WEBVTT 00:00:05.920 --> 00:00:13.120 Buy an unlocked Intel 4th gen Core i7 or Core i5 processor and get a free copy of 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:18.480 Rome 2: Total War. Click now to learn more. Welcome friends to my unboxing and 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:21.840 review of the Steel Series H Wireless. It's a bit of a spoiler alert thing 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:25.359 here, so if you don't want to know the results of this video, then you better 00:00:23.279 --> 00:00:30.400 stop watching now. Oh, you probably do. Anyway, it's the 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:32.640 best gaming wireless headset I have ever 00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:36.559 encountered. So, let's start with opening up the box and having a look at 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:40.559 what's inside. Now, Steeler's whole thing with this is lagfree, 00:00:39.040 --> 00:00:47.120 uninterrupted wireless performance. And it really 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:48.640 actually is uh more on that in the range 00:00:47.120 --> 00:00:52.719 test. So, the first thing we find inside is the H wireless themselves. And then, 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:56.559 well, we'll talk more about those in a moment. Next, we find the base station, 00:00:54.399 --> 00:01:00.399 which has a volume knob as well as a button on the front, a back button on 00:00:58.160 --> 00:01:04.400 the front, an OLED display that's actually quite vibrant. Then, it has a 00:01:02.559 --> 00:01:09.520 little battery port. And finally, on the back, analog in, chat out, power in, USB 00:01:07.600 --> 00:01:14.320 in, and because it has a built-in DAC, as well as optical in and optical pass 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:21.280 through, again, utilizing the built-in DAC. Next up, we find all of the cables 00:01:19.119 --> 00:01:24.880 that you could Oops. possibly need regardless of where 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:28.880 you are in the world to hook this baby up to whatever you could possibly want. 00:01:27.600 --> 00:01:33.439 Now, let's start with the construction and the looks of the unit. The materials 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:37.680 actually feel very premium and it has a much more subdued aesthetic compared to 00:01:35.520 --> 00:01:42.479 the recently released Siberia Elites. I think they're targeting the, you know, 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:45.840 the mature gamer. I guess I guess I guess a gamer would have to be at least 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:51.520 mature enough to buy these to be earning their own money because at $300 they are 00:01:48.479 --> 00:01:53.520 really, really expensive. but they do 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:57.280 look good. In terms of features, we'll start with the weight. They come in at 00:01:54.880 --> 00:02:01.040 around 325 gram, which is about the same as the Corsair Vengeance 2100. They 00:01:59.360 --> 00:02:04.799 feature Dolby Headphone, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Prologic 2, so you can use 00:02:02.880 --> 00:02:08.399 whatever virtual surround technology you want. Although, personally, I prefer 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:12.239 good old-fashioned stereo. They have compatibility with pretty much whatever 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:16.879 you could possibly want with via the analog as well as digital inputs. So, 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:22.560 you've got PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, phone, AV system, uh whatever, whatever 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:26.160 you feel like. The uh one feature that they're touting as a as a big deal, and 00:02:24.480 --> 00:02:30.239 I actually kind of agree with them, is the fact that it has swappable battery 00:02:28.160 --> 00:02:34.480 packs. So, it comes with two of these battery packs as well as a charging port 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:37.519 in the base station. So, you get up to 10 hours with with each of them. So, 00:02:36.160 --> 00:02:41.280 let's say that's optimistic and you get up to eight hours with each of them. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:45.840 What you can do is you can actually charge the other one while you're using 00:02:43.440 --> 00:02:49.360 the first one and then they charge in a couple hours and you can swap them for 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:52.879 virtually unending battery life. I think that's a really cool feature. And then I 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:56.160 also think their shareport feature is really cool as well. Now because these 00:02:54.480 --> 00:03:00.000 are designed to be used not only in front of a PC but also in a living room 00:02:58.480 --> 00:03:03.040 and they, you know, they look like something that might make sense in a 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:06.159 living room as more of a multimedia headphone. This is great because you're 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:10.159 not necessarily going to have a whole bunch of sets of wireless headphones. So 00:03:08.720 --> 00:03:15.120 now with this little 3 and a half millimeter jack down here, you can bring someone along for the ride and they can 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:19.440 listen to whatever movie it is that you're watching or whatever game you're 00:03:16.959 --> 00:03:24.080 playing at the same time as you. I think that's really, really cool. Now, in 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:29.680 terms of comfort, the H wireless fits me like a glove. I actually really really 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:34.239 like them for this. The headband is a little bit narrower than I would 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:38.480 normally like, but the very soft foam on the bottom does compensate for this. And 00:03:36.640 --> 00:03:42.560 there's actually that same soft foam on the ear cups. You can see it's an 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:46.159 extremely slow rebound when you press it in. So, there isn't really any breakin 00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:50.879 time. They're comfortable right out of the box. The pleather on the ear cups is 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:56.080 also a couple grades above what you will typically find on cheap commodity 00:03:52.959 --> 00:03:58.480 headsets and really feels closer to 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:02.159 natural leather than than again most of the other pleather products that I've 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:05.840 encountered. The weight is about the same as the Vengeance 2100, which I 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:10.480 think I already said, but because that weight is closer to the center, closer 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:14.400 to my head instead of being further out, I find that they don't slip around when 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:20.079 I move my head in the same way that the Vengeance 2100's do. That leads us to 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:22.400 our range test. Now, I did five 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:26.720 different spots and then I used the same setup each time. So, I actually had a 00:04:24.080 --> 00:04:30.720 laptop and then the USB dongle connected to the base station in my office. Then, 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:34.720 I tried the same room. So it's about a 10-ft maximum. The other side of the 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:38.800 wall, I tried down the hallway. I tried the stair landing. So coming down onto 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:43.360 the next floor, I tried the bathroom on the floor below. And then finally, I 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:48.720 tried the basement. So the H wireless performed better than the Vengeance 2100 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:50.720 and the Astro A50s by a long shot in my 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:52.960 range test. However, unless you're the kind of person who's going to kind of 00:04:51.840 --> 00:04:59.040 wander around the house listening to music with your wireless headphones, which some people do, I suppose, that 00:04:56.479 --> 00:05:02.960 might not be that relevant. Leading into the listening tests, I want to talk 00:05:00.479 --> 00:05:08.479 about the maximum volume very briefly. It didn't get uncomfortably loud um or 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:12.800 extremely loud. It got about as loud as I would go, but it should be noted that 00:05:10.880 --> 00:05:17.440 the dial on the back, which can be used not only to adjust volume, but also to 00:05:15.520 --> 00:05:20.880 adjust settings on the base station to hear. So, you can adjust them either 00:05:18.960 --> 00:05:24.800 here with uh with the knobs and dials, or you can configure and hear certain 00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:29.280 settings that you can adjust using the headphones themselves, so you don't even have to get up. Anyway, this is an 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:33.919 independent volume control from your Windows system volume if you're using 00:05:31.039 --> 00:05:37.680 the headphones or headset on a PC. So, you could use some software tricks if 00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:41.840 you wanted to squeeze a little bit more volume out of them, but I found 60 to 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:46.240 70% was good for day-to-day music listening or or like casual gaming. In 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:51.520 terms of noise isolation, I really do think that's a strong point for these headphones. The faux leather ear cup 00:05:49.280 --> 00:05:55.039 covering does help with this compared to the cloth covering that is in use by 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:59.280 both the Vengeance 2100 and the Astro A50s. both of which I was testing at the 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:03.120 same time so I could get better context for each of the products. The I mean 00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:06.639 this is important because I hadn't really spent much time with wireless 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:10.720 gaming headphones because I don't really care that much about gaming headphones 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:14.080 for the most part. Um but more on that anyway in the listening in the listening 00:06:12.080 --> 00:06:18.000 section. The H wireless is fully driverless on the PC. So I was up and 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:21.199 running in 15 seconds give or take once I plugged it in. There is a software 00:06:19.840 --> 00:06:25.440 application that you can use to make adjustments. But because this is a 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:29.360 console optimized product, you can also adjust all the advanced features using 00:06:27.520 --> 00:06:32.880 the uh base station or the headphones themselves. So you can adjust your 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:38.160 general volume. You can adjust your Dolby, the relative volume of game 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:42.800 sounds and chat sounds compared to each other. Or there's even a setting to do 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:45.919 that dynamically so that as chat transmissions come through your game 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:50.880 volume can lower a little bit and your chat volume can increase so you can hear 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:54.080 things clearly and you can adjust how much of a shift there is when that 00:06:52.880 --> 00:06:59.120 happens. So that's a pretty cool feature. You can also set up um any one 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:03.919 of the preset EQ settings or even a custom EQ if you want, but the control 00:07:01.520 --> 00:07:07.919 wasn't very glam granular and generally speaking I like a fairly flat EQ. So, I 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:12.000 just found myself sticking with mostly flat and adjusting things up a little 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:16.240 bit in the mid-range. Finally, you can adjust your input source because it does 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:20.240 have multiple inputs as well as assign profiles for each of those sources with 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:24.160 respect to the EQ, Dolby, chat volume, and all that stuff on a source by source 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:29.120 basis. So, it'll remember all that as you switch between different things. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:32.800 Which leads us to the listening tests. They were all performed, all three 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:37.280 headsets, using the onboard DAC. So, we used USB connectivity for the best 00:07:34.880 --> 00:07:41.680 apples to apples comparison. And this one, I guess I spoiled the surprise a 00:07:38.880 --> 00:07:45.599 little bit, but it really is probably the best gaming headset I've ever heard. 00:07:43.599 --> 00:07:50.400 Um, it surprised both Brandon and Edel as well. We all had very low 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:53.360 expectations because it is branded as a See, it's look, it's right there on the 00:07:51.520 --> 00:07:57.360 box, gaming headset, and they just tend to not be as good as multimedia 00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:01.039 headsets. Um, but honestly, I mean, I feel like for an extra $100 over the 00:07:59.440 --> 00:08:05.199 Siberia Elites, which were they were good sounding, but they weren't good. I 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:09.520 mean, they were good. Um, these are worth it in terms of audio quality, 00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:13.759 audio fidelity alone. And the fact that they're wireless is just a bonus at that 00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:17.919 point. And I would really consider saving my extra pennies for something 00:08:16.080 --> 00:08:21.919 like this versus the Siberia Elites because I don't personally need 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:26.160 multicolored onboard lights. I mean, I appreciate wireless freedom and I 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:29.680 appreciate great sound quality, but I don't need like 16 whatever million 00:08:28.080 --> 00:08:34.000 colors and all that kind of stuff. Now, let's talk about sheer audio quality. 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:37.519 Bass performance at very, very low frequencies. So, this would be my one 00:08:35.680 --> 00:08:42.560 criticism. You know, those frequencies that'll tickle your ears and make your 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:45.279 head vibrate, those may feel a fair bit 00:08:42.560 --> 00:08:50.240 lacking, but I would still say that bass performance is very good. It's tight and 00:08:47.760 --> 00:08:55.440 it's punchy and it's good for general battlefield ambient sounds and great for 00:08:53.680 --> 00:08:59.839 listening to music. But if you're one of those people that really enjoys that 00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:04.320 rumble, then they might not be quite as appealing to you as they are to me. The 00:09:01.920 --> 00:09:09.360 mids are also not as strong as some would like, but I found that was able to 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:13.279 be taken care of with a very small bump to the mid-range using the EQ. And I 00:09:11.680 --> 00:09:17.680 would go through and I would probably set that bump on all of my different 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:20.800 inputs. The highs are crisp and clear without being fatiguing to listen to, 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:25.360 which is a bit of a problem that I tend to have even with good headphones just 00:09:23.040 --> 00:09:29.519 because um my my hearing is a little bit more sensitive in that range. So, I 00:09:26.959 --> 00:09:33.279 quite enjoyed listening to these. Um but you do have to take all of that what I 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:38.080 just said with a grain of salt because while I do have a fair bit of experience 00:09:34.880 --> 00:09:40.160 with wired audio file grade headphones, 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:44.800 I don't have any experience with audio filegrade wireless headphones. So, the 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:49.839 only thing I could really compare these directly to was other gaming headsets. 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:52.880 So, I I mean, I guess the pricing is something that doesn't really make 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:56.880 sense. Do these sound so much better than something like Audio Technica 00:09:55.040 --> 00:10:02.640 ATM50s? No, probably not. Um, probably similar, 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:06.640 but those are a wired headphone and so I don't have the proper context for 00:10:04.959 --> 00:10:10.880 wireless audio file headphones to know if these are a good value at $300. But 00:10:08.800 --> 00:10:16.800 what I can compare against is other gaming headsets. So, the Astro A50s to 00:10:14.160 --> 00:10:20.000 me are um they don't make nearly as much sense. They're the same price as the H 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:25.680 wireless. They don't really have any features that the H wireless doesn't have, and they just plain don't sound as 00:10:24.160 --> 00:10:29.200 good, and they don't have as good range and all that stuff. But where things 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:32.800 start to get quite interesting is comparing the H wireless to the 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:36.800 Vengeance 2100's. If you're a strictly PC gamer, then a lot of the features of 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:40.399 the H wireless might not make sense for you. So, what you're getting is you are 00:10:38.959 --> 00:10:45.200 getting noticeably better sound quality. So, that is a thing, but I don't know if it's a twice as much thing. You are 00:10:43.760 --> 00:10:50.079 getting the swappable battery feature, which is really cool because the Vengeance 2100 has a built-in battery, 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:54.079 and when you run out, you you tether yourself to your computer using USB, and 00:10:51.760 --> 00:10:58.720 you run it as basically a wired headset. Um, you are getting the varied 00:10:56.480 --> 00:11:01.839 configurable inputs, including console compatibility. So, it's nice to be able 00:11:00.079 --> 00:11:06.079 to switch between those. The 2100 does not have that, strictly a USB dongle. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:12.160 Um, for me the comfort was better and the overall feel was more premium, but 00:11:08.800 --> 00:11:13.839 at twice the price, um, it's, yeah, it's 00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:18.000 up to you whether you can justify it or not, especially considering that the 00:11:15.839 --> 00:11:23.040 microphone really didn't blow me away on this one. It sounds pretty hollow. It 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:26.640 lacks that that AM radio sound that is typically achievable with a microphone 00:11:24.880 --> 00:11:30.320 so close to your mouth. I'll give you guys a listen to it here. This is my 00:11:28.560 --> 00:11:34.160 audio test with the microphone on the Steel Series H Wireless. I hope you 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:38.800 enjoyed it. And then I'll talk a little bit about why I feel like with a 00:11:36.079 --> 00:11:43.760 wireless headphone or headset, um, the built-in microphone is so important 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:47.680 compared to with a wired solution. Because if you have wired headphones, 00:11:45.760 --> 00:11:50.800 even if they have no microphone at all, there are many other solutions. You can 00:11:49.040 --> 00:11:54.240 run another wire for a clipon. You can put a mod mic on it. You can put a 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:59.279 desktop mic on your desk. Well, with wireless, the expectation is that you 00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:01.360 can move away. You can leave. And so 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:04.640 adding another wire is not a reasonable solution in this case. So I feel like 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:10.240 the the built-in mic has to be good enough. And this one's not that great. 00:12:06.800 --> 00:12:12.240 But it's usable. It's not staticky or um 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:17.279 or distorted sounding like the Astro A50s. And they do get major points for 00:12:14.880 --> 00:12:20.800 the retractable mic. I hate boom mics. I find they get in the way. I don't like 00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:25.279 how they can't easily be adjusted to the very corner of your mouth, which is the 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:28.720 optimal positioning. Um but it just plain doesn't sound as good as the 00:12:26.560 --> 00:12:32.800 Vengeance 2100 mic. I do like the mute button implementation on this particular 00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:35.680 headphone though. I think I went and turned them off when I meant to turn 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:38.880 them on there. But anyway, you do a quick press of the power button rather 00:12:37.040 --> 00:12:42.240 than a hold. And there's an indicator light that is not bright enough to be 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:47.360 distracting, but bright enough to be easily visible that shows you whether 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:49.920 your mic is transmitting or not. So, 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:55.120 thank you for checking out my unboxing sort of and review of the Steeler H 00:12:52.959 --> 00:12:58.480 wireless. Don't forget to like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you 00:12:56.880 --> 00:13:03.360 disliked it. Leave a comment and let me know. Are they just off their gourd? Is 00:13:00.880 --> 00:13:08.240 $300 just plain too much for a gaming headset? Or is, you know, would you be 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:11.440 shopping for something like an Astro A50 or something comparable? And now would 00:13:09.920 --> 00:13:15.440 you look at the H wireless and consider it? Especially given that according to 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:19.200 Lionus's review anyway, it's just plain better in every possible way. Would love 00:13:17.760 --> 00:13:22.399 to hear what you guys think about that. And last but not least, don't forget to 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:49.890 subscribe to Plus Tech Tips for more unboxings, reviews, and other computer videos.