CONCLUSION

   Over the years we've noticed that SteelSeries does a great job in equipping their top-end headset models with the highest quality components and all the latest technologies so because of that we didn't expect anything less from the Siberia 650. As a matter of fact after testing the Siberia 650 with several games, blue-ray movies and games I’m quite positive that it’s identical to the excellent Prism (so SteelSeries effectively renamed the Siberia Elite Prism to Siberia 650 to match their new lineup). As mentioned earlier this is not a bad thing since just like the Prism the Siberia 650 it features excellent mids and highs with very rich and warm bass levels. Positioning audio may not be the best in the market today (we don’t expect perfection from two stereo drivers with any headset) but it too performs extremely well. The very thick and large pillows are just as comfortable as the ones used with the Prism model, the suspension system remains the same as with the Prism and the retractable unidirectional microphone, although we’ve used better ones in the past, also did a very good job while playing online games. Also the ability to use both 3.5” plugs and a USB sound card is something many people look for in the market and unfortunately after looking back to all the gaming headsets I’ve reviewed in the past the Elite series is among the very few models to have such a feature.

   Much like the original Siberia Elite and the Siberia Elite Prism after that the Siberia 650 is among the highest-priced gaming headsets in the market and currently retails for USD199.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 188Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This hefty price tag was the sole drawback for the previous Siberia Elite headsets and the same applies for the Siberia 650 so unless you really want the best or care not about cost there are other gaming headsets in the market with a much better price/performance ratio attached to them. Still the Siberia 650 just like the Siberia Elite Prism is perhaps the best 7.1 virtual surround headset in the market today and that’s why it also gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Design
- Excellent Audio Quality (Excellent Mids/Highs)
- Powerful Bass Levels
- 7.1 Virtual Dolby Surround USB Sound Card (For Some)
- Extremely Comfortable
- Noise-Cancelling Uni-Directional Retractable Microphone
- Volume & Microphone Controls
- Colorshift Illumination
- Tangle-Free Cable
- Extra 3.5mm Output
- Engine 3 Control Software
- Single 3.5mm & Dual 3.5mm Cables
- Extension Cable

CONS

- Price (For Some)