So before I could hook up the headset for testing, I noticed that the cord for the headset was only about 3 ft long and didn’t know how I would like this, but as it turns out, this is just the right length if you have USB ports on the top of your tower. It gave me the perfect length without a lot of excess. For the users who need more cable, SteelSeries has included a 6ft USB extension which gives you more than enough cable to reach any USB port on your rig.
I plugged up the headset, made a few tweaks to the LEDs and tried them out. The over the ear cups are extremely comfortable. I also noticed that the tension was perfect. With the deep foam ear padding, properly tensioned support rods and the automatically adjusting headstrap, the Diablo 3 headset is so comfortable that you may forget that you are even wearing a headset at all.
Now the Diablo 3 headset is a standard stereo setup and is not surround sound. Some may see this as a problem, but think about the purpose. If you need a headset for Diablo 3 (a top down dungeon crawl game) then you have no need for surround sound. What I am more interested in is the sound quality, and SteelSeries has stacked the deck in their favor in this area.
This headset has a rem
arkably crisp sound to it. All of the high and mid range sounds blend perfectly together. The 50mm drivers provide not only crystal clear sound, but enough bass to rock your socks off. The only way that you can get anymore bass in a headset is to add force feedback to it. Time and again I found myself wearing the Diablo 3 headset for no reason at all but just listening to some of my favorite Rock artist. My wife found it quite funny to see me bobbing my head as I scrolled through spreadsheets. Though she was laughing, it didn’t bother me because I couldn’t hear her at all.
Now, it is hard to find a perfect product and the Diablo 3 headset is no exception to this universal truth. Despite the amazing sound quality, the mic was a different story. My friends and I seem to always have trouble with Steam chat, so when we play we use TeamSpeak 3. With the mic fully extended, it took me nearly 15 minutes to get good reception. The mic has a unidirectional pick up to help cut down on feedback and background noise. It accomplishes this but perhaps too well. My friends kept telling me that I was too quiet and it was only when I finally found the sweet spot for mic placement that I could communicate with them. This is not a deal breaker though since it does the job once you do find the sweet spot.
Verdict
In the end, I have to give the Diablo 3 headset the GDN
seal of approval. Apart from mic issues that are non-existent after a little practice, the Diablo 3 headset was everything a gamer could ever want. The quality performance, sturdy construction, and dare I say, sexy design make this a headset worthy of your time and money. And if you are looking for a little something extra, you can pick up the matching Diablo 3 mouse or one of many Diablo 3 mouse pads from SteelSeries. Blizzard could not have picked a finer company to make their officially licensed Diablo 3 products.
