Microphone
Thermaltake claims that the Shock sports a flexible noise cancelling microphone. As it was mentioned earlier in this review, the range of motion of the microphone is limited unless you are willing to deform the plastic construction. Although it does not feel natural to do so, the microphone is indeed flexible and will not snap when put under pressure.
The microphone’s noise cancellation is adequate, but it still picks up ambient noise fairly easily. I am unsure whether or not the Shock would be ideal for a LAN party or any place that has high noise levels.
The Shock’s microphone quality is top notch. Conversations made through Skype were very clear and there was little to no distortion. The on/off switch on the in-line control pod makes muting the microphone quick and easy.
Music
Although the Shock is a gaming headset, it will still be pertinent to examine its performance with music. Seeing as the Shock has enhanced bass response, any music that makes a usage of bass will have an added kick. Unfortunately, the bass has the tendency of drowning out the highs and mids. In other words, the balance of the sound quality is shifted to the lows. Music loses a part of its warmth and, overall, it sounds muffled.
The in-line control pod worked very well to control the sound volume.
Although the bass response on the TT eSPORTS Shock is respectable, it can drown out the highs and mids, giving music a muffled-like sound
Movies
The Shock’s overall sound quality fared much better in movies than in music. Conversations between characters were clear. Any scenes with explosions and gunshots had an added kick thanks to the Shock’s enhanced bass response.
Gaming
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: As expected, the enhanced bass response gave new life to the game. Explosions and gun shots were crisp and lively. Enemy footsteps were easily discernable from any direction. In-game music and voice dialogs were clear, but as mentioned earlier the highs and mids took a step back for the lows.
Comfort
The Tt eSPORTS has a 10 level adjustable headband in order to fit gamers’ head. There is padding on both the headband and the earcups. Although the padding on the headband is adequate, the padding on the earcups is insufficient for comfort. The main issue lies with the fact that the overall fit of the Shock is a bit too tight to my taste. It was tight enough to make the sides of my head and jaw sore after an hour of usage. Depending on how sensitive you are to pressure against the sides of the head, the Shock might not be for you. Thankfully, the headset did loosen up after two weeks of wear and tear. Still, in terms of comfort out-of-the-box, the Arctic Sound P301 is the better headset.
Unlike the earcups of the Arctic Sound P301, the ones of the Shock allowed my ears to breathe. Even after two hours of continuous usage, my ears were warm, but not sweaty. Also, the rectangular shape of the earcups takes some time to get used to.
The circumaural earpads do not have enough padding. The headband’s fit is also quite tight.
