SteelSeries Siberia 350: Should I buy these gaming headphones

SteelSeries made a name for itself in gaming audio with its its Siberia headphones, and the Siberia 350 was one of the more premium models. Now, the company has moved onto the Arctis line of headphones, with a new design.

What does that mean for the Siberia headphones? It means they got cheaper and will almost definitely see even better discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The Siberia 350 gaming headset is now priced at $89 (about £68), putting it in the realm of more affordable gaming headsets. Don't think its age and lower price makes this a shabby headset though, as there's plenty to love. The Siberia 350's specs and features makes more than a match for recent wired gaming headsets.

What you get

The headset itself features large ear cups with memory foam padding for a comfortable over-ear fit. Inside are large 50mm neodymium drivers offering a powerful sound experience. The frequency response is a bit more limited than some premium headphones, but 20Hz-28kHz should satisfy for most gaming audio.

The SteelSeries Siberia 350 headset uses a five-foot USB cable to connect, so it will work with PCs and PS4, but unfortunately not Xbox One or Nintendo Switch.

When connected with PCs, that USB connection also powers full RGB lighting on each ear cup, and enables DTS Heaphone X virtual 7.1-channel surround sound. Both features are available through SteelSeries' software.

You'll find the Siberia 350 headset's microphone is on a flexible arm that can hide away inside the headset itself. There's also a mute switch for the microphone on the back of one ear cup.

This headset uses a comfortable suspension design keeps the pressure across the top of your head spread out evenly. This suspension system also automatically adjusts the headphones for the best fit.

The value proposition

Based on those specs and design, the question of whether its worth it is fairly straightforward to answer. At it's reduced price, the Siberia 350 headset makes for a well justified purchase.

The frequency response is good for the price, the virtual surround offering usually comes with a higher price as does RGB lighting, and the design doesn't leave much to be desired. It's light, durable, and comfortable.

Gamers seeking more flexibility to use their headphones in more scenarios than just PC and PS4 could benefit from something like the more affordable HyperX Cloud Stinger headset, or could go for the similarly priced Logitech G Pro (good for bigger ears) or newer SteelSeries Arctis 3 Bluetooth or Arctis 5.

There are trade-offs though. None of these other headphones are hands down better, which makes the Siberia 350's value proposition that much better. As long as the features fit your needs and the design is one you like, they're easily worth buying.