damn these are ugly... So many great headsets on the market at the moment in various price segments... this crap does not look like what SS is supposed to be about. It looks like some knock off cheapo brand you buy at Tesco or a street vendor even.

I've had mine for a while now & love them. The LiveMix is great and I hate being without it. I'm shocked at the price you have listed though as mine were under £40! I also have my headset ports for my PC on a switch on my desk so the short cable is fine for me. The LiveMix unit picks up interference from monitors, so when I used it on the PC I had to move it to one side away from everything to get rid of that.

I'm slightly confused about this 'review' as you haven't mentioned LiveMix, which is really what you're paying for here as you can buy LiveMix for almost the same price on its own, and it will work with any existing PC headset... You also make no mention of the fact that the headset comes apart for flat storage/transport which can be quite handy.

The FAQ explains the buzzing/hissing when using them with a PC: http://faq.steelseries.com/questions/198/What+can+cause+my+Audiomixer+to+emit+a+buzzing+or+static+noise+in+my+headset%3F

Why no mention of the LiveMix feature of the "silly bulbous Xbox 360 adapter" as you call it, which happens to be a major selling point.

Or the fact that the headphones come apart so you can transport them safely?

Terrible review... read the box again.

edit: LOL, I was typing when Hex posted that ^^^

Originally Posted by Steelseries
Since the Audiomixer is an analog device, it is susceptible to noise or interference from devices that emit radioactive signals. There will usually be a low level buzz audible when not listening to any audio.

Sounds like a pretty major design fault to me. I've had analogue headphones that never buzzed and hissed before. So these are fine then, as long as you don't use them near any electronics. Errr...

Surprised they got as high as 30/40 with that.

Good luck to people who bought them and like them, that's the main thing, but I like my headphones without a buzzing sound thanks.

Hex, while I couldn't care less about livemix... I'm glad you mentioned the flat storage. Definately agree that's a great feature for gaming headsets these days and would have lessened the sour tone in my initial posting had I known about that feature.

I still think visually they are lacking considering the price and the manufacturer.

Only 75Hz?

We found this design preferable to the more normal boom microphone as it meant we could use the headset while out on the move without looking like a prize idiot

Have to say the images make these look so shiny I wouldn't want to wear them in public anyway. Weren't Steelseries supposed to be a bit more... steely?

Flat storage and hidden mic seem like great ideas though. Imagine the look on people's faces when you slip out the mic to answer your phone!

And do you actually *need* the bulbous 360 extender? I mean, if it's a standard connector you'd find on any MP3 player, that means you can use a standard extender from any electronics store, without the need of the bulbous 360 device. Did you try that?

Originally Posted by John_T
Sounds like a pretty major design fault to me. I've had analogue headphones that never buzzed and hissed before. So these are fine then, as long as you don't use them near any electronics. Errr...

Surprised they got as high as 30/40 with that.

Good luck to people who bought them and like them, that's the main thing, but I like my headphones without a buzzing sound thanks.

That was my point (and quack's) though, mine don't have a buzz/hiss... Sorry bit-tech, but this review pretty much sucked :(

Originally Posted by jon
And do you actually *need* the bulbous 360 extender? I mean, if it's a standard connector you'd find on any MP3 player, that means you can use a standard extender from any electronics store, without the need of the bulbous 360 device. Did you try that?

Exactly... the livemix is designed for the 360, I only use it on my PC when I'm using the 360 controller as well. Otherwise I just use the headset into the switch on my desk (switches between headset and speakers via a button - so very handy).