Overall and FV
SteelSeries clearly set out to do something completely different with the Siberia Elite. First they put together a headset that is a world apart in quality and design than the Siberia V2. I loved the variety of connection options that you get with the USB sound card as well as the PC and mobile adapters. I can’t see myself running around town with the Elites on, but you can do it if you felt the need. I have a feeling the guy sitting next to you with a set of Beats would be a little jealous. That is because SteelSeries went all out on the Elites styling. From the new Stainless Steel band that holds everything together to the plush earcups the Siberia Elite really catches your eyes.
SteelSeries used the same tangle free cord design that I loved on their earbuds. It seems like a small touch but not having to worry about untangling your cord is a huge bonus. The built in volume and microphone mute into the earcups is also really nice as well as the multi-color LED lighting in each ear cup. Little touches like these help give the Elite its great styling.
So with all of that good, I did run into a few issues. The biggest being the distortion when using the USB sound card that I also experienced with the 9H. To add to that (or I guess replace that issue) SteelSeries updated the firmware on the USB sound card to lower the max volume. This did eliminate the distortion, but also lowered the level that you can turn up songs, games, and movies that didn’t have the distortion issue. As someone with a large head I also ran into some comfort issues over long periods of time due to additional pressure from the headset being over extended. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone with a large head consider the Siberia Elites for that reason.
The other issue I have with the Siberia Elites is their price point. At just under $200 they are out of the range of all but a small portion of people. Add in the other issues I experienced and it is really hard to justify that cost. It’s really sad frankly, because I think SteelSeries put together a really cool headset. All of their features paired up with the impressive styling gave the Elites most of the tools needed to be amazing. But in the end I think there is just going to be a small market for the Siberia Elites. I really hope they continue working on the design; they are on to something great, with a few tweaks.
