Performance

The audio performance of a headset is always hard to measure unbiased. I have tried to make my tests as objective as possible by benchmarking it in games and listening to a large variety of music. I will be testing the responsiveness of music by playing some pieces that are hard for a non-HIFI headset to reproduce.

For the tests I used a Creative X-Fi extreme music and my MP3 player which is a Creative Muvo2.

Gaming Performance

The SteelSound series has always been a real performer when it comes to the games tests. This is due to the exaggerated treble which makes it a bit easier to track the movement of the enemies in game. I have tested the headset in both Counter Strike Source and Battlefield 2, to see just how well I could get the feel for where the enemies were. The test went really smooth this headset has almost the same audio performance as the SteelSound 5H in games, although the midfield and bass feels a bit weaker. I don't know if this is due to some changes in the acoustics or the use of a bit cheaper audio drive.

Listening Experience

The listening experience with this headset was alright, the audio quality was O.k. but it lacks some bass and the mid tones tend to fade quite easily compared to other more expensive headsets. The treble performed good but it was a bit high and sounded quite hard. Overall I think the headset performs alright it just lacks some mid tone definition and some bass.

Comfort

The SteelSound series are known to be comfortable and I must say the 4H impresses. The ear cups are nice and large and due to the weight you hardly feel the headset while using it.

The headband is a really well designed. Because of the way it is constructed it allows air to flow through it and prevents a build up of heat on top of your skull.



The headband doesn't have a whole lot of padding on it but that's alright because the headset is really light-weight.

Even after using this headset for several hours it wasn't uncomfortable. Overall I think this headset is one of the most comfortable headsets ever made along with the Everglide s-500. The 4H represents a totally different approach on how to make a comfortable headset. Instead of making the padding several centimeters thick SteelSound has made the entire headset lightweight.

Durability

The headset is really durable due to both the design and the build quality. I was very impressed with the overall build quality of the 4H and the durable design. It's definitely one of the more robust mid-priced headsets out there. The headset is of course a bit smaller than its big brother the 5H and therefore it's a bit less durable.