Steel Series Siberia Elite Prism Headset
Steel Series Siberia Elite Prism Headset
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Steel Series makes a wide range of products, but at Games Reviews we are most interested in their line-up of headsets. We review their new Siberia X100 and X300 headsets for the Xbox One , and noted their superior comfort compared to other, similarly prices headsets. Steel Series reached out to us when we provided them with our review coverage with an offer to test out one of their older headsets, the Elite Prism. Lets take a look!
This is just an article on what we though of the headset. For more details – we provide a lot below, but not all – on the design and functionality, be sure to check out the Siberia Elite Prism web page here.
Design
There really isn’t anything flashy about the Steel Series headset, unlike many of its competitors. It does have the LED lights on the ear cups, but they are fairly subtle and without connectivity via USB, actually don’t provide any light whatsoever. This headset sports the typical Steel Series 2 bar design that keeps the headset from weighing heavily on the players head. The retractable microphone comes out of the left ear cup, and provides superior chat quality than most headsets in the same class. Audio levels can be changed by rotating the disc on the side of the cups – one side controls the volume, while the other toggles the mute option.
Comfort
You really cannot deny that Steel Series understands comfort. These older Siberia Elite Prism headsets does have the fancy comfort options found in the new Siberia line, but still provide great comfort. The ear cups are very large and cushioned very nicely. between the cups and the attaching bar, I felt no discomfort when wearing them, even when podcasting for a few hours. According to Steel Series, “The design was inspired by our original Siberia headsets which are known throughout the pro-gaming scene as the most comfortable headsets in the world.”
Audio
The audio quality is clean and clear, which should be expected from a headset that costs nearly 200.00. However, I wouldn’t say that this headset out performs much cheaper options available from Steel Series themselves, and their competitors. With all the headsets we have reviewed, I feel like the Siberia Elite Prism headset is sitting in an awkward area. More expensive than your budget 79.99-149.99 headsets, but not quite at the 249.99+ options available. To be frank, the audio experience is slightly better than the average 100.00 set, but not even close to the 250.00 sets.
This is not a knock on the headset in anyway. It is a superior sounding headset. It’s still stereo as opposed to surround, and across all aspects of the headset – sound, comfort, and comparability – it scores really high.
The one area where this headset outperforms those that are cheaper, as well as those in the same price range, is the quality of the microphone. For individuals who are using their headset more for chat than game audio, I cannot recommend the Siberia Elite Prism enough. It has become my go-to headset for podcasting. With so many headsets in my life, this one has remained permanently hooked up to my PC for PC gaming and podcasting, while other headsets more appropriate for my Xbox One are used in the living room.
Don’t Pay for Features you Won’t Use
Part of the added cost to the Siberia Elite Prism headset is extras that come packaged with the headset. Each and every headset comes packaged with its own USB powered sound card which allows users to manipulate and customize their headset to their own liking, from the audio virtual 5.1 surround, to the lights on the side. Want to change the color your headset emits when picking up ammo in certain games? You can do that. Want to alter your highs and lows for better audio feedback? You can do that too. While the downloadable software for the headset is fairly straight forward and easy to use, it might be a useless add-on for many gamers. If you like messing with the audio and can manipulate the features available in the sound card to provide a better experience, then I cannot recommend this product enough. If you are just looking for a headset, there are alternatives that even Steel Series can offer you.
Conclusion
The Steel Series Elite Prism was not the headset that was going to replace my current preferred gaming headset for my Xbox One. However, it quickly replaced all the headsets I had previously used on my PC. The microphone quality is top of the line, giving me audio quality that rivals even the best standalone PC microphones. For people who rely heavily on chat for their online gaming needs, then perhaps the Siberia Elite Prism is the headset for you. However, if you strictly use your gaming headsets for in-game audio, even Steel Series offers a headset that will be lighter on your wallet and (nearly) equally as impressive.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
For online players: recommend
Purely for audio: still recommended, although Steel Series offers other headsets for a cheaper price.
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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