline remote.

Speaking of the earcups on the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset, they are covered by aluminum plates. That aluminum, along with an aluminum strip along the headband, are what gives the Pulse-R its name; Aluminum Gaming Headset. The rest of the body is made of plastic. The aluminum plates that cover the earcups are removable. Cooler Master touts this as a customization feature. You can purchase customized plates, or make your own modifications to the existing plates to make them suit your fancy.

To control the volume levels on the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset, you can use the volume controls on the in-line remote. The volume control is a slider-style control, rather than a rotating wheel. It is convenient, and very sensitive, but it is also very short. In other words, the slide is nearly as long as the slide rail. The distance on the slider between muted and full volume is merely a fraction of an inch. The slider also has to travel about of quarter of the distance before the sound actually kicks on. I’m not a big fan of the slider volume control. I’m not against the design, I just wish the slide were smaller, or the rail longer. As it is, I feel like I have only three volume settings; off, full, and mid-range.

The CM Storm Pulse-R headset sports 42mm drivers to pump out the sound. Theoretically, a larger driver should produce lower lows and potentially clearer mid and low level sounds, but it all tends to depend on your ear. Some audiophiles say that a larger driver, while boosting basses, larger drivers tend to hurt the high and mid range tones.

Cooler Master mentions multiple times that the CM Storm Pulse-R Headset gives noise cancellation through the reinforced cushioned ear cups and headband. There is no active driver for noise cancellation on Pulse-R, and the headset would probably be a lot more expensive if there were. That means that the “noise cancellation” on the Pulse-R Gaming Headset is passive, apparently through the reinforcement in the cushioning of the ear cups and headband. This is more appropriately labeled “noise isolation” than cancellation in my opinion. Either way, the cushioning in the ear cups does a pretty good job at blocking outside sounds, but it isn’t nearly as good as actual active noise cancellation.

One of the most distinguishing features on the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset is, of course, the LED lighting. The LEDs are placed throughout the headset, with the most noticeable lighting coming from under the aluminum plates mounted on the earcups. Those lights are always on, as long as the USB connector at the end of the cord is plugged in. The in-line controller also houses an LED that is always on when the USB is plugged in. The final lighted area is on the tip of the microphone. That LED is only on when the mic is active. The in-line controller is used to activate the mic.

Speaking of the cord, the one on the CM Storm Pulse-R is extremely long. It measures about 3 meters in length. That’s almost 10 feet. I consider that to be one of the most desirable features of a good gaming headset, and one that is severely lacking on many headsets on the market. Any gamer knows that being comfortable is a big part of pwning n00bs. Sometimes that requires interesting seating arrangements and you don’t need your headset tethering you too closely to the tower. Nearly 10 feet of cord length gives you the freedom to set up how you like. The fact that the cord is detachable also helps for those mid-session snack runs. Of course, I found that with the CM Storm Pulse-R, after a few times attaching and detaching the cable, it has a tendency to slip out partially with even very slight tugging on the line. It is easy to tell because the left ear stops playing audio and I have to readjust the connection. That can be pretty annoying.

I used a wide array of different headphones in testing the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset. The interesting part about testing headsets is that it really all depends on your own hearing and what you like and don’t like. What that means is that pretty much everything I have to say about how the CM Storm Pulse-R sounds is based on my own opinion. I’ll try to be as objective as possible and give numbers and stats whenever I can, but the best way to tell if you like how a headset sounds is to try it out yourself. I used a sound AuidoCheck.net’s headphones sound tests to check frequency response, dynamic range, quality, driver matching, wiring, binaural signal, and full music playback. I also played games with the headphones and wore them for extended periods to check for comfort and stability.

• CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset – $84.99 (NewEgg / Amazon)
• BOSE QuietComfort 15 Noise Cancelling Headphones – $299.99
• Turtle Beach Ear Force M Seven Mobile Headphones – $149.99
• JVC Super Bass HA-V570 DJ Headphones – $17.95
• JVC Black Series HA-S650 On-Ear Headphones – $69.99

Frequency. The first test I used was a frequency test to check high and low ranges for each of the headphones. Admittedly, all of the headphones but the JVC Super Bass headphones were able to reach the highs and lows of my limits of hearing. The CM Storm Pulse-R was clearly audible from 18kHz to 8kHz in the treble range and from 20Hz to 200Hz in the bass range. Some of you may be able to hear ranges higher or lower than this, but this was the extent of my hearing. Years in the military have left my ears a little worse for wear.

Dynamic Range. I ran the CM Storm Pulse-R through a dynamic range test next, looking for how easily I could hear various levels below full sound. Again, this is going to depend on your own hearing, but I could clearly hear up to 72dBFS (decibels below full sound) on the Pulse-R without any distortion or fuzz.

Quality Test. I followed the dynamic range test with a quality test aimed at making sure the headset was built to reverberate properly at the lowest lows and the highest highs. When we hear low bass tones, we often judge their clarity and audibility by how we feel the bass as well as hear it. Good headphones will reverberate at lower levels to help you feel the bass, but they shouldn’t rattle. Rattling was a big problem with the entry-level JVC HA-V750 headphones, and was also present, although to a lesser extent, on the JVC HA-S650 headphones. As for the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset, I did experience a tiny bit of rattling at the lowest bass tones.

Driver Matching. Since each ear cup houses a separate driver, it is critical that the drivers match the sounds as they head up and down the ranges. A good stereo sweep that sends equivalent levels to both drivers simultaneously will let you see if there is any range where the drivers are mismatched. During the sweep, if you start to hear any sounds pan more to the right or left ear, or echo back and forth, the drivers have not been properly matched. This wasn’t an issue at all with the CM Storm Pulse-R Headset.

Wiring. Any decent headphone manufacturer will ensure that the right and left ears are wired appropriately, but it is also critical to ensure that the polarity between the two drivers match as well. When a signal hits the two drivers, they should both rotate in the same direction based on the signal. The CM Storm Pulse-R passed the wiring test by showing proper polarity between the drivers during centered and twisted signal play.

Binaural Testing. Binaural testing shows the headphone’s ability to recreate exact sound. To test this, a recording of sound is taken with a microphone inside your ear, where the sound actually reaches you. Playing this back through good headphones, which rest very closely to the area where the sound was recorded, should make it sound extremely realistic. This test doesn’t work with regular speakers because of their positioning relative to your ears. The CM Storm Pulse-R sounded very good to me during the binaural testing, although not nearly as good as the BOSE QuietComfort 15 headphones.

Microphone Tests. I’ve tested the microphone on the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset against three other microphones by making a recording of each within minutes of each other in the same environment; my living room. The washer and dryer were running in the background, as were my kids. The CM Storm Pulse-R does an excellent job of cancelling the surrounding noise and providing a clear recording. The recording wasn’t as clear as the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema recording, but it did get rid of the background noise a lot better.

Headphones are a difficult item to review because I can’t just show charts of benchmarks comparing how the headphones scored against other headphones. Instead, I have to try to convey to you how the headphones felt and sounded to me. The entire article is based solely on my opinion of the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset.

As I mentioned in the beginning of the article, I’ve never really been a fan of headsets. I’ve always preferred to use a good set of surround speakers cranked up pretty high when watching videos, listening to music, or playing games. With some things changing at home, I started to look into a good gaming headset, so as not to wake a sleeping baby lying next to my desk in what used to be my office. In my search, I’ve found the types of things that I like and dislike about headphones and headsets.

First, I need a comfortable set of headphones. I normally don’t like bulky headphones or heavy headphones because I plan on using them for extended periods. I don’t like it when my ears get too hot or when I start to get a headache from the headphones sitting on my head for too long.

Second, I need headphones that produce very high quality sound. I tend to be disappointed with headphone sound quality unless the headset is pretty expensive. I happen to like surround sound very much, especially in gaming. I find it very convenient to hear where my enemies are approaching from. I don’t have as much luck with that when using headphones. Of course, I’ve yet to try out many surround sound headphones.

Third, I need breakaway headphones with a long cord. Headphones always seem to get in my way. As a father of three, my gaming sessions are rarely uninterrupted. There is a lot of moving around, getting up, holding the baby, etc. A long cord that doesn’t tangle easily and detaches from the headset is a must.

Luckily for me, the CM Storm Pulse-R addresses each of these issues, though perhaps not completely.

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested, which may differ from future versions of the same product. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

The CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset performed well in each of the areas in which it was tested. The high and low ranges reached the limits of my hearing and the tones were quite clear. The Pulse-R didn’t sound as good to me as the BOSE QuietComfort headphones, but that isn’t too surprising, considering the BOSE headphones cost twice as much. The Pulse-R headset did sound pretty much the same as the Turtle Bay headphones, though, which cost quite a bit more. Unfortunately, while the stereo sound is good, it doesn’t work as well as surround sound speakers. Again, that isn’t too surprising, just an observation.

I really like the way the CM Storm Pulse-R looks. The LED lighting certainly makes it stand out and sets it apart from any other headset that I have. The appearance of the Pulse-R Gaming Headset, in my opinion, makes it look a lot more expensive than it really is. The removable and customizable plates on the ear cups of the Pulse-R are the icing on the cake. If you subscribe to the philosophy of looks > stats, then this is certainly the headset for you. I haven’t decided what I’m going to put on them, yet, but I am looking forward to it.

The name of the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset says a lot about its construction quality. Although it is a bit heavier than the headphones I am used to, the Pulse-R feels extremely sturdy and stable. The adjustable aluminum band across the headset offers durability and slight rigidity to the structure. The ear and head cushions are heavier and more padded than the other headphones that I have used, making them very comfortable and easy to wear over long periods of time. This was a very welcome discovery for me. Additionally, even the cord was thick and braided, helping to avoid issues like fraying, twisting, and breaking that I have experienced with other headphones, most notably the JVC HA-V570.

Functionally, the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset scores well in my book. It addresses my of the issues that I have had in the past with headphones. The Pulse-R headset has a detachable and very long cable that makes it ideal for my needs. The in-line controls make adjustments easy. It’s not all rosy here, however. The in-line remote is finicky and not adjustable enough. Half of the slide bar mutes the sound, meaning there is really only three levels; high, medium, and low. Also, after pulling the cord out and putting it back in a few times, it became very loose. Now I lose sound in my left ear every once in a while and I have to reach up and reseat the connector.

The best aspect of the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset for me is the price. Available online for $84.99 (NewEgg / Amazon), the Pulse-R offers great comfort, very good sound, adjustability, customization, and functionality that you would be hard-pressed to find on many more expensive headsets. The microphone offered clear and isolated functionality as well. At that price, I highly recommend the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset to anyone looking for a good, quality headset for a relatively low price.

In the end, if you have the money to spend, there are better headsets, but if you are on a budget, you won’t go wrong with the CM Storm Pulse-R Aluminum Gaming Headset.

+ Very comfortable to wear for long periods

+ Detachable Microphone and Cord

+ LED Lighting on ear cups and mic

+ Customizable plates over the ears

+ Good sound quality

+ Sensibly priced

– On the heavy side

– Cord connector comes loose easily

– In-Line controls are mediocre

• Performance: 8.50
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.00
• Functionality: 7.50
• Value: 8.50

Recommended: Benchmark Reviews Seal of Approval.

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