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 The first thing I like to do when I get a new set of headphones is to try them on and see how comfortable they are. My ears are sensitive and if the headset isn’t comfortable they tend to hurt after a while. This is why I typically have to spend an extra 20 to 50 dollars on headphones when ever I buy a mp3 player.
Earlier this month I reviewed the Steel Sound 5H Gaming Head phones and I said that the headphones were stylish and I was amazed at how comfortable those were. In fact I love those headphones so much I use them constantly. I even had the nerve to connect them to my I Pod and walk around with them on in public.
Well the Ice mat Black Siberia has got me eating my own words because these are gorgeous and I am even more amazed at how comfortable they are. Click here to view a image of the headset. The headset is so light that it doesn’t even feel like you are wearing them at all. The cushioned ear buds are soft and surround your ear completely and apply no pressure to your ears and little pressure to the area surrounding your ears.
Now here are some specs on the Black Siberia headset:
HEADPHONE:
Frequency resp: 18-28.000 Hz
Impedance: 40 Ohm
SPL@1kHz, 1V rms: 99 - 104dB
Cable length: 1,0+1,8=2,8m.
Jack: 3,5 mm. + 6,3 mm. converter.
MICROPHONE:
Frequency Response: 80-15.000 Hz
Pick-up pattern: Sensitive uni-directional
1V/P@1kHz: -38dB
As you can see from the specs the headset comes with a microphone, But don’t worry it isn’t attached to any part of the headset it’s completely separate however the cable for the headset does have plastic notches along its length where you can securely attach the microphone cable so that you don’t have a tangled mess of cables.
The microphone itself can be placed anywhere. It comes with a few pieces of velcro giving you the opportunity to attach your microphone to more than one place depending on your position. It is also attached to a clip so you can easily clip it onto your shirt or any object on your desk. I have mine attached to the edge of my desk pointed upwards.
Now onto the part of the review you are really interested in. I am sure you are asking "What’s the sound quality like?" The sound quality is great. I have been listening to music the entire time I have been writing this up and the crystal clear sound is superb. No complaints in the music department here.
I also did the typical game trial. I played a few games of UT2k4 and the sound was great as well. I used the microphone during the game to talk with a few players and they did not complain about me sound to low or distant even when I didn’t have the microphone clipped to my shirt.
Both the headset and microphone work well with all the voice apps I tried, Skype, MSN, Yahoo and AOL. The microphone has an off switch which comes in handy when talking in a voice chat. You can disable it easily so that the person you are talking to does not hear any other conversations you may be having.
The headset comes with a remote that you can use to raise or lower the volume, but unlike some headsets with remote’s, this one you can remove the remote if you want to. I like that because when I am on my desk I have easy access to the volume controls for my computer and the extra cable that comes with the remote is rather long so it tends to get in the way. But when you connect the headset to your stereo the remote comes in handy. Especially if you are like me and tend to lose your stereo remote.
Even when using the headphones on a stereo, the sound quality is great and the microphone will also work on your stereo system. It even comes in handy if you like to sing along and hear you’re self like I do. It’s just embarrassing when you get caught.
There is also the Black Siberia USB sound card. The sound card is incredibly small and doubles as a remote. It matches the headsets perfectly and I must say its better than the onboard soundcard my motherboard has. The soundcard is plug-and-play so you do not need to install any drivers for it to work. However it does come with software that will help improve its performance.
 Overall these headphones are great for everything; game play, music, and more. So we at HardwareGeeks.com have decided to award it our Gold Kick Ass award.
The USB soundcard is compatible with Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/OSX, I have also tested with Windows Vista beta and they worked. You also do not need the USB device you can simply plug the cables into your existing sound cards Mic and Speaker ports. The software used for the soundcard is the same software used for the headphones I last reviewed. To check out some screen shots for the software and my thoughts read the bottom of that review.
For more information on the headphones and to find a place to buy yours visit: http://www.icemat.com
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