I got this because it was recommended me through a friend. I won't hold it against the product that one of the speakers sounds like it was blown and cracks a bit depending on the amount of bass. but the sound quality for games could have been better along with music...My friend swears up and down over these but I see issues with it.

On the positive side it is a very durable headset and the way it was built is very practical along with how it disassembles as well is a cool feature...all in all, it could have been better.

• from

Wow, just amazing. I had high expectations from these after reading the reviews here, and it fulfilled them all to a tee. The quality of these are noticable even when watching movies or listening to music. Best $90 I've spent for my laptop yet!

• from

I have worn out one pair and actively use two others. This is the best headset I have found, both in terms of comfort and function. Fidelity is exceptional for such a device and comfort is unrivaled. They look big, but are not heavy on the head. You won't even know they are there. There currently is not a pair of cans with a mic attached that can approach the quality of the 5H v2.

• from

I play a lot of CS 1.6 and I use that headset for many other purposes. This headset is the best out of all I tried. First I was confused by the accuracy of the sound, but then I got used to it, and now I can tell EXACTLY when someone is walking/running, where he is. This item is also great for movies and Skype conferences.

5 out of 5

• from

Hey Everyone i just wanted to say this the best headset i ever used!!!!!!! its great better then most of gaming headset i recommended you have one .... if you are very serious about fps gamer

• from

This product does, in fact, work flawlessly with the Macintosh.

The headset well designed and sturdy, yet surprisingly light even when worn for many hours. I had worn Sony headsets before that were heavy on my head and squished my ears, but not these... They wear as tho they are lighter than they are.

The sound quality is superb. While audiophiles and sound freaks out there will poo-poo this and that, the vast majority of us will be delighted with the output, even with music. Previous reviews had my expectations low about music, and 'movie' quality but it turns out that they are just weird. For you, me, the sound output has a great range and diversity... from gaming, to Skype, to movies, music, or all at once. This headset doesn't miss a beat (bad pun, sorry).

As for the mic, I was personally dubious about the quality and flexibility of a retractible mic. These were unfounded. The mic is extremely flexible is every direction on a protected wire-wrap that holds it's shape well. The hard plastic mic cover can be removed for cleaning easily. And most important, is the mic quality. Using this headset over Vent, Skype, and TeamSpeex (TeamSpeak for Mac), the feedback from my guildies, friends, family, is that this headset provides cellphone quality speech. Not CD, or Blue-Ray quality but was impressive enough to have several people buy this headset based on that alone.

Finally, despite SS's claims that the USB soundcard isn't compatible with Mac OS, it is. Apple Mac OS 10.5 and up will recognize the USB soundcard in the System Perferences -> Sound, for both input and output. It will also absorb the CPU cycles for sound to itself. The only catch is that the driver disk and any driver updates from SteelSeries are for Windows only. That catch is minor however, I wouldn't trade this headset for any other!

Tested on PBG4 1.5, MBP 2.8

• from

OMG, they feel and sound wonderful!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. They *don't* squash my ears! (I have a big head and ears)

2. They're light and comfortable!

3. They're strong!

4. They sound grrrrrrreat!

5. I can plug them into a USB port or my soundcard!

6. They easily come apart for transport!

7. They're (virtual) 7.1 speakers!

8. I can hear things in BF2 and in music tracks I never heard before!

9. The cord has an extension in the middle you can remove!

10. You can use the software interface to customize the speaker and subwoofer locations!

11. The microphone stows in the left earpiece out of the way! :-)

For those who complained about listening to music, just move the speakers closer in the setup. Sounds great! Also, use the equalizer in WinAmp or WMP to increase the bass, treble, etc, if you like.

If you are hemming and hawing about the price, they are very well worth it.

I had Turtle Beach 5.1 headset and I had to strrrretch the metal bands to make it not crush my head. Even then, my ears were squashed FLAT, and boy did they hurt.

Just get 'em.

• from

Simply the greatest sounding, most comfortable headset I have ever owned. I have had these for over a year now and use them for both work at home conferences and gaming. EASILY installed and moved between my laptop and PC as both USB or standard jack headphones. The mic is great and the way it retracts into the ear piece is genius when I just want to listen to music. For gaming, I simply have not heard better, crisper sound. I am continually amazed at just how good they sound. They also are light on the ears (over the ears) and you can still hear around you in the room so you hear the phone, your wife, whatever... Great, GREAT product. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.

• from

Amazing headset very well made quality product I will always go to Steel series for my gaming needs.

• from

I am experienced in headphones/headsets, ive owned turtle beachs, steelseries, logitech, and now astro a40's. I prefer steelseries headset hands down, the sound is unlike any of the others have delivered and with the usb soundcard you kno your getting the best the headset can give you. Using all the headsets i have the what i am using is the Steelseries 5h v2's along with usb soundcard for pc gaming. And when i switch to xbox and ps3 i use the Astro mixamp which lets me use this headset for each system. Amazing! one of the best parts is the pull out mic works amazing for skype calls and ingame chat and then hides right back in ear cup. if you can drop $75 get the used one! (im selling the used one when i ordered this headset few weeks ago dell sent me two by mistake : ) )

happy listening!

• from

a little pricey but the USB sound card is convenient and the sound works as advertised. The headphone design is comfortable as it cups your ear unlike others that over long periods of use begin to feel as if they are crushing your ear. The mic is also designed well and so far works without any issues in all my pc games.... nothing worse than having a mic that won't work when playing online games and this one works all the time so, A+.

• from

Let me start off by saying, for gaming i don't think there is a better headset out there. The virtual 7.1 works flawlessly and the mic on this thing is crystal clear. Its relatively comfortable, although I start to sweat around my ears around the 1 hour mark. Also if you are considered one with a small head, i might go try it on first. I have what you call a large head with some hair and i have this thing cranked all the way down. Works for me but not so sure about others.

Music - Very mediocre. i know it is optimized for GAMING but i still feel it fell short in this department. don't expect to be blown away or even satisfied if you want to listen to music a lot on headphones.

All in all its a solid headset, and is well worth the money if you are into gaming.

UPDATE:so it has been 4 days and the right side of the headphones has stopped working. i am very surprised/annoyed because i handled these things like a baby and still went out on me. i thought it was something funky with vista so i turned on the "flip sound" so the left side plays on the right and visa versa and no sound still. plugged it into a friends computer and same thing. not very happy that i spent $100 on these and they fail within such a short amount of time.

• from

Beautiful headset, extremely comfortable in all aspects. Just one small issue. The product arrived without the USB Soundcard connector and the CD for the drivers was blank. Product earns 4 stars, the vendor used by Amazon.com I'll never shop with again.

Any further purchases of this headset will be directly from SteelSeries.

• from

Let me start by saying that I'm no audiophile. I don't care if my home stereo or home theater can deliver music in 5.1 ultra surround or whatever and I've been content with my "el cheapo" headset for gaming and general computer use.

But when it finally broke, I followed a friend recommendation and bought the Steelseries 5H USB and it feels like a veil had been lifted from my face (or ears in this case). I had no idea games could sound so beautiful. I can hear each of the little bells that sound in the background when casting a healing spell or hear with almost pinpoint accuracy where is that zombie approaching from.

The microphone works great and the fact that is retractile is nice. The headset itself is comfy and big enough to cover my freakishly large ears completely without giving me a headache after a few hours of usage.

I'll be the first to admin that it is not inexpensive (you can get a Logitech for about a fourth of the price). But if you can afford it, and your primary use is games, you can't go wrong with a SteelSeries.

• from

My first thoughts about this product when I received it was that it looked like a quality build.

The wires are braided and have a nice touch to it, and the connections are gold plated. The cushions are very comfortable, and I have tried wearing it for 10+ hours straight without any soreness, it also feels like I'm not even wearing the headset.

The sound quality when playing ingame are better than anything else I have tried, but when I play music, I would often hear static when I turn up the volume.

What I don't like about this product is that the cushions cannot be removed to be cleaned and the static when playing music with it, but other than that I think this is a great buy!

Hope you like my review!

vCw

• from