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SS Siberia in-ear headset |
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Written by Zeljko Djuric
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Monday, 03 December 2007 |
The SteelSeries is a line of gaming peripherals with many market segments, with the headphones being probably the most popular one. Whenever we are talking about gaming headphones the first thing that comes to mind when gaming headphones are mentioned are usually those that cover the entire ear, thus efficiently isolating the player from the outside world. These headphones have a different approach.
Headphone
- Frequency response: 30 - 24.000 Hz
- Impedance: 16 Ohm - SPL@1kHz, 1V rms: 90 dB
- Cable length: 1.0 m + 1.8 m = 2.8 m / 9 ft.
- Jack: 3.5 mm
Microphone
- Frequency response: 80 - 15.000 Hz
- Impedance: 2K Ohm
- Pick-up pattern: Uni-directional
- Sensitivity (1V/P@1 kHz): -38 dB
As they are placed inside the ear, they provide good isolation and sound autonomy by themselves. The other important thing is the microphone, which isn't integrated into the headphones, but comes as a separate piece of hardware instead. As you can see from the images, the design is fantastic and compatible with the iPod philosophy (there is a black version as well). Beside the headphones, one will also find a couple of additional silicon insertions (standard-shaped) inside the packaging, so that you can replace the rib-shaped ones if you don't like them.
What's also included is the aforementioned cable, as well as the commendable extension cords for both microphone and headphones. There is also a small bag here, mildly suggesting that this is a fine notebook companion as well. Before we deal with the quality of recording and reproduction, let's have a look at ergonomics. The silicon insertions are glossy, light and comfortable, and therefore passed our 8-hour test with no trouble at all, as they caused absolutely no weariness during use. We could make a remark about the lack of “round-the-neck” option, but the headphones are light enough not to require one.
The microphone is supposed to be attached to a piece of clothing by a clip, and captures sound very well, no matter the original direction. However, it possesses no noise isolation whatsoever, so any sort of wind, air conditioning or fast movement will produce it. Although this type of use isn't its primary function, we still hope to see this problem gone in the next revision. The quality of the material itself is remarkable and we presume that it can be used for a longer period of time without any problems.
And now to the music reproduction part. At first listen, we were at a loss for words. Although the author of this text is hardly a true audiophile capable of discerning even the slightest nuances, he claims boldly that these are the best in-ear headphones he has ever seen (or heard, that is). We were stunned by the sound quality. Classical music, rock, jazz, dance, no matter what we played, it sounded great. Explosions and other game sound also sounded very realistic.
Of course, films weren't a weak point either. What the buyer gets is a well-rounded product, which will serve any purpose perfectly. Yes, there are better and more expensive than these, but not at this price point, that's for sure. Their sensitivity, combined with the in-depth speaker and good noise isolation, will provide you with loud (if necessary) and clear sound.
All things considered, it is difficult not to be impressed. Although these may seem as an ordinary pair of MP3 player headphones, they are far more than that. They are good both for gaming and listening to music. With a microphone which will serve its purpose very well in Skype or TeamSpeak, provided that you aren't located in a very noisy room. Minor remarks with the microphone and headphone cable take away the Editor's Choice reward, but we certainly think these are “Approved”. |
MultiMedia 
