When thinking about quality headphones, most people think of companies such as Sennheiser, Sony, Koss, etc.  Can we add the company Icemat Audio to that list?  If you haven't heard of Icemat, they are known for making quality gaming mousepads and they even have some MP3 players up their sleeve.  Based on their past products, they certainly do know how to cater to the needs of gamers.  I can safely say that the Icemat Siberia is no exception.  This product with its modular design is composed of headphones, a microphone, and even a volume controller.  This does leads to a lot of wiring, but if you keep it all organized, you have less to worry about.
 

The Icemat Siberia has a unique looking black and white design that will surely turn some heads.  The product takes on the white theme made famous by Apple with their iPod.  The black parts of the headphone give the headphones an added uniqueness though.  Just as seen in other hi-fi stereo headphones, these headphones have a a wire support that half-circles the headphones.  Below the two wires is a headband that supports the head when it is worn.  It also takes some pressure off the ears.
 

When looking at it from its side, the headphones look like it has been cross-sectioned into multiple chambers.  The left and right sides are clearly labeled so you know which way to put them on.  One thing that some people may or may not like are the cloth pads.  The cloth pads on the headphones are a slightly different approach to the typical headphones.  I tend to have an oily head, therefore, I find it very annoying when I have to clean the headphones after every use.  The cloth pads absorb it so I don't have to worry about this problem.  In addition, the cloth pads are comfortable when placed on the ears making it easy to use for long periods of times.

The chambers of the headphones are fairly ventiliated.  Since the cloth pads insulate heat, your ears may feel slightly warmer than usual.

At first, I was expecting just mediocre sound from a product like this, but my views were immediately changed once I heard some sample music.  These headphones were absolutely clear and rich in sound just like other popular hi-fi headphones.  The headphones offer a good amount of bass and in the highs.  There was the occasional time where the high was a bit higher than it should have been, but it was not an overly concerning issue.   
 

You can use the headphones by themselves, or you can expand its functionality by attaching the headphones to the volume controller and microphone.  I like the volume controller because it is very useful in situations when using it with your computer.  I tend to switch between my headphones and speakers often.  What often happens is that when I plug in my headphones, the sound is either too loud or too quiet.  The volume control allows you to set the volume just right whether you are already playing a game or not.  As expected with hi-fi headphones, these headphones include an adapter which allows you to plug into hi-fi or audio equipment.
 

The microphone is the kind that is clipped onto your shirt.  I though that this would cause problems, but it was different than I had imagined.  The microphone is directional.  As long as you face it in the right direction toward your head, you will be just fine.  If you wish to place the microphone on your monitor, you just place the provided L-bracket and stick it onto the side of the monitor.  Then, you will be able to clip the microphone onto the bracket.

I found that the microphone generally worked well.  The sound output from the microphone was very clear for such a small microphone.  If you do place it near your monitor, you may need to talk a little bit louder in order for the sound to reach the microphone.

The Icemat Sibera certainly blew my expectations away in terms of sound quality.  The sound is rich and clear and I'm sure will please most gamers.  The headphones are easy to use for long periods of time and its modular design makes it easy to detach the volume controller or microphone if necessary.  I hope Icemat continues to improve this line of headphones because I think this product deserves to be sold to the masses.

Reviewed by ronald@digitalreviews.net