SteelSeries Siberia P300 Review – Packs a Punch

Gamers are a notoriously fickle bunch. We demand the best of our console accessories. This holds true for any pair of gaming headphones. They have to sound nice while also being lightweight enough to wear for marathon gaming sessions. This is no small feat. For example, I have a pair of Alienware Ultrasone Ozma 7s, and while they sound fantastic, they have never been easy to wear for longer than an hour or two. Enter SteelSeries. This company has long been known as a PC brand, but they have branched out into the console space. We’ve spent several dozen hours listening to our games on the new Siberia P300s, and have our verdict ready for you.

Subjective History

Audio quality is very much a subjective preference, even more so than reviewing a video game. Perhaps explaining my history with high-end audio products could help you to understand where I am coming from. As stated previously, I have a pair of Alienware Ultrasone Ozma 7s, which had an MSRP of around $200 US and were generally well-received. Aside from that I also owned a pair of the amazing Ultimate Ears triple.Fi 10s, which up until an unfortunate theft were my go-to set when I wanted to zone out on music that sounded like I was listening live, or to completely lose myself in a good game. I’ve also built myself a custom 1200W 7.1 surround sound system.

So, how do the P300s compare? Surprisingly, these are a very well-balanced set of headphones. The first thing that you will notice when putting these on is how remarkably light they are. This is usually a bad sign, as audio drivers tend to need some heft to drive good sound. One session with these headphones, however, and it’s obvious that some impressive engineering lies under the hood. Tonal response in the high and mid-range (think gunshots and voices in games, vocals and instruments in music) sounds crystal clear, while the low-end (all about that bass) packs a decent, but not overwhelming, punch. The ear cups also provide for natural sound isolation, and even at a higher volume most audio does not escape to disturb others around you.

One concern with anyone using this with the PlayStation 4 is that the headset could cause extra drain on the DualShock 4, a controller that ended up being a step in the wrong direction when it comes to battery life compared to the DualShock 3. Thankfully, I can safely say that the P300s do not appear to cause much noticeable battery drain.

Light as a Feather

Aside from a balanced sound signature, the P300s are incredibly lightweight. I once wore them for at least five hours straight, and experienced no discomfort whatsoever. This is good news for anyone looking to game for long stretches of time without disturbing others. However, these headphones also don’t support those with larger heads, as the stretchable band has a limited stretching capability. I was able to fit into them without too much hassle, but the adjustable strap was at its absolute limit; anyone with even a slightly larger head than myself might not be able to use this set without some sort of modification.

A microphone is also built into the P300s, which is an absolute must for any headset billed as one for gamers. This microphone is also retractable, so it can be out of the way when you don’t need to use it. On top of that, a handy mute switch toggles the mic on and off, so you are heard only when you want to be heard. The microphone also sounds fairly clear to those whom I spoke with while using it. Unfortunately, the P300s do not have an in-line control unit, so you’re going to have to set your mic and/or headphone volume with whatever device you’re using.

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself how important comfort is to your gaming. Personally, I have not worn a pair of headphones this comfortable in a long time. Combine that with a surprisingly robust sound quality and built-in retractable mic, and the SteelSeries Siberia P300s should serve any serious PS4 gamer for years to come.

Retail hardware was provided by manufacturer.