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Time for the review of SteelSeries Siberia V2:
It is a multi platform gaming headset (PC, 360, PS3, MAC) it is entry/mid level in terms of cost & performance. It has recently had many "blowout" sales around the net bringing it's cost down to as low as $40 and thus I got one to check it out for you guys and do a review.
First Impressions:
At first I thought the unit looked pretty nice as if I would not be embarrassed to wear it in public or at a gaming event. Picking it up I noticed it was very light and then I noticed that its mostly due to the all plastic construction.
Nothing looked really cheap or poorly made though, so while made of plastic it looks to hold up fine with proper use. However I don't see it holding up to an abusive user.
Sound Quality:
Let me say this first and foremost, I use the term gaming headset on purpose and for good reason. These are not very neutral sounding nor do they accurately reproduce a wide spectrum of sound. This means do not buy these with intentions of listening to music.
The higher high pitched sounds and the lower lows are both rolled off heavily or just plain missing, so music is missing very important parts and left lifeless and uninspiring.
When it comes to gaming though this is actually quite fine, the sounds most predominant in gaming are the ones the drivers reproduce well. The positional audio seemed just as good as any other headphones I have used.
Sound isolation is better than I would imagine since they dont squeeze your head very hard, but at low volumes you will hear stuff around you if its loud enough. I feel its a good balance, I don't particularly like being deaf to the world when I have headphones on and with any reasonable volume anything other than obnoxiously loud sounds wont bother you.
The microphone is another part of sound quality since this is a headset and the microphone performed VERY well. Much better than I was guessing it would. It totally beats out any mic I have used short of my Blue Yeti or the Beyerdynamic MMX300 and both of those cost way more than this unit.
I think it is mostly due to the great design of the mic, it is retractable and flexible. You can bend it to put it right in front of your mouth. Having it so close and so perfectly placed gives you an insanely high signal to noise ratio that other headsets do not get as easily. This high STN ratio is enough to make a bad mic sound great, and a bad STN ratio can make a great mic horrible.
Functionality:
You get a full assortment of gadgetry if you get one of the console versions, the usb adapter works as an external sound card on PC just fine so you can bypass your internal sound card or set this up as a secondary device (good for voice chat sometimes) the PC version is very plain jane though just analog connections and a extension cable to let you reach the audio jacks on the back of your computer. Laptop users can probably get away without the extension cable fine.
The auto adjusting headband makes putting them on and taking them off really easy and natural. Some headphones I have to mess with to get that perfect fit but these just seem to fit right on and feel very comfortable.
The comfort is one of the primary compliments I have seen from other users of this headset and they get my nod of agreement on that. Its the combo of the light weight, soft pads and the auto adjustment headband.
Since the mic can be retracted and moved its also highly functional.
Overall the unit does what it is supposed to do really well.
Value for Price Paid:
Well at full price of about $80 or so I feel that PC gamers should take a look at other options before blindly getting the Siberia V2. I think something like the Sennheiser PC350 that will cost you more will give you a better return on your investment in the long run with better construction/durability, higher sound quality, and thus also can fill the role of music headphones for you and not leave you with a device that is such a one trick pony as the V2 is.
For the budget minded, I think the V2 does not beat out the Plantronics Gamecom headsets, they are very comfortable, come with good mics, and have good sound quality and can be purchases for a lot less than the V2 can.
However console gamers that need the unique connections and features the V2 has specifically to make them work with the PS3 and 360 do not have the same options just listed that PC users do. Given that limited selection of products the Siberia V2 stands pretty firmly as one of the best entry level headsets you can buy. Most others that can compete cost way more or are just total garbage.
The other thing to note is that the price of this unit has been fluctuating like crazy, going as low as $40 its almost a instant buy for anybody. I am not sure if this is just to clear stock or try to get more units out in circulation but if you keep your eyes out on deal sites there is a good chance it may drop down to a price near that value again making this a very good deal. Given full retail price normally I say its an "ok" deal but not great.
Conclusion:
Not regretting the purchase, I wont use them as my main headset but it is nice to have them on standby and if I ever get a PS3 or 360 I have something ready to use for those consoles. I have more details and thoughts in the video review so check that out and be sure to comment & thumbs up if you enjoy it.
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Wow not as much interest as I thought in this product.
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Hey Vicious, you have nice reviews! I actually own this headset and find it really comfortable. I like them even though I don't have their sound card so it's working in stereo and not virtual surround. The first ones I bought ~5-6 months ago had mic broke down after a month or so but got it replaced relatively fast (~2 weeks turnover time).
I would like to add one thing: which is a customer has to pay to send these back to Steelseries each time something breaks down (they pay for the shipping back). I paid about $10 for the shipping for the reference which really isn't much but taken into account that the headset cost about $40 (I paid $60 at a time) it's a pretty significant fraction of their price. Other than that, Steelseries support seems great and they reply fast. But I think the customer should have this information and decide whether this kind of warranty is worth it. If I remember correctly, Logitech for example, doesn't require you to pay for shipping.
Negatives aside, I used them A LOT, I had lots of 6-12hour gaming sessions with these babies on my ears and they started feeling uncomfortable after ~7ish hour of constantly wearing them (then I'd take a pause for my ears to relax and then back on). So in my book they are super comfortable which is probably their best selling point.
I think the sound quality for music is OK, its definitely not like HiFi headphones but for the average user it will do great. I agree with everything else you wrote. I might sell mine to a friend, so I might look into Plantronics Gamecom as a replacement.
SteelSeries Siberia V2 Gaming Headset Review
Discussion in 'Accessories' started by ViciousXUSMC, Apr 17, 2012.
