Steel Sound 5H Professional Gaming Headset

     Due to today's highly advanced multiplayer games like Battlefield 2 and cool software like VOIP (voice over IP), computer headsets are becoming more popular than ever. The last time I looked at my local computer hardware store, there were about a dozen headsets to choose from. Everything from the cheap $19.99 version, to the high end noise canceling studio headset with built in sound card and USB connectivity. Personally, I've gone through several low end headsets and have just recently upgraded to the high end USB versions. Trust me when I say you get what you pay for. That means a 20 dollar headset is going to give you your money's worth...just the same a $150 headset will give you every penny's worth of crystal clear highs, breath taking mids and vibration free booming bass. Let's take a look at one of those high end gaming headsets that come all the way from Denmark, the Steel Sound 5H Professional Gaming Headset.

     Right away you can see that the 5H didn't come from your local Wally World discount store. The 5H is big, designed for adults, not children. The headset fits comfortably over my ears and the springing headband is even large enough to fit my big head without feeling like my head is in a vice.

Unlike some of the high end USB headsets I've used, the 5H is software driven, not hardware driven.

     One cool thing about the 5H is it comes with two cords, a long cord to reach across your office and a short cord for use at your desktop to eliminate excess cord all over your desk.

     Here you see the inline 3-position microphone switch with high, low and off settings. There is a separate volume control on the side.

     One feature I've never seen on a headset before is the retractable microphone. The microphone can be left tucked neatly inside the ear piece or extended out and adjusted in any direction for your comfort.

Here you see the microphone stored away. Very nice...

Specs:

HEADPHONES:

• Freq. response: 16 - 28.000Hz
• Impedance: 40 Ohm
• SPL@1kHz, 1Vrms: 110dB
• Cable: 1 + 2 = 3m / 10ft

MICROPHONE:

• Freq. response: 75 - 16.000Hz
• Pick up pattern: Uni-directional
• Sensitivity: -38 dB
• Impedance: 2K Ohm

Installation:

     Although the 5H is plug and play, it still requires software to function. The headset comes with a software disk and installation takes just seconds. The software includes a nice utility to adjust the sound and sound effects of the 5H. Without this utility the sound is totally flat.

Utility Main Page

Mixer Page: This is where you adjust sound levels.

Effect Page: This is where you adjust virtual surround sound effects.

Karaoke Page: Want to sing along? You can do it with the 5H!

Testing:

     What is all comes down to is the quality of sound. All the looks and features in the world will not save a headset if it doesn't sound awesome. As I stated earlier, without the 5H's software utility, the sound is totally flat and sounds like a cheap headset. With the utility, music comes alive and the sound is comparable to most mid range headsets I've used. The problem I noticed right away was the 5H seems to have a hard time handling deep bass notes and the over all sound seems a little "tinny" even with the software EQ tuned to all different levels. This is possibly due to the 5H being totally software driven. Other USB headsets I've tested have an inline sound card and they seem to deliver far superior sound and killer bass notes without any distortion what so ever.

Conclusion:

     The advantage of the 5H is that software revisions can enhance the quality of sound. Unfortunately, I was turned off by the low quality of sounds the 5H produces, especially for the price of the headset. I don't want to totally flame the 5H, because it's obvious a lot of hard work went into the design, but sound is everything. If the 5H was prices at around $50 USD, I'd be able to give it a better rating because it would fit in just fine with mid level headsets, but at $139 USD, I just can't let it pass.

Pros:
 ► User's choice in cord length.
 ► Large headset, fits adults.
 ► Comfortable over the ear design.
 ► Retractable microphone.
 ► Nice software pack for adjusting sound and sound effects.

Cons:
 ► Overall poor quality in sound compared to other headsets in the same price range.