Icemat Audio Siberia Headset

Performance:

Focusing on PC gaming, we connected the headphones to a Creative Labs Audigy 2. With Linux, we used ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) v1.0.6 for the sound driver. The motherboard used was a Tyan Tomcat i915 S5120 and Intel Pentium 4 530 running at 3.21GHz. FedoraCore3 (2.6.10-1.741) was the Linux distribution we used while testing the Icemat Siberia. During this testing the headphones and microphone were attached directly to the sound card. A majority of our testing consisted of using the headphones and microphone when playing - Unreal Tournament 2004, Doom 3, and America 's Army Special Forces v2.3 (FIREFIGHT). Most of the time, we either used the VoIP capabilities if the game allowed or using Teamspeak 2. After a few hours of gaming, we moved onto some traditional audio listening. XMMS 1.2.10 was used to listen to our MP3 and OGG Vorbis files.

Even though speaker/headphone testing can be rather subjective, depending upon personal audio likes and dislikes we'll go ahead and tell you our opinions on the Icemat Siberia. With what we focused a majority of our testing on, gaming, we were very satisfied with Icemat's offerings. When gaming we were able to clearly hear picayune details, such as a pin being pulled on a frag grenade or a door opening faintly in the distance. These details led to an advantage while gaming that can't be achieved with low-quality speakers due to a lack of frequency response or background interference. The bass frequencies weren't as enjoyable as listening on a speaker system with sub-woofer or headphones with a battery-powered sub-woofer, but the overall bass frequencies were reproduced quite well. No animosities were felt with the middle or higher frequencies. The headphones were also very comfortable after wearing them for hours on end, with the padded headband and phones. As for the microphone, we used it mainly with Teamspeak while gaming and UT2k4 with its VoIP functions, along with using Skype. The microphone did very well picking everything up when talking in our natural voices.

Conclusion:

With the overall sound quality being near perfect to our tastes, although lacking on the bass somewhat, we couldn't ask more from this headset. With a price tag of $79.99 USD, these headphones unfortunately don't come cheap. The only items we found that could be improved upon was the build quality of the headset, so they can handle a better beating when transporting them, and perhaps the reproduction of lower frequencies, to enhance the bass listening environment. For Apple iPod users out there, the Icemat Siberian blends beautifully with your basic iPod. Overall, the Icemat Siberia is a good match for you if you don't mind spending $80 USD on a pair of high quality headphones.

Pros:

· High quality headset
· Attractive appearance
· Detachable microphone
· 2.8 meter cable length
· Open type design
· Volume regulator
· Padded phones & headband

Cons:

· Low frequencies could be improved marginally
· Improved build quality - for LAN party transportation