Introduction

The SteelSeries started off with just the simple SteelPad line of gaming surface products. These were a great success and therefore created a fuzz about SteelSeries as a "Gamers Brand". A while after the initial success, the SteelSeries product line was expanded to include both mouse mats and headsets optimized for gaming.

Last year SteelSound introduced the 5H headset, which was a fairly large headset compared to most on the market at the time. The headset was an instant success due to the quality of the design and the decent audio performance. Ever since the release of the original 5H there has been a a lot of talk about the SteelSound products. Everybody could agree on them being quality gaming headsets but for the non-hardcore gamer they were simply too expensive.

Not long ago I reviewed the SteelSound 4H which is a medium priced headset, although still aimed at gamers, today I have the pleasure of reviewing one the most compact gaming headsets ever, namely the SteelSound 3H.

The Package

The headset comes in a quite small package where the headset lays collapsed inside to save space. Since the package is made of clear plastic it lets the buyer inspect it for exterior damages. While being shipped to me the package received quite a few beatings by the looks of it, but there wasn't any damage done to the headset.



On the back of the package you can read about all of the different features that this headset offers, to no one's surprise this headset is labeled as a lightweight portable headset.

Closer Examination

The 3H is a quite small headset compared to i.e. the 4H or 5H v.2. Even when the headset is expanded it's still way smaller than the 4H. That the headset is easy to transport becomes crystal clear once you collapse it, with the two ear cups folded in between the headband it becomes absolutely tiny.



When collapsed, the headset looks really small and the ear cups are folded up under the headband nicely. The headband is covered by the SteelSound logo. As with the Razer Barracuda the 3H has a suspended headband which means that the ear cups are connected via two plastic rods with the headband underneath, making the headset easy to fit and comfortable to wear.



On the picture above you can see that the ear cups of the 3H is a bit smaller and has a completely different shape than those of the SteelSound 4H. Because the ear cups are so small the headset's weight pressed on your ears and collapses them, this makes the headset a bit more uncomfortable to wear over an extended period of time compared to the 4H.



On of the unique design characteristics of the 3H is that it can be folded / collapsed for easy transportation. Even when the headset is expanded it's still a bit smaller than the SteelSound 4H. The size and the fact that you can collapse it makes it ideal for use with MP3 players for example.



Another unique design characteristic of the SteelSound series headset is the retractable microphone boom. The SteelSound 3H's microphone boom is a bit different than the other SteelSound headsets because the disks are made of plastic contrary to the others that are made of metal and rubber disks. This makes the 3H's boom harder to adjust because it isn't as easy to shape.