Date: October 17, 2005 - Author: Rob Williams - Editor: Jen McPherson
With so many headsets available that are specifically designed for gamers, it makes it difficult to choose the right one. We are taking a look at the IceMat Black Siberia, based off the original Siberia that has been given countless awards. Let's jump right in and take a fresh look at this cool product!
Around this time last year, IceMat released their original Siberia headset, which was pearl white in color, with some black details. It won many awards because of the superb audio quality and comfort level. Because of reviews I have already read of the headset, I knew in advance that this was a great product. The only difference between this headset and the original is the color. After the original was released, many gamers requested that they release a black version, and they listened!
IceMat is owned and run by Soft Trading, who also handles SteelPad's inventory. They first came onto the scene in 2001 when they released their IceMat, a mouse pad made from glass. From that point forward, they became known as a company who delivered quality products to gamers. With the release of the IceMat Siberia, they became a trusted name to gamers.
Without a doubt, this is one of the most unique headsets on the market. In fact, it's almost not even a headset, because the headphones and microphone are completely separate pieces. This will allow you to not have the microphone near you, when you don't need it. Personally though, I prefer to have the classic microphone design, but this works.
At first look, the headset may be cheap looking. One of my friends actually made the comment that it looked like it was missing pieces, and that it can't be that sturdy. Heck, one could compare it to a thong. Sure, it has considerably less material than regular underwear, but what's there is enough to do the job.
That's the last time I ever make a comparison like that ever. With the headset though, in this case, *wearing is believing*. As soon as I put the headphones one, I had a "Wow" feeling. These are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. First, let's get into the specifics. Here are the technical specs for the headset, for you audiophiles.
One thing I can verify, is that the Siberia does not have a 'cheap' feeling. The design is unique, but proven. The design can also be seen in the new Plaintronics Audio 110 headset. The most noticeable difference between this headset and others, is the arc. It has a design to allow good airflow, which adds to the comfort level. The head strap is connected to wires that will adjust as you put the headset on.
This is the primary reason that the headset is so comfortable. It expands and adjusts to fit your head shape, so it should technically feel good, regardless of who's wearing it. Next up is the earpieces, which add even more to comfort.
The earpieces are large and will cover your ear completely, which will in turn deliver the maximum sound. They are well cushioned as you can see from the pictures, and this is what makes them a pleasure to wear. One thing I immediately noticed upon putting them on for the first time, is that it doesn't even feel like my ears were touching the inside foam, even though they were.
Last month, I took a look at the Altec Lansing AHS602i headset, which was also quite comfortable. The only problem with it was, that after a while, you ears and head would get so warm, you'd be forced to take them off. This was due to the earpiece design, they just gave little air circulation. I was very pleased that the Siberia did not have these problems in the least. I could wear them for hours on end without any sort of discomfort.
The microphone for the Siberia is not attached to the headphones, like most others. Instead, it's a separate piece on it's own cord. It's quite small, and has a clip so that you can attach it to your shirt. This is one problem I had with the Siberia, albeit a small one. The clip is not very large, so it's hard to clip anywhere except for your shirt. It was too small to clip to my laptop monitor, although I hoped it would.
One problem I ran in to, is that since my room get's so hot because of the computer, I usually game shirtless while gaming. I tend to heat up quite a bit when I'm getting owned. At any rate, shirtless, I had nothing to clip it to. My workaround was clipping it instead to the headphones cord, which to my surprise worked quite well. In Counter-Strike, other players could hear me no problem.
The Siberia has an extremely unique design, but it works. I was curious at first if I would even like the feel of it, but that was quickly rid as soon as I put them on.
My computers speakers do not have a microphone jack, so for testing I plugged the headset directly into my Chaintech AV-710 sound card, which is using the latest drivers.
Of course, this headset is being touted for gamers, so it only makes sense that we test it out using two of the most popular team based FPS on the net! In Counter-Strike: Source, I played a round through the cs_office level, using the "Headphones" selection. In Battlefield 2, I played through the Dalian Plant map, and had selected high audio quality, plus EAX support.
Even though CS: Source is a fantastic game, the audio in the game is not exactly top rate. Even so, a good headset should help you determine where the enemy is, as that's extremely important in this game. The headset performed greatly here, and the sound was crisp and clear, even at loud volumes. As for Battlefield 2, this is the type of game that this headset was made for! The tanks, firing and chat sounded incredible.
Since being able to communicate with your teammates is a top priority, you want to be clear enough so that they will understand... and this one did just that. The microphone was so responsive, that I could put it anywhere in front of me, or attached to the cord, and my team mates could hear me loud and clear.
I am a huge fan of music, so a good headset is required to handle anything I can throw at it. The high pitches and loud volume. If I turn it up high and it crackles or sounds scratchy, that's a sign that I won't be using the headset for very long. Bad Religion is my personal favorite band, and if you enjoy punk music, you likely already know their music. DJ Tiesto is a legendary trance artist, and one of the most popular DJ's in the world. Both CD's being tested have been ripped to MP3 at 320Kbps, an ultra high quality.
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I first listened to "Los Angeles Is Burning" from the Bad Religion album. As I had hoped, the music sounded amazing. The guitar, the drums and all the small details came in clear. Testing out the other songs on the album also proved just as great.
How about the trance album? The song I chose off the Tiësto album was "Solarstone & JES - Like A Waterfall", which is the one you may have heard in the commercials for the album. It's a very smooth sounding song, with lots of bass and voice. As I had hoped, the song sounded just as I wanted.. awesome quality. For fun, I turned up the volume within Windows up to Max, and the same for the headset. There was absolutely no distortion whatsoever. I am extremely pleased with the performance of the headset when it comes to music listening!
For movie testing, I chose to use 8 Mile and Gone In Sixty Seconds, a couple of my favorites. In 8 Mile, I played the "The Final Battle" chapter, which has B Rabbit free styling against a Free World member. The reason this is a great chapter for testing, is because it takes place in an echoey basement, where the voices bounce off the walls. For Gone in Sixty Seconds, I played through the various chapters where Nicholas Cage is escaping with Elenor (1967 Shelby Mustang GT 500). Obviously, any great car chase scene makes for good sound testing.
I love these movies, and have watched both scenes numerous times during previous testings. Both movies had superb sound, especially 8 Mile. For movie watching though, I found that I preferred the Altec Lansing AHS602i with the bass boost enabled. The Siberia does a great job, but the booster on the AHS602i really helped make the movies feel more alive.
I am glad that I finally had a chance to check out this headset, because I am very impressed. First and foremost, they are extremely comfortable. I believe someone could wear them all day and have no issues at all. The sound quality is also very impressive, especially at loud volume.
I found that the Siberia had the advantage over the Altec AHS602i in Music and Gaming... especially gaming. However, for movies I enjoyed using the Altec's primarily because of the bass booster that came with that set.
Other features I enjoyed on this headset is the fact that you can remove the microphone if you do not need it. It's also non-intrusive regardless of where you place it, and sounds come out crisp and clear. I wish the clip was a little larger so that it could be clipped to an LCD monitor though.
If you want to use the volume control on the headset, that will also allow you a total of 8.2 feet of cord. This is quite long, but if you need the extra leeway, it's there.
Overall, I am awarding the IceMat Black Siberia's a 9 out of 10, and an Editors Choice award. They retail for $70US, and are well worth it. Unless you are the type of person who watches movies on their computer constantly, don't hesitate to pick up a pair.
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