SteelSeries Siberia Elite Prism

In our venture with the latest SteelSeries headsets, we take a look at the cream of the crop, Siberia Elite Prism. Taking feedback onboard to improve various aspects from the original Elite, this will be sure to catch your attention.

Product on Review: SteelSeries Siberia Elite
Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Street Price: £170/€199 inc VAT

It was almost a year ago to the day when we took a look at the Siberia Elite gaming headset. As impressive as it was, there were some downsides that made a fair few people unhappy. One was the comfort, as we even noted ourselves, the grip was strong and the earpads were large but unaccomodating for ears, all this while being fairly heavy lead to many suffering from fatigue. This problem has been solved by reducing the grip strength and increasing the strength of the suspension headband as well as making a larger earcup to better fit peoples ears. There was also an issue where many would experience audio cutout due to a mechanical flaw where an internal cable would shear when the headband was stretched too far, it is to my understanding that this has now been fixed. Finally, the microphone has been replaced with a completely new one with improved noise cancelling. This is a lot of refinement to which you could say that the Siberia Elite Prism is the Siberia Elite V2, reflecting SteelSeries’ determination to deliver an uncompromised highend gaming headset.

Much of the aesthetic remains similar to the previous Elite headset, available in white/black and black, the overall design is definitive of the Siberia Series yet allows you to think sleek and imposing or beautifully monstrous. If SteelSeries delivers on their claims of improvement, the Siberia Elite Prism could simply be the finest example of a gaming headset.

Overview by SteelSeries

Superior Sound
The Siberia Elite Prism features superior sound, incredible comfort and high-end features that make it the ultimate choice in gaming headsets.

We took everything that was loved about the original, award-winning Siberia Elite and made it even better. Significant upgrades, both inside and out, make the Elite Prism everything you could ask for in a deluxe, competition-grade headset.

The rich in-game sound comes from years of research and a passion for gaming. We are committed to using only the best components, materials, and features for an elite gaming experience.

Technical Specifications

SPEAKERS
Frequency Response: 16-28000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 120 dB

CABLE
Length: 1.2 m (4 ft.)
Extension Cable: 2 m (6.6 ft.)
Connectors: 3.5 mm 4-pole & 3-pole x2

MICROPHONE
Mic Pattern: Unidirectional
Frequency: 100 – 10000 Hz
Impedance: < 2.2K Ohm
Sensitivity: -44 dB

Compatibility
– Any Device With Single Or Dual 3.5mm Audio Ports
– Windows and Mac OS X®
– Playstation®

Packaging & Bundle

Box Front

The packaging is similar to what we have seen with the Siberia V3 and the Siberia Raw with the exception that that the internal box is more of a chocolate box than a chest. The design stands out with the burning ‘heat’ orange trim yet remains minimalistic with just the product name, an image of the product and a few choice words. At the top right we see the compatibility with various platforms and the Dolby PRO Logic logo.

Reverse side of packaging

At the back we are greeted with a diagram that points out some of the key features of the Elite Prism headset, as well as some information about the SteelSeries Engine 3 as well as box contents.

With the sleeve removed

Sleek inner box with the SteelSeries logo glossed in the middle.

Opened up

We are greeted with the Siberia Elite Prism headset complete with protective cover on the sandblasted steel arc.

Included accessories

Under the headset is a small hidden box of goodies which includes an extension USB cable, the USB sound card, a USB to 4 pole adaptor, and a USB to 2x 3.5mm jack adaptor. There is also some SteelSeries stickers and a quick start guide to help you get to know the Siberia Elite headset better and how to set it up.

Closer Look

Siberia Elite Prism

The overal aesthetic is very similar to the original, though one of the most noticeable changes with the Elite Prism compared to the original Elite is that there is more space for your ears in the earcup, allowing it to cover your ears properly. One of the largest complaints about the Elite was that the foam pads tended to squish peoples ears rather than sit around them. SteelSeries has taken this feedback onboard and refined the earcups to improve comfort.

Soft memory foam pads

The headband remains much to the same style as the original, however on the ‘white’ version SteelSeries opted for a black on white appearance. It is a shame as many are fond of the all white look, though it still looks great even if it is a blatant cop out in regards to saving money by having useful parts for both the ‘white’ and black version.

From the side

The Elite Prism also features two jog dials on either side, microphone mute on the left and volume on the right.

The suspension design

SteelSeries have stated that they have refined the strength of the steel arc as well as on the headband to give better comfort in regards to the original Elite headset as some found it too strong. We at Vortez noticed that the comfort was a little hit and miss with the original Elite and we can’t wait to compare.

The new microphone

The microphone is slightly more slender when compared to the original Elite headset, being completely new and reworked, it promises to be an improvement over the previous, which was slightly underwhelming.

Software & Lighting

As with the other SteelSeries products, the SteelSeries Engine 3 is a simply GUI that guides you to all the customisable features of the product you have. It is simple to use and looks good without being confusing or a system resource hog. On plugging in the Siberia Elite prism we instantly get a notification to update the firmware, which was quick and painlesss.

The Siberia Elite Prism has some extra features not seen on the Siberia V3 Prism such as Dolby Headphone for V7.1 surround, Noise cancelling and sidetone for the microphone as well as a full scale equaliser. There was also additional lighting effects including the breathing and audio trigger modes.

Increasing that audio quality

A demonstration of the Breathing, audio trigger and colourshift modes

Performance Testing

Setup, Design & Observations
The first thing you notice about the Siberia Elite Prism is that it is a beast, the earpads are like giant oversized marshmellows, and weighs a fair bit still. The earcups have a noticeably larger hole for your ears to fit into, while larger ears may struggle still, unlike with the original Elite, my ears fit inside perfectly. No ear squishing here. The soft memory foam pads feel great and form an almost complete seal which helps block external noises. The original Elite had a strong clamp strength which slightly made the headset feel like it held to your head by grip alone, adding all the weight to your ears, where as with the Elite Prism, the suspension headband was definitely transferring the weight to your head while the grip was much more forgiving and relaxed to which I encountered no comfort issue after close to half a day of gaming.

Setting up is as simple as plugging in the USB cable, especially if you already have the SteelSeries Engine 3 downloaded. Due to the semi-modularity of the headset, you can also use the jacks on the included USB soundcard or you can use the Siberia Elite with and device that can use a 4 pole or standard 3.5mm jack. This will include your discrete PC soundcard, PS4 or XBOX ONE or any mobile device.

The job dials feel smooth when rotated, and the microphone lights up when muted as a reminder. When I muted the microphone with the dial there was electrical interference sent back to people in the conversation, this was noticed on both the USB and discrete sound card. Though short lived and quiet, if you are muting and unmuting in quick succession it can become a minor nuisance.

Multimedia
The orignal Elite headset had some exceptional audio and the Elite Prism follows in kind. Clearly defined tonal seperation, cheesecake bass with clear mids and highs that sounds as rich as it costs. The maximum volume via the USB soundcard is relatively low, however the Elite Prism like its predecessor responds very well to equalisation. Increasing each frequency noticeably increases the volume. Again when paired with a discrete soundcard, the Siberia Elite Prism sounds incredible, to the matter of subjectivity, the best you will likely hear from a gaming headset. The soundstage is wide open, even just in stereo I had turned my head several times wondering where that sound had come from, while the Dolby headphone surround was simply the best implementation of a virtual surround experience I have witnessed. To be more objective, flat response was a little bass orientated with slightly diminished mids, but considering how well this headset can change its characteristics from equalisation, there is no real problem in customising the sound to that which you prefer or you can use one of the presets included in the SteelSeries Engine 3.

Microphone
The microphone sounds clear natural and warm, while sensitive, with the noise cancelling enabled it still picked up keyboard typing and mouse clicks, though were muted in comparison to the voice. There was little other background noises or static and overall was impressive to use. A clear improvement over the original and is one of the better microphones I have used for some time. This was observed and reinforced when using the Siberia Elite Prism with a discrete sound card. The only downside was that it still passed on loud music to party memebers I was talking to. This was cancelled via the discrete sound cards echo accoustic cancellation, though only ‘reduced’ by the included USB soundcards noise reduction.

Conclusion

SteelSeries have shown an innate ability to build upon an existing product and refine it accordingly. After receiving feedback on the original Elite, the changes made are relevant, noticeable and for the better. The headset is still large and heavy, but considering how magical the 50mm drivers sound there is little to avoid that except to make the enclosure as comfortable as they can. The Elite Prism is certainly much more comfortable than the original and should satisfy the majority of people.

The microphone is also significantly improved and one would almost go as far as impressive, yet still suffers from that ‘Siberia’ noise leakage. Though this leakage tends to only be significant when you are listening to loud music or watching loud videos it seems to be an omnipresent existence in the Siberia line. This is likely to do with how the retractable microphone is positioned near the audio drivers where the flexible microphone can pick up the vibrations. For most it’s rarely a problem, and the noise cancelling on the USB does dampen it, or you could simply avoid listening to loud music while in a skype chat. Still, considering the price and knowing that this can be cancelled with the right digital signal processing, yet the USB soundcard included can only dampen its effects may disappoint some.

Though considering how much the Elite Prism has improved over the original Elite, there is little to really pick on, it looks great, has customisable LED lighting effects, the awesome sound quality can be tailored to any preference and the Dolby Headphone surround will please the most avid surround fan. The only primary consideration would be cost, at £170 or €199, this is likely to be one of the most priciest a gamer would be willing to spend out on, and there are many other options available. Though, if you want a gaming headset with top tier audio, your wallet will inevitably feel the hurt one way or another.

The comfort is dramatically improved allowing for longer sessions with what could be the best gaming audio you can get.

Pros.
+ Sleek aesthetic
+ Improved comfort (compared to original Elite)
+ Customisable lighting
+ Best-in-class audio experience
+ Impressive build quality
+ Impressive v7.1 surround
+ Versatile/ modular
+ Great bundle

Cons.
– Price
– Requires a DAC/ discrete sound card w/amp to get the best out of it