SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Gaming Headset
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a wired gaming headset with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound for competitive gamers. You can hear exactly where your opponents come from, thanks to this sound technique. This way, you can outsmart any opponent, and have a huge advantage in online shooters. In addition, you can experience PlayStation 5 games like Horizon Forbidden West or Uncharted with more realism, thanks to the 3D audio support. Adjust the balance of the sound with the included GameDac, and make sure you have the perfect experience. Because the leather ear cushions are filled with memory foam, you can comfortably wear it for hours. In addition, the Arctis Nova Pro is made with a sturdy metal frame, so it can take a hit.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a wired gaming headset with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound for competitive gamers. You can hear exactly where your opponents come from, thanks to this sound technique. This way, you can outsmart any opponent, and have a huge advantage in online shooters. In addition, you can experience PlayStation 5 games like Horizon Forbidden West or Uncharted with more realism, thanks to the 3D audio support. Adjust the balance of the sound with the included GameDac, and make sure you have the perfect experience. Because the leather ear cushions are filled with memory foam, you can comfortably wear it for hours. In addition, the Arctis Nova Pro is made with a sturdy metal frame, so it can take a hit.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a wired gaming headset with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound for competitive gamers. You can hear exactly where your opponents come from, thanks to this sound technique. This way, you can outsmart any opponent, and have a huge advantage in online shooters. In addition, you can experience PlayStation 5 games like Horizon Forbidden West or Uncharted with more realism, thanks to the 3D audio support. Adjust the balance of the sound with the included GameDac, and make sure you have the perfect experience. Because the leather ear cushions are filled with memory foam, you can comfortably wear it for hours. In addition, the Arctis Nova Pro is made with a sturdy metal frame, so it can take a hit.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a wired gaming headset with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound for competitive gamers. You can hear exactly where your opponents come from, thanks to this sound technique. This way, you can outsmart any opponent, and have a huge advantage in online shooters. In addition, you can experience PlayStation 5 games like Horizon Forbidden West or Uncharted with more realism, thanks to the 3D audio support. Adjust the balance of the sound with the included GameDac, and make sure you have the perfect experience. Because the leather ear cushions are filled with memory foam, you can comfortably wear it for hours. In addition, the Arctis Nova Pro is made with a sturdy metal frame, so it can take a hit.
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The lowest price for SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Gaming Headset right now is $321.50 at Amazon.com.au, compared across 17 retailers.
The all-time low was $122.00 on 27 Feb 2026 — today's price is 164% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 10 June 2026.
Last updated at 10/06/2026 00:12:27
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro X Wired Multi-System Gaming Headset - Xbox, PC, PlayStation & Switch - 360° Spatial Audio - Hi-Res GameDAC Gen 2 -
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset Active Noise Cancellation Mic PC,
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Over-Ear Gaming Headset for Xbox
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Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless 61520 - Ps5/ps4 Au Stock
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless PC and PlayStation Gaming Headset - Black
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Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Headset For Pc And Playstation 61527
Delivery $12.99
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Steelseries Gaming Headphone Arctis Nova Pro Pro Wired Tightly Closed
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Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless X Bluetooth Headset - Xbox Pc
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Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
Delivery $9
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro X Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox & PC - Black
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originally posted on bestbuy.com
I had to recently replace my original Arctis Pro Wireless headset and was at a loss. I tried a few alternatives from EPOS, Corsair Virtuosos, and Logitechs G Pro X. While these are all very different price points compared to the Nova Pro, the fact remained that it was difficult to find a solid wireless headset replacement for the Arctis Pros. They each lacked something when I tried to compare them to Arctis; the biggest that stood out to me was the signal distance and ChatMix. Fortunately, I just discovered that they were refreshed with the new and improved Nova Pros with USB-C charging, noise cancellation, and sliding/adjustable earpads (compared to the original one size fits all SteelSeries band).The new Nova Pro really does improve on everything of the original ... MoreI had to recently replace my original Arctis Pro Wireless headset and was at a loss. I tried a few alternatives from EPOS, Corsair Virtuosos, and Logitechs G Pro X. While these are all very different price points compared to the Nova Pro, the fact remained that it was difficult to find a solid wireless headset replacement for the Arctis Pros. They each lacked something when I tried to compare them to Arctis; the biggest that stood out to me was the signal distance and ChatMix. Fortunately, I just discovered that they were refreshed with the new and improved Nova Pros with USB-C charging, noise cancellation, and sliding/adjustable earpads (compared to the original one size fits all SteelSeries band).The new Nova Pro really does improve on everything of the original Wireless Pro. That said, one large issue I have with the device is the new ChatMix. In order to access the new ChatMix you need to create a SteelSteries account, sign in to their GG software, and use their new Sonar software. Otherwise you will have NO access to ChatMix whatsoever and their DAC just becomes a glorified volume knob. Also the new ChatMix will create four audio devices in Windows altogether, which does clutter up your audio playback device menu. I do love all the new options available in the Sonar menu. I just think a lot of people will be turned off or have trouble setting up the new ChatMix as it's definitely not the most intuitive.After getting through setup, the device is fantastic. It is far more comfortable compared to the original with the new leather earpads and the adjustable headband. The batteries are way smaller physically compared to the originals yet have double the rated length of playback time before requiring hot swapping with the secondary battery. Ultimately, if you're looking for a one wireless headset fits all situation, and willing to spend the extra shiny penny, these are the pair to go for hands down.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
These headphones were the one of the coolest audio experiences I've had when I first plugged them in. Then the first update from SteelSeries' GG software came. I installed it because it forced me to. From that point on I had to pause the songs from my phone multiple times to get the audio to suddenly work right again. If I didn't do it, the audio was harsh, overly bright and missing the lower frequencies entirely. Then another update came, and forced me to update. This update didn't appear to change anything until I went to play the following day. Now the headset doesn't get any audio except for Bluetooth. The headset went from being amazing to unusable in under 72 hours seemingly from updates that SteelSeries forced. Now the headset is sold out everywhere and ... MoreThese headphones were the one of the coolest audio experiences I've had when I first plugged them in. Then the first update from SteelSeries' GG software came. I installed it because it forced me to. From that point on I had to pause the songs from my phone multiple times to get the audio to suddenly work right again. If I didn't do it, the audio was harsh, overly bright and missing the lower frequencies entirely. Then another update came, and forced me to update. This update didn't appear to change anything until I went to play the following day. Now the headset doesn't get any audio except for Bluetooth. The headset went from being amazing to unusable in under 72 hours seemingly from updates that SteelSeries forced. Now the headset is sold out everywhere and backordered. I am not happy. For those wondering why I still gave it a 3 star, it's because I would have given it a 5 star and a review that would have gushed about how amazing they were had this not happened. The sound quality is quality is about on par with my Sony WH-1000XM4's, though the soundstage is naturally wider even before using the SONAR system. The build quality of the headset and DAC are right where they should be for the price. The fact that I can have my phone playing music through Bluetooth while the game audio from my computer is also playing is amazing and I'm not sure why nobody else is doing this with their headsets. I love that the headset makes it so the Bluetooth audio is stereo even when the game audio is using SONAR. Speaking of SONAR, the software is really what makes this headset shine (before they ruined it) though. I usually avoid fake surround sound and just get really good stereo open back headphones because it usually makes everything sound echoey and fake, but SONAR has so much tuning ability at your fingertips that you can really make anything sound the way you want with these. The detail is there for someone looking to use these for just competitive games, but you can slam the immersion slider and suddenly games like Red Dead 2 or Elden Ring sound like they are actually around you, expansive, open, amazing. I am so disappointed that my headset is having issues, it was definitely going to be my new go to for gaming audio. I will be returning it if they do not fix this by the time my return period comes to an end.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
PROS+ Lightweight & Extremely Comfortable+ Fantastic Sound For Both Gaming & Music+ Good Mic Quality+ Solid Build Quality+ GameDAC Gen 2 Sounds Fantastic & Clear+ GameDAC Gen 2 Has a Sleek, Easy to Use Interface with OLED Display+ Easy to Adjust EQ Settings on GameDAC+ Great Software on PC+ Can be Used Across a Variety of Platforms+ Works Great With PS5 Tempest 3D Audio+ Sonar Spatial Audio Works Great on PCCONS- Soft Earcup Material Can Get Warm- Wasn’t Able to Get the GameDAC to Work With My PhoneBUILD QUALITYWith the exception of the magnetic metal earcup plates and a few accents, the headset is made-up of largely hard plastic, which feels very sturdy to the touch. The benefit of this build is that the headset is very lightweight, which when ... MorePROS+ Lightweight & Extremely Comfortable+ Fantastic Sound For Both Gaming & Music+ Good Mic Quality+ Solid Build Quality+ GameDAC Gen 2 Sounds Fantastic & Clear+ GameDAC Gen 2 Has a Sleek, Easy to Use Interface with OLED Display+ Easy to Adjust EQ Settings on GameDAC+ Great Software on PC+ Can be Used Across a Variety of Platforms+ Works Great With PS5 Tempest 3D Audio+ Sonar Spatial Audio Works Great on PCCONS- Soft Earcup Material Can Get Warm- Wasn’t Able to Get the GameDAC to Work With My PhoneBUILD QUALITYWith the exception of the magnetic metal earcup plates and a few accents, the headset is made-up of largely hard plastic, which feels very sturdy to the touch. The benefit of this build is that the headset is very lightweight, which when coupled with the elastic material on the headband, means that it is very comfortable to wear these headphones for long periods of time. The GameDAC likewise feels premium, with a soft rotating dial which controls all of the functions, and an OLED screen which looks great. As for the mic quality, it sounds good and retracts into the headset when you are not using it, which is a really nice feature that makes this headset great for non-gaming use cases. Combined with the noise-canceling software, you get a very clear vocal presentation when using the mic. All-in-all, this is marketed as a premium headset and it feels like one through and through.GAMEDAC & SOFTWAREThe software on offer with the Arctis Nova Pro is great, both with the GameDAC, and with the Steelseries Sonar Software on PC. With the GameDAC, you get hi-res 96KHz/24-Bit audio, EQ adjustments, ChatMix control, volume control, and more. All of these are easily adjustable using the rotating dial on the GameDAC front panel, with different push controls to navigate the menus. The GameDAC itself is angled at around 45 degrees, so the screen is always easily visible, and the brightness can be adjusted up and down depending on how bright of a room you are in. If you are gaming on a PC, you can download the Sonar Software system for controlling the headset’s audio profiles, downloading firmware to the GameDAC, and adjusting the Spatial Audio settings. Being targeted at audiophile users, the software suite allows for a lot of control over the audio tuning of the headset, with custom EQ alongside several presets (I prefer the default flat preset). For the Spatial Audio, you can adjust the “immersion” level of the surround sound, as well as the virtual speaker locations, how close to your ears they should sound, and more. Personally, I found the Spatial Audio to work largely great. I have used a lot of virtual surround sound systems, from Windows Sonic, to Dolby Atmos for Headphones, to various headset proprietary software, and I personally found the Sonar Spatial Audio to perform very admirably. Like many software surround sound solutions for headphones, it is hard to localize sounds in front of you and above you, but the left, right, and back virtual channels largely worked very well in the test demos. When playing games, I found the spatial audio to be very immersive, and while occasionally some sounds can feel out of place, I tended to prefer to leave spatial audio on for many games, especially FPS games. I also tested the headset with GameDAC using my PS5, and found that it worked great with the PS5 Tempest Audio Engine for 3D sound in supported games.SOUND QUALITYIf I had to describe the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro sound quality in one word, it would be “pristine”. Between the high quality drivers and GameDAC Gen 2, the audio from high-quality sources sounds incredibly clear and distortion free, with plenty of detail to take in. For music, with the default flat preset, you get very balanced audio with good mids and a smooth, but not overpowering, bass presence. This results in a fairly neutral profile that should please most, but if you want to tweak the EQ, you certainly can, which can help set the headset for your music preferences. However, while music is very pleasant on this headset, it is gaming where it really shines. That hi-res audio means that you can pinpoint a lot of the small audio cues, like footsteps, and pickup on a lot of texture in the sound mixing. I personally play a lot of single player games, and when using the spatial audio with a high immersion setting, I would quickly forget I was wearing the headset and become lost in the soundscape of the game. When playing multiplayer FPS games, I could very easily pinpoint where enemies were coming from, and react accordingly. All-in-all this is definitely an audiophile gaming headset, and it shows in the performance. Really very impressive.A FEW CONSHonestly, there is very little I don’t like about this headset, it really is fantastic, and as an amateur audiophile, it is even more impressive. Really, there are only two things I want to note. Firstly, I found that the soft, leatherlike earpads did get warm pretty quickly. It wasn’t enough to hamper my experience, but depending on how much your head sweats, or how warm you keep your home, your mileage may vary. Secondly, while certainly not the intended use, I do wish you could use the GameDAC with your phone. It might work for some devices, but for my Pixel 6, I couldn’t get the GameDAC to work when trying to play audio. It would work briefly, but the DAC would then quickly shut off and lose audio. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but would be a nice bonus to be able to use the GameDAC when listening to music from my phone at my desk with the headset while I work. But given it works great with PCs, for most people this probably is a non-issue.
| General | |
| Product Type | Headset - wired |
| Depth | 8.74 cm |
| Height | 19.3 cm |
| Weight | 458 g |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro X Wired Multi-System Gaming Headset - Xbox, PC, PlayStation & Switch - 360° Spatial Audio - Hi-Res GameDAC Gen 2 -
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset Active Noise Cancellation Mic PC,
Delivery $3.16
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Over-Ear Gaming Headset for Xbox
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless 61520 - Ps5/ps4 Au Stock
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless PC and PlayStation Gaming Headset - Black
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
I had to recently replace my original Arctis Pro Wireless headset and was at a loss. I tried a few alternatives from EPOS, Corsair Virtuosos, and Logitechs G Pro X. While these are all very different price points compared to the Nova Pro, the fact remained that it was difficult to find a solid wireless headset replacement for the Arctis Pros. They each lacked something when I tried to compare them to Arctis; the biggest that stood out to me was the signal distance and ChatMix. Fortunately, I just discovered that they were refreshed with the new and improved Nova Pros with USB-C charging, noise cancellation, and sliding/adjustable earpads (compared to the original one size fits all SteelSeries band).The new Nova Pro really does improve on everything of the original ... MoreI had to recently replace my original Arctis Pro Wireless headset and was at a loss. I tried a few alternatives from EPOS, Corsair Virtuosos, and Logitechs G Pro X. While these are all very different price points compared to the Nova Pro, the fact remained that it was difficult to find a solid wireless headset replacement for the Arctis Pros. They each lacked something when I tried to compare them to Arctis; the biggest that stood out to me was the signal distance and ChatMix. Fortunately, I just discovered that they were refreshed with the new and improved Nova Pros with USB-C charging, noise cancellation, and sliding/adjustable earpads (compared to the original one size fits all SteelSeries band).The new Nova Pro really does improve on everything of the original Wireless Pro. That said, one large issue I have with the device is the new ChatMix. In order to access the new ChatMix you need to create a SteelSteries account, sign in to their GG software, and use their new Sonar software. Otherwise you will have NO access to ChatMix whatsoever and their DAC just becomes a glorified volume knob. Also the new ChatMix will create four audio devices in Windows altogether, which does clutter up your audio playback device menu. I do love all the new options available in the Sonar menu. I just think a lot of people will be turned off or have trouble setting up the new ChatMix as it's definitely not the most intuitive.After getting through setup, the device is fantastic. It is far more comfortable compared to the original with the new leather earpads and the adjustable headband. The batteries are way smaller physically compared to the originals yet have double the rated length of playback time before requiring hot swapping with the secondary battery. Ultimately, if you're looking for a one wireless headset fits all situation, and willing to spend the extra shiny penny, these are the pair to go for hands down.
These headphones were the one of the coolest audio experiences I've had when I first plugged them in. Then the first update from SteelSeries' GG software came. I installed it because it forced me to. From that point on I had to pause the songs from my phone multiple times to get the audio to suddenly work right again. If I didn't do it, the audio was harsh, overly bright and missing the lower frequencies entirely. Then another update came, and forced me to update. This update didn't appear to change anything until I went to play the following day. Now the headset doesn't get any audio except for Bluetooth. The headset went from being amazing to unusable in under 72 hours seemingly from updates that SteelSeries forced. Now the headset is sold out everywhere and ... MoreThese headphones were the one of the coolest audio experiences I've had when I first plugged them in. Then the first update from SteelSeries' GG software came. I installed it because it forced me to. From that point on I had to pause the songs from my phone multiple times to get the audio to suddenly work right again. If I didn't do it, the audio was harsh, overly bright and missing the lower frequencies entirely. Then another update came, and forced me to update. This update didn't appear to change anything until I went to play the following day. Now the headset doesn't get any audio except for Bluetooth. The headset went from being amazing to unusable in under 72 hours seemingly from updates that SteelSeries forced. Now the headset is sold out everywhere and backordered. I am not happy. For those wondering why I still gave it a 3 star, it's because I would have given it a 5 star and a review that would have gushed about how amazing they were had this not happened. The sound quality is quality is about on par with my Sony WH-1000XM4's, though the soundstage is naturally wider even before using the SONAR system. The build quality of the headset and DAC are right where they should be for the price. The fact that I can have my phone playing music through Bluetooth while the game audio from my computer is also playing is amazing and I'm not sure why nobody else is doing this with their headsets. I love that the headset makes it so the Bluetooth audio is stereo even when the game audio is using SONAR. Speaking of SONAR, the software is really what makes this headset shine (before they ruined it) though. I usually avoid fake surround sound and just get really good stereo open back headphones because it usually makes everything sound echoey and fake, but SONAR has so much tuning ability at your fingertips that you can really make anything sound the way you want with these. The detail is there for someone looking to use these for just competitive games, but you can slam the immersion slider and suddenly games like Red Dead 2 or Elden Ring sound like they are actually around you, expansive, open, amazing. I am so disappointed that my headset is having issues, it was definitely going to be my new go to for gaming audio. I will be returning it if they do not fix this by the time my return period comes to an end.
PROS+ Lightweight & Extremely Comfortable+ Fantastic Sound For Both Gaming & Music+ Good Mic Quality+ Solid Build Quality+ GameDAC Gen 2 Sounds Fantastic & Clear+ GameDAC Gen 2 Has a Sleek, Easy to Use Interface with OLED Display+ Easy to Adjust EQ Settings on GameDAC+ Great Software on PC+ Can be Used Across a Variety of Platforms+ Works Great With PS5 Tempest 3D Audio+ Sonar Spatial Audio Works Great on PCCONS- Soft Earcup Material Can Get Warm- Wasn’t Able to Get the GameDAC to Work With My PhoneBUILD QUALITYWith the exception of the magnetic metal earcup plates and a few accents, the headset is made-up of largely hard plastic, which feels very sturdy to the touch. The benefit of this build is that the headset is very lightweight, which when ... MorePROS+ Lightweight & Extremely Comfortable+ Fantastic Sound For Both Gaming & Music+ Good Mic Quality+ Solid Build Quality+ GameDAC Gen 2 Sounds Fantastic & Clear+ GameDAC Gen 2 Has a Sleek, Easy to Use Interface with OLED Display+ Easy to Adjust EQ Settings on GameDAC+ Great Software on PC+ Can be Used Across a Variety of Platforms+ Works Great With PS5 Tempest 3D Audio+ Sonar Spatial Audio Works Great on PCCONS- Soft Earcup Material Can Get Warm- Wasn’t Able to Get the GameDAC to Work With My PhoneBUILD QUALITYWith the exception of the magnetic metal earcup plates and a few accents, the headset is made-up of largely hard plastic, which feels very sturdy to the touch. The benefit of this build is that the headset is very lightweight, which when coupled with the elastic material on the headband, means that it is very comfortable to wear these headphones for long periods of time. The GameDAC likewise feels premium, with a soft rotating dial which controls all of the functions, and an OLED screen which looks great. As for the mic quality, it sounds good and retracts into the headset when you are not using it, which is a really nice feature that makes this headset great for non-gaming use cases. Combined with the noise-canceling software, you get a very clear vocal presentation when using the mic. All-in-all, this is marketed as a premium headset and it feels like one through and through.GAMEDAC & SOFTWAREThe software on offer with the Arctis Nova Pro is great, both with the GameDAC, and with the Steelseries Sonar Software on PC. With the GameDAC, you get hi-res 96KHz/24-Bit audio, EQ adjustments, ChatMix control, volume control, and more. All of these are easily adjustable using the rotating dial on the GameDAC front panel, with different push controls to navigate the menus. The GameDAC itself is angled at around 45 degrees, so the screen is always easily visible, and the brightness can be adjusted up and down depending on how bright of a room you are in. If you are gaming on a PC, you can download the Sonar Software system for controlling the headset’s audio profiles, downloading firmware to the GameDAC, and adjusting the Spatial Audio settings. Being targeted at audiophile users, the software suite allows for a lot of control over the audio tuning of the headset, with custom EQ alongside several presets (I prefer the default flat preset). For the Spatial Audio, you can adjust the “immersion” level of the surround sound, as well as the virtual speaker locations, how close to your ears they should sound, and more. Personally, I found the Spatial Audio to work largely great. I have used a lot of virtual surround sound systems, from Windows Sonic, to Dolby Atmos for Headphones, to various headset proprietary software, and I personally found the Sonar Spatial Audio to perform very admirably. Like many software surround sound solutions for headphones, it is hard to localize sounds in front of you and above you, but the left, right, and back virtual channels largely worked very well in the test demos. When playing games, I found the spatial audio to be very immersive, and while occasionally some sounds can feel out of place, I tended to prefer to leave spatial audio on for many games, especially FPS games. I also tested the headset with GameDAC using my PS5, and found that it worked great with the PS5 Tempest Audio Engine for 3D sound in supported games.SOUND QUALITYIf I had to describe the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro sound quality in one word, it would be “pristine”. Between the high quality drivers and GameDAC Gen 2, the audio from high-quality sources sounds incredibly clear and distortion free, with plenty of detail to take in. For music, with the default flat preset, you get very balanced audio with good mids and a smooth, but not overpowering, bass presence. This results in a fairly neutral profile that should please most, but if you want to tweak the EQ, you certainly can, which can help set the headset for your music preferences. However, while music is very pleasant on this headset, it is gaming where it really shines. That hi-res audio means that you can pinpoint a lot of the small audio cues, like footsteps, and pickup on a lot of texture in the sound mixing. I personally play a lot of single player games, and when using the spatial audio with a high immersion setting, I would quickly forget I was wearing the headset and become lost in the soundscape of the game. When playing multiplayer FPS games, I could very easily pinpoint where enemies were coming from, and react accordingly. All-in-all this is definitely an audiophile gaming headset, and it shows in the performance. Really very impressive.A FEW CONSHonestly, there is very little I don’t like about this headset, it really is fantastic, and as an amateur audiophile, it is even more impressive. Really, there are only two things I want to note. Firstly, I found that the soft, leatherlike earpads did get warm pretty quickly. It wasn’t enough to hamper my experience, but depending on how much your head sweats, or how warm you keep your home, your mileage may vary. Secondly, while certainly not the intended use, I do wish you could use the GameDAC with your phone. It might work for some devices, but for my Pixel 6, I couldn’t get the GameDAC to work when trying to play audio. It would work briefly, but the DAC would then quickly shut off and lose audio. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but would be a nice bonus to be able to use the GameDAC when listening to music from my phone at my desk with the headset while I work. But given it works great with PCs, for most people this probably is a non-issue.
I'm loving this headset/Game dac combo. I must say, I was a little hesitant because all the hearsay you get online from audiophiles, you know, the whole "gaming headsets are just gimmicks", and to a certain point, that is true. However not with these. Let me elaborate... I was using open back non "gaming" headsets before with another game dac. Every one swears by open back design headsets as they provider an ampler sound stage. These are close back ones, but oh wow, they are a great quality closed back ones. The fit is perfect and the leatherette cushions are super fluffily and comfy. They do get a little hot after a while, but nothing that a little break can solve. They seal the sound and I barely hear any distracting noises (I can hear some if I enable the side ... MoreI'm loving this headset/Game dac combo. I must say, I was a little hesitant because all the hearsay you get online from audiophiles, you know, the whole "gaming headsets are just gimmicks", and to a certain point, that is true. However not with these. Let me elaborate... I was using open back non "gaming" headsets before with another game dac. Every one swears by open back design headsets as they provider an ampler sound stage. These are close back ones, but oh wow, they are a great quality closed back ones. The fit is perfect and the leatherette cushions are super fluffily and comfy. They do get a little hot after a while, but nothing that a little break can solve. They seal the sound and I barely hear any distracting noises (I can hear some if I enable the side tone function on the Game dac, which allows you to hear your own voice when talking and you can also hear some of the outside world). They are tuned to reach higher frequencies needed for Hi-Res audio. Installing the combo was easy, you plug the game dac to the PC (or PS4/5) or both, since this new V2 of the Game dac has two inputs and you can flick from one device to another with just a change of settings in the game dac.I'm mainly a PC gamer, and you will get way further functionality if you use these with a PC. You install Steelseries GG engine (it will detect the combo and update its firmware upon first launch) and it installed their Sonar suit also automatically for me. Once it does, if you are going to use their Sonar suit (which I highly recommend) it will auto setup your devices with windows (because if you use their Sonar suite, it creates two virtual devices, one the headset and the mic) so you can fully take advantage of the Sonar suite features, and believe me, this is where the fun begins! The suite has tons for parameters to increase chat and mic quality, but the main thing for me was the pre sets for different games. You can either use those presets, which are great or tune them your self. I'm using the preset for Rainbow six siege, which is a super competitive game, and I swear, I have never heard footsteps and people moving before, not even with my super nice custom headphone/game dac combo I had before (and believe me, it was of a great quality), but Oh wow, these ones are on another level. You can customize your game presets too and the equalizer has what they call "parametric" levels, and its true you can tune, no longer only by hz, but by what you want to be able to hear more (ie. footsteps, the sound of a weapon reload etc).These also support HI-REs audio, so you can download Hi-Res files or subscribe to Tidal or other music service with Hi-Res audio support (I wish games would offer that too). There is only one little annoying buy on the software related to this. Whenever I setup windows at 96Khz/24 bit audio (Hi-Res), every time I boot up my PC, that setting gets reset on the Game Dac to 48Khz/16 bit, even though its setup at Hi-Res in windows settings. I have reported it to Steelseries support, so I hope they fix that (that's a little regresion from the previous v1 Game dac, I remember you changed the Hi-Res setting on that Game dac itself, but now you have to do it in windows, instead than physically on the Dac).
I've owned several higher end gaming headsets and this is hands down the best yet. They are not without a few flaws but over all experience is fantastic.Out of the box sound quality is outstanding and the software allows the headset to be EQ to fit your own needs. No head shaking bass by default but that can absolutely be EQ'd into it. I've not heard any distortion while using the EQ either which is rare and evidence of a good quality driver. Great situational awareness is fantastic, they have a very solid 3d space you can hear and track where sounds are coming from, above, below, behind etc. These are well worth the upgrade from the previous version without going into technical reasons they are just hands down better, look better, sound better and I feel have a ... MoreI've owned several higher end gaming headsets and this is hands down the best yet. They are not without a few flaws but over all experience is fantastic.Out of the box sound quality is outstanding and the software allows the headset to be EQ to fit your own needs. No head shaking bass by default but that can absolutely be EQ'd into it. I've not heard any distortion while using the EQ either which is rare and evidence of a good quality driver. Great situational awareness is fantastic, they have a very solid 3d space you can hear and track where sounds are coming from, above, below, behind etc. These are well worth the upgrade from the previous version without going into technical reasons they are just hands down better, look better, sound better and I feel have a better build quality. Compared to a few others, I think these perform and sound better than Astro A50, A40 /w mixamp, Previous version of Steel Series Arctis Pros, they are "On-par" with my Apple Airpod max, in some situations sound better, the sub bass is impressive and comparable to my Shure SE846 IEM which is a $1,000+ IEM that has a dedicated sub /w lowpass filter.You won't find many negative reviews on these and for good reason, they are expensive but worth it. Some confusion I've seen the difference between the Xbox version and the PS5/PC version. Here is what you need to know on that. If you have all 3 and plan to use them wirelessly with all 3 get the Xbox version. If your PS5 is close to your PC and you want to switch between the two without unplugging anything, get the PS5 version.The xbox version basestation has a dedicated xbox usb port and 1 normal usb port, the ps5 version has 2x usb ports so the PS5 version will work with xbox but not wirelessly. You'll have to use the 3.5 cable and plug into a xbox controller, flip side the xbox version will work with both PC and PS5 wirelessly but you still only have the 2 usb ports and the xbox one will ONLY work on xbox leaving you to 1 port so you can't hook all 3 to it at the same time.
I have changed to these headphones from Astro A50's Gen 4. These are a great upgrade and I feel work much better for PC than the Astro's did.Positives:Sonar - Great for FPS Titles and hearing FootstepsNoise Canceling - Is great and really does limit what you can hear outside, this is able to be configured to your liking if you don't want ANC always on.Dual Audio Streams - The software and device does allow for this and it's been great.Battery Life - I wear this headset probably around 7-10hrs a day and can typically get around 15hrs out of each battery, but since this comes with 2 batteries one is always charging and I am never down on power.Cons:Software - Now this may vary per person, but since I use a Elgato Wave Mic 3 it has it's own software and trying ... MoreI have changed to these headphones from Astro A50's Gen 4. These are a great upgrade and I feel work much better for PC than the Astro's did.Positives:Sonar - Great for FPS Titles and hearing FootstepsNoise Canceling - Is great and really does limit what you can hear outside, this is able to be configured to your liking if you don't want ANC always on.Dual Audio Streams - The software and device does allow for this and it's been great.Battery Life - I wear this headset probably around 7-10hrs a day and can typically get around 15hrs out of each battery, but since this comes with 2 batteries one is always charging and I am never down on power.Cons:Software - Now this may vary per person, but since I use a Elgato Wave Mic 3 it has it's own software and trying to get these two to work well with each other can be a little frustrating. I would say with enough time and tinkering you should have no problems, but some little things do come up and have to make changes.Comfort - So overall the comfort of this headset are decent, but the EarCups are a common complaint as they can be prettty small for people like myself. Also they can get warm since SteelSeries doesn't offer Mesh option since these are a different size compared to all their other models. Also note that many people complain about the speaker that sits in the middle of and pokes out a bit more than people like and can also hit your ear, I didn't have this problem but was aware of it prior to purchasing. I did upgrade my EarCups to the WC FreeZe Cooling Gel and these are a MUST HAVE they made all the difference for comfort and heat control.Overall:I am happy with my purchase I would just like to see in the future other options from the factory for ear cup changes since I don't like the Leather Cups and always prefer to Cloth. Like I stated above the WC FreeZe are perfect replacement and made this headset amazin.g
I returned the headset the very next day. I never return things, and I never review them, but this headset so underperformed that I felt morally obligated to say so. I've had a logitech 935 for several years now and was looking to upgrade to something better. After doing a fair amount of research I found this to be one of the MOST widely heralded headset that I have ever seen. So I figured "Thats awfully expensive but I'll pay good money for a good product." I had imediate concerns upon opening the box. The headset was surprisingly small for me, though I do have a rather large head so I figured "Oh well, downside of being me I guess." The headset did fit relatively well despite being small, though my ears barely fit inside the earpeice. After pluging in the headset ... MoreI returned the headset the very next day. I never return things, and I never review them, but this headset so underperformed that I felt morally obligated to say so. I've had a logitech 935 for several years now and was looking to upgrade to something better. After doing a fair amount of research I found this to be one of the MOST widely heralded headset that I have ever seen. So I figured "Thats awfully expensive but I'll pay good money for a good product." I had imediate concerns upon opening the box. The headset was surprisingly small for me, though I do have a rather large head so I figured "Oh well, downside of being me I guess." The headset did fit relatively well despite being small, though my ears barely fit inside the earpeice. After pluging in the headset and downloading the software I began to to poke around and see what the headset can do. Hopped on a call with a friend and asked how I sounded only for him to say I didnt sound any different. Again "oh well, I cared more about the sound anyway." So I fire up a game and I imediatly get thrown off by the sound. It sounds like I'm listening to a game on decent speakers through a tin can and theres an odd delay in the sound that is seriously of putting. I start going through settings to see if I can fix it, maybe some setting I didnt turn on. Through more testing I find that the surround sound is also truly awful. No real blending between speakers to make it seem like anything imersive and more like there are junk speakers about 6 feet away from you that turn on on at a time. I tried tweaking various settings, turning on and off certain features and while things MIGHT have gotten better, they never were any kind of GOOD. I had such high hopes for this headset and actually put myself in a bit of a financial spot for this only to get a product roughly as good as store brand earbuds. I genuinely would have better sound on my Sony earbuds than on this headset. The base station as well didnt have certain setting the manual said it did have ,such as a surround sound setting, and the "button" which seems to be more a sensor on the front that you use to go back in menus either wouldn't respond at all or would act like it was being held down leading to an anoying beeping in the headset and being unable to adjust anything with the base station. It may seem like I'm just trying to talk down this headset but this genuinly the most expensive dissapointment I have ever had in EVERY WAY even after looking up solutions and tweaking various settings. Which is a shame becuase I really wanted to like it.TLDR Despite wide regard as the best headset ever, My 4 year old ailing Logitech 935 beats this headset in EVERY way, right of the box. Compared to this glorified tin can with software.
I’ve been a PC gamer for over 20 years, and am firmly grounded in the value of a good headset with comms for the best experience. I’ve had a lot of nice setups over the years, and my son gets all of my hand-me-down rigs as I upgrade, and has most recently been loving gaming with my older Astro A40 TR’s with the Mixamp, an extremely competent audio setup that just flat out got retired by this new Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro headset. The box endorses boldly on the cover “Best high-end gaming headset”, a hurdle they clear pretty easily with this offering.Out of the box the headset boasts a really lightweight and flexible build composed of a durable plastic frame, a soft rubber/elastic headband and earcups. There are metal accent plates on the earcaps and on the top ... MoreI’ve been a PC gamer for over 20 years, and am firmly grounded in the value of a good headset with comms for the best experience. I’ve had a lot of nice setups over the years, and my son gets all of my hand-me-down rigs as I upgrade, and has most recently been loving gaming with my older Astro A40 TR’s with the Mixamp, an extremely competent audio setup that just flat out got retired by this new Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro headset. The box endorses boldly on the cover “Best high-end gaming headset”, a hurdle they clear pretty easily with this offering.Out of the box the headset boasts a really lightweight and flexible build composed of a durable plastic frame, a soft rubber/elastic headband and earcups. There are metal accent plates on the earcaps and on the top band. There are three points of adjustment action that allows you to customize the fit: three pins on each side for the headband, arms for each ear cup that slide in and out to account for head size, and the ear cups themselves that swivel out a full 180 degrees to lay the headset flat on your desk. The earcups are a soft leatherette finish over memory foam- really supple and comfortable, they melt over your ear and shut off the world outside pretty effectively. Coming from open-back cloth earpads that allowed for sound bleed, this was a brand new experience to me, the noise-cancelling environment. For all of the debate on closed-ear design, I wore these through some serious marathon gaming sessions (8+ hours) and the headset just about blended into my head. Heat was not an issue for me at all, and the weight was perfect. The retractable mic is similarly compact, a small headpiece with a foam cap on a flexible boom to allow for custom positioning. Controls on the ear cups include a volume wheel and a mic mute. Then there is the GameDAC station.The GameDAC station/base is next level. I had a mixamp with the A40s that was next level at the time, but this is a whole new day. Gone are the days of a couple of dials and buttons, now we have a really clean and sleek module with an OLED screen, a main control dial and a world of options. As a PC user, I had to download and install the Steel Series GG/Sonar software to update the firmware, but once complete you unlock a whole new level of customizable sound experience. You can select from default presets, or create sound profiles for each and every game experience, general music or movie experiences- you name it and you can customize it. You do need to install the software to unlock the full surround sound capacity and you need to make some adjustments in Windows to achieve the full breadth of the 96kHz sampling rate. This small DAC module allows for customization as well at the unit level, but with PC gaming I’m used to the software package and windows interface. If you have a Playstation or Switch, the DAC instantly allows for you to hot swap between consoles at the press of a button. Great utility and flexibility.As to the sound experience….phenomenal clear and detailed sound. Steel Series design seems very focused on the mids and highs, with a muted bass that is really fantastic with FPS or PVP games focused on spatial and directional audio (footsteps or shooting). The sound quality elevates even more in story-based games rich in environmental sound immersion. Again, the closed-ear sound is new for me, but it really dials in on authentic and crisp spatial sound that is detailed, and allows for quick, accurate reactions. It definitely added value to my gameplay and gave advantage where I wasn’t seeing it prior.No real cons to speak of, there is a wireless version at a higher price point but Steel Series sound design is potent and lives up to the billing. High-end gaming demands high-end sound, add in some flexible connect options and you can’t do much better for the cost. The only reason my son gets the instant upgrade is because he starts his college journey in the fall. I brought PC gaming into his life when he was six, and we’ve game together often over the dozen plus years since. As a dad I couldn’t think of a better gift to ensure we stay connected while he is gone, and to keep him on top of his game.
TLDR: The headset is good overall, but the awful microphone quality and uncomfortable ANC mic placement make the headset a worse option than cheaper models. I would not recommend buying this headset unless you don't intend to use the microphone (in which case a good pair of headphones will get you a lot more value for the money) or unless the wireless multi-device connectivity is crucial for you.After using it for about a week, here are my thoughts:-The audio is great, and the ability to tune the EQ through the receiver and through the software is a pleasant experience. A bit heavy on the bass by default, but enjoyable nonetheless.-The battery charging system is a great feature, allowing you to seamlessly switch out an empty battery for a charged one, giving you ... MoreTLDR: The headset is good overall, but the awful microphone quality and uncomfortable ANC mic placement make the headset a worse option than cheaper models. I would not recommend buying this headset unless you don't intend to use the microphone (in which case a good pair of headphones will get you a lot more value for the money) or unless the wireless multi-device connectivity is crucial for you.After using it for about a week, here are my thoughts:-The audio is great, and the ability to tune the EQ through the receiver and through the software is a pleasant experience. A bit heavy on the bass by default, but enjoyable nonetheless.-The battery charging system is a great feature, allowing you to seamlessly switch out an empty battery for a charged one, giving you unlimited wirless use so long as you charge the empty battery while you use the full one. Charge time seemd to be 1-2hr from my experience, which was well fast enough to cover the 30hr of use on a single battery.-On-board controls are pretty good, nothing revolutionary, but they are intuitively placed and easily reachable.-The microphone is truly bad. I was not aware when purchasing that it would be this bad. I assume that this is the compromise Steelseries went for with this headset, but the sound ends up being muffled, low resolution and unpleasant to listen to. I would expect a headset at this price point to have an at least decent microphone quality, but I really cannot recommend using it. It's on par with low-end headset microphones.-The biggest flaw of this headset after the microphone quality is the placement of the Active Noise Cancelling microphones situated in the ear cups. They stick out horribly into your ear, so instead of having a flat earcup placed against your ear, you have this protruding bump in the middle, which for me, hurt my ears after only an hour of use. In general, I expect to take a few hours to adjust to new headphones, but this problem is beyond adjustment. It is a flaw.
Full disclosure - I own a LOT of headsets: Arctis 7P, Arctis Pro Wireless, Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (the ones this review is for), Sony XM5, Sennheiser HD 6XX, Sennheiser PC363D (yes, they still work great 10 years later), Logitech G935, a Logitech G-Pro X, and some Beats Studio 3s. Given that, I think I've got a pretty good reference for what makes a 'good' headset. Also, I might have a problem.I bought Nova Pro Wirless headset the day they came out. Having previously owned the Pro Wireless headset that came out before these, I was excited for some of the new design, as well as the change from mini-USB connectivity to USB-C.After having used them for several months, here are my thoughts:After initially putting them on they felt markedly less comfortable than ... MoreFull disclosure - I own a LOT of headsets: Arctis 7P, Arctis Pro Wireless, Arctis Nova Pro Wireless (the ones this review is for), Sony XM5, Sennheiser HD 6XX, Sennheiser PC363D (yes, they still work great 10 years later), Logitech G935, a Logitech G-Pro X, and some Beats Studio 3s. Given that, I think I've got a pretty good reference for what makes a 'good' headset. Also, I might have a problem.I bought Nova Pro Wirless headset the day they came out. Having previously owned the Pro Wireless headset that came out before these, I was excited for some of the new design, as well as the change from mini-USB connectivity to USB-C.After having used them for several months, here are my thoughts:After initially putting them on they felt markedly less comfortable than the Pro Wireless headset, the ANC mic inside the cup would sometimes bump into my ear, and the clamp strength + pleather of the new cups made them extremely uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time with glasses. The fact that the ear-cups can be individually adjusted to fit the height of your head is nice, no longer depending on the ski-strap style they used before, but it's completely undone by the cups themselves being markedly less comfortable than literally every other Arctis headset I've owned.The noise cancellation exists, but I think its pretty sub-par for a $350 wireless headset, others do it better and cost less. If that's your primary concern, get a pair of Sony XM5s or Bose Quiet Comfort. The "gamer" aesthetic is also toned way down, the mic itself retracts flush, and red mute led is completely obscured, so you can use these out and about without anything screaming 'gaming headset'.Battery life is absolutely spectacluar, as good as advertised if not better. They charge exceptionally quickly in DAC just like on the Pro Wireless before - I wish more companies with wireless headsets would copy this. Batteries are still hot swappable, but I find the cover to be more annoying to remove than the previous generations. I realize that's a nit-pick, but this is a 'premium' product at a 'premium' price point, I expect improvements across the board, not regression.Driver quality is great, sounds are clean and un-muddled, the ability to independently game/system audio from VC audio is great. However, they removed the physical button from the headset that allowed you do that, instead you have one volume button and it control the system audio, chat audio has to be adjust in the SteelSeriesGG software - big loss in quality of life, and inexcusable in a headset this expensive.The mic quality is great; however, the quality is contingent upon leveraging a lot of the settings in the SteelSeriesGG app, and you can apply those to other headset mics with very similar results. Also, the quality that your friends are going to hear is entirely dependent on the bitrate of the comms software you're using; so all the mic adjustments in the world won't matter if it's a crappy connection.The ability to pair to the DAC as well as another Bluetooth device simultaneously still exists and provides wonderful functionality if you want to game on the PS5 while talking to people in discord on another device. This, however, is NOT unique to this headset, every Arctis headset I've used has been able to do this.Audio pass-through continues to exist from the previous Pro Wireless, meaning you can connect a set of speakers to audio-out on the DAC and output will automagically swap to that once the headset is powered off. However, despite adjusting settings in the SteelSeriesGG software, and on the DAC itself, the pass through will sometimes swap to 'stream' instead of speakers, resulting in a really loud feedback tone when you turn on the headset mic and have the aforementioned speakers powered on; no amount of updates to the sofware of firmware appears to have resolved this.If you want a great Arctis headset, get an Arctis 9 or 9X depending on what Console you want to use it with, and get a more comfortable, equally feature rich headset (minus mediocre ANC), for about half the price of the Nova Pro Wireless.I would've returned it if Best Buy hadn't changed their return policy for MyBestBuy members _after_ I purchased it. I tried to like it for months, but in the end, I'm just going to be giving it to friend with a smaller head that won't find it as wildly uncomfortable as I do.TLDR - the headset isn't bad, but its absolutely not great. I don't think it's worth the money. Too many quality of life regressions, and not enough improvements to justify purchasing these if you already own the Pro Wireles, Arctis 9 or 9X, or any other premium headset.
| General | |
| Product Type | Headset - wired |
| Depth | 8.74 cm |
| Height | 19.3 cm |
| Weight | 458 g |
