SteelSeries Siberia 200
Stylish, lightweight and affordable.
The Siberia 200 has a great design, and its lightweight plastic nature means you’ll soon forget they’re on your head... provided it’s of a reasonable size. The headband incorporates an expanding bridge design, which rather limits the head size these ‘phones are suitable for.
The wires holding the headband in place felt a little flimsy, too, making us wonder how long they’ll last travelling in a backpack between LAN events. Plus, the inside circumference of the cups seems too small for the average ear to sit comfortably, meaning the cups’ material will be pressing against your upper and lower lobes.
While the SteelSeries Siberia 200 claims to have found the ultimate balance of audio for competitive gaming — enabling you to both hear enemy footsteps and distant explosions — it’s not quite the perfect balance we were hoping for. We found the bass to be a little withdrawn, meaning that Korn’s Somebody Someone didn’t pack the punch it should. True, the 200s aren’t meant to be on par with audiophile-quality headphones, but the fact that they’re compatible with mobiles means those who want to use these for audio listening as well might be a little disappointed. Despite this, the sound is crisp and clear on the whole, so if you don’t care much for throbbing bass, you may be able to overlook this particular niggle.
The retractable and unidirectional mic is intelligently hidden away into the left cup when not in use — our favourite feature, great for the overall design and also to keep it safe while on the move.