The Roccat Kave XTD has been one of my most anticipated headset ever. Not only was the original Kave 5.1 headset was nothing short of incredible, but the new one promises to improve on many aspects of the previous model. I first got hands on with this headset at CES 2014 last January, and I?ve been wanting to really put it through its paces ever since. With Roccat having a rock solid reputation for making some of the best performing, feature packed and stylish gaming products the PC market has ever seen, I have very high expectations of the Kave XTD.

The Kave XTD 5.1 headset really stands out from the crowd, mostly because it is a true surround headset in a sea of headsets that offer virtual surround technology. There are barely a few great headsets out there that can do an above average job of virtual surround. To my ears, virtual surround is a tacked on software gimmick to what is still just a stereo headset. The difference between a true surround headset and a virtual one can be profound and it will be great to hear if Roccat has gotten it right with their 5.1 configuration. This is achieved by having three drivers in each ear cup, that's two 40mm drivers and a 30mm vibrational driver. That last part is the most exciting, and well get to why very soon.