Don't buy the Siberia Elite Prism Gaming Headset by Steelseries

[Majinferno]

Flashing back to October, I got a pair of Steelseries Siberia Elite Prisms. In this review I will be telling you just if these headphones are worth the 200$ USD Steelseries sells them for.

The Headset
 

You'll find that the headsets themselves actually do have great build quality. Coming from a user of the Siberia V2 Headset, I found the metal frame and cushioned suspension band to be a welcome change. Originally, I thought the ear cups wear monstrous compared to the V2 headset, but you'll find them to be some what comfortable. I say 'Some what' because the inner chamber of the ear cups are a bit shallow. Depending on ear size, you might find your ears touching the back of the ear cups. This can be pretty uncomfortable 2 hours into a gaming session. Things also tend to get a bit hot, but I wouldn't say it's only a minor thing a best. Looking on the side of the headset, you find sliders on each end allowing you to change volumes and mute the built-in mic. You also are given an additional jack to share audio with a friend next to you. The box comes with a selection of cables to fit different needs. However, features like dolby and RGB illumination won't work unless connected via micro usb to the sound card.

Sound Quality + Software
While I'm not an audiophile of any sort, I still thought it best to through in my two cents concerning the audio of the Siberia elite Prisms. I found the overall sound stage to be a HUGE help while gaming. Particularly in CS:GO, I could pin point enemy location and footsteps even when my teammates couldn't. Listening to music is a different story. Volume doesn't seem to go high and sound easily bleeds out the headset at mid to high volumes. Using the sound card provided in packaging, you'll be able to equalize and create profiles for each game/application. Bass is a bit heavy, but nothing to complain about at least for me. Being a gaming headset, I don't really mark points off for music listening.

The Steelseries engine brings few words to my head. You won't find to much to complain about. It allows you to change LED options (Pulse, Steady, etc), you can enable sidetone, alter volume levels, equalizes audio. While it is a bit buggy sometimes, I would say it works just fine.

The Microphone + Sound card
Here is were things take a turn for the worse. To start things off, lets talk about the microphone. Owning the Siberia V2 headset made years ago, I expected the Siberia Elite Prisms to outclass the v2s in microphone quality easily. These expectations were crushed. The Siberia Elite Prisms did not match up with the V2 headset at all. This is for several reasons.

1). The microphone quality is disappointing, White noise is present with and without the sound card and speech sounds like I'm speaking through a can almost. I find it hard to describe with words, so I suggest you listen to an audio test of both the Elite Prisms and the V2 headsets.

2). The sound card is defective. Speaking with friends a day out the box, we discovered a clicking noise. It gets loud to the point I have to leave calls sometimes. Originally steelseries promised a firmware fix on the next update. Hearing this, I waited only to find no fix within the patch notes. Dwelling on the subreddit, customers were told that this was an issue with the sound card, Upon contact for a replacement sound card, Steelseries claims to no longer be producing a replacement parts for the card. This means you will have to RMA the entire headset. This would be all fine and dandy if steelseries actually provided you with a fixed soundcard, but they seem to just be sending out the same broken batch. So here we have no revision sound cards being made for a 200$ flagship headset that is still being sold today. This means you will effectively be purchasing a defective product until further notice. I can not recommend this headset knowing this and suggest you do not buy the Siberia Elite Prisms. 

 

Quote of myself:

 

Best way to teach a company what they have done is not OK is to speak with your wallet. I hope steelseries understands that RMA'ing us to death won't make things alright. When people spend 200$ on a product, we expect it to work accordingly and not have to jump through hoops. If it is an issue with the sound card, why have us RMA the entire headset? Why tell us you would provide a firmware fix for a hardware issue? Why tell us you no longer provide a replacement part for your flagship headset that came with defects?

Much like other customers here, I love steelseries products. However, I think it's time to speak with my wallet this time around. What I have witnessed this past month is not OK. Replacements don't fix defects and until you guys realize this, nothing will change.

 

Sub reddit post regarding sound card defect: http://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/2lkhu7/faq_siberia_elite_prism_clicking_microphone/

Conclusion
Until further notice, I do not recommend purchasing this headset. Outside of the defect, you'll find Great build quality and OK sound accompanied by bad microphone quality. For 200$ your money is best kept or spent on a different product.

NOTE: Pictures will be added tomorrow.


 

[ForsakenLive]

It seems a pair of HD518s (or similar) and a standalone mic is still the best there is for a $99-200 gaming audio setup. Thanks for the review I will consider it if someone asks me about this particular headset!

[Majinferno]

It seems a pair of HD518s (or similar) and a standalone mic is still the best there is for a $99-200 gaming audio setup. Thanks for the review I will consider it if someone asks me about this particular headset!

Thanks. I finally decided to review after all this time. Kinda wish I did it before the holidays as people buy things like headsets around that time.

[ZetZet]

We already know the only headset that is worth considering is hyperx clouds, orthers are too expensive or too awful.

[Majinferno]

We already know the only headset that is worth considering is hyperx clouds, orthers are too expensive or too awful.

for around 30$ I would also recommend the Siberia V2 headset. However, I don't plan on buying from steelseries ever again. From what I understand, you're better off buying headphones and attaching a mic.

[ZetZet]

for around 30$ I would also recommend the Siberia V2 headset. However, I don't plan on buying from steelseries ever again. From what I understand, you're better off buying headphones and attaching a mic.

i had three siberia v2's break during warranty and the last pair also broke the same way, one of the cups dies completely.

[SpagettiNinja]

I wasnt considering to get a Steelseries, Turtle Beach, Beats, Creative, Mad Catz, Razer, or Skullcandy headset anytime soon or ever for that matter. All those brands are blacklisted in my book, at least for headsets, and most of them for all periphericals. Basically all of them are over-priced to hell and all of them take 50$ extra in payment because they have a so-called "fancy" logo or some kind of "fancy" looks. And some of these brands just suck, in addition to being expensive.

[Majinferno]

i had three siberia v2's break during warranty and the last pair also broke the same way, one of the cups dies completely.

That's pretty unfortunate. I guess we both learnt the hard way

[Mao_Zedong]

We already know the only headset that is worth considering is hyperx clouds, orthers are too expensive or too awful.

Even those are iffy when are around $100 right now, and for that price you could get sennheiser hd 518s and a zalman mic.

[SynthDark]

The Microphone + Sound card

2). The sound card is defective. Speaking with friends a day out the box, we discovered a clicking noise. It gets loud to the point I have to leave calls sometimes. Originally steelseries promised a firmware fix on the next update. Hearing this, I waited only to find no fix within the patch notes. Dwelling on the subreddit, customers were told that this was an issue with the sound card, Upon contact for a replacement sound card, Steelseries claims to no longer be producing a replacement parts for the card. This means you will have to RMA the entire headset. This would be all fine and dandy if steelseries actually provided you with a fixed soundcard, but they seem to just be sending out the same broken batch. So here we have no revision sound cards being made for a 200$ flagship headset that is still being sold today. This means you will effectively be purchasing a defective product until further notice. I can not recommend this headset knowing this and suggest you do not buy the Siberia Elite Prisms. 

 

As an owner of the Siberia Elites, I have noticed this clicking issue when using the soundcard supplied with the headset. The way I managed to get around that was by closing the software that comes with it; all the settings still stay applied, but the clicking noise no longer happens. So try just closing the software to see if that resolves the issue for you.

Saying that, I'm not using the soundcard they supplied anyway as the volume just doesn't get as high as I'd like, so I've been using an old external Soundblaster soundcard and have been really enjoying the headset. It's a shame that an expensive set of headphones is shipped with these glaringly obvious issues, but they can mostly all be tracked down to the soundcard as the fault.

[Majinferno]

As an owner of the Siberia Elites, I have noticed this clicking issue when using the soundcard supplied with the headset. The way I managed to get around that was by closing the software that comes with it; all the settings still stay applied, but the clicking noise no longer happens. So try just closing the software to see if that resolves the issue for you.

Saying that, I'm not using the soundcard they supplied anyway as the volume just doesn't get as high as I'd like, so I've been using an old external Soundblaster soundcard and have been really enjoying the headset. It's a shame that an expensive set of headphones is shipped with these glaringly obvious issues, but they can mostly all be tracked down to the soundcard as the fault.

I'll be sure to try your workaround when the opportunity arises. The worst thing is they know it's the soundcard, but won't create fixed replacements. I also find the volume to be decreasing over time with the sound card.

[FuriousFing]

So what headset would you recommend now? I was going to get this headset but it seems not to be good. Can you give a update on this? Anyways I would buy a good pair of headphones and a mic but I'm just afraid to do that because I just want a good pair of headset for talking to my friends and gaming. Are the Siberia V3 Prism any good?

[ShadowCaptain]

So what headset would you recommend now? I was going to get this headset but it seems not to be good. Can you give a update on this? Anyways I would buy a good pair of headphones and a mic but I'm just afraid to do that because I just want a good pair of headset for talking to my friends and gaming. Are the Siberia V3 Prism any good?

 

get headphones and a mod mic

[Rekx]

i had three siberia v2's break during warranty and the last pair also broke the same way, one of the cups dies completely.

I've had 5 of those awful things brake on me. Bought a pair of sennheiser instead. Because RMA gets boring.

[A Bubble]

I've been telling everyone that Steelseries headsets are bloody awful for years but all I got was hate for it from fanboys. They banned me from their facebook page for telling them to stop milking the Siberia V2 by releasing hundreds of different colours for more money.

[jakjakattack]

guys pls. This thread is 3 months old.

[LordNoah]

To be honest, I find this hard to believe. I have recently just bought this headset and found it a MASSIVE improvement from my old one. Audio quality is fine and the equalizer sorts out nearly all of the problems I had with the audio. I love bass in pretty much anything so bass heavy is a plus for me and the microphone sounds fine as well, No clicks or anything and no background noise.

[Majinferno]

To be honest, I find this hard to believe. I have recently just bought this headset and found it a MASSIVE improvement from my old one. Audio quality is fine and the equalizer sorts out nearly all of the problems I had with the audio. I love bass in pretty much anything so bass heavy is a plus for me and the microphone sounds fine as well, No clicks or anything and no background noise.

Dont know what to say. The proof is in the sub Reddit that I linked. Steelseries even acknowledged the issue and refused to fix it. I hope things go well on your end. http://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/2lkhu7/faq_siberia_elite_prism_clicking_microphone/

Update: haven't checked the subreddit in months, but nothings changed. They just keep on repeating its the headset, but everyone knows its the sound card. rmasdont seem to fix the issue based on new post

The issue is 100% the soundcard and we have implemented a fix that has been in production for some time now. All new purchases of the Elites have the improved soundcard. For RMA, I believe our warehouse was still shipping from the original production batch, which is why some of you guys were getting another unit with the issue.

We are working on getting soundcards available to send out if you have a defective one. In the meantime, if you open a support request we can RMA your headset with a brand new one, including the fixed soundcard.

We've reached out to our warehouse to ensure the corrected production units are dispatched going forward.

If you are still having issues I highly encourage you to open a support request. Please feel free to PM me your ticket number so I can expedite your support.

Then here is the big hit

I made a mistake when I said the fix was in the soundcard, I need to remedy that post. I got further clarification from our team and the issue is within the headset. If you open a ticket, I'll get you taken care of ASAP.

Seriously steel series. :l

[Fishytom]

OK

 

so after you read this post - take into consideration that Steelseries eventually asked me about my experience of the RMA process and the exchange with the support person, they requested feedback with a form. They then changed their mind on the RMA decision - and graciously offered me a full RMA. 

To be honest - I actually had been a bit harsh about the issue, and it was true that I bought the Prism at a discounted price - so when they eventually they offered me a full price refund, it was actually for more than I had paid in fact.. But I was impressed by the way that they dealt with this, actually it was very professional - in short, I have to take a lot back here - their eventual response was really good. I have always been impressed by the product which is great. The issue with the Elite Prism Steelseries is a design fault, but it is well known if you want my opinion. 

 

But before the RMA was granted I actually went out immediately when the Prism died and bought the Arctis 3 - and you can see that it is well made, and turns out to be completely compatible with the USB soundcard for the Elite Prism, including all the 8 pin connectors (eg you can plug it directly into the USB soundcard using the 8 pin connector) and all the functions of the Steelseries Engine that you could tweek for the Elite Prism can be tweeked like this) ..

 

So, I should thank Steelseries for doing the right thing to make me finally a very happy customer!

 

----

 

i had three siberia v2's break during warranty and the last pair also broke the same way, one of the cups dies completely

 

Yep - so my Elite Prism Steelseries died when the left cup detached itself the other day as I put them onto my head..

 

I was not impressed...see the pics below. The black screw in thumbnail 5 held it all together but was screwed into a very flimsy piece of plastic which over time simply broke, partly because of the fact that the screw hollowed the small piece of plastic out and did not connect with anything stronger on the other side. 

 

..and when I requested an RMA here is the exchange with customer care :

 

We are so sorry to inform you that your product is outside of the warranty period and that your RMA request has been declined. There is no remaining manufacturer warranty for this product.. This is due to the deep purchase discount on your item. 
 

There is good news though! We can offer you a 10% discount coupon, with free shipping on your entire order, for our webstore so you can jump into a brand-spankin' new device! Just apply this promo code: RMA2018

If you recently completed an RMA on your device within your warranty period, the warranty does NOT extend with each RMA. The warranty period, per device, starts on the day that you purchased your initial device and covers the replacement device in the warranty window. 

The warranty window ends at these times from the initial device's date of purchase:
 

·         North America - 1 Year

·         South America - 1 Year

·         Asia - 1 Year

·         Europe -2 Years

Items that carry no warranty include:
 

·         Give away items

·         Prize winnings

·         eBay second hand transactions

·         Official SteelSeries Contest Winnings

·         Products from unauthorized resellers

For more information on the RMA process and warranty information, please visit our FAQ.
If you feel that you can possibly resolve your issues through some troubleshooting, please feel free to open a new ticket and we can further assist you. Here's how:
 

1.    Log into your account here.

2.    Scroll down and press the "Open Ticket" button.

3.    Select "Troubleshoot a Product"

Thank you!
 

Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

[WereCatf]

I've owned a pair of Siberia Elite Prisms for a couple of years now and I have not encountered any of the issues the OP is talking about. I've been exceedingly happy with them, in fact; they feel absolutely fucking great, the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn, they sound good and the surround-sound functionality works like fricking magic in e.g. Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5. And yes, I use the microphone on it and yes, it works just as well!

 

Best money I've ever spent on a peripheral for my gaming-needs, by far.

 

EDIT: Didn't notice the original date of the thread. Oh well, I stand by what I said, anyways.