LOGIN
PASSWORD
Front - Proshop - Archives - Galleries - Transfers - Files - Information - Staff - Contact Us - Terms & Conditions     Register an Account
Counter-Strike Warcraft 3 Quake Call of Duty 2 Console Gaming Hardware File Library Events Forums
Headset head-to-head
Head on over...

Final thoughts and conclusion

With such choice available on the market, what is a gamer to do? Since their introduction, gaming headsets have developed and evolved into the quality products that are available today. They’re not available cheap though, so what factors should sway gamers from one model to another?

Of the headsets tested in this round-up only one stands out, and not for the right reason. The Razer Barracuda HP-1 albeit being the most expensive of the group would have to be the least recommended headset. Despite good intentions, multi-driver headphone technology simply does not provide the quality required. And due to the lack of the accompanying AC-1 sound card, it is difficult to recommend the HP-1 on any of its merits, or lack thereof.

The Everglide S-500 although an excellent sounding headphone, fails in the areas of being a headset. It lacks the flexibility and functionality that most gamers seek. Without an in-line volume control and a microphone that’s thrown in as an afterthought, it is hard to say where the S-500 belongs. If sound quality is what you seek, it may be more worthwhile investing your money in a hi-fi headphone from one of the more established brands.

The remaining headsets though each have their own highlights. The Icemat Siberia costs the least and is a good all-round headphone that can be used for gaming, music or general day to day PC tasks. If you seek a dedicated gaming headset and gaming is all you do, then it’s hard to go past the Steelseries Steelsound 5H V2. The second iteration of this headset has seen welcome improvements to in-game sound quality, microphone reach and comfort. The excellent build quality, collapsible design and good in-game performance make up for its poor performance in music.

At the end of the day going with either the flexible and affordable Siberia or the slightly more expensive but excellent gaming-only 5H V2 should serve most gamers well, the future is looking good for headsets, and we can only hope to see more fine products entering the arena.


News Pages:
» Page 1: Introduction In recent years the gaming industry has exploded, and sales of gam...
» Page 2: Testing Criteria In this round-up three main areas will be examined that a ga...
» Page 3: Icemat Siberia The Siberia is created by Icemat who have become infamous for ...
» Page 4: Steelsound 5H V2 Steelsound are the other half of SoftTrading that also make ...
» Page 5: Razer Barracuda HP-1 Razer are more commonly known for their innovative mousi...
» Page 6: Everglide S-500 Everglide hardly need an introduction. From the makers of the...
» Page 7: Final thoughts and conclusion With such choice available on the market, what ...
.
Comments « back ... 1 2 ... next »
1.
5/11/2006 02:26pm
blindside
User Offline
great article :)
4.
5/11/2006 02:30pm
Kaned
User Offline
cool bananas
5.
5/11/2006 02:31pm
tnyvo
User Offline
Nice write up, good read.
PC150's ftw though :P
6.
5/11/2006 02:32pm
spirit
User Offline
very good read; thanks
7.
5/11/2006 02:37pm
dc
User Offline
damn you guys read quick!
8.
5/11/2006 02:38pm
sabu
User Offline
lalalalalalalala
9.
5/11/2006 02:48pm
talon
User Offline
n1
10.
5/11/2006 02:49pm
domacle
User Offline
tl;dr
11.
5/11/2006 03:03pm
haunted
User Offline
nice1 dc :)

would of liked to see some price ranges in there somewhere :o but ty for the effort good read!
12.
5/11/2006 03:03pm
Jastone
User Offline
Nice read.
13.
5/11/2006 03:07pm
dc
User Offline
haunted: i was thinking of it, but the prices vary so much esp in australia

what i might do is put in the manufacturers' rrp according to each of their online stores

for local prices best to staticice it =)

edit: prices added
14.
5/11/2006 03:22pm
benzino
User Online
headphones + separate mic fOr ThE WiN
15.
5/11/2006 03:56pm
Clam
User Offline
Nice article.
16.
5/11/2006 04:07pm
haunted
User Offline
i figured that was the reason dc :D

ta for the rrps it at least gives people an idea without having to find it themselves hehe (ie. like my lazy ass :D)
17.
5/11/2006 05:02pm
FEZ
User Offline
i recommend sennheisers, beyerdynamics, sonys and philips headphones and just adding a mic.. they are the best quality headphones imo
18.
5/11/2006 05:48pm
cam
User Offline
Good Read.

PC150's get the job done =D
19.
5/11/2006 06:02pm
madaajr
User Offline
awesome article. The original steelsound 5H headphones do it for me still =D

/ps/ they good for music aswell :p
20.
5/11/2006 06:33pm
cozeh
User Offline
sennheiser pc160's.

Win.
21.
5/11/2006 08:13pm
PfL
User Offline
HD555!
22.
5/11/2006 08:53pm
akabeko
User Offline
nice article, good read.
perhaps you could do a write up of the AKG's, beyerdynamic, sennheiser etc as well some time :) as im sure there's many of us who use those brands, myself included.

/me gives dc the thumbs up
23.
5/11/2006 09:22pm
jnsie
User Offline
sure will be getting old mate emma to buy me the steelsound 5H's for christmas !! :)
24.
6/11/2006 12:18am
dc
User Offline
well, the problem would be getting hands on audiophile type headphones for evaluation

audio brands wouldn't consider sending review samples to a "gaming" website a worthy investment

whereas you could understand why steel, icemat, razer and everglide would jump at the very opportunity

although truth be told, i did at one stage have in my posession headphones from akg, audiotechnica, grado, beyerdynamic and sennheiser (i currently still own beyers, akgs and senns)

oh, and my little koss clip ons!

also, when you think of it, it's not worth plugging nice headphones into onboard. garbage in, garbage out.
25.
6/11/2006 12:29am
aFganFlyTrap
User Offline
hmmm it came across that u didnt like the hp-1?


lol you shitted all over them!
26.
6/11/2006 12:31am
dc
User Offline
mate, they were deadset shocking, the article puts it in as nice words as i possibly could...
27.
6/11/2006 12:51am
aFganFlyTrap
User Offline
wish this article was out before i got a pair :P
28.
6/11/2006 10:16am
peki
User Offline
where do i buy the 5h v2 dc, i want a pair today
29.
6/11/2006 10:56am
skizm
User Offline
http://www.skullcandy.com.au/products/headphones/s...

i love my headphones <3
30.
6/11/2006 11:45am
Serial
User Offline
peki, im sure your in melbourne. just call gamerzstuff mate, they have some.
31.
6/11/2006 12:02pm
peki
User Offline
thank you serial.


trying to figure out what you meant by "im sure your in melbourne" >_>
32.
6/11/2006 12:04pm
peki
User Offline
ive called gamerzstuff like twice every 30 mins since 9am


PICK UP ANDY QUAH...PICK UPPPPPPPPPPP
33.
6/11/2006 01:17pm
Serial
User Offline
If you are in Sydney and you want them EYO has them in Brisbane and Gold Coast Umart have them. Also in Harveys.
34.
6/11/2006 02:01pm
dc
User Offline
peki: http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=s...
35.
6/11/2006 02:43pm
haunted
User Offline
lol skizm, awp whoring with them on would be fun
36.
7/11/2006 12:33pm
mOOn-GLaDe
User Offline
icemat siberias ftw
37.
7/11/2006 09:52pm
R0NiN
User Offline
Good stuff man, nice to see an appraisal outside of the normal biased crap you have to sift through.

On the barracudas though, can't say I agree. Used to have some pc150's and recently upgraded. Love the hp-1's to bits,the proper 5.1/7.1 positional has saved my ass more times then I can remember. Agreed their not very lan friendly though. I think they are better then youve rated them though, especially on comfort. Ive fallen asleep while wearing them like 6 times already, then wake up and freak out because I forgot I had them on haha.

Anyways to each their own, great guide nevertheless.


38.
8/11/2006 09:18am
aFganFlyTrap
User Offline
this thread just got god status!

glade posted in it.

what is the terroist up to these days andy? :P
39.
8/11/2006 02:41pm
dagz
User Offline
good read, siberias ftw
40.
8/11/2006 03:46pm
dc
User Offline
hehe, there was a lot not to like about the HP-1s, but the comfort is one thing i didn't hate on lol

it reached god status when dc posted it!
41.
9/11/2006 12:13am
aFganFlyTrap
User Offline
tilt train earphones ftw
42.
10/11/2006 12:41pm
merlin
User Offline
agreed sennheiser 160's :)
« back ... 1 2 ... next »
Preferred competition format?

   Single Elimination (3)
  2%
 Double Elimination (23)
  16%
 Groups to Best of 3 Single Elimination (59)
  41%
 Groups to Best of 3 Double Elimination (32)
  22%
 Groups to Best of 5 Single Elimination (2)
  1%
 Groups to Best of 5 Double Elimination!!! (24)
  17%





Ontario Web Design