Specification and Unboxing

Specification & Unboxing

If first impressions are anything to go by (and in my experience, a positive first impression is never a bad thing), then we are in for a treat. The unit comes in a relatively understated box that manages to let buyers know that this is a 'Cougar' product. The prominent orange coloring is tastefully done without being gaudy at all.

Unboxing the Phontum reveals that is nicely packaged. Nothing overly fancy, but very functional. The braided 3.5mm jack cable is looped and tied behind the tray the unit rests in. If anything this tray would be my only minor (and I mean minor) complaint. It feels a little cheap and/or flimsy. That said, it does the job it is meant to and that is all that is really needed.

The braiding is, however, appreciated greatly. I have a particular and intense hatred of my headphone or headset cables catching or snagging or things, and braiding seems to reduce that somewhat.

The rest of the contents include a small user manual, a promotional card, the aforementioned microphone boom and multi-function controller, as well as a smaller set of ear cups for 'travel' use. As can be expected, the user manual is fairly barren. As the headset only connects via. 3.5mm jack, and has no software support, it's entirely fair. The manual's reverse essentially repeats what can be found on the back of the box. Overall, a positive - albeit brief - unboxing experience.

For those that are interested, here is a brief specification rundown before the review in full:

Headset

1. Drivers - 53mm
2. Frequency Response - 20Hz -> 20Khz
3. Sensitivity at 1Khz - 98dB ± 3dB
4. Impedance at 1Khz - 32ohm +/- 15%
5. Cable Length - 1.2m

Microphone

1. Type - Noise Cancelling Condenser
2. Frequency - 100Hz -> 10Khz
3. Sensitivity at 1KHz - -45dB ± 3dB
4. Impedance - 2.2kΩ

As mentioned before, this unit is certainly trying to appeal to a certain crowd. Many may find solace in its overall simplicity. Simply plug it in, and enjoy. Those looking for something more complex may wish to look elsewhere, however. You can, of course, plug this straight into your case's 3.5mm jack, but better results can be had using a dedicated sound card or DAC. With that being said, even most middle of the roads mainboards in 2017 seem to be shipping with Realtek's ALC 1220 codec and often include some dedicated audio circuitry with isolation from the rest of the board. If you would like to see what boards do contain said codec, please refer to Guru3D's list of mainboard reviews, linked here.

Next, we will give the headset a more detailed look over, as well as give you some very brief initial impressions as to comfort, sound quality, and longer term use. This is, after all, a gaming orientated headset, so one should expect to be wearing it for potentially extended periods of time.