Steel Series Siberia 350 Headset Review

Steel Series Siberia 350 Headset

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The Steel Series Siberia 350 Headset falls into that mid range category when it comes to pricing, and these headsets are always the hardest to make a decision on. With so many headsets coming in just a bit cheaper – 99.99 compared to 119.99 – it is sometimes hard to justify some of the enhancements for the 20 or 30 dollars more that you will pay. Does Steel Series help justify the extra money in the value they give? Read on to see what we think of it!

What’s In the Box

Like all Steel Series products, the Siberia 350 comes packaged beautifully. Inside you will find your headset with USB cord and quick start guide. The USB cord on the headset is about 5 feet long, perfect for if you are sitting at a computer desk, but less than ideal if you are using on a PS4 or a PC hooked up to a television. The ear cups are memory foam, and are comfortable even during long gaming sessions. Comfort with this headset was never an issue. When you need to quickly change the volume, a handy volume up/down wheel is just inches away and easy to maneuver should, perhaps, your kids interrupt you for a moment or two. Players can also quickly mute their headset by flicking the switch on the outside of the earcup.

Headset Comfort

• Classic Steel Series Suspension Design

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, most companies now understand how to create a comfortable headset, but know one does it better than Steel Series. Their suspension design and lightweight production makes all of their headsets some of the comfiest on the market. Long play sessions or recording sessions have NEVER been a problem with their headsets, and is one of the features I’d be willing to pay extra dollars for over other, somewhat cheaper, units.

The memory foam earcups that fit nicely over the ears of the average person is just icing on the cake – comfort is the name of the game for Steel Series, and I’m not sure anyone can deny that.

SPEAKER DRIVERS

• 50mm Neodymium Drivers, Onboard USB Soundcard
• Headphone Frequency Response: 10 – 28000 Hz
• Headphone Sensitivity: 80 dB

Sound on the Siberia 350 was never a problem. In fact, for the price point, it is one of the best headsets I have ever used. With 7.1 Digital Surround, playing any game using this headset was an absolute joy. While they don’t compare to the Siberia 800 – which we have reviewed here – this shouldn’t be a real surprise. After all, we are comparing a 119.99 headset to a 299.99 headset. For the price, if you are not worried about wireless or using the mic, this is a great price for a 7.1 Digital Surround headset!

Although I won’t recommend playing this on PS4 – more on that later – I did most of my review when playing on the PS4. The game of the day – well, for review – was Uncharted 4. Using this headset while playing Uncharted was a great way to showcase the audio quality. I could hear voices of enemies in my head, based on where they were on the map. I could hear Sam sneaking around behind me, and enemies conversing all around. Not many headsets in this price range offer this level of audio quality – most, frankly, are stereo headsets. What ever Steel Series is doing to provide this type of experience for that price will be industry changing, and other companies will need to step up!*

MICROPHONE

• Microphone Frequency Response: 50-16000 Hz
• Microphone Pickup Pattern: Unidirectional
• Microphone Sensitivity: -42 dB
• Microphone Impedance: 2200 Ohm

Steel Series markets this headset has having crystal clear chat. The definition of crystal clear differs depending on who you speak with. Can I clearly hear every word I speak when using this headset? Yes. Would I define it as “crystal clear?” Probably not. Listen, at the price and for what you are getting – outstanding surround audio – I think the microphone quality can be overlooked. Everything will be audible and there are not weird feedback issues or random audio noises in the background, but you will sound like an airline pilot speaking to passengers. Why the sound comes out this way is beyond me, but if you have aspirations to be an airline pilot, or have always wanted to say, “Ladies and Gentleman, please fasten your seat belts. We are preparing to land” than great! It’s an extra bonus for you.

All joking aside, it was the first thing I thought of when I listened to myself speaking via the microphone. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible. Again, for the price, this issue would not be enough to persuade me to NOT buy the headset.

CONNECTION

• Cable Length: 1.5 m, 5 ft
• Connector Type: USB

Let’s get this out of the way right now. This headset should not be marketed on the box as being compatible with the PS4, even though it is. I find the advertisement a tad misleading. To be fair, the Steel Series Siberia 350 website indicates that compatibility for this project is on Windows and Mac, while the box adds PS4 compatibility.

First things first: no one playing on a console wants to use a USB headset, and especially not one that is only 5 feet long. Consumers should not have to purchase a peripheral to use a headset on their console, and this particular set will require a USB extension at the least.

That being said, this is a great headset for PC gamers. When connecting to your tower, the 5 foot cord is no longer an issue. Again, it is hard not to recommend this headset for PC gamers looking for an entry level headset with surround sound capability. Like most Steel Series products, the Siberia 35o is also compatible with their Engine 3 technology which will allow players to set their illuminations, player profiles, and so much more.

Conclusion

This headset does come in a little more expensive than your average gaming headset – 119.99 versus 99.99. However, the inclusion of the 7.1 surround and the level of comfort Steel Series provides makes the extra money completely worth it. While we cannot rave about everything when it comes to this particular headset – PS4 compatibility true, misleading, a ‘meh’ microphone, inability to use as a standalone headset via auxiliary – it is still a quality unit that will take gaming to the next level for a lot of people.

We can easily give the Siberia 350 a 8.0/10!

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* We know other companies offer 7.1 Surround around this price point, but it is not overly common!