As most gamers will know your set-up cannot be complete without a high quality pair of headphones. There are countless options available on the market these days and finding the right pair can be somewhat of a challenge. The SteelSeries H Wireless headset offers great sounding audio and chat functionality for the quite expensive price of £260.99.

Design

The H Wireless looks much simpler than the design of Astro headsets such as the A50’s but is something that I very much prefer, especially as there are no exposed wires. The headset itself doesn’t actually weigh that much compared to its competitors while still having a sturdy build design. Once placed on your head the fitting is really tight and at first I found it a little uncomfortable but after 2/3 times of wearing it I quickly became used to it and no longer noticed it. Of course this helped with keeping background noises out so that you have the ultimate gaming experience.

The ear-cups are round in shape and despite looking like they would be a weird fitting they cupped the ear perfectly and also tilted to follow the contours of your head. Like a lot of non-gaming headphones the ear-cups actually rotate a full 90-degrees so that the headset lies flat, as well as making them more portable. The inside of the cups are lined with an orange fabric which provides a nice contrast to the mainly black headset.

The headband is mainly plastic but is reinforced with metal to ensure that it doesn’t break easily. This means they twist a little more than you would think but also allows you to wear them in a variety of different ways without being worried you’ll snap them.

In terms of buttons and dials on the cups SteelSeries have attempted to keep the headset minimal and easy to use which works really well. On the right ear-cup you’ll find a small volume dial which can also be clicked to scroll through the various settings on the transmitters screen. Located on the bottom of the same ear cup you’ll find the power/mute button. Simply hold for 2 seconds to switch on the device or a quick click to mute the microphone. Next to the button you’ll find another 2 ports which are used for Xbox chat and another to share the audio with another headset. Both of these are covered with a dual rubber plug to keep them hidden out of the way.

The microphone is concealed in the left ear-cup and blends in well with the headset when not in use. Once the microphone has been extended the bendable arm allows you to position it in the optimal position. Located on the end of the microphone you’ll find an LED ring, which when muted will be lit up red to indicate this.

Headphone Transmitter Box

Separate to the headset you have a small black transmitter box. This box beams the audio signal from your input source straight to the headphones making it ‘wireless’. When you plug in the box you’ll see the OLED display switch on which is one of the main differences to other gaming headsets. This will shows lots of different options which you can scroll through using the dial and also a small button next to the display. Even though the display is quite small its very easy to read, even from a distance.

On the right-hand edge of the transmitter box you’ll find the battery charger. This is a great little feature and allows you to charge the battery for the headphones whilst you game. SteelSeries include 2 batteries in the box each of which provide around 2o hours of gaming time. Using this method you can be sure that you’ll never miss a moment audio-wise as a battery charges while your using the other in the headset.

Sound Quality

The H Wireless delivers 7.1 Dolby Digital virtual surround sound which creates a whole new dimension when gaming as well as working with movies. Testing with a variety of FPS’s, I can confirm that gaming is where the headset really excels. Whether its a bullet leaving a gun in Call of Duty Ghosts or a falling building in Battlefield 4 the audio delivered by the headset is truly astounding.

On the transmitter box you’ll find a range of audio options including an built-in equalizer. There are different presets which you can swap between to find the perfect fit for whatever you’re using the headset for whether its gaming, listening to music or watching movies. You can create your own custom settings which can be easily saved as well which is a nice feature. In terms of the soundstage the highs and mid-tones were very clear and crisp. Although the bass performance is good, I felt it lacked a little impact but wasn’t a major let down.

Connections

On the back of the transmitter you’ll find a range of different connections and ports used to send the audio to the headphones. These include an analogue in, chat out, a DC power in, micro-USB, optical in and an optical out. Thanks to the optical port nearly any device will function well with the transmitter box, including the Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac. For chat communication on the Xbox 360 you will however have to hook up the provided cable into the controller. On the Xbox One you will need to purchase an adapter to enable the chat functionality which is not yet out at the time of writing. Everything you need to hookup the transmitter to your gaming device is included in the box, minus the Xbox One headset adapter and a booklet also details the set-up for a few of the most popular options such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

This headset really is ready to go straight from the box and everything you need to get up and running is included.

Whats In The Box?
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– 1x Power Cable
– 1x Mobile Cable
– 1x Chat Cable
– 1x Analog Cable
– 1x Optical Cable
– 1x USB Cable

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– 2 Batteries (One in the headset)
– Power Adapter (With international attachments)
– H Wireless Headset
– Transmitter
– Documentation + Sticker

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Our Verdict

As far as gaming headsets go the SteelSeries H Wireless Headset is very impressive. During long gaming sessions the headset doesn’t become uncomfortable to wear and the leather cups do well to keep out any background noise. The sound quality offered is crisp and refined while the transmitter is easy to use and set-up with a nice OLED display. It’s fair to say I think it is the perfect choice for your dedicated gamer and matches up to the Astro’s A50 headset.

If you happen to purchase or already have this headset you can be certain that you’re sporting one of the highest quality gaming headsets out there to date. Overall its gets massive thumbs up from me!