SteelSeries Siberia V2 Black and Gold Edition Headset Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The Headset4. Comfort and Performance5. Conclusion6. View All Pages

Those who have been reading KitGuru for a while will know that the SteelSeries Siberia V2 is one of our favourite gaming headsets of all time.  Take a short walk around any serious LAN event, like Multiplay's i-Series, and you'll see quite a number of gamers sporting this particular product.

Today we are going to look at the latest version of the SteelSeries Siberia V2 which is decorated in a unique black and gold colour scheme.  The ‘bling' that this headset possesses is sure to make you stand out from the crowd at gaming events.  It is also available in a number of other colours for those who aren't fond of the black and gold combination.

Features

• Closed type headphones
• Pull-out microphone
• Crystal clear high, low and mid-tones
• 50mm driver units
• Lightweight suspension construction
• Integrated volume control located on the cord

Specifications

Headphones

• Frequency response: 10 – 28.000 Hz
• Impedance: 32 Ohm
• SPL@1kHz, 1Vrms: 112 dB
• Cable length: 1,0 m + 2,0 m = 3,0 m / 9,84 ft.
• Jack: 3,5 mm

Microphone

• Frequency response: 50 – 16.000 Hz
• Pick up pattern: Uni-directional
• Sensitivity: -38 dB

The Siberia V2 is supplied in a high quality cardboard box which is very similar in design to the packaging that we've seen SteelSeries use with other products in the past.  It features a black, white and orange colour scheme which will make the product stand out well on retail shelves.

On the front of the box there is a large badge which identifies this particular headset as the ‘Black & Gold Special Edition' alongside a few product photos identifying some of the headset's features.  Turning the box around reveals a more detailed breakdown of the features and specifications in a number of languages.

SteelSeries haven't been as generous as some manufacturers with the included bundle.  They do include a useful extension lead, though, which will be ideal if your audio outputs are located around the back of the computer.  They also include a brief product guide and a small SteelSeries sticker.

The Siberia V2 is quite unique in it's visage as there is nothing quite like it elsewhere on the market.  It would be fair to say that the pure black version of the headset doesn't show the unusual design very well when compared against other available colours.  But, this isn't the case with the Black and Gold version we have here today.  SteelSeries have managed to achieve a tasteful balance between gloss black plastic and the gold ‘bling' that they have added to the headset.

In terms of build quality, the Siberia V2 reflects exactly what we've seen in the past from SteelSeries.  The plastics used in the construction of the headset seem to be very high quality and the fit and finish cannot be faulted.  One minor complaint we have with this headset is the excessive use of glossy plastic which is likely to pick up scratches and marks very easily.  Hopefully, with the black and gold version this will be less noticeable than with other colours, such as white.

Unlike some of SteelSeries top-of-the-range headsets, the Siberia V2 doesn't feature a braided cable.  Instead, SteelSeries have chosen to use a thin rubber shielding which doesn't offer quite the same level of durability but helps to keep the weight down to a minimum.  Half way down the cable we find a small in-line control which lets us adjust volume and to also mute the microphone.

The cable terminates in a pair of 3.5mm connectors which are gold-plated to ensure the best possible audio quality.  The use of 3.5mm connector for the headphone part means that you can use the Siberia V2 with your MP3 player or smartphone.  But, to enable the headsets microphone with these devices, we would need an adapter which isn't included.

Unlike most gaming headsets on the market, the SteelSeries Siberia V2 doesn't feature an adjustable headband.  Instead, SteelSeries have created an ingenious solution which adjusts itself perfectly to the size of your head.  This helps to distribute the weight of the headset evenly across the top of the skull.

SteelSeries have chosen to use leatherette earpads on the Siberia V2 which give it a premium look and feel.  The earpads fit around the ears and press lightly against the side of the head during use.  Despite the use of leatherette earpads, we didn't notice the headset becoming at all uncomfortable, even after a few hours of use.  Overall, we would say that the Siberia V2 is probably the most comfortable gaming headset we've ever tested.

The Siberia V2 has been designed to perform well all-round, not just in game unlike some other headsets.  Nevertheless, we started with our gaming tests as this is what most prospective owners of this headset will be interested in.  We found the sound balance of the headset to be well suited for FPS gaming.  The 50mm drivers help to give the explosions depth and presence and the gunshots were rendered accurately with a good degree of sound directionality.

Moving on to the multimedia performance of the headset, the prominence in the lower registers generally favoured bass heavy genres of music.  The upper registers were also rendered with reasonable precision and clarity.  Movie playback performance was also impressive for a stereo headset, although the sound directionality didn't compare to a virtual or dedicated surround sound headset.

SteelSeries have used their trademark retractable microphone on the Siberia V2 which remains almost invisible when stowed in the headset.  So you can use the headset as a set of headphones for listening to music or watching movies without the microphone getting in the way.

Overall we are left with very positive impressions of the SteelSeries Siberia V2 Black and Gold Edition. It doesn't just look great, it offers very competitive performance for a Stereo headset.  For those who require surround sound, there is also a USB version of the Siberia V2 available which offers virtual 7.1 surround sound, for a slight price premium.

As we have experienced in the past with SteelSeries' products, build quality is second to none and the materials used in construction are generally very good quality.  We can imagine that the black and gold colour scheme will split opinion but we are quite fond of the excitement the gold trim brings to the otherwise all-black design.  For those that don't appreciate the colour scheme, however, the headset is available in plenty of other colours.

As the black and gold version of the Siberia V2 is very new, it isn't as widely available as the other colour options.  We find it hard to justify paying £90 for this version of the headset at Play.com when you can purchase the white version of the headset for only £60 at Scan. Unless the Black and Gold version comes down significantly in price when it is made available with other e-tailers, we find it hard to recommend. £30 for simple gold trim seems somewhat excessive.

Pros:

• Looks great.
• Fantastic quality sound.

Cons:

• 50% extra cost for a little gold trim?

KitGuru says: A good looking piece of kit, let down by a hefty price tag.

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