TT Sports Dracco Signature Headphones Review

Posted by Gilgamesh on November 4th, 2013

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Introduction

Headphones come in all shapes and sizes these days, from the small in-ear type to the gigantic DJ-Style models. However with the former some people (ourselves included) take exception, as obnoxious CHAV’s on the bus will blast the occupants of the aforementioned vehicle out with ‘their’ version of music. Whilst one in theory would find no problem with this, however to the rest of the us whom do not have our ears blocked up with ‘candle wax’ the previously mentioned phones sound much akin to that of a myriad of dried peas being shaken up and down in a tin.

In some cases the latter also sound like the drone of a particularly persistent and pesky mosquito that is begging to be swatted by a rather large (I think the Financial Times should do it) newspaper. However the latter model of headphones have a sense of class. Mainly as they are rather large, however one could not walk down your street wearing them without looking like a ‘Cyberman’ with learning difficulties. Cue the problem of the headphones in general, either look and act like a CHAV (for our American cousins please Google the definition) or looks like a ‘Cyberman’ from Doctor Who.

Thermaltake believe that they have solved some of the problems addressed above and they promise that they sound quite good also. The local distributor based within the United Kingdom have sent these out to various record companies, with much critical aplomb and one of the aforementioned businesses plan on selling the said headphones. The company that plan on selling these to DJ’s is called http://www.6thfloorrecordz.co.uk/ please feel free to browse their catalogue. However we digress, so let us look at the specifications of the TT Dracco Chaio headphones.

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Company Background

Thermaltake has been a well-known brand in the gaming & DIY market for PC Chassis, Coolers and Power Supplies for many years. The brand personality of being unique, aggressive, vivid and stylish makes Thermaltake an expert in creating exciting things and fascinating environments for gamers and enthusiasts. Tt eSPORTS inherited the brand personality with unique and creative designs by observing users’ behavior and demands. The fan cooling design on the Tt eSPORTS Challenger keyboard demonstrates the brand spirit. It is the first keyboard worldwide with a fan cooling function that could dry your sweaty hands and blow tension away during cut throat competition.

(http://www.ttesports.com/aboutTtesports.aspx last accessed 28/10/2013

Specifications

Boasting some pretty impressive specifications it sounds like the Dracco are indeed suited to DJ work

CONNECTOR	3.5MM PLUG
PLATFORM	MEDIA PLAYER
COLOR	INSPIRE RED
DRIVER UNIT (MM)	50MM
DTS CERTIFIED	NO
CHANNEL	STEREO
FREQUENCY RESPONSE	10HZ ~ 22 KHZ
SENSITIVITY	98DB AT 1KHZ
CABLE LENGTH	1.5 METERS
USB CONNECTOR	NO
3.5 MM GOLD PLUG	YES
PLUG&PLAY MICROPHONE	NO
OTHER FEATURES	- 24K GOLD FINISHED - DJ OPTIMIZED FREQUNCY RESPONSE - DETACHABLE CABLE DESIGN

LISTEN WITH STYLE.

Gold finishing accentuates the speaker drivers for a more luxurious and stylistic listening experience.

FEEL THE NEED TO ROTATE.

Rotate the speaker drivers to accommodate the necessary ergonomics for DJ or studio use.

ACCESSORIES GALORE.

Studio-style coiled wiring, a 3.5mm to 6.5mm adapter for high-end stereo equipment, an airplane adapter and a stylish velvet protective bag give the DRACCO Signature everything you need.

TECHNICALLY SOUND.

50mm speaker drivers for enhanced bass and treble response; suitable for music, DJ or gaming use.

With the Thermaltake Dracco boasting massive 50mm drivers, then we hope that it lives up to its billing.

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Packaging

The TT Dracco packaging has been styled in a distinctive manner in order to blend in with the products theme. The Dracco Signature headphones are supplied in a rather fetchingly designed box, of which sports a large plastic window in the front. This allows the consumer to view the product in order to make an informed choice.

The lower-front section of the packaging has the Dracco Signature Edition emblem emblazoned in gold in order to highlight the gold styling of the product. The box comes with a number of accessories such as small felt bag to keep the product in top condition, two signal leads (with one being coiled), a 6.5mm professional grade adapter and finally a aeroplane adapter.

Let us move on to the product itself.

First Looks

The product itself sports a a black, red and gold colour scheme, of which the latter colour is utilised to differentiate it from the standard models. In all honesty the gold looks a little ‘Chav-Tastic’ for this reviewers pallet, however we cannot judge a product on this alone as there a myriad of differing tastes. If we bare the former in mind and also factor in that the gold is very popular in the far-east then one could understand the colour theme that has been utilised here. Personally one would have been more prudent to use a ‘Antique Brass’ theme which lends the ‘bling’ but gives a more subtle and classy look. However tastes are subjective so let us move on with the review.

Having said the above the red and black of the rest of the product does off-set the ‘bling’ and makes it look more classy and to be honest the colours do grow-on you in time. With this in mind the colours lend to an almost’ imperial look and quite quickly one forgets the ‘bling’ quite easily.

The red stitching on the headband is of a high quality standard and really does look good when combined with the faux black leather. Running a finger along this surface feels pleasant and the quality is evident, however we do feel that Thermal Take could have used a little more padding in the top part (the black area) as one can easily depress the top and feel the adjustable headband underneath. The reverse side of the band is a nice classy deep (almost royal) red in order to match the colour of the stitching on the top.

The last photo on the above right shows the aluminium adjustable headband underneath in order to fit a myriad of differing head sizes.

Before we go any further in this review we like to point out that up until this point, we used a ‘flash’ in order to take the images shown above. The trouble with this is that it paints a false picture of the gold colour theme and the aforementioned colour takes on a ‘Chav-gold-yellow look’; so to make this review fair we decided from this moment on to photograph the Thermal Take Dracco Signature headphones in a natural light. This allows the reader of this article to have a more ‘fair’ opinion of the gold so they can judge for themselves.

The photos below (when taken in a natural light) do indeed show a huge difference and the product is indeed transformed from a cheap Argos Elizabeth-Duke imitation gold to a more classy affair that lends more to early Victorian than to modern ‘bling’.

Once again the red and black of the product does indeed offset the gold somewhat and presents an overall polished look

The ‘drivers’ of the ’TT Dracco Signature Headphones are of the 50mm variety and are surrounded by a false-leather with some padding. We feel that these could have been ‘padded out’ more however when wearing these they are quite comfortable and can be worn for an extended period of time. The product is very comfortable to wear and feels more natural than the Cooler Master Sonuz product. The best way we can describe the comfort is that it is half way between the levels of the excellent CM Pulse-R ( click for a link to review) with its fantastic amount of padding to that of the CM Sonuz with its cheaper foam ear cups. If we must further elaborate on the comfort levels of these products and the length of time before the product must be taken off the head in order to have a rest then it would be better explains as thus:

CM Pulse R=4 hours of continuous use.
TT Dracco Signature=Just under Three hours
CM Sonuz 90 mins

All in all a good showing by the TT Dracco

A rather neat little innovation is the socket for the signal wire of which is detachable (unlike most headphones the CM Pulse R being the exception) so if needed this can easily be replaced. The socket and cable is of the standard 3.5mm ‘walkman style’ variety, however what makes this little idea even more unique is that in order to attach the cable one must insert the plug into the socket and then make a twisting motion in order to ‘lock’ the cable into place. This prevents the cable from being pulled out even under the most extreme of circumstances and this feature was tested in a thorough manner and it does exactly ‘what it says on the tin’.

We have taken the trouble to include images of the product in a myriad of angles (as shown above) for a very important reason and this feature even if we chose to ignore the rest of the positives, the aforementioned specification makes this product truly unique. This would be that the drivers (ear cups) can be adjusted along no less than three differing axis! Yes you heard right thee differing angles, which has brings along two distinct advantages. The first of these is that it does partially make up for the minimal padding in the ear cups so as to be more easily adjustable and comfortable to even the most unusual of head shapes. The final advantage is that a a DJ can easily use this product with just one ear cup press to the head whilst cuing the next track.

If one looks beyond the ‘bling’ and view this product in a more objective manner then one can see the beautiful innovations and ideas behind the Dracco signature headphones. At first glance the gold is off-putting however when a second glance is undertaken then the black and the red largely offset this anyway. Tastes are highly subjective and what is off-putting to one is attractive to another. Finally if we factor in that the gold does indeed looks less ‘CHAV-like’ and more ‘high-class like’ under natural light conditions then the aforementioned shade can be partially overlooked.

Aesthetics wise one could even learn to love the colour theme which could be deemed as a work of beauty but marred by only a few small scars. As far as the cable locking and THREE axis of adjustment then this could be deemed as very unique and advantageous indeed.

However in the end comfort levels and unique features are only half of the equation, so let us move on and do some testing to see how these headphones sound, after all the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

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Subjective Testing

We call this section’ Subjective’ as it is quite impossible to show the reader the sound quality on this product and then factor in that opinions may differ from user to user. However let us try to describe the quality of the sound reproduction.

The Soundcard utilised was the rather amazing Asus Xonar Essence ST, which was then outputted to a ‘tube or as some people say a valve amplifier and then the headphones (with the more professional 6mm adapter used) inserted into the aforementioned amplifier.

Finally other reviewer sites and people generally test a product such as this by using MP3 files, however we at Overclockers Tech feel that this is the wrong way to go about the subject of testing the Thermal Take product. Instead the music CD’s were converted to LOSSLESS FLAC files, of which retain as much sound clarity as the original format. Music loses so much in both frequency and clarity when converted to an MP3 format, rendering any TRUE testing useless. Then if we add to the mix that any high quality product trying to render a lower quality sound source will only serve to highlight the poor quality format. So to truly test the Dracco headphones a high quality source must be employed.

Music

Here in order to test the TT Dracco Headphones we utilised our usual range of suspects in order to promote a ‘standard’ between ALL headphone reviews so if one wishes to browse our review site then the reader can easily compare between all products.

Asus Xonar Essence ST Settings used as standard:

Anyway on with the show to so to speak.

Mike Oldfield

It is this type of music that a tube amplifier is designed and built for, however its rich warm sound cannot be duplicated if the headphones are speakers are not of matching quality. We are pleased to say that the ‘warm’ sound produced by the valve amplifier was rendered perfectly. The acoustic guitar and the grand piano in the track ‘entitled ’The-Bell’ was almost a live experience and was very impressive.

1980′s Music: Human League (Love Action)

Whilst being on the ‘cheesy’ side, this track is still known today for its great bass and rhythm.

The bass in this track was the most pure I have ever heard from any headphones tested so far, even the impressive CM Pulse-R could not live up to the Thermal Take Dracco product. One even found my head bobbing along with the track as it was such a fun experience.

Hop Hop ICE-T Lethal Weapon (From the Album Iceberg)

A great track and brilliant samples taken from Eric B and Rakim’s ‘Microphone Fiend’ song. Subtle electric guitars and a high level of turn-table use.

The high-range and therefore the turn-table scratching was extremely impressive, was heard distinctly and once again the bass was very impressive in its own right.

Hijack: Style Wars

One of the most well remembered tracks of early UK-Hip Hop that broke the mould, competing with the likes of Overlord X, Derek B and MC Duke. This track features fast vocals and an almost legendary use of the turntables. This group even gave the Americans a run for their money……….. who said you cannot rap with an English accent?

The headphones once again reproduced a fantastic base along with the very distinct high’s of the turn-tables.

Operatic Metal

Sirenia: The Path to Decay and the Mind Maelstrom

Operatic or should we say symphonic metal combines heavy guitars with extremely strong vocal talents, including that of the ‘growler’ and the opera vocals.

Brilliant distinctive operatic vocals , great high’s of the opera section and the bass of the ‘ growler’s was rendered perfectly. We do think however a touch of the mid-range was lost somewhat, otherwise the track was flawless.

Doom Metal

Paradise Lost In Requiem

Paradise Lost have been credited with the formation of the genre ‘Doom Metal’. Having been around for twenty years they have experimented from early ‘growly’ metal to an almost ‘Depeche Mode’ type sound and then metal again.

Famous for its guitar solo at the start and at the closing sections, this will test the sound cards ability to render the instruments correctly. This would be the ultimate test for guitar solo sound quality.

The lone electric guitar at the beginning was so well rendered that it sent shivers down this reviewers spine! Just as this reviewer was getting used to that, the other guitars kicked in and the whole track sounded almost flawless, with the only exception being a slight loss (and one has to listen hard for this) of the mid-range.

Games

These headphones are not in any means built for gaming-hence the lack of a microphone, but a bonus we thought we would include the token game in order to get a more round picture.

Skyrim

Skyrim surely the ultimate test in gaming as this blends in music with awesome sounds effects such as; explosions, water and voices such as the immortal ‘arrow to my knee’ line. Indeed the fireball spell had satisfying deep base rumble and even water was rendered well along with birds and wildlife within the forests. The water, as previously mentioned was exceptional to say the least with the only thing niggle was that sound did not pan from speak to speaker and one didn’t feel as though they were immersed totally within the game due to the lack of spatial sound.

However just like what we did for the CM Pulse-R (but the opposite situation) we cannot knock points off the Thermal Take Dracco, due to the fact that this product is mainly built for music and gaming is seen as an added bonus.

In a final note in this section, a reader viewing this article could say, oh it is for the reason that he is going through a ‘Tube Amplifier’ that they sound so good. Well an answer to this statement would be that if the headphones are not of sufficient quality then a tube amplifier would not make the slightest bit of difference. Also playing LOSLESS FLAC files insures a more accurate review when testing for sound quality.

Let us now move on to the conclusion of this review.

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Conclusion

Well in all fairness the eye-hurting gold would be (to some) too much to ignore and may put some people off, however the black and red does counter this a little. One could not walk down the street with these, well you could but you would look very strange due to the size of the product and what can sometimes be described as ‘Chav-Like bling’. Colour tastes are subjective though and others will obviously like the shade better. The faux black leather and the red stitching is of high quality, though one can depress the padding underneath a little which is only slightly concerning.

However certain features do make this an exceptional product indeed with its locking signal lead and its ability to adjust the drivers along three axis is sheer creative genius. Though the ear cups do have the required padding, though they not as full as the CM-Pulse R product. However the Dracco makes up for this somewhat by its ability to adjust on the aforementioned three axis, which can adjust to a myriad of differing head styles. This makes the Thermal Take Dracco Signature edition very comfortable to wear over an extended period of time. Also for the reason of its three axis of adjustment this would then make it ideal for DJ work, in which the next track must be cued in an accurate manner.

Having said all of the above, at the end of the day sound quality is what is important right? For music we would not hesitate to place this product in the forefront of our choices as the this product renders the best bass in terms of music I have ever heard on equipment at this price level. Adding to this the high range is also exceptional, with only a slightly loss of mid-range under rare conditions (such as symphonic metal) and this reduction in the aforementioned mid-range one has to listen very hard and have the right equipment in order to detect it.

Admittedly the ‘bling’ does make it look like the property of a pimp or a gangster rapper, however if one can look past that (as the gold is subjective anyway) then one can see the beauty of its innovative features and the sheer clarity of its sound.

Pros: