CONCLUSION

   When you receive the newest version of a product which you reviewed in the past the first thing you need to do is check and see how much better it is and that's exactly the very first thing we did. Unfortunately the original SteelSeries Siberia Elite is no longer with us but having spent the better part of a month with it back then some things are easy to remember. So let's start with build quality. Here SteelSeries hasn't really changed anything since both units are identical, they did however change the color of the earpads/cushions from white to dark grey (which means less discoloration after many uses), increased the inner opening to allow for larger ears to fit, reduced its weight from 410g to 395g (with the 1.2m cable included) and even tweaked the suspension system to make it more loose and relaxed. This may not be the best thing especially for people with small heads but i at least for us the new tweaks add to the overall comfort of the headset. Moving to noise isolation things here are very good but could get even better since we've used headsets in the past which didn't leak sound at all, in or out. This of course is not a drawback since 90% of the headsets out there (perhaps even more) are either just as good or worse in this area but we just had to point this out. The microphone was also a surprise since judging solely by its specifications i was expecting worse results compared to the one used in the original Siberia Elite but in the end that wasn't the case since most people we used it with during online games and Skype calls reported clear and crisp reception so bravo to SteelSeries for that. As for the most important aspect of a headset which is audio quality SteelSeries did a wonderful job there as well especially in games and movies since the new USB sound card paired with the new drivers delivered crisp and accurate audio with a very good amount of bass. Volume levels could be better i have to admit but the audio clarity is simply put superb and certainly better compared to the original Siberia Elite. Does that mean you should move from the Siberia Elite to the Siberia Elite Prism? Well I’d say that depends from what your requirements are but personally i don't think i would. Sure the Siberia Elite Prism is better but not enough to justify spending that much for those improvements.

   The Siberia Elite Prism gaming headset by SteelSeries was released at the same exact price as its predecessor so once again you can find it for USD199 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 139Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de - limited offer). Now as you can see inside the EU currently there's a very good offer by Amazon.de so I’d call that price a bargain but just like with the original Siberia Elite the price in the USA might just feel high to some people. However there are several things one needs to take into account and from the superior build quality, very nice design, excellent comfort and up to the very detailed Engine 3 control panel and the crystal clear and accurate audio the Siberia Elite Prism has it all. So is this the perfect gaming headset? Certainly not since if you are looking for just perfect audio quality there are headsets that cost many times as much and offer better results. Still since the SteelSeries Siberia Elite Prism does come really close it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Superb Build Quality
- Design
- Excellent Audio Quality (Crisp And Accurate Mids/Highs)
- Powerful Bass Levels
- 7.1 Virtual Dolby Surround USB Sound Card (For Some)
- Extremely Comfortable
- Noise-Cancelling Uni-Directional Retractable Microphone
- Volume & Microphone Controls
- Colorshift Illumination
- Tangle-Free Cable
- Extra 3.5mm Output
- Engine 3 Control Software
- Single 3.5mm & Dual 3.5mm Cables
- Extension Cable
- Current Price (EU)

CONS

- Current Price (USA)