Usage and Final Thoughts
We have been using the Roccat Cross as our primary headset for the last few weeks, on not only our PC, but our phone as well. In our gaming sessions, which has recently included mostly PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale, the Cross has performed quite nicely for us. When playing in duos or squads and utilizing Discord for voice chat, our teammates have found our voice to be clear. While this is just a stereo headset with no pseudo-surround features found on other headsets with just two speakers, the directional audio provided by the Cross was quite good. When trying to pinpoint gunshots in the distance in PUBG, we found the clear sound from the Cross to be quite accurate.
When using the Cross with our Google Pixel XL, our main sources of audio were music and podcasts, along with the occasional phone call. Vocals were easily distinguishable from background instruments, and the bass provided by the 50mm drivers was plentiful, without being sloppy, across all genres.
We often found the Cross to be isolating in the way it passively cuts out exterior ambient sounds. And while there is no active noise cancellation in the Cross, the sealed earcup design, paired up with the over-ear design and memory foam pads, really keeps exterior sounds out. This can be a personal preference situation, as some users may like a bit more ambient sound to be audible with their headsets.
Adjusting the volume is a bit more of a task than it should be, as the small dial can be hard to find. We would have loved to see a slightly larger dial or a volume slider, which would provide a better user experience.
From a comfort perspective, the Roccat Cross was very comfortable for us in all of our testing. Multiple hours-long gaming sessions didn’t phase us at all, though our ears did get a little warm with the semi-sealed fit of the headset. We have found that to be the case across multiple headsets though, and again comes down to personal preference regarding padding types and the material surrounding it. We do wish the Cross featured a lay-flat design, as placing the headset around our neck when not in use was a bit uncomfortable; something that could be alleviated with a bit more rotation of the earcups. Very impressive is the headset’s flexibility in the headband area. The headset can flex back and forth and twist quite a bit with no hint of being on the verge of breaking anything. This gives us a bit more confidence that it will not be damaged when tossing it into our bag for transportation.
We really appreciate the inclusion of two audio cables with the Cross as it gives us a bit more flexibility with our devices. It is a bit odd to us though that Roccat used two cable materials instead of using the same design on both. Either the rubberized plastic or braided cable would have been fine for us, just make it the same on both cables.
All things considered, the Roccat Cross is a pretty nice headset with a lot of flexibility, both physically and in the connectivity options it provides. With a price of $69, the Cross is placed towards the budget-centric end of the gaming headset range, but packs a lot of value. Not having to worry about whether or not the headset is compatible with your device is quite valuable in and of itself. Aside from a few quirks, we think the Roccat Cross is a great headset and give it an 8 out of 10.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Detachable Audio Cables
- Very Comfortable
- Diverse Device Compatibility
Cons:
- Small Volume Dial
- Different Materials Between Audio Cables
- No Lay-Flat Design