The Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage is the latest gaming headset from Creative. We were mightily impressed with its predecessor, the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Omega, and the Sound Blaster range has a long and proud pedigree in computer audio, so our expectations were high.
The headset itself is sturdily designed and comfortable to wear. The cushioned cups feel fine even when the headset is worn for long periods of time, and they do a good job of noise insulation, so you can happily play in noisy environments without being distracted, and you won't annoy anyone nearby even with the volume turned up high. It does a much better job of this than the Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Omega.
Sound quality is very good, with a rich and full sound even at default settings. The Sound Blaster Tactic3D software is once again included, and from here you can adjust the equaliser settings, add effects and alter the surround sound levels.
Each setting makes a palpable difference to the sound, and with a bit of tweaking you can get some great results that suit your gaming or media style. You can save your settings as profiles to quickly switch between your favourites, too.
The Sound Blaster Tactic3D software also enables you to change the colour of the pulsating LEDs in each ear cup - a nice but ultimately pointless feature. Another fun but frivolous feature is the voice changer, which comes with plenty of presets to amuse and annoy your friends and competitors.
The microphone itself is good quality, and the arm is easily adjustable. However, the foam covering the mic often fell off, which was annoying.
Another annoyance was that the headset has no automatic power saving feature, so if you close down your PC, the headset remains turned on. The next time you come to play you might find that the battery's dead. It's not too much of a problem though, since a USB cable is included that can charge the headset pretty quickly.
Verdict
Overall, this is a solid headset that comes with some of Creative's best innovations. The virtual surround sound is good and it's comfortable to wear. There are just a few niggles that prevent this being a perfect headset.
