Icemat Siberia - Movies and Games
(Page 4 of 6 )
According to the specifications listed on the Siberia's packaging, these headphones were made with gaming, MP3s, Hi-Fi, and IP telephony in mind. To be complete, we tested not only those features, but also listened to movies. Although surround sound (5.1 or greater) isn't something we're looking for in these headphones, the audience Icemat is targeting with the Siberia line is the audience that's most likely to have made their computers into an all-in-one entertainment system.
The movies tested were from a number of genres, but most of the notable observations came from high-flying action films like “The Matrix: Revolutions” and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.”
With movies, the most notable feature was the same feature that piqued my interest before: the range of audio. With a range of 18 Hz to 28,000 kHz, almost every bit of sound was covered with these headphones. As with other headphones I have tested, my only complaint came with explosions and ultra-low sounds, which had a tendency to sound somewhat dampened, although not weak. I would have liked to hear more resonance from that end of the spectrum. The middle range was very clear, however, and voices were very easy to understand, despite any surrounding sounds.
Moving on to video games, we find the dominant target market for Icemat. We tested this set with Unreal Tournament 2004, Need for Speed Underground, and Halo, all of which are sound intensive games. (Of course, what big blockbuster games are not sound intensive these days?) Testing covered specific channels and types of sounds, by turning off and accenting certain sound effects, for example.
Although these headphones won't give you the localization or spatial capabilities of a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound environment, the game performance of these headphones does not disappoint. Unfortunately, the lack of reverberation in the low end (a consequence of using a closed-ear design) really shows up in this set of tests, since most games use the full range of sound, especially the low end, in order to create an enveloping atmosphere. This is not to say that these aren't good. Quite the contrary. But the very low, long-lasting reverberations gamers are used to won't all necessarily be there, so speaker substitutes these are not. For those looking to keep the gaming to themselves, these are a great option, especially given the natural and relaxed sound of the open ear design.
Next: Music >>
More Peripherals Articles
More By KaoMAN
