Frederik S
01-19-2007, 07:31 PM
[page=Introduction & Package]
Introduction
The SteelSeries started off with just the simple SteelPad line of gaming surface products. These were a great success and therefore created a fuzz about SteelSeries as a "Gamers Brand". A while after the initial success, the SteelSeries product line was expanded to include both mouse mats and headsets optimized for gaming.
Last year SteelSound introduced the 5H headset, which was a fairly large headset compared to most on the market at the time. The headset was an instant success due to the quality of the design and the decent audio performance. Ever since the release of the original 5H there has been a a lot of talk about the SteelSound products. Everybody could agree on them being quality gaming headsets but for the non-hardcore gamer they were simply too expensive.
But then late last year SteelSound decided to put a brand new series of headset on the market, which were more compact and cheaper than the 5H flagship line. There are currently two small cousins of the 5H, the 4H which I will be reviewing today and the 3H which is a tiny multi purpose headset.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound5HUSB/images/steelseries.gif
Package
As with all of the SteelSound headsets the 4H comes in a transparent plastic box, which is made of some thick heavy duty plastic. This allows the user to inspect the headset for any external damages before opening the box.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package1small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package1big.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package2small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package2big.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package3small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package3big.jpg)
As with all of the SteelSound gaming headset products this 4H is made in cooperation with some of the top gaming teams around the world.
The headset comes with a small bundle. It consist of a commercial for other SteelSeries products and a trial for their SteelSecurity. Of course there is also a little notice about not wearing the headset while playing loud music and stuff like that.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/extrassmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/extrasbig.jpg)
[page=Closer Examination]
Closer Examination
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/theheadsetsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/theheadsetbig.jpg)
The headset itself is made of plastic, although the internals of the headband are made of some sort of metal, probably to increase durability.
As you can see from the picture above this headset is fairly compact, which makes it a bit easier to transport.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/leftearcupsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/leftearcupbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/rightearcupsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/rightearcupbig.jpg)
The ear cups of the 4H are quite ordinary in design. It's clear that SteelSound has made a few tweaks to their original ear cup design which dates back to the SteelSound 5H. The vents are now a bit bigger and cloth covering them seems lighter allowing for better airflow. This is nice because then your ears won't reach boiling point after a couple hours of use.
The overall build quality of the SteelSound 4H is really good without being bulky.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/buildqualsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/buildqualbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordjointsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordjointbig.jpg)
The pictures above show that SteelSound has addressed some of the real problem areas, durability wise, on the 4H. The point where the cord attaches to the ear cup is reinforced with a rubber tube. Another little durability tweak is the adding of a little plastic cord stress relief, this should prevent the two cords from splitting up and possibly reduce the stresses on the cord itself.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/adjustmentsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/adjustmentbig.jpg)
The headband adjustment mechanism is retained within the two ear cup holders. The rails that the adjustment mechanism uses are made of metal, which of course is both light and durable.
As with any SteelSound headset this one has a retractable microphone that can be tucked in the left ear cup. This is nice and makes the headset both easy to transport and easy to manage.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micoutsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micoutbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micinsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micinbig.jpg)
The microphone is quite easy to adjust because of the way the microphone boom is constructed. Instead of being made of a plastic tube SteelSound has gone for a more elaborate construction. As you can see from the picture above the microphone blends in very nicely with the ear cup design so it's kind of hard to notice when you don't use it.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/miccordsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/miccordbig.jpg)
The microphone boom is a mixture of metal disks and rubber disks making it extremely flexible and durable. The metal and rubber disks are retained within a flexible plastic tube. I have always been a big fan of this particular microphone construction due to the simple fact that it's really easy to adjust it so that the microphone gets the optimal pickup.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordcontrolsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordcontrolbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/volumesmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/volumebig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/clipsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/clipbig.jpg)
The cord controller has both volume control and microphone sensitivity control. The volume control is located on the side of the cord controller making it easy to adjust the volume. On top of the cord controller there is a little switch where you can control the sensitivity of the microphone. This can come in handy when you are playing in a noisy environment, such as a LAN. On the back of the cord controller there is a little clip which can come in handy if you plan on using this headset with a portable device.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/connectorssmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/connectorsbig.jpg)
The mini-jack connectors of the 4H are nothing special. The connectors are probably the only thing that's a bit lower quality compared to the rest of the headset. They could have been made more durable quite easily.
[page=Performance & Durability]
Performance
The audio performance of a headset is always hard to measure unbiased. I have tried to make my tests as objective as possible by benchmarking it in games and listening to a large variety of music. I will be testing the responsiveness of music by playing some pieces that are hard for a non-HIFI headset to reproduce.
For the tests I used a Creative X-Fi extreme music and my MP3 player which is a Creative Muvo2.
Gaming Performance
The SteelSound series has always been a real performer when it comes to the games tests. This is due to the exaggerated treble which makes it a bit easier to track the movement of the enemies in game. I have tested the headset in both Counter Strike Source and Battlefield 2, to see just how well I could get the feel for where the enemies were. The test went really smooth this headset has almost the same audio performance as the SteelSound 5H in games, although the midfield and bass feels a bit weaker. I don't know if this is due to some changes in the acoustics or the use of a bit cheaper audio drive.
Listening Experience
The listening experience with this headset was alright, the audio quality was O.k. but it lacks some bass and the mid tones tend to fade quite easily compared to other more expensive headsets. The treble performed good but it was a bit high and sounded quite hard. Overall I think the headset performs alright it just lacks some mid tone definition and some bass.
Comfort
The SteelSound series are known to be comfortable and I must say the 4H impresses. The ear cups are nice and large and due to the weight you hardly feel the headset while using it.
The headband is a really well designed. Because of the way it is constructed it allows air to flow through it and prevents a build up of heat on top of your skull.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headbandsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headbandbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headband2small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headband2big.jpg)
The headband doesn't have a whole lot of padding on it but that's alright because the headset is really light-weight.
Even after using this headset for several hours it wasn't uncomfortable. Overall I think this headset is one of the most comfortable headsets ever made along with the Everglide s-500. The 4H represents a totally different approach on how to make a comfortable headset. Instead of making the padding several centimeters thick SteelSound has made the entire headset lightweight.
Durability
The headset is really durable due to both the design and the build quality. I was very impressed with the overall build quality of the 4H and the durable design. It's definitely one of the more robust mid-priced headsets out there. The headset is of course a bit smaller than its big brother the 5H and therefore it's a bit less durable.
[page=Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The SteelSound 4H headset costs € 49.95, and is available at SteelSeries (http://www.steelseries.com)
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Comfort
Durability
Design
Gaming performance
Lightweight
Price performance ratio
Build quality
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Music listening experience
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.5</th>
<td>
The SteelSound 4H is a really good headset that comes with a decent price tag. The price performance ratio is a the very top, due to the good audio performance in games and the durable yet lightweight construction. The design is really nice and the headset is one of the most comfortable on the market. It is low-weight and the padding is at the right places. It's clear that this headset is aimed at gamers because of the way the audio performance is geared toward gaming, I think SteelSound sacrificed a little bit of audio performance in order to get the gaming performance up there to compete with the other mainstream gaming headsets. But that's alright because audio performance is by no means horrible or anything like that. Overall I think this gaming headset is a real performer. It combines many neat features of the SteelSound 5H and brings a whole new level of comfortability to the mid-priced market. With an unrivaled price/performance ratio I can definitely recommend this headset to any gamer wanting a decent headset at a really good price.
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
The SteelSeries started off with just the simple SteelPad line of gaming surface products. These were a great success and therefore created a fuzz about SteelSeries as a "Gamers Brand". A while after the initial success, the SteelSeries product line was expanded to include both mouse mats and headsets optimized for gaming.
Last year SteelSound introduced the 5H headset, which was a fairly large headset compared to most on the market at the time. The headset was an instant success due to the quality of the design and the decent audio performance. Ever since the release of the original 5H there has been a a lot of talk about the SteelSound products. Everybody could agree on them being quality gaming headsets but for the non-hardcore gamer they were simply too expensive.
But then late last year SteelSound decided to put a brand new series of headset on the market, which were more compact and cheaper than the 5H flagship line. There are currently two small cousins of the 5H, the 4H which I will be reviewing today and the 3H which is a tiny multi purpose headset.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound5HUSB/images/steelseries.gif
Package
As with all of the SteelSound headsets the 4H comes in a transparent plastic box, which is made of some thick heavy duty plastic. This allows the user to inspect the headset for any external damages before opening the box.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package1small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package1big.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package2small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package2big.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package3small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/package3big.jpg)
As with all of the SteelSound gaming headset products this 4H is made in cooperation with some of the top gaming teams around the world.
The headset comes with a small bundle. It consist of a commercial for other SteelSeries products and a trial for their SteelSecurity. Of course there is also a little notice about not wearing the headset while playing loud music and stuff like that.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/extrassmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/extrasbig.jpg)
[page=Closer Examination]
Closer Examination
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/theheadsetsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/theheadsetbig.jpg)
The headset itself is made of plastic, although the internals of the headband are made of some sort of metal, probably to increase durability.
As you can see from the picture above this headset is fairly compact, which makes it a bit easier to transport.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/leftearcupsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/leftearcupbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/rightearcupsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/rightearcupbig.jpg)
The ear cups of the 4H are quite ordinary in design. It's clear that SteelSound has made a few tweaks to their original ear cup design which dates back to the SteelSound 5H. The vents are now a bit bigger and cloth covering them seems lighter allowing for better airflow. This is nice because then your ears won't reach boiling point after a couple hours of use.
The overall build quality of the SteelSound 4H is really good without being bulky.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/buildqualsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/buildqualbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordjointsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordjointbig.jpg)
The pictures above show that SteelSound has addressed some of the real problem areas, durability wise, on the 4H. The point where the cord attaches to the ear cup is reinforced with a rubber tube. Another little durability tweak is the adding of a little plastic cord stress relief, this should prevent the two cords from splitting up and possibly reduce the stresses on the cord itself.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/adjustmentsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/adjustmentbig.jpg)
The headband adjustment mechanism is retained within the two ear cup holders. The rails that the adjustment mechanism uses are made of metal, which of course is both light and durable.
As with any SteelSound headset this one has a retractable microphone that can be tucked in the left ear cup. This is nice and makes the headset both easy to transport and easy to manage.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micoutsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micoutbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micinsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/micinbig.jpg)
The microphone is quite easy to adjust because of the way the microphone boom is constructed. Instead of being made of a plastic tube SteelSound has gone for a more elaborate construction. As you can see from the picture above the microphone blends in very nicely with the ear cup design so it's kind of hard to notice when you don't use it.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/miccordsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/miccordbig.jpg)
The microphone boom is a mixture of metal disks and rubber disks making it extremely flexible and durable. The metal and rubber disks are retained within a flexible plastic tube. I have always been a big fan of this particular microphone construction due to the simple fact that it's really easy to adjust it so that the microphone gets the optimal pickup.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordcontrolsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/cordcontrolbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/volumesmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/volumebig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/clipsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/clipbig.jpg)
The cord controller has both volume control and microphone sensitivity control. The volume control is located on the side of the cord controller making it easy to adjust the volume. On top of the cord controller there is a little switch where you can control the sensitivity of the microphone. This can come in handy when you are playing in a noisy environment, such as a LAN. On the back of the cord controller there is a little clip which can come in handy if you plan on using this headset with a portable device.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/connectorssmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/connectorsbig.jpg)
The mini-jack connectors of the 4H are nothing special. The connectors are probably the only thing that's a bit lower quality compared to the rest of the headset. They could have been made more durable quite easily.
[page=Performance & Durability]
Performance
The audio performance of a headset is always hard to measure unbiased. I have tried to make my tests as objective as possible by benchmarking it in games and listening to a large variety of music. I will be testing the responsiveness of music by playing some pieces that are hard for a non-HIFI headset to reproduce.
For the tests I used a Creative X-Fi extreme music and my MP3 player which is a Creative Muvo2.
Gaming Performance
The SteelSound series has always been a real performer when it comes to the games tests. This is due to the exaggerated treble which makes it a bit easier to track the movement of the enemies in game. I have tested the headset in both Counter Strike Source and Battlefield 2, to see just how well I could get the feel for where the enemies were. The test went really smooth this headset has almost the same audio performance as the SteelSound 5H in games, although the midfield and bass feels a bit weaker. I don't know if this is due to some changes in the acoustics or the use of a bit cheaper audio drive.
Listening Experience
The listening experience with this headset was alright, the audio quality was O.k. but it lacks some bass and the mid tones tend to fade quite easily compared to other more expensive headsets. The treble performed good but it was a bit high and sounded quite hard. Overall I think the headset performs alright it just lacks some mid tone definition and some bass.
Comfort
The SteelSound series are known to be comfortable and I must say the 4H impresses. The ear cups are nice and large and due to the weight you hardly feel the headset while using it.
The headband is a really well designed. Because of the way it is constructed it allows air to flow through it and prevents a build up of heat on top of your skull.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headbandsmall.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headbandbig.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headband2small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSeries/SteelSound4H/images/headband2big.jpg)
The headband doesn't have a whole lot of padding on it but that's alright because the headset is really light-weight.
Even after using this headset for several hours it wasn't uncomfortable. Overall I think this headset is one of the most comfortable headsets ever made along with the Everglide s-500. The 4H represents a totally different approach on how to make a comfortable headset. Instead of making the padding several centimeters thick SteelSound has made the entire headset lightweight.
Durability
The headset is really durable due to both the design and the build quality. I was very impressed with the overall build quality of the 4H and the durable design. It's definitely one of the more robust mid-priced headsets out there. The headset is of course a bit smaller than its big brother the 5H and therefore it's a bit less durable.
[page=Conclusion]
Value & Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The SteelSound 4H headset costs € 49.95, and is available at SteelSeries (http://www.steelseries.com)
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Comfort
Durability
Design
Gaming performance
Lightweight
Price performance ratio
Build quality
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Music listening experience
</td></tr>
<tr><th>9.5</th>
<td>
The SteelSound 4H is a really good headset that comes with a decent price tag. The price performance ratio is a the very top, due to the good audio performance in games and the durable yet lightweight construction. The design is really nice and the headset is one of the most comfortable on the market. It is low-weight and the padding is at the right places. It's clear that this headset is aimed at gamers because of the way the audio performance is geared toward gaming, I think SteelSound sacrificed a little bit of audio performance in order to get the gaming performance up there to compete with the other mainstream gaming headsets. But that's alright because audio performance is by no means horrible or anything like that. Overall I think this gaming headset is a real performer. It combines many neat features of the SteelSound 5H and brings a whole new level of comfortability to the mid-priced market. With an unrivaled price/performance ratio I can definitely recommend this headset to any gamer wanting a decent headset at a really good price.
</td></tr><tr><th></th><td>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/recommended.gif</td></tr>
</table>