Verdict

SteelSeries makes products aimed at the gamer. It is primarily known for its SteelPad and IceMat. Just recently some of the guys at SteelSeries dropped by our office to show off some of the company’s latest creations, and we found out that SteelSeries has started to diversify into the audio sector with its SteelSound products.

One such product is the SteelSound 5H v2. This is a headset aimed at the gamer. When you really get into games, a decent set of headphones can really help you pin point your enemies and generally improve spacial awareness.


I really like the look of these headphones. The hinge almost fits flush with the main cup, which adds to its hard, precise edges and clean look. The headset is finished in a black that almost verges on dark grey. It’s a metalic paint job, so I expect it will wear off over time though. Especially if you store it in a ruck sack and carry it between work, home and the odd LAN party.


Talking of ruck storage – the whole thing pulls apart. As you can see in the photo the interconnects are gold, thus ensuring that these points of contact don’t end up causing any crackling in use. The headphone jacks are also gold plated. A little over the top, but you’re getting your money’s worth. I’m not sure how often I would end up pulling these headphones apart, but it’s fairly easy to do so – probably a good thing with our resident headphone butcher Tim lurking around the office!


The foam padding is pretty comfortable, and the top band of the headphones is padded with what I can only assume is a rather thin faux leather. From experience, these tend to blister up and peel off eventually. But hey, headphones don’t last forever.

One of the coolest aspects of these headphones, is the microphone. When you’re not using it, it tucks away completely inside the body of the left hand cup. However, a quick tug and it extends on a flexible hose. Move it in to position and you’re away!


The volume control is not too big, so it doesn’t tug at your ear while you’re in the heat of battle. For audiophiles this is an annoyance, but quick access to volume controls can be incredibly useful ingame. There is also control for the microphone – mute, low or high. No complaints about the microphone really, the quality is fine for any sort of team speaking activity and would also be suitable for Skype users.

The cables are fabric braided, but I did find it a little on the short side. As I was testing these with the Enermax Aurora, the audio ports are replicated to the keyboard, so the extra length wasn’t needed.

If you do need the extra length, an extension lead is supplied, also gold plated, just in case you’re the kind of guy that likes it long – or perhaps you’re spoilt and have a 30in monitor on your desk and need to sit a bit further back.

There isn’t a huge amount of angle adjustment on the cups, but there is plenty of height adjustment for those with particularly large heads and the headphones retain their state reliably.

For gaming, these headphones were perfect and I had absolutely no complaints at all. I didn’t listen to a huge amount of music as this isn’t really the primary use for these headphones, but even so they were more than adequate.

”’Verdict”’

This is a solid gaming headset that’s stylish and well designed. The only downside would have to be the price. At £47.00, there’s a lot of competition from some well respected brands in this area. That said, if you’re looking for a headset to give you an edge when playing your favourite online game, SteelSound’s 5H v2 is worth considering.

Trusted Score