SteelSeries is a Danish manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, gaming surfaces and software.

INTRODUCTION :

After tested this headset for a couple of weeks, this is the review that I came up with for Steelseries 7H USB. For those who don't know about Steelseries company, they have been releasing a lot of quality gaming peripherals for the past few years. Steelseries 7H Pro Gaming Headset is one of the most premium gaming headset they have ever built. Here are the features of this headset.



FEATURES :

NOISE CONTROL

It’s no secret that concentration is essential for a great performance. Background noises can be disturbing when you’re trying to aim at an opponent or complete a mission. The SteelSeries 7H USB headset is the solution you’ve been looking for with its optimized design and noise dampening leather ear cups. Drowning out the noise isn’t the only way to maintain control.

INTERCHANGEABLE EAR CUSHIONS

We also understand that it’s important to have the option, especially if it means communcating with your team during a tournament. The 7H USB is also equipped with interchangeable cloth ear cushions that can easily be swapped out for a completely different, hear-through audio experience. Regardless of what type of sound you prefer, both ear cushions surround the outside of your ear, making them comfortable to use.


RETRACTABLE MICROPHONE

The uni-directional microphone can be retracted and hidden in the left ear cup. This signature SteelSeries headset feature allows users to operate the headset in any type of environment, whether in your own home or out in public, with out feeling ridiculous with a microphone projecting out of their cans.


SUPERIOR SOUND

The rich and detailed sound that the 7H USB delivers is powered by 50 mm drivers for a superior soundscape. It’s crucial in gaming that sounds are both clear and recognizable. The sounds of footsteps in an FPS game or a notice in a MMORPG game can be the difference between winning and losing. The soundscape for the 7H USB was precarious to acheive. In order to be both an awesome headset for gaming as well as a powerful headphone for music, applications and VoIP, the 7H was tested and perfected by gaming professionals and musicians to acheive great sound for all ears.

PERFECT FOR TRAVEL

The feature to disassemble the 7H USB into 4 pieces including at each earcup, headband, and the cord, makes it ideal to travel with.


VOLUME CONTROL

The SteelSeries 7H USB features a durable, double braided, nylon cord with a built-in volume and microphone control. You can simply adjust sound levels manually instead of having to adjust it in your software settings.


USB EQUALIZER

The SteelSeries 7H USB 12 channel equalizer has preset optimized profiles for gaming, music, and environmental settings. The USB provides 7.1 virtual surround and ensures gamers the exact same sound and settings no matter where they are in the world or at what computer they are playing. These features allow the user to personlize their settings according to what they’re listening to and where they’re listening to it.


AND THE NUMBERS

Headphones
Frequency response: 18 – 28.000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohm
SPL@ 1kHz, 1 Vrms: 112 dB
Cable length: 1 + 2 = 3 m (9,8 ft.)
Jacks: 3,5 mm
Microphone
Frequency response: 50 – 16.000 Hz
Pick up pattern: Uni-directional
Sensitivity: -38 dB
Soundcard
USB: 2.0
Surround sound: Virtual 7.1
Equalizer: 12 channels
Jacks: 2 x 3,5 mm (USB cable included)
Operating systems: Win XP/Vista/Win 2000/Win 98/Win ME

RETAIL BOX AND PACKAGING


Hardwareheaven picture

The box was pretty usual, nothing weird or too flashy about it. They put some information about the headset in 4 different languages on the front and rear of the box



Inside of it, we have the Steelseries 7H Headset, detachable cord with in-line control, extension cord, additional cloth earpads(leather earpads was on the headset), USB Sound card, and quick start guide. I bought the USB version to test it's 7.1 channel surround sound. Let see how it performs.

TESTING SESSION.

Musics :

The Steelseries 7H was claimed by the company that it's drivers produced a detailed audio at high,low and mid tones. I found out that it was true. The sound quality was superb and very clear. I don't really notice the difference in sound quality when I tested it with USB Sound card or with the 3.5mm jack. The only thing I did notice is when I tested it in analog mode, it produces a lot more bass(which I like it better) But, both sounded very nice. Even though the level was not on audiophile grade, it's still produce better quality sound than any lousy gaming headset. You won't be disappointed when listening to musics with it.

Gaming :

For gaming, I was excited to test it with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound that comes with USB Sound card. It is very crucial in games like FPS, even RTS, to know where your enemy is coming from. It could give you tactical advantage when playing. Here is the results for games that I have tested.

Left 4 Dead 2 : Works well, but can't really notice if the sound was from the back.
COD Black Ops 2 : Performs greatly. For this game, I can hear if someone wants to stab my back, but not very noticeable like surround speakers
COD Ghosts : 7.1 works fine, but the results are the same when I tested it with L4D2
Dota 2 : The surround sound works very well. I can pinpoint the location of Clockwerk if he is casting his rocket or Alchemist casting his stun. It does improve your response whether you want to go or back to your teammates

The sound produced in analog mode was also very good. It won't give you the surround sound, but you can still know whether the enemy is coming from your right or left

Comfort :

As mentioned, The Steelseries 7H comes with 2 types of ear pads. It says to give you different sound experience. Leather ear pads for closed isolating sound experience, and cloth ear pads are for hear-through sound experience. I am a fan of leather ear pads, but I tested both of these ear pads. The leather ones does gives you more sound isolation, while the cloth ones do produce sound isolation but lesser than leather ear pads. Both of the ear pads was extremely comfortable. The headband was made of thick leather-covered foam, but likely to be able to stand daily use. I got to say, the headband was badly made. It doesn't add any comfort when I was playing, but it was not uncomfortable also. I was expecting a soft foam, but it was rather a hard foam. Steelseries 7H gives you the choice to use the leather or cloth ear pads, which is great for gamers. I have no problems with this category.

Mic Test :

The microphone sound was very clear and has very less distortions. It does cancel out outside noise and focuses onto your voice. But, I would prefer the length of the mic to be increased, because sometimes I have to talk pretty loud because the mic was pretty short.

CONCLUSION

Steelseries 7H Gaming Headset was really comfortable to wear, superb sound quality, and ideal for travel. It can be dismantle into 4 pieces. But, I was kind of disappointed they didn't include carrying case for the headset. It might cause them to break if you keep the headset in a soft travel bag. This headset was not for every gamers, because of it's expensive price. There are 3 different versions for Steelseries 7H.

Steelseries 7H : RM449
Steelseries 7H USB : RM549
Steelseries 7H for iDevices(iPhone,iPad,iPod) : RM 549

Despite the price, for those who have the money, I would recommend this headset for you. You won't be disappointed with this headset. So far, this is the best gaming headset that I've ever tried

PROS :

-Sound quality was superb
-Lightweight, comfortable to wear
-Perfect for travel
-Noise isolation was great
-Choices of leather/cloth ear pads
-Closed-type headset design

CONS :

-Can get sweaty after wearing it for long hours (3-5 hours)(Leather ear pads, cloth won't make you sweat, I think )
-The headband was not as soft as I would like it to be
-Surround sound doesn't meet my expectations
-No carrying case included for travelling purposes

This post has been edited by MuhdYusri: Dec 3 2013, 01:13 PM