by David “Aussie Dave” Lobato, Reporter
My first impressions were very pleasant indeed. When I first plugged the SteelSeries 5Hv3 into my laptop I was instantly impressed by the bass, which was very smooth and clean. This baby was already sounding fantastic, and I hadn’t even gone past the EVE Online character menu! I decided to use EVE Online for my initial testing grounds, since the ambient theme music is very electric, and what a damn fine idea this was, as this device sounds great! Missile fire, lasers, rail guns and even the initiation of warp drives all sound exceptionally clear and crisp.
Switching over to Call of Duty for some killing fun, I was again impressed by the gunfire sounds, which were now way more spectacular and so very, very clean. The metallic rings of empty shells hitting the ground, the crunching of feet running through dirt, even the pouches and supplies bouncing around on my character’s outfit were all perfectly audible, and I was stoked to discover little details in the audio that I had never been able to hear before, thanks to the clarity of the 5Hv3. Oh, and the explosions! My god the explosions sound fantastic, as the headset send the bass reverberating through my skull (quite possibly melting my brain into mush in the process, but in the best way possible). This unit is the perfect accompaniment to any gaming session.
After soaking in my fill of sweet audio bliss, I figured now was the time to take the retractable microphone for a spin. Recording some dialogue from my own sexy mouth, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of sound that the microphone could capture (despite the weird quality of hearing my own voice played back to me… shudder).
With gaming and a mic check out of the way, I figured it was time for a movie, and The Avengers seemed like the perfect choice. After maxing out the volume, I simply could not think anymore. This headset can get loud! But the best part is that I couldn’t detect any distortion at all, as the high end sounds were still beautifully crisp while the bass proceeded to rattle out all of the fillings in my teeth. This is indeed a listening experience that I will never forget.
Those of you who need technical specifications, pay attention now. The speakers on the SteelSeries 5Hv3 pack a frequency of 16-28 kHz and an impedance of 32 Ohms. SPL clocks in at 1 kHz, with a 1 kHz RMS of 133 dB. The microphone has a frequency of 75-16 kHz, and impedance of <2.2 KOhms and a sensitivity of -38 dB. Aiming to please fans of all platforms, this device is compatible with Windows, OS X, Android and iOS, so there shouldn’t be any compatibility issues here.
In terms of design, the headset itself breaks apart into several pieces, which makes for incredibly easy transportability, though I was apprehensive to try this out given my propensity towards losing small objects… but the amount of space this would save as opposed to lugging around my old bulky headset in my backpack makes this seem worth the risk. It would have been nice if a carry pouch was included, though alas, not so lucky this time.
A 1.2m cable to a micro USB jack and an additional 2m cable extension means that there are 3.2 meters of cord at your disposal, so there is no need to worry about not being able to move in your chair when wheeling across the other side of the room to grab another Red Bull (yes, I have an unhealthy addiction to these). The retractable microphone is also a cool feature, as it can be fed back into the left hand ear cup when not in use, meaning that you don’t have a distracting doodad waving around your face during an intense gaming session. And I loved the leather cushions on the speakers that were incredibly comfortable to wear, even after hours of gaming and movie time. My brain may be sore, but this is a result of mental stimulation overload, not poor headset design.
If I was forced to whinge about anything to do with the SteelSeries 5Hv3, my only gripe would have to be that the headset feels a bit tinny, and fragile to the touch, and the housing for the speakers feels flimsy and not quite as sturdy as I would have liked. However I can overlook all of this, given that my soul has just been liquified. Do yourself a favor, and experience this bad boy for yourself now!
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives the SteelSeries 5Hv3 4.5 out of 5 tooth fillings dislodged by thunderous bass.
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