Steelseries Siberia V2 Review

The world of gaming headsets is full of different brands, models and colours, but a few names stick out among the rest as some of the most prominent brands in computer peripherals. One such company is Steelseries who manufacture everything from Headsets to Gaming Glasses. One of their best product lines includes the Steelseries Siberia V2 Full-size Headset which we will be reviewing in this article.

As you can see in the above picture, this particular version of the V2 is purple. This is an exclusive model to PC World (http://PCWorld.co.uk) in the UK and is available for £70 though North American customers can buy it through the Steelseries website (http://Steelseries.com) for $90. Whilst the colour might put some people off buying this model, we’ll be reviewing it fairly so you can see if the headset would suit you (even if it is in a different colour!)

Features, Specifications and Build

The headphones feature some impressive specifications and useful extras. See the table below for more details.

For those people without front audio jacks, the 2m extension cable is extremely useful, and it’s good to see Steelseries learnt from the Siberia Neckband by putting the volume control on the main cable meaning you’re not forced to use the extension lead for your control. Unfortunately this leads to the cable “drooping” at this point, increasing the risk of it being caught on a desk, chair or items of clothing.

Weighing in at only 245g, the headset is easily worn for long gaming sessions, even those in excess of 6 hours! The excellent “suspension headband” nullifies any weight on your head, feeling only the inwards pressure on your ears. The cups are large enough to cover even the largest ears without ever getting sweaty or unbalanced. Unfortunately if you spend hours styling your hair, the black suspension band might mess up those with delicate styles though any dedicated gamer won’t have that problem!

Testing and Results

As always, we test all headphones, headsets and speakers thoroughly using many different media sources, from Movies to Games. For this review we listened to a variety of different genres of music, using Drum and Bass to test the Bass, Classical to test the mid and high ranges and the radio to get a good range of sounds to test on.

In terms of games, we tested the headset in Bad Company 2, StarCraft 2, DotA 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and even the popular DayZ to get a feel of how accurate the sound was, both in terms of volume and direction.

Although the headset is only stereo, the direction of the sound was extremely impressive, easily allowing identification of enemies and zombies relative to your position. The accuracy of the sound was also beneficial in both StarCraft 2 and DotA 2, giving hints of the oppositions spells/units/movements (for example warping in units or casting a skill shot).

The headset produced the bass required for explosions with good force though there is room for improvement from the 50mm drivers. Gunshots and in game voices were particularly pleasing with no issues. Overall, this is a decent headset for gaming with for its price range and should give you a narrow advantage over someone else with your same skill level.

Whilst listening to music, the balance was almost impeccable although when turning on Bass Booster mode, the sound quality immediately deteriorated and the Treble and Mid were drowned out by overpowering and inaccurate bass. During normal listening Treble and Midrange were portrayed well with vocals sounding clear without any hint of tininess.

Movies such as Saving Private Ryan sounded great, but unfortunately whilst watching a movie, you have to ensure your head is completely flat against the back of your seat. This is to ensure that the headset stays on your head properly, so sound isn’t altered.

The pull out microphone works very well, picking up your voice easily enough whilst avoiding background noise. If you have the headset volume too loud, it is possible to pick up the sound through the microphone, especially if it is retracted.

For £70/$90, the Siberia V2 Purple provides reasonable value although other colours may be cheaper and therefore be better value. The pricing is as expected for a simple, good quality stereo headset with a good microphone, although there are cheaper headsets that are more comfortable.

Being able to easily listen to music via any device with a 3.5mm Jack gives an added bonus to this headset. Although this is a feature common among almost every headset, it’s still a nice touch and being able to control the volume via the on-cable controller is an added bonus.

Scores

Appearance – 15/20
Construction – 16/20
Performance – 16/20
Functionality – 17/20
Value – 16/20

Overall – 80/100

The Steelseries Siberia V2 scores a GND Gold award!