At first I would like to thank SteelSeries for offering the Siberia v2 Frost Blue Edition Gaming Headset for testing and reviewing.

 

About SteelSeries:

"From day one, SteelSeries has been focused on making high performance gaming gear used by the most demanding, top professional gamers worldwide and peripherals that provide superior quality and a competitive edge to gamers of all skill levels. We believe, as most gamers do, in winning, not trying!

 

What originally began with two people who recognized the need for superior, high-quality/performance gaming gear that would give gamers a competitive edge, has grown into a global leader in gaming and entertainment gear sought after for their high performance capabilities.

 

Fast-forward to today, and we’ve come a long way since our first glass mousepad. We have global offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, providing an integrated portfolio of products designed specifically for gaming. Fueling our growth is you, the gamer!

 

While we are proud of our technology and product innovation, we are even more excited about how these products are developed to meet the needs of gamers. Many companies may claim to develop superior gaming products but few actually do. Instead, they spend countless hours with lab engineers trying to force fit a new technology with bells and whistles and mediocre functionality for the end-user.

 

At SteelSeries, we develop our products with a small internal team and a vast network of technology partners, channel partners, game publishers, and gaming communities around the globe. We aren’t afraid of being challenged and implementing new ideas. Our main goal is to always to listen to the collective feedback of our professional gaming community.

 

We won’t bore you with cheeky slogans, trying to underline our authenticity as gamers. We fully acknowledge that the best professional gamers in the world know more about what they want and what will make them better, than we do. We are proud to be working with our partners, but we can’t take credit for their invaluable input and feedback. Instead we tell it like it is: they help us. We want to know what works and what doesn’t. For this reason, SteelSeries creates innovative solutions that provide a competitive advantage for all gamers.

 

Critical to our company’s success is also our reinvestment in the gaming communities and the individuals who support them. As a result, our corporate philosophy is to take a substantial portion of our revenue and put it back into the gaming community to help spur industry growth. We support our community in numerous ways, ranging from co-hosting tournaments like Iron Lady and King of the Hill, and supporting gaming competitions of all sizes, to promoting the top and up-and-coming gaming teams/organizations.

 

Put simply, SteelSeries does not claim to invent or reinvent the gaming industry. Nor do we focus on one specific product, copy other companies or follow the crowd.

 

Instead we leave it to you, the gamer, our customer/partner/inspiration, to decide if we are deserving of such declarations and accolades. What we do promise, however, is to remain committed to you. We will continue to work with you and the gaming community to make the best products possible and give you that competitive edge. We will continue to do our best to support the growth of the professional gaming industry and give back to the gaming communities. By doing so, we don’t just talk a good game, we win!"

CLASSIC. SIBERIA. ENHANCED.

 

The SteelSeries Siberia v2 Frost Blue features all the sexy features that have earned the Siberia series many awards and much fame since the original. We have added brilliant blue illumination that functions in 6 modes and an integrated USB sound card that is supported by SteelSeries Engine.

 

The over-the-head suspension design keeps the headset light and adjustable for every head size. The earcups feature noise reducing foam covered in grey leather to keep out noise and helps you focus on the important audio or voice communication. Lastly, the retractable, active noise-cancelling microphone is there when you need it and hides in the left earcup when you don’t.

 

INCREDIBLE SOUND

 

Featuring 50mm driver units that reproduce crystal clear sounds in high, low, and mid-range tones is at the core of what is creating an incredible audio experience. Powered by an advanced built-in sound card that features customizable equalizer settings and upgradable firmware for future expanded audio and illumination settings.

 

FROST BLUE ILLUMINATION

 

Alert the world around you that you’re in the game. – The headset features frost blue, LED illumination on the right and left side of each ear cup under the grill.

 

PERSONALIZE. EQUALIZE.

Let’s face it, the way you hear the game is unique to the tones your hearing can pick up, and probably completely different than the next gamer, which is why SteelSeries provides Frost Blue Headset users the ability to adjust, personalize and save all of their audio and equalizer settings. Save up to 8 settings for specific game profiles.

 

KEEP OUT THE NOISE

The earcups feature a leather covered noise reducing foam, which helps you to focus on the important audio or voice communication, and not being disturbed or interrupted by outside noise.

 

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION

SteelSeries over-the-head suspension design keeps the Frost Blue Headset cans lightweight and adjustable for just about every head size. We believe in keeping the gameplay heavy, not the gear your’re wearing to play it.

 

IN CONTROL

The integrated volume controller on the cord also offers a mute button, all for instant control without having to navigate through software settings.

 

RETRACTABLE MICROPHONE

The Frost Blue Headset features a retractable microphone system. Pull it out when you need it. Hide it in the left earcup when you don’t.

 

SMART NOISE-CANCELLING MIC

When you’re playing multiplayer, it’s more than just rugged skill that will win you achievements, it’s communication that will help you dominate. To support that, the Frost Blue Headset features an active noise-cancelling, “smart” microphone that allows your team to hear you above whatever is happening in the area around you – appliances, dogs barking, whining spouses, and more.

The microphones processor reduces the “noise” and focuses on the sound that is closer to the mic, your voice. The red/orange/yellow color on the depictions below represents the amount of processed input when using a microphone, and clearly shows the difference in processed sound between using a conventional microphone without noise-cancellation, and the active noise-cancelling microphone on the Frost Blue Headset.

 

LIGHT 'EM UP

 

16 Super Bright LEDs create a beautiful, even illumination around each ear cup capable of functioning in 6 different modes. Through the SteelSeries Engine, users can customize illumination in pulse (fast and slow), intensity (low and high) and even a sound activated mode. Of course, in true SteelSeries fashion, you can turn off the lights and still enjoy the amazing quality and audio features of this advanced headset.

 

AND THE NUMBERS

Headphones

Frequency response: 18 – 28,000 Hz

Impedance: 40 Ohm

Cable length: 3 ft.

USB Cable extension: 6.5 ft.

 

Microphone

Frequency response: 50 – 16,000 Hz

Pick up pattern: Uni-directional

Sensitivity: -38 dB

Active noise reduction: Up to 20dB

 

One of the latest Siberia v2 USB powered headsets from SteelSeries is the “Special Edition” Frost Blue Illuminated one; the product comes in a medium-sized cardboard box with a photo of the product in operation on the frontal side:

 

 

 

One of the box sides advertises the retractable microphone capability this headset comes with:

 

 

 

The back side welcomes us with a product description, a list of features and the technical specifications, in multiple languages:

 

 

 

The box also comes with an “Open” sign, letting us know that the front can be opened even further, to reveal a larger photo of one of the cups on the exterior:

 

 

 

 

Here we will also see how the headset does look like, without the need to open up the package:

 

 

 

After opening up the box, we can discover that, besides the headset, inside we will find some additional documentation along with an extension cable:

 

 

 

The extra cable SteelSeries offers as extension is a regular USB 2.0 male/female one:

 

 

 

The documentation is placed in a separate sealed plastic bag:

 

 

 

Drivers and extra software are not offered inside the box on a disk, but the manufacturer guides us to download it directly from the website:

 

 

 

A small product catalog is also offered, where we can see other peripherals sold by the same company:

 

 

 

The included leaflet contains a warning regarding high volume levels, which could do permanent hearing damage:

 

 

 

A nice case sticker is included, the same one that we have seen with other SteelSeries products; it would have been nice if in the future these stickers could be themed with the product type/name we are buying:

 

 

 

The Quick Start Guide informs us of the headset components and how we can connect the headset to our computer:

 

 

 

The Siberia v2 headset has a white/gray color theme and is a closed model (with passive noise reduction):

 

 

 

The cups feature on the outside a total of 16 super bright LEDs (blue color), that can function in 6 different modes; the exterior appearance of the cups is similar for left and right, with the SteelSeries logo and the L/R signs:

 

 

 

 

On the inside we can discover grey leatherette pads with memory foam featuring noise reducing capabilities and the drivers are 50mm with 18 – 28,000 Hz frequency response:

 

 

 

The headband, with the SteelSeries name printed on top is auto-adjustable, featuring a suspension system with four tethered metallic cables:

 

 

 

 

From the left earcup we can also extend the microphone, which can be adjusted in the position we prefer most. The model is unidirectional and features a 50 – 16,000 Hz frequency response, with a -38dB sensitivity:

 

 

 

If the microphone is not needed, it can be retracted back into the earcup:

 

 

 

Next on the wire we have the small remote, from where we can mute the microphone or adjust the volume levels:

 

 

 

 

Finally, we have the integrated sound card which ends up with the USB connector:

 

 

 

On the back, we also get to see the headset power rating:

 

 

 

When connected to our computer, the lighting system will be also powered up; the light effects can be customized by using the downloadable SteelSeries Engine application:

 

 

 

After connecting the headset to a spare USB port, we will see that it will start functioning right away; though, for accessing the extra features of the product, we’ll have to install the software provided by SteelSeries on their website. Besides the unified SteelSeries Engine application, they also offer a Firmware Update Tool, which we can download and run before installing Engine:

 

 

 

The tool can update the firmware of many products:

 

 

 

Before flashing, we will get a warning message:

 

 

 

SteelSeries Engine software can be installed really easy and uses a standard installer:

 

 

 

Right after the headset has been detected, we will see the interface, which is similar to the one from the Diablo III mouse, previously reviewed; from the Engine, we are able to modify 5-band Equalizer or mess with the side illumination settings:

 

 

 

Here are some of the preset settings the EQ comes with:

 

 

 

From the Illumination settings, we’ll be able to select the light intensity along with the light pulsation effects:

 

 

 

 

The Properties tab allows us to set different light and EQ presets for each and every application; when modifying an effect we also have to press on the “Save” button to see the effects, it is not on-the-fly:

 

 

 

After using the Siberia V2 Frost Blue Edition for several days, I could really say that they are the lightest wired headset I have ever used (of the same dimensions); the earcups are not pressing excessively on your head so we can wear them for hours without the need to remove them from time to time. The remote on the wire is really tiny, easy to use, and barely adds any weight to the assembly. The automatically adjustable headrest is also very handy, contributing to the overall ease of use.

 

As the previously tested headset from SteelSeries, the microphone is retractable and its body can be shaped by our liking. When talking with on Skype during gaming sessions, the voice heard by the others seemed clear, without any added effects. Most of the gaming headsets we have tested in the past were more concentrated on the mids and lows; surprisingly, the Siberia V2 can play highs as good so we aren’t afraid to recommend the product for other uses like music listening or watching movies.

 

The extension cable is about two meters long, but considering that the port is not proprietary (USB), we can simply use a longer one if needed.

 

As the Diablo III mouse, the SteelSeries V2 Frost Blue Edition Gaming Headset also uses the SteelSeries Engine, from which we can control the EQ or the light effects; the modifications are valid only after we hit “Save” and not on-the-fly and we would have also liked to have included some microphone effects added in the future versions since, in the end, this is a gaming product.

 

The LED illumination is very cool, especially if we go at LAN parties and the most interesting effect was “Trigger”, which illuminates depending on what audio is being played.

 

 

SteelSeries Siberia v2 Frost Blue Edition Gaming Headset Recommended For:

 

I would like to thank again to SteelSeries for making this review possible!