Review – Siberia Neckband Headset for iDevices
In 2007, I was but a young lad of 23. I was fresh from college, probably still drunk, and wandering the back room of the Chandler, AZ, Buckle wondering if my life could get any worse. My job consisted of sorting through boxes of over-priced shirts that I would later sell to the collection of roid-raging closet-cases who spent the majority of their time and mine in front of our mirrors, always asking for a smaller size and wanting a dude’s opinion on whether a shirt made them look “big” or not. There aren’t narcotics strong enough to help anyone rise above that circle of hell.
For SteelSeries, 2007 was far more productive. That year they released an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry that has tantalized and drained the piggy banks of geeks and nerds alike. One such product was the hugely popular SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Headset, featuring a unique design wrapping around the base of the skull rather than over the top. Considering that many DJs, pro gamers, and audiophiles, were already rocking their headphones down around their neck, it was a smart move for SteelSeries to create such an offering for the rest of us. The neckband was a success for SteelSeries, and here I am three years later reviewing a hip, glossy gift of their attractive tech for the iCrazed masses.
I first got to sit down with the SteelSeries Siberia Neckband Headset for iDevices at this year’s CES. Having never worn the original, I was skeptical of the hype. While the design immediately turned me on, looking like a cross between something found in Tron and Jet Grind Radio, the logistics of the neckband just didn’t seem like they’d work. I didn’t trust that they’d be able to hold their position or, more so if they did, that they’d be dreadfully uncomfortable. I wasn’t throwing my money down just yet, but after a brief product tour I decided to give it a shot. I did as I was instructed, stretching the headphones apart until there was adequate tension in the spring band, shoved the band around my head, then pushed the speakers back up against my ears. While the headphones stayed in place, the positioning seemed a little precarious just as I thought it might.
After a bit, I did get used to the strange feeling of having something strapped to the back head and began running through some of the other features. I pulled out my iPhone and started running through a few choice selections of songs, testing out the sound quality. Then I attempted to use the retractable mic to make a call. Unfortunately, given the fact that AT&T sucks dick for service and we were at a convention where damn near everyone was trying to utilize the same network, I was unable to complete my venture. Frustrated, I took the headphones off and made a mental note to check them out more thoroughly later.
Cut to months later, I found myself perusing my local Apple Store and coming across the same headset. At first I was a little surprised to see a third-party gadget hidden amongst the racks of proprietary Apple paraphernalia. I actually thought perhaps someone left it there by mistake. My faulty memory kicked into gear and I remembered that SteelSeries had said that this device was going to be the first of the brand to be endorsed and sold by Apple themselves. Now, having pandered enough for free review products for our SteelSeries rep, Tori, and still not having delivered a write-up in weeks (thanks Ted), I felt it best not to ask for anything more and just buy one myself.
I got home, ripped open the box, and went to work on stress testing the set. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, I had not cleaned my apartment in about a month. I could think of no better environment to pit the endurance of a quality headset than against hours of clean up in an unkempt bachelor pad, so I took some time to set up my iPhone with an assortment of songs and an audio book for the distance run. I put the headphones on and allowed a few minutes to acclimate to that precarious feeling before starting.
The headphones initially seemed quiet comfortable and were holding in place, despite my fears. The audio quality wasn’t bad by any means, but it wasn’t any greater than that of the now iconic white ear buds from Apple. They’re definitely louder, but there’s still that distinct roughness that you get with any headset you pick up and don’t pay 300 bucks to sport. It was definitely not the quality I’ve come to expect in terms of sound for SteelSeries, so I can only assume that they focused their efforts on the iDevice compatibility instead of sound quality. The other complaint I had was that when I did crank the volume, the set did little in the way of noise isolation. So if you’re planning on rocking out to the Glee soundtrack in the solitude of your headphones, look elsewhere.
As my cleaning marathon continued, the comfort and stability factors went way down. Whether it was an issue of me sweating, or the durability of the set itself, after about an hour on my head the neck band gave way and I found myself continually readjusting to get them stay in place. Around hour two, both my ear and my head began to hurt… A LOT! I took the headset off for about twenty minutes to allow my ears to cool down before getting back into the fray. About three minutes later I got the opportunity to test out the new “i” feature of the neckband. A call was coming in so I pulled the retractable mic from the side of one of the ear buds and used the center button on the small console attached to the cord to answer. The console was nearly identical to those found on any stock iDevice, except the call answer button could be used to increase and decrease the headset volume.
I clicked the answer button and the call answered quickly enough. The conversation was brief but gave me a good idea of what I could expect when using the headset for calls. From what I could tell, there wasn’t a delay in using the mic or in the receiving audio but the quality was a bit echoed. It wasn’t anything too terrible but, again, not fantastic. The call was ended as quickly as it was answered and with a click of the button I was back to the music, the cleaning, and gathering data for this review.
I know this may not read like a typical hardware review, delving into the minutia of hardware and wiring. I may not be an expert on such aspects, however I do represent a prime example of the demographic SteelSeries is aiming at with this device and using it in a real-world scenario seemed fair enough a setting. The Siberia Neckband is cool as hell in terms of style and functionally it does what it promises. The sound quality isn’t anything to write home to mom about and do little to isolate noise, but overall they get the job done. For the price you can’t go wrong with it as a hands free phone device, just be wary of wearing them for prolonged periods of time. I don’t think the neckband is going to hold up for any serious workouts, but you should be able to rock them on the trendmill for an hour or so and still look like the hippest kid in town. Plus they look awesome on Golgo-bitty!
