[section_title title=Performance]Performance
To test the capability and overall sound quality of the SteelSeries 9H Gaming Headset, I decided to test the audio with gaming, a movie and music, the comfort during a heavy gaming session and the microphone via Skype/voice communication software. I feel this will give a better range of results as not everyone is one dimensional when selecting a headset and should hopefully shed some light on how versatile the 9H actually is.
Gaming
With the 9H being geared towards competitive gaming which also includes 7.1 surround sound (virtual; but has full 5.1 surround), I figured I would go down that route with my testing and selected FIFA 14, League of Legends and Battlefield 4 to put the 9H through its paces. Starting out with a game that has been making waves over the past couple of months but for all the wrong reasons (Battlefield 4), I figured it would be a good test of the dynamic range of low, mid and highs. Like the Elites, they sounded very well rounded with good bass on the explosions, plenty of mid-range and lots of highs etc. I did feel they were slightly muddy at times but overall it handled BF4 well; the best experience was when a friendly low flying chopper came past me as I was running as it sounded truly amazing, especially with Dolby Pro Logic IIx turned on.
Next up is FIFA 14 and although not considered a game for plenty of breath-taking audio, still a game where I feel an atmospheric experience makes all the difference. The overall sound quality during FIFA 14 was pretty good and unlike in BF4, I wouldn’t say I experienced any muddy sounds. Kicks to the ball were well distinguished and the crowd seemed to be alive so the 9H did pretty well in my opinion.
Last but not least is probably the biggest competitive game currently on the scene (in terms of eSports) which is League of Legends. This game combines spells with hard hitting combat in an articulate combat arena which separates the skilled from the noobs. In terms of audio quality, I wouldn’t say it sounded much different to any other headset I have tested; not that it is a bad thing but the 9H still sounds great.
All three games sounded very good and although some of the audio was a little muddy compared to the Elites, they still definitely sound good and I doubt anyone would be disappointed with the gaming audio quality; other than total audiophiles with very high end headphones which isn’t a fair comparison anyway.
Music
To test the music reproduction qualities of the 9H, I picked 3 songs from 3 different genres.
Rock: INME – Crushed like fruit
Dance: Tony De Vit – The Dawn (Dark by Design remix)
RnB: Rihanna – SOS
For the music testing, I changed the pre-set via the SteelSeries Engine 3 software to Music (a full guide of the SteelSeries Engine 3 software can be found HERE) just to see how it coped with music as it can be quite a tell in quality from gaming etc. Starting off with one of my favourite songs, Crushed like fruit by InMe, I didn’t really enjoy the audio quality I was getting from the 9H. To make sure it wasn’t just Windows playing up, I rebooted twice but the audio was the same which is a shame really, as the audio sounded really muddy in comparison to the Elites; the certainly is a difference between them after all. The least emphatic part of the song was the really muffled and crackly bass tone I got from the bass drums although the highs did sound quite nice in comparison. Overall, I think SteelSeries could do better, especially with such a high priced headset.
Next up was the legendary house song “The Dawn” by pioneer Tony De Vit. This song brings back good memories for me so it is listened to quite often and it certainly made a change in quality from the previous song and the bass felt more defined with each thump. The silent parts of the song were in fact silent with no crackling and the mid-range/highs were fantastic. This song features quite a euphoric breakdown and I really did feel it in the pit of my stomach with the 9H. One area the sound could have been improved would have to be the mid-range, although fine, for a £149.99 headset I would have expected less mud.
Last but not least is the iconic track SOS from the lovely Rihanna. This again is one of my favourite sounds (hardly going to listen to music I detest!) which I find brings out the best in audio; features a fat beat, plenty of vocal range and a little bit of RnB synth. In my honest opinion, It felt really muddy and the only thing that really stood out for me was the high of the vocals as the bass did have a punch, but wasn’t defined; I am saying this based on the price of the headset as I would expect fantastic bass for £149.99. The mid-range was a bit better than with Crushed like fruit, but still wasn’t up to scratch in my opinion and I am used to it sounding a lot better than the 9H delivers; it is still better than a budget headset by far though!
Overall my opinion in terms of audio quality, this headset is perfect for gaming and providing you don’t already currently own a good set of dedicated headphones nor Siberia Elites, then you will most likely hear the upgrade, but I did feel the Elites to pip the 9H in terms of audio quality; they aren’t priced much higher either!
Comfort
I have owned many different SteelSeries headsets over the years and most have been relatively comfortable. I am happy to say that the 9H is on the better side of the comfort spectrum due to the ear cup padding although I do feel when wearing them, I get a dome effect type sound which made me feel a little uncomfortable when moving my head from side to side. This isn’t normal for me but I have had this headset for the best part of a week and it has felt like that all week; not just having a bad day. With that being said, I prefer the headband on the Siberia Elites as there is no adjustment involved; just put it on your head and it automatically adjusts. The 9H was comfortable in general though, especially during long gaming sessions or even with long conversations on Skype which I do on a regular basis; I think one of the most important aspects of headsets is the comfort. Overall, I am pleased with the comfort levels of the SteelSeries 9H and although there is comfier out there, it doesn’t and shouldn’t take anything away from the 9H.
VoIP/Communication Software
As it is a headset after all and primarily aimed at gamers, one aspect to consider is the audio quality while using voice communication software such as Skype, TeamSpeak 3 and Ventrilo. Skype can usually degrade the quality of good audio equipment but after speaking to a friend for a good hour and seeking feedback towards the end, the microphone is of good quality and with the help of the supplied SteelSeries USB sound card, blocks out background noise very easily; to use the background noise reduction feature on the 9H, you need to do this via the supplied sound card and using the SteelSeries Engine 3 software. The sound while using TeamSpeak 3 was also rather good and I had no complaints regarding background noise, hissing or any fuzz. The microphone is of really good quality and it is one of the reasons I have used SteelSeries headsets for years.
Overall with decent audio quality and a very good mic with a noise cancelling feature available, it pits the 9H headset in a strong position, more so with gamers though over those who enjoy listening to music.
