TteSports Chao Dracco Captain Headphones Review

Final Thoughts

Price

Retailers are only just starting to get stock of these headsets, so online links are not really available at the time of writing. However I did reach out of TteSports and they’ve provided me with the MSRP for each. The Dracco Captain will set you back around £64.99 – £69.99 (inc VAT), while the Dracco headphones are expected to cost £59.99 – £65.99 (inc VAT). Not especially cheap, but given what I have seen today, they’re both a solid investment and make great choice for those looking for a mid-budget solution.

Overview

TteSports have done it again, balancing value for money with impressive performance, a solid feature set and a very stylish and overall very cool design. The build quality feels every bit premium and the addition of flip-out ear-cups and a folding design on each pair is a welcome addition.

I do have a couple of minor niggles about each set, but none of them are really deal breakers in any way for me personally, especially at this price range. The first is that I love the folding design, but it sometimes feels a little like a geometric puzzle, more than once I’ve found the ear cup is facing outwards and it’s taken me 3-4 attempts to figure out which way around I can turn it, sounds silly I know, but I really did struggle a few times. The Captain headset sounds great, but the max volume is noticeably lower than the headphones, I’d have loved for this headset to be a little louder to match the headphones, but it’s still certainly at a more than acceptable level. Finally, the Captain headset features a fixed microphone, I would prefer being able to detach it when not in use, but I’m not going to mark the headset down for this given that it can be folded out of the way with ease.

Few minor quibbles out of the way, let’s get on to what I love about these headsets. The sound quality is superb, bass, mids and trebles are detailed and clear while gaming, listening to music or watching movies on both the headset and the headphones. The headset sounds fantastic anyway, but the headphones do sound noticeably better in my opinion, although this could be attributed to their louder max volume giving them more “WOW” factor.

Build quality on both is superb, a high quality braided detachable cable for the headset, and a thick and tangle proof cable on the headphones, both great solutions. High quality plastics with a dull finish makes the headsets look and feel like a premium product, none of the tacky shiny plastics that often plague this price range. Detailed stitching in the headband, and contrasting black and red fixtures and fittings look stunning too.

The Captain headset certainly gets our Gamers Choice award for its great sound and overall performance, but the Chao headphones are just that little bit better, worthy of our Editors Choice award and I’ll certainly be taking them with me next time I’m out and about with my iPod.

Pros

• Great overall design
• Solid build quality
• High quality cables and connections
• Great sound
• Competitive price

Cons

• Captain headset could be a little louder

Neutral

• Detachable microphone would have been welcome on the Captain headset
• Detachable cable would have been great for the Chao headphones

“Price is very competitive on both the Dracco Captain and the Dracco Headphones, they’re a solid investment for any gamer or music lover, and their performance is backed up by some very stylish design and rock solid build quality. “

Thank you TteSports for providing us with this sample.