- Closed ear headphones
- Pull-out microphone
- Crystal clear high, low and mid-tones
- 50mm driver units
- Lightweight suspension construction
- Virtual Surround 7.1 USB Soundcard
This is my third USB Microphone/Headset combination. First two were various Logitech lower end units which either broke or became uncomfortable over longer gaming sessions (2+ hours on). These headphones are MUCH more comfortable and a lot less quirky to set up and use than other USB headsets. And the sound is very high quality. I use these for gaming, but the quality for music via iTunes is noticeably better as well.
Downsidesprice. SteelSeries stuff is more expensive and these are no exception. If you are not gaming, don't wear your headset more than an hour at a time or are not that picky on sound quality you may want to go with a cheaper Logitech. But if you have the money, you will not be disappointed with the performance of the Siberia v.2's.
Buy SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size USB Gaming Headset with Virtual Surround 7.1 Sound (Black) Now
I got this headset as a replacement for a pair of studio-phones (the Audiotechnica ATH-M40fs) that could be worn for long periods of time and have better sound recreation for gaming.
They fit the bill perfectly. The 7.1 surround really gets you into the game. You get a sense of where everything is around you (currently using them while playing Skyrim), and they have enough bass to get that rumble when dragons soar overhead.
The earphones are extremely comfortable for long-term wear, so long as you keep the pads off of your temples. They do not have any drivers sticking up from under the pads like the AT's do. I'm also a full-time glasses wearer, and need to have 'phones that don't put too much pressure on them or make them off-kilter these do not. They're so light and put nearly no pressure on your head.
They're very nice to use as casual music-phones. The little bit of bass is just the right amount for me (as someone who gets headaches from bass), and it brings out a different sound from my music than the studio-phones do.
The only con is that I don't like how thin the cable is on the headphones. I'm positive I'll roll over it one of these days, and then it'll be dead.
I actually bought these headphones from "the egg" computer website as recertified. They arrived in horrible condition, reeking of cigarette smoke and had gum or something on the microphone. I contacted Steelseries and was able to RMA the gross phones. They ended up sending me a BRAND NEW pair of the same headphones.
Read Best Reviews of SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size USB Gaming Headset with Virtual Surround 7.1 Sound (Black) Here
This isn't my first Steelseries headset (previous models being the 3H for PC and the Siberia Neckband), but it may be my last! At least until they release something that beats it, that is. Or it breaks, whichever comes first. Anyway, moving on.
I actually bought this headset for use with my Astro Mixamp, which unfortunately didn't come in until much later than this headset. Not knowing Astro had changed the hookups for their A40s and thus not knowing that the A40 + Mixamp would NOT come with the cable I needed to use the Siberia V2, I've yet to fully realize this purpose. The Y Adapter is on the way, and I'll update this review after getting to use it for a bit.
I have so far sampled the sound through the Mixamp, and it is excellent. The best of the thousands of dollars of headsets I've used over the last few years.
Now, I can say, the USB sound card that comes with this headset is excellent. It may not be as good as the Mixamp, but I'm not sure anything compares in that case. It had very clear surround sound, and was a breeze to setup and configure.
The headset itself is the most comfortable I've ever had the pleasure of placing on my head. More comfortable than the Siberia Neckband, which I fell asleep while wearing the first night of owning it. This headset auto adjusts to your head. No need to wrestle with tightening, loosening or with it sliding out of position. It holds on tight, and stays comfortable while doing so.
Having recently gotten a pair of Astro A40s as well, I had a very clear line with which to compare. The A40s only arrived last week, so I've been using them to judge which headset I'll ultimately use with the Mixamp. After comparing sound quality in games, music, and movies (Avengers Assemble!) over the last week, I can say for sure that when my Y adapter arrives I WILL be using the Siberia V2 over the Astro A40. At least when it comes to sound sound quality.
I've always been a fan of the pull out microphone on the Steelseries headsets, and this one picks up my voice better than any of the others. As of right now, the only microphone I would choose over this one is the A40s boom mic, and only barely.
The bottom line is this: if you're looking for a PC headset on a budget (or not), I highly recommend this one. If you're planning to use the included USB sound card, it works wonderfully. If you have, or are planning to get, an Astro Mixamp it works amazingly with that as well (microphone comparisons through the Mixamp coming later).
I know i only talked about it in comparison to the A40, but here is the complete list of headsets it was being compared to:
Turtle Beach X1
Turtle Beach X11
Turtle Beach X12
Tritton AX720
Razer Carcharias
Razer Moray+ Earbuds
Sony PSP Go Earbuds w/ Inline Mic
Astro A40
Steelseries Siberia Neckband
Steelseries 3H
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I work full-time in a call center wearing a headset, and I needed a headset I could wear at home for gaming that is lightweight and comfortable for 4+ hrs so I could still have some long gaming sessions after a day at work. If you're in a similar situation, look no further. This headset is feather-light, THE most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. Some of the highlights of this product:
* lightweight and ergonomically designed. It may look a little cheap and plastic-y, but don't let that fool you most of the framework has metal inside that gives it a solid, yet light feel.
* the tension band works in concert with the earpads to provide even pressure across the head. It almost doesn't feel like you're wearing it.
* the pull-out mic is a flexible metal tube that seems pretty durable.
* the 50 mm drivers have GREAT bass reproduction. There's only one other pair of headphones I've ever listened to before that could reproduce bass as well as these. They may not be audiophile quality, but they're definitely above average.
* analog 3.5mm jacks allow you to hook these into nearly anything. I bought a 3.5mm RJ9 adapter cable so I could possibly use them at work as well on the phone. Haven't tested out this setup yet.
* the USB soundcard produces "ok" sound (not anything better or worse than my laptop's). The 7.1 surround feature of the USB software is a bit gimmicky, but is noticeably different from regular 2-channel audio mode. According to the manufacturer, they include the soundcard not b/c it's supposed to produce better audio than a laptop card, so much as because it has its own internal processor that offloads some computational work from the computer, hopefully improving gaming performance.
* a nice side-feature is that a 3.5mm extension cable is included. The length of the cable that is permanently attached to the headset is just long enough for an mp3 player to be connected to it in your pocket. If you need a longer cord when sitting at your computer, you've already got the extension cables to prevent any discomfort with short-cord problems.
I've tried a few different cheaper headsets and finally decided to spend the big bucks on these not because they're necessarily the best audio quality (though for me, these are eargasm quality), but because they're very ergonomic. You can wear these things for hours and not feel it at all afterward.
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This review is for the Siberia V2 USB Gaming headset.
So you (the reader) can have a sense of reference for my review, let me start off by saying that I am a PC gamer and planned on using this headset primarily for that purpose alone.
As a gamer I am interested in the following:
1) Sound quality
2) Comfort
3) Directional sound
4) Design/construction of headset
5) Drivers/software
The games I wanted to use it for were: Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3, Portal 2, and others (as I purchased/played them). That being said, I can not and will not cover any movies or music usage aspects of this headset in my review, since I am not an expert at those two at all.
I have recently tried out the Corsair Vengeance 1500 USB Headset as well (my review can be found on there too), and decided to go with the Steelseries V2 Siberia.
1) SOUND QUALITY = A
Really, really good. The virtual 7.1 surround sound (achievable with the included USB sound card) actually works! The 50mm drivers sound wonderful and are able to accurately reproduce everything from base-rich explosions to light footsteps.
I personally did not hear any background "hissing" sounds. And my mic quality was superb as well (verified with friends over Skype, in-game voice).
2) COMFORT = A
I really think THIS is where Steelseries has an edge over other similarly-priced headsets. Their design (although appearing flimsy) allows for an insanely comfortable fit. I do not have a very large head, nor do I have over-sized ears, but most of the other headsets were uncomfortable for me (the Corsair Vengeance felt like it was constantly squeezing my head). This is not so with these! I can wear them for hours and not feel ANY discomfort. While the leather ear pads are very comfortable, they affect the "breathability" aspect and it becomes somewhat warm around the ears after a long session of gaming. However, that is something that you'd have to deal with no matter which headset you get, if it has (p)leather cushions.
3) DIRECTIONAL SOUND = A
Great! As mentioned earlier, the 7.1 surround sound works very well with the included USB soundcard. There's even a nifty little test you can do from within the software, to test out the speaker placement. It allows you to literally see the sound direction it's playing for you on the monitor. It felt very accurate to me!
Secondly, I had no issues with sound direction whatsoever in the games I played.
4) DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION = A-
While I love the headset, its construction does appear to be a little flimsy. The top headband is a very thin cushioned strip that is connected via two paper-clip type strands to springs within the ear pieces.
The mic can be taken out or retracted into the ear-piece. This not only looks cool but is very very functional. This is by far my favorite feature on this headset! My only thing is, when the mic is pushed-in all the way, it still sticks out slightly (by less than a quarter of an inch, mind you). This leads me to believe that the winding mechanism inside the ear-piece isn't terribly precise. Which is fine because you can't really tell that mic is not fully retracted by merely a few millimeters, but it is an indicator of craftsmanship. At the end of the day, in my case at least, the headset is just going to be sitting on my desk if I'm not using it, so the "strong-enough construction" factor is really not that important.
Overall though, the design of the headset is very cool and it does look and feel phenomenal. The in-line controls are nothing fancy but completely functional and intuitive.
5) DRIVER/SOFTWARE = B+
The software isn't terribly intuitive but it does its job. It's got some cool features like the ability to turn 7.1 on/off with a click of a button and a surround sound test that lets you see on the screen the directional speakers that the headset is trying to imitate.
The driver shows the headset as a "USB PnP Sound Device", which is fine really for all intents and purposes, but it shows the amount of programing polish and time that went into the software side of things for this headset; they didn't bother to create fully-formed drivers that actually spelled-out the name of the device itself ("Steelseries Siberia V2 USB Headset").
Lastly, the accompanying software, again, lacks the polished look and feel that you'd expect from a popular audio device manufacturer. It looks more like something that a small start-up created for their new product. However, since it does its job, and does it well, the bells and whistles beyond that are really unnecessary anyway.
>>CONCLUSION: Awesome headset with no major issues in any arena. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a virtual 7.1 USB headset for PC gaming, for under $100. It's comfort and functionality really make it a contender with the higher-priced headsets too!
P.S. Contrary to most of the other low reviews on this product due to "Wrong product received", I received the exact headset outlined on this page and I actually got it within 1-day instead of 2 (thank you Amazon Prime)!
