Steel Series Siberia Special Red Edition Full-size Gaming Headset

Simply Red

It's been a while since I have had a set of headphones come my way for review. The last time I reviewed a pair was way back when Steel Series and Razer duked it out for the spot of choice on my noggin.

Now it looks like the crown has been stolen from Razer by Steel Series, with an awesome set of cans that perform fantastically and look pimp in the gloss red.



Pulling specs from the website:

Headphone

- Frequency response: 18 - 28.000 Hz
- Impedance: 40 Ohm
- SPL@1kHz, 1V rms: 99 - 104 dB
- Cable length: 1,0 m + 1,8 m = 2,8 m / 9,2 ft.
- Jack: 3,5 mm (6,3 mm converter included)

Microphone

- Frequency response: 80 - 15.000 Hz
- Impedance: 2K Ohm
- Pick-up pattern: Uni-directional
- Sensitivity (1V/P@1 kHz): -38 dB

There's nothing particularly amazing about the specification in themselves, other than the microphone being separated from the headphones. With some good inclusions such as an inline volume control and a 6.35mm jack adapter.



But somehow when I put on these headphones they produce a sound quality that is audibly better than my reference Sony set.

Rock the microphone

What I really love about these headphones is not the sound reproduction, but the sound collection from the uni-directional microphone.

It seems to have the ability to filter out background noises without really trying, there is little more than a rumble really when you are speaking.



This makes for clear and understandable voice conversations with your mates when playing games or chatting to mum on Skype.

The mic unit can clip to you or to your monitor thanks to the inclusion of a little "L" shape bracket and some velcro sticky tabs.

This separation of microphone and volume control unit is liberating, but at the same time awkward, because if you have it attached to the screen and suddenly reach the limit of the cable stretch... well, I guess that why it's attached with velcro!

But there is no real problem with having a separated microphone other than your own clumsiness. The ability to place it anywhere on your person, or not have it attached at all, really makes a difference with these headphones.

Did I mention it comes in four colours? Black, White, Pink and limited edition Red!

Dulcet tones

One thing that has me playing with the headphone cable constantly is the super soft rubber coating on it. It's strange and bumpy and amazingly never seems to tangle like thinner cords.



Back to the issue of the noise making parts; these cans have been hammered over the last week with an assortment of sounds from my eclectic selection of music.

Rob Dougan always providing some deep bass lines and trilling highs with his semi-orchestral sounds, like something straight out of a film.



The headphones handle the deep bass well, seeming to be engineered to produce a nice rich response while the violin highs are crisp and notable.

To get a bit of flavour for the headphones response I work through a selection of drum and bass like pendulum and prodigy, to rock with the Foo Fighters and Kasabian, and finally to poppy commercial sounds straight from any top 10 radio countdown.



The overall impression of the cans seems to be that they are tailored to reproduce more bass and treble notes than midrange, however the mid is certainly not lacking. I think that these headphones really do what they say on the packaging - they provide excellent gaming quality sound reproduction and prove good for listening to music and movies on your computer and home theatre systems.

The finally word on these gloss red treats is their comfort; you can wear these for hours on end without getting head clamped or sweaty ears. Thanks to an ingenious and well supported headband, and the added ventilation points at the back of the ear cups.