Testing Methodology
For testing we will be testing only on the PC platform since I feel that it gives better overall sound quality. We will be examining the headsets performance in Music, Movies,and PC games.
Before running these tests, the headphones were properly burned-in, in order to bring out the full characteristics of the sound. This is done in order to allow the speakers in the headphones to burn-in since they often sound different out of the box, than when you burn them in for 20-50hrs. After the burn-in period, all tests were conducted.
Music
Music testing is done with the Siberia V2 CS:GO headset being driven by an Asus Xonar DX sound card, all music is formatted in FLAC at 256kbs bitrate. Different music albums were used in order to get a feel for how the set would perform on different music genres. All music was tested at a neutral preset on the sound card in order to show what out of the box performance is like, without catering to a individual music type since very few people only listen to a single type of music.
The first album I used was Aly & Fila – Rising sun which is a Trance/ Techno album. Testing this album I was very much surprised with the sound quality in the mids and lows. Everything at those ranges came in extremely clearly throughout listening. Although as the album progressed and more highs were introduced I felt like the highs needed some work. At times they can become a bit muddy with other ranges occuring at the same time. But, that is not to say it was a bad sound, just something you need to keep in mind. I would say that this sort of music shines with these headphones since the beats are pounding and solid, but not overwhelming.
Next up is the Folk album Bring Me your Love by City & Colour. This album is used in order to give a good sense of the mids and highs, as well as some input on the finer details in guitar chords and other sounds. Small details throughout this album need some work. They are there and you can notice them, but when carefully listening they are not super finely detailed. Since these headphones are of the closed variety the sound feels a bit more forced in the sense that there is not much room for the sound to expand, and it simply goes straight into your ears. The sound is fine, but certainly not what I would consider ideal.
Next up we pick up the pace of the music and feature the A.F.I. Album, Art of Drowning.This album has been notorious for overwhelming headphones due to quick beats and a fast pace. Did the Co’caine headphones fall flat on their faces? In small instances, yes. But for the most part they were able to keep up and gave some solid sound quality. The soundstage was not the best but you can not expect it to be with a closed pair of headphones. Overall I enjoyed the sound quality throughout this album but wished that things were just a bit more refined.
Finally we took a look at the Rap album K.O.D. by Tech N9ne.Just like the other albums, the problem of sounds mixing was present. Over the course of the album the bass shows that it can be pounding but not overwhelming. Lows are solid throughout this album, but I do wish that other sound ranges came in a bit better. Mids are present but come through slightly muddy, highs appear in the same manner. A cleaner, more crisp sound would be ideal but they are still worth using to listen to music.
Movies/ Video
Lots of people use their headphones when they watch movies or their favorite TV shows. Testing is done by watching Blue-Ray rips of the following series at 720p or 1080p on the VLC media player.
Life
This BBC/ Discovery channel is simply stunning visually and audio. Everything from small footsteps to big roars come in crisp and clear throughout the series. Since sounds do not happy extremely fast like they do in music it gives these headphones a chance to shine with its sound quality. The listening experience is quite good and certainly up to the task.
Band of Brothers
This HBO mini-series gives a breattaking look at a group from the 101st airbourne during world war II. Positional audio is good with these headphones, as well as details like gunshots. But once gunshots and explosions occur at the same time it can cause slight issues of muddy sound and ranges mixing. These instances are not every time they occur at the same time, but they do happen.
Being quite an amazing series, Band of Brothers was a perfect fit for a war experience.
Lets also take a look at gaming on these headphones.
Since these headphones are made for gamers lets see how good this unit actually performs in a few games.
PC Gaming
Lets go ahead and take a look at a couple games with fantastic sound quality.
Counterstrike: Global Offensive
Over the years the Counter Strike series has been notorious for needing perfect sound if you want to excel. Sound quality in CS:GO is simply great. These headphones can keep up to those high standards that the CS series set. Gunshots and footsteps are very accurate. If someone is reloading around a corner it is very easy to pick up and will keep you alive. They might not be the best at sound reproduction, but they sure do the job well.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A big huge immersive world is a great way to describe skyrim, the sound in the game is quite immersive as well. Moving throughout the Skyrim world was a great experience. Everything from a dragon flying in for the kill to a metal sword hitting a metal shield , sounds were accurate and of good quality. Music in the game was also of good quality.
