SteelSeries Siberia 800 review: Gives everything, sacrifices nothing

There are a lot of wireless headsets on the market, but not a lot worthy of being called the best. When it comes right down to it there is always some trade-off, from battery life to audio quality or even aesthetics. Well, here is one headset that didn’t trade away anything and gives you everything: the SteelSeries Siberia 800. Compatible with over 6 platforms, the Siberia 800 features Dolby Digital surround sound, high-end design and price tag of $299. Although a bit pricey, these headphones might be exactly what you’ve been looking for in a quality wireless headset.

Lets start this off with the design and quality. SteelSeries has done a fantastic job creating an exceptional product with a stylish and sleek look. The headset itself is durable and built to last, while hosting very comfortable and easy-breathing memory foam padding on the ear cups and headband. The headset has a volume control knob on the top back right ear cup which doubles as control for the menu on the transmitter. It has the SteelSeries standard retractable mic, a power button which doubles for a mute button, an audio chat port for your console controller if you need it, and a share audio 3.5″ jack. The best part about the Siberia 800, which allows it to stand above the rest, is the two swappable batteries that come with it.

SteelSeries went with a very simple and clean aesthetic not only when designing the headphones but the transmitter as well. The transmitter has a jet black finish to it, is about the size of the current Apple TV and has a large OLED display on the front which can be navigated using the front facing volume control knob or directly from the headphones themselves. The transmitter doesn’t only look sleek, but also has a small swappable charging slot for your battery. So there will always be one battery charging and you never have to worry about running out of power during those intense moments. You have two option to power the transmitter: you can either use a wall outlet or a USB cable, which makes it quite versatile. Audio options include Dolby Digital surround sound and Dolby Digital llx depending on your setup. I found the transmitter to be very easy to setup, just powering it on and following the very simple intuitive menu options gets you going very quickly.

So normally with a SteelSeries headset, the control for all your audio options and chat control are all done through the SteelSeries Engine 3 software, but because the Siberia 800 is fully compatible with your home media center and your console, the transmitter goes a bit further. You get two chat options which are Live Mix and Chat Mix. Live Mix automatically turns up your chat and turns down game audio when voice communication is detected. Chat Mix blends your audio to give you the best balance between chat and game audio while playing. You can also manually change these settings while playing directly from the headset. The large OLED display shows you the profiles, audio sources and battery life(including the one that’s currently charging) and much more. I found the OLED display to have a very clean layout and easy to see from a good distance away. The menu option on the transmitter are very easy to navigate and understand.

For the best audio quality you’ll want to utilize the optical audio cable that comes with the transmitter, this way you get full Dolby Digital sound. With Dolby Digital turned on you will experience an immersive, crisp audio soundscape. And with continuously hopping frequencies to avoid any interference you’ll get a perfect lag-free experience. When you aren’t using the transmitter but are using the USB connection the audio will go through Dolby Pro Logic IIx which still sound fantastic. These are great gaming headphones as they do a great job of isolating exterior noise and allowing you to truly lose yourself in your game. The one thing I would like to see is voice monitoring so that while playing you don’t find yourself yelling.

If you’re looking for a quality, top of the line headset that extends far beyond the gaming platform, than look no further. The SteelSeries Siberia 800 comes with a large variety of hookups for all your media needs – from your console, to your PC or Mac, to your home theater system. The combination of the headset and the transmitter delivers some of the best audio across all media. Add the ultra comfortable and sturdy build, and you’ll find the Siberia 800 is well worth the investment.