Verdict: Charismatic sound, but not very comfortable.

While most of the headsets on test wouldn't look out of place in a call centre, the Siberia Neckband is clearly a gaming headset. It reminds us of the video for Michael and Janet Jackson's 1995 hit 'Scream' - white, curvy, sizzling with coolness and just a tad self-indulgent.

The Neckband part of the name refers to the fact that this headset is worn around the back of the head rather than over the top. This works well for lightweight headphones that clip over the ear, but on this heavier headset, it's less successful. The headphones felt as though they were hanging from the tops of our ears rather than sitting firmly around them, although some concerted head banging failed to shift them from position. The microphone is easily adjustable and the boom arm retracts into the left headphone, making these headphones a reasonable choice for wandering the streets with an MP3 player, as well as for PC use. It helps that the cable is in two sections, with a volume control on the extension cable, so you don't need to stuff 3m of cable into your pocket when out and about. An Xbox 360 adaptor is included too but, unlike the other more expensive headsets, there's no USB interface.

With its £60 price tag, we expected great things from the Siberia Neckband, and we weren't disappointed. DVD and game sound effects were explosive and the dialogue crystal-clear. The headset fared well in the music tests too. A boost in upper-mid frequencies flattered some tracks but sounded a little abrasive in others. It's this frequency boost that makes dialogue really cut through and gives explosions a larger-than-life potency. However, we prefer the Sennheiser PC 166 USB's smoother, flatter response, which is more faithful to game, film and music producers' intentions. The microphone was a little less sensitive than the others, although it produced a bright, clear tone.

Bearing the same price tag as Sennheiser's USB-equipped headset, the SteelSeries Siberia Neckband seems to be a little overpriced. However, the video for 'Scream' cost $7 million to make, and that looked much better than it sounded, whereas the Siberia Neckband succeeds on both counts.

• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008
• Multi-GPU graphics - 20th June 2008
• CPU water cooling - 17th June 2008

• Creative Zen X-Fi with Wireless LAN 16GB - Peripherals
• DFI Lanparty DK P45-T2RS PLUS - Motherboards
• Hyundai W240D-PVA - TFT monitors
• Intel X25-M Mainstream SATA SSD - Hard disks / storage
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky - Games
• LanCool Metal-Boned K10 - Cases
• Asus Maximus II Formula - Motherboards