Reviews and awards for SteelSeries 5H v2:
English review by TweakTown (Rating: 89% - Best features, Must have Awards)
"If you are a hardcore gamer who spends lots of time with the cans on your head, I would have to say go with the SteelSeries. The sheer practicality of these units means that you can wear them comfortably for hours on end, and they give a great range of delivery so you won't miss a cuss.
If you are more of a casual gamer or you just like the shiny blue things (I fall into this category), then the Razer is more for you. Don't get me wrong, the Piranha is still an excellent gaming headset, but it suffers from two major stopping points that can mean the difference between a few hours on COD4 and an all night marathon. The head pinch factor can leave you a bit sore after a few hours and the units' inability to pack down into a smaller size can lead to breakage when packed in with the rest of your gear."
English review by ExtremeTech (Rating: 4.5/5 - Approved Award)
"Sound quality is more than acceptable. The bass response is actually pretty impressive for a PC headset, but all the sound has a bit of an "echo-y" sound to it. Individual sounds aren't as sharp and distinct as we'd like, but the sound quality is more than appropriate to the price. The microphone quality is excellent as PC headsets go. Voice recording is clear and loud (but not over-loud and distorted), and it doesn't pick up outside noises in the room too strongly, so all your online friends don't have to listen to your keyboard going clack-clack-clack all the time.
For $100, this is a great deal. The quality is where it needs to be, it's comfortable, and there are a couple of useful design features like the retracting microphone."
English review by Dev Hardware (Rating: 9/10 - GOLD Award)
"This headset performed admirably across the board. Yeah, this headset is awesome. Based on my usage, I give the product a score of 9 out of 10, and the Dev Hardware GOLD Award. The price is a little high, but for a true audiophile or even a hardcore gamer who really cares about sound, it's definitely worth every penny."
English review by APH networks (Rating: APH Recommended)
"It's a good follow up improvement over the original SteelSound 5H that fills in some of the gaps the previous version missed out on. First of all, it completes what the SteelSound 5H is missing on -- comfort. With such seemingly minor changes, the difference is there, along with the padding around each cup, creates decently comfortable gaming headphones. There are not a lot of products that gets an APH Recommended, and we haven't handed out such an award for quite a while now. In this case, however, this product is well deserving of this award; we'll take the APH Recommended from its predecessor SteelSound 5H and hand it down to SteelSeries' SteelSound 5H V2. If you are looking for a pair of decent gaming headphones, and music is not what you are using it for, look no further than the SteelSound 5H V2."
English review by ThinkComputers (Rating: 10/10 - Recommended Award)
"SteelSeries felt they needed to prove themselves with this headset after the problems they incurred with the first version. After going back to the drawing board, they improved and built upon every aspect of the 5H. They came away with a truly great product in the 5Hv2. With features like a retractable microphone, braided cord, superior comfort, and an overall amazing sound quality; the 5Hv2 is easily in the upper echelon of gaming headsets. SteelSeries made a great comeback with this product, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for a high quality gaming headset. Overall ThinkComputers give the SteelSound 5Hv2 headset a perfect 10 out of 10 and our Recommended Award."
English review by Tweaknews (Rating: Top Rank Award)
“Every conceivable problem with the previous versions have been attended to and fixed. I have no problem awarding the Top Rank Award to this product and highly recommend them if you are looking for an excellent set of headphones that won't break the bank."
English review by NovaHQ (Rating: 10/10 - Gamers Choice Award)
"I think yet again SteelSeries have made an outstanding product. The have learned from their mistakes and have really though about ways to improve and already quality product. This has to be on your list of considerations when choosing your next headset for your computer. It is definately a good choice for any gamer out there."
English review by Applelinks (Rating: 4/5)
"I tried these headphones out in Call of Duty 2 and Quake 4, and the difference was immediately apparent. In games such as this, a lot of the audio gets jumbled up in the action. The 5H2 not only makes it easier to hear individual elements, but often to also hear from where those elements are coming. Sniper shots, for example, are easier to pinpoint, so you don't have to actually get hit to determine from where the bullets are coming."
English review by Phoronix (Rating: 9/10 - Editors Choice Award)
"The SteelSound 5H V2 headphones from SteelSeries is definitely a solid offering, and does posses several unique characteristics. Most notably, these headphones can disassemble into three parts to safely and easily stow away while transporting gaming gear. Secondly, we were very appreciative of the microphone design found on the SteelSound 5H V2."
English review by DreamWare Computers (Rating: 9/10 - DWC Recommended Award)
"...in the end, if you're looking for a full gaming headset with a built in mic, the SteelSeries 5H V2 comes with our recommended badge of approval!"
English review by bit-tech.net
"Overall though the Steelsound headphones do what they say they will do: provide an unrivalled experience in online shooters. My feeling is that if you want the ultimate setup for an online shooter you won't be able to get better than this (without spending ludicrous amounts of money). The series also has another model, which comes with a built in sound card. We didn't get to test these but were told that although the sound card isn't the best on the market, it provides a consistent sound - an absolute must for gamers who play a lot at LANs."
English review by Oz Case Modz (Rating: 9/10)
"I used these units for 2 weeks before writing this review and I must say I am rather impressed; they have a nice array of features with a great sounding microphone and nice audio reproduction. SteelSeries once again haven't disappointed and I expect these units to be quite popular."
English review by TrustedReviews.net (Rating: 8/10)
"This is a solid gaming headset that's stylish and well designed. The only downside would have to be the price. At £47.00, there's a lot of competition from some well respected brands in this area. That said, if you're looking for a headset to give you an edge when playing your favourite online game, SteelSound's 5H v2 is worth considering."
English review by techFEAR (Rating: techFEAR Fearless Excellence Award)
“SteelSeries took a great product with the SteelSound 5H v1, listened to user feedback, and crafted a preverbal masterpiece in the SteelSound 5H v2. Most of the improvements (a bit larger ear cups, a longer microphone boom, better cable sheathing, among some) are only slight when gauged alone, but when put together create a much better product than the almost perfect original."
English review by CyberwizardPit (Rating: 9.5/10 - Editor's Choice Award)
“The SteelSound 5H V2 headsets are definitely a major improvement over the original, perfected to make a much better pair of headsets."
English review by RBMods (Rating: 5/5)
"..the SteelSeries SteelSound 5H v2 is a high-quality and solid performing gaming headset that should satisfy the most discriminating gamers yet also please those looking for a decent set of headphones. The headset is comfortable to wear for long periods of times, and the retractable microphone is a handy feature."