The steel series Siberia v2 headset packs a lot of quality for the money. I picked this headset up on Cyber Monday for $50, along with an Astro Pro Mix amp. My review of this headset will contain both the use of the astro mix amp, and without.So I want to keep this more focused on gaming, since this is a gaming headset. I can't tell you how angry it makes me reading reviews on gaming headsets where the reviewer is just talking about how great or terrible it sounds listening to classical music, when all you want to know is how well it performs while gaming! I will include a bit about music, but I won't wax on about it.So I've previously owned Turtle Beach x1, TB x3 (wireless), and Tritton AX pro headsets. I can say with great confidence these blow all of them combined out of the water! I also have experience using the Astro A40, and Sennheiser PC360s (Currently called the G4ME One) both with Astro Mix amp. Far and away the Mix amp with PC 360 is the best setup I've ever experienced (For gaming).-------------------------------Siberia V2 without mix amp tested on PC with AC Unity, Battlefield 4, and Left for Dead 2:*Good sound stage for positional Audio. Caught a few people sneaking up on me, but got caught a lot when a lot of sound was happening. Could not tell whether enemies were up high or low, but could hear them walking all around me.*Kind of quite compared to what I am use to, but still loud enough to make gaming enjoyable.*The Lows are very dominant, but not overwhelming. They Handle the blends of highs mids and lows all happening at the same time, without the sounds all bleeding together, or cutting out like some headsets (Astro A40).*Microphone works well, and friends noted that I sounded allot clearer and louder than before (which sometimes isn't always good)*Very Comfortable once broken in. Can wear them for hours and hours. I was worried about the ear pad material making my head sweat, but it doesn't. Before they were broken in, they clamped to my head and pressed together a bit too hard, but not much of an issue now that they are broken in.------------------------------Siberia V2 With Astro Mix amp tested with Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360, and PC with AC Unity, Battlefield 4, and Left for Dead 2:*Great sound Stage for positional Audio. Noticeably better than without the mix amp (I run with the clean EQ). With some Juice, these things BANG! I could hear people or zombies sneaking up on me allot easier with other sounds banging in the headset. In battlefield, I could hear people running all around, And had an easier time telling where enemies were. Still had the problem of not being able to tell if they were high or low.* The lows were still more dominant, but the mids and highs sounded much better! No bleeding or smearing tones at all. Everything was very well defined, but the bass being more dominant, sucks sometimes for FPS gaming. Was awesome for Assassins Creed Unity. Makes it way more cinematic, and thus more enjoyable.*Microphone, of course, no difference.------------------------------So the Headset by itself is good, but pump a bit more juice to it, and add Headset virtual surround, and they come to life! This is the least expensive headset I've ever purchased, but the best sounding. Forget Triton, forget Turtle beach. Comparing to the other High end sets in the Astro A40s, and the Sennheiser PC360s, I would say this is an incredible bang for your buck headset, but not the go to for a highest quality audio setup.Compared to the Astro A40s:*They sound way better overall. Better sound stage, better defined tones, however... With the Mix amp, The A40s barely edges out the Siberia V2 for positional queues, which I believe is the biggest factor for FPS games. The A40 however does have issues with allot of sounds happening simultaneously and the Highs are very dominant. So if there is an explosion, footsteps your tracking, gunfire and friends talking, it all sort of blurs together and sounds god awful. The Siberia V2 handles everything very well, and keeping everything better defined. Dollar for Dollar between the two, plain and simple.. Siberia V2 all the way.Compared to the PC 360s:Without the mix amp, I definitely prefer the Siberia V2. With the mix amp, however.... The PC 360 wins by a large margin. The only thing the PC360 doesn't do as well is bass. But for gaming audio, too much bass can make you audibly blind for seconds at a time, and that's just when someone will sneak up and take you out. The PC360 with mix amp is hands down the best audio system I've ever experienced in gaming. Handles all sounds perfectly defined, and you can hear if something or someone is dropping in on you, or something from any direction, as well as how far away that sound is. It's absolutely amazing! Sorry for rambling there, I'm just a big fan of that configuration. But you're talking a $330 ($200 for the headset $130 for the Amp) config vs $180.Sound Stage: 7/10Overall sound: 8/10Comfort: 7/10Finally, the music review section. Audiophiles who review gaming headsets against listening to music will love this detailed review:It sounds good.....(lol) Hip-Hop and Dub step are the standout genres, especially with an amp.Hope this helps someone out, who was in my position of wanting to find a quality headset for gaming audio, across multiple platforms, but didn't want to break the bank. If you have any questions or would like further information, write me a comment and I'll get back to you.I've been using these for several months now, and I'm still loving them as much as the day I opened them.*Construction*Yes, these are mostly plastic. But there are still good ways and bad ways to make a product out of plastic. These look and feel amazing. The LEDs are implemented perfectly and really are what seal the deal on this product's visually satisfying aesthetic.*Comfort*When I first put these on, I instantly fell in love, just for the comfort element. I came from a headset that had way too much tension and overly padded headband that just made them uncomfortable, not fit well, and gave me a headache after about 20 minutes of use. The Siberia v2 is comfortable on my ears and my head, and I could easily wear them for a few hours before wanting a break. Very comfortable.*Microphone*I really like having the mic and volume controls in the cable rather than on the ear, or only through software. The USB cable is on the short side, but with an extension you'll have plenty of slack.The microphone isn't studio-level (though you shouldn't expect it to be), but it works perfectly for what it is designed for: communicating. I also love that it retracts into the headset to keep it hidden when not using it. If you're using the mic for team chat or just talking over Skype or whatever, it provides a nice clear audio signal and definitely gets the job done. If you need to record your next platinum album however, you might need a pricier, dedicated microphone.*SteelSeries Engine Software*The SteelSeries Engine software is what you will need to download and install to be able to customize audio presets and LED behavior (steady pulsing, slow, fast, bright, dim, light up to beat of music, disable completely, etc). These options are pretty cool. You can also have it change the preset base on what specified applications are launched (with customized equalizer settings and all that).With the SteelSeries Engine 2, I felt like it was a little bit bloated and wasn't a huge fan of running it all the time. But the new SteelSeries Engine 3 has since been released, and while not compatible with many of their older devices, it *is* compatible with the Siberia v2 Frost Blue headphones and is a significantly better piece of software than SSE2. Of course, you don't actually need to install either one of those applications if you don't want. You just won't be able to customize profiles, audio frequencies, LEDs, and such without it. If you have other SteelSeries products, the SSE3 covers most of them, so you'll only need to launch this one app to be able to configure all your SteelSeries devices.Firmware updates are also a breeze with the SteelSeries Engine. After you plug in your device, it will show up in the devices list along with some alert text notifying you if there is a firmware update. If there is, you just need to click the alert and wait about one minute for the firmware update to download and install. Piece of cake.*Sound Quality*In this price range, I am not typically very picky with sound quality.. As long as the audio is not blatantly awful, I am not let down, since really involved discussion of headphone sound quality can't really be had until you get into the several hundred dollar range. Yes, there are better sounding headsets, but these do sound really good compared to almost any other set in its price range. And being USB powered instead of only a 3.5mm audio jack means it can have more power for bass than unpowered headphones. So I really like the sound I am able to get from these. And if you choose a good preset for your use (or customize it specifically how you need) through the SteelSeries Engine software, they can sound even better.*Summary*Overall, there is a lot to love about these and nothing to hate. They are comfortable, sound great, look great, and are overall better than nearly any other headset in the same price range.Pros:[+] Some of the best sounding audio I've heard in this price range, especially when configured properly[+] Looks and feels incredible, despite being primarily plastic[+] The blue LEDs are a nice touch that really up the appearance and 'cool' factor[+] SteelSeries Engine software makes it easy to configure the LEDs and audio presets, along with providing a simple process for firmware updates (and compatible with SSE3)[+] In-cable volume and microphone controls are great, and much more convenient than on-ear controls[+] Microphone retracts to hide it when you don't need it, keeping a sleeker appearance[+] All-around extremely comfortable to wear.[+] USB-powered means better sound quality and bass than unpowered 3.5mm headsetsCons:[-] USB cable is pretty short, but shouldn't be a big deal with USB extension cable[-] However, USB means you can't use this with many devices a 3.5mm headset can be (phone, iPod, etc)After suffering with another (more expensive) wireless headset I thought enough was enough and decided to go back to wired. After scouring the web I settled on the Siberia V2 headphones from SteelSeries. I fell in love with them right out of the box, at around £30 cheaper than my old headset I was impressed at the build quality of the headphones. They feel sturdy but lightweight and the suspension system by which they adjust to your head means you no longer have to re-adjust your headphones after lending them to someone else.They are insanely comfortable, you get the usual ear sweating you get with closed cup headphones but the isolation and sound quality more than makes up for it. The base you get on the headset is amazing and I would recommend when using on a PC to setup virtual surround sound which is usually available for most sound cards. This makes the audio appear more realistic rather than inside your head which can happen with closed cup headphones.The headphones come with a short cable for people who are close to their PC but also a much longer one. This is a great idea as obviously there are so many different kinds of PC setup it is hard to decide on the right cable length so including a decent length cable on the headset with a long extension is the right way to go here. I personally have attached the extension to the underside of my desk so I simply need to plug my headphones in right next to me and not fiddle about with the front/back of my pc.The microphone quality is amazing and it is also unidirectional so avoids picking up external noises in the room. Another amazing feature is you can use these as just headphones without looking stupid as the microphones actually slides into the headset. Meaning you can wear these out and about as a stylish pair of headphones (make sure you pay attention as closed cup means you might not hear cars etc) you can wear without looking dumb.All in all these are the most comfortable and high quality headphones I have every owned and stylish to boot. For the price you really can't complain so buy a pair and find out for yourself!Before I purchased this head set I used to replace every head set I had in a couple months, because something would fail in them. The Siberia, however, proved to be very robust. I used them for a year and a half before any sort of problem appeared.Somewhere in the middle of the second year, the volume knob got buggy and was screwing and losing the sound in my right ear while operated. I kind of ignored the problem for a while, and when I finally decided to try to repair it, I realised I was 6 months over my warranty period.Nevertheless I contacted SteelSeries and explained the situation to them, and they agreed to have a look at it and replaced it straight away.I recommend this item because the head set itself is really good, and because the manufacturer is also sensible and willing to help.Regarding other qualities:- They are also quite comfortable to wear, not pressing too bad on the ears but still holding good and blocking a reasonable portion of outside sound.- The only downside is that they creek a little when I chew food :P- You get a single extension cable, for both mic and sound, in the box.I have no knowledge of the v1, so I cannot comment on improvements added in this second incarnation of the Siberia, but I was using a pair of Sony DJ headphones before for CS:GO and I thought they were pretty decent for gaming until I bought this Siberia.In the past I've had a few Creative Fatal1ty headsets which were a good entry level headset, but this just takes your gaming experience that one notch higher, incredibly crisp sound reproduction with 50mm drivers for that bassy kick for music and films, They are designed to they fit over your ears and partially block background noises and other sounds, and the way they fit over your head is a wonderful innovative design feature, I believe it's called a suspension system, anyhow you can wear these for 4-6 hours straight and be in no discomfort at all.The mic is very clear and crisp too, retracting (you just push it in]] into the ear cup if you want it to be discrete, if for example you were using them to listen to music whilst walking along in public.Overall I couldn't be happier, if you want a great, comfortable headset for gaming of any kind (although I believe they are geared towards the FPS market) then look no further, these are a well made product that you will be mightily impressed with for fifty odd quid.These are the best headphones I have ever owned. I got a Creative Sound Blaster Z and decided to get new headphones so went ahead with these. Best decision I made The sound out of these headphones is amazing whether it is watching moves, listening music or playing games. They are really comfortable and my ears don't get sore or pain even after using for 7 hours. They come with extension cable so that you can easily connect them to your pc etc. They are equipped with 50 mm drivers which makes the bass and quality of sound amazing. When using these you wont be able to hear what's happening around you thanks to the noise reduction cups which is always great.Highly recommended go for it if you are deciding to buy a headphone in this price range best deal there is.I have a lot of difficulty buying headsets and I still haven't found one that I can wear for hours on end without a degree of discomfort but I think I've just got used to that by now!More importantly, the audio quality of this headset is great. I'm no audiophile but the sound seems full, balanced and clear with punchy bass which doesn't overwhelm the other frequencies or end up in a "muddy" sound.The retractable MIC is a neat addition as I don't use it often but it's good to have it out of the way and I like this implementation better than a detachable MIC I'd more that likely lose!