Steelseries 5H v3 Review

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Conclusion

The 5H V3 is already an attractive, if not competitive product coming in at £60 from a household manufacturer like SteelSeries. For your £60 you get a lot of headset, features, a solid gaming headset and then some more.

Starting with gaming first, this is clearly the 5H V3’s strongest point and that’s fine. Actual in-game audio was superb for the money. Sounds are clear and wholesome and there is a significant spread to make sure you’re not fatigued by an under-par aural experience. The closed back design means you can really escape into your own world without much of the real world leaking into your free time.

Additionally the mobile adapter – that can also be used with the PlayStation 4 – means if mobile gaming is your thing you don’t come short here, either. SteelSeries inclusion of the break-out ability of the headset should be a definite draw for anyone who attends LANs such as the upcoming December ‘I’ series, and combined with the solid voice functionality both in terms of audio as well as the in-line control, puts the 5H V3’s in a solid standing for not only someone who is looking at them for gaming purposes, but someone who is looking to play at a more serious and competitive level.

Building on top of the gaming prowess of the 5H V3 is it’s good performances in film and video. Whilst you’re not blasted with same treatment that gaming throws up, the 5H V3 doesn’t disappoint although ultimately is limited by your source material. Game of Thrones is, naturally, a good fit for the headphones due to the fantasy setting and series’ overall aesthetic, however, something more mundane like YouTube videos sounds just fine, neither good nor bad if not a little bit boring.

In comparison, music performance was average and a let down if compared to how the 5H V3 performed in other areas. Why the 5H V3 seemed so poor in this area I can’t whole heatedly say. The headphones don’t feel like they’ve been tuned away from music towards a more gaming sound as gaming and voice chat sounded crystal clear and finely balanced to the extent i’d expect their performance to be at the detriment of music. If i was to lay the blame anywhere I think the culprit would be due to the closed-back design.

Sticking with the closed back-design choice, this is both a blessing and a curse, although I think it’s more of a positive for the 5H V3 than not. The actual fit of the 5H V3 wasn’t ideal for me, but they’re snug. Similarly, the closed-back design allows you to game in peace – even in a noisy LAN environment – although I had to take them off after an hour as my ears would get too warm. An hours solid game time before getting warm isn’t great for me personally, although it’s certainly better for your health!

To wrap up, SteelSeries have brought an absolute value tailored proposition to the table with the 5H V3. You’re getting a top-end gaming headset in fit, size and performance which is only held back by a less than equally impressive musical outing. Accessories included means you should be ready for any setup and the ability to use the headset with the PlayStation 4 is a great boon as I expect gaming headsets advertised for the PS4 will have a ‘console tax’ for sure. While the headset didn’t quite clinch the performance or design award, its performance justifies the price and for that very reason it will be awarded with our Value award.

I’d like to say thanks to SteelSeries for providing a sample for today’s review.