Diving Into The SteelSeries Headphone Lineup

Here at GamesReviews, we have the opportunity to review a wide array of not only video games, but hardware and other gaming accessories as well. One of the most important things that we focus on when reviewing hardware is the final value it has to the consumer, and whether or not that particular product has an accessible market.

For example, if we were to compare two headsets of equal sound quality and comfort, compatibility and connectivity but one was double the cost, it would only make sense for the review score of the more expensive headset to be lower as it offers lower value to the consumer for the price.

This is by no means the only factor taken into consideration when scoring a headset, as the sound fidelity for any audio accessory is and should always remain paramount. After all, who cares how affordable or comfortable a headset is if the sound is quiet and completely distorted? Nevertheless, it can be quite beneficial to take a step back and expand your frame of reference beyond the absolute quality of a headset and compare it with other products on the market.

This process is and idea of value is not agreed upon by all, but is considered by most to be a fair and effective way of informing the consumer to the best of our ability.

Today, we will step back and take a look at the SteelSeries headphone lineup as a whole, both as an example of how we determine value of a headset and because SteelSeries has one of the largest price ranges of any headphone brand.

While providing a wide variety of products is key in ensuring that one of them will suit the needs of almost everyone, it can be especially difficult for gamers to get the best idea of which product is right when there are many options before them.

Just taking a look at SteelSeries’ own comparison chart – there are many options presented and the differences between them are not made abundantly clear, for example if you want a high end headset you might compare the Steelseries Arctis 7 vs Arctis Pro – Which Should You Buy? Take a look at the chart below and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

As some of the differences between the headsets are difficult to display in a concise fashion, it is important to look beyond charts such as the one above. Nothing beats the first-hand testing experience accomplished by reviewers who can provide a human reaction, instead of breaking the experience down to simple facts and figures.

This is especially critical for large lineups that vary greatly such as the SteelSeries headphone lineup. These tend to have an equally large discrepancy in pricing as well as functionality, making it quite the headache for your average consumer to put the required research into such a decision.

Luckily for our readers, we take our opportunities to review headsets and other accessories very seriously, and do our absolute best to provide the most accurate representations and reviews of these products. Reviews such as the SteelSeries Arctis 5 review here allow our readers to fully understand the experience they can expect from the headset. So, looking at the SteelSeries Arctis headset lineup, how can you best make the determination of which product is right for you?

It might sound obvious, but start by weighing your needs with your budget. If your budget is flexible, focus more on the headset that contains at the very least all of the features you desire. Wired or wireless is the first major decision each person will have to make, and this can be influenced both by preference and by budget.

As with most choices, there are pros and cons to each. Wireless can provide greater flexibility and less mess, while wired headsets do not have nearly as many connection or latency issues that can occasionally plague their wireless counterparts.

The next major decision is what type of sound you are looking for. Are you looking for a stereo headset or virtual 7.1 surround sound? Stereo is preferable for listening to music and watching movies, while 7.1 can be beneficial for gaming, where identifying the directionality of sounds is paramount. Once you have sorted out those two main components of the headset, you will be very close to narrowing down the type of device that you are looking for.

After this point, once the few empirical pieces of data have been determined, the remaining differences are largely in the hands of the human experience. How the weight, shape and feel of each headset interacts with the user is nothing that can be determined by a simple set of numbers.

Instead, using the law of averages, we rely on a vast number of human opinions which will, in theory, show a trend over time of how well the device in question performs.

This is so crucial to marketing that now, in our modern era, companies are doing everything they can to create fraudulently positive reviews. Certain businesses will even offer to provide a discount to the user if they provide proof of leaving a good review.

Other companies pay for bots to automatically leave spoofed reviews. This might seem crazy, but it speaks to how much influence these reviews have over the sales of a specific product, especially when looking at certain online marketplaces like Amazon, which have a very large selection and no opportunities to test the products ahead of time.