SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Multi-System Gaming Headset – Premium Hi-Fi Drivers, Hi-Res Audio – 360° Spatial Audio – GameDAC Gen 2 – ESS Sabre Quad-DAC – Stealth Retractable Mic – PC, PS5, PS4, Switch Video Games

5.0 out of 5 stars

Comfortable and clear gaming headphones

I am writing this review after an initial 2 weeks. I will come back and update if I have insightful longer term updates to provide.Before jumping into my $.02 I think it’s useful to prefix review input with past experiences and what I’m comparing my product against.When thinking about music and overall sound quality, I have Apple AirPod Max’s that blow these things out of the water. These can’t touch the Max’s bass, nor do they sound as smooth and natural out of the box (as everyone has said, these are quite flat out of the box). I also have SennHeiser MB660s that have been my work conference/music-at-the-desk and occasionally my gaming headphones w/o a mic and even they sound far, far better for music and even in some games (assuming OOB setup, not fully configured with Sonar).I am also going to address the lack of ANC outside of the pros/cons list, because I think the use cases of this headset are unique compared to general over the hear headphones. Despite my opinion, I do think it’s odd the wireless version of these have ANC and these don’t. However, I think if you want pure, fairly competitive or natural and detailed game sound quality above all else, you do not want ANC hissing and adding pressure to your ear. If you haven’t owned in or over ear headphones with ANC you might not realize that the constant pressure they create on your ears cancelling out noise will fatigue your ears for long gaming sessions. I also don’t think when I need to hear footsteps exactly where they are around me and where they’re going in Warzone that I want to try to separate ANC hiss from game noise. I guess this could be easily addressed by putting the feature in the headphones and letting the game profile turn it on off.PROS:- the sound profile is very flat out of the box. I think that opens the most options wit the Sonar EQ software to adjust them to more peoples preferences.- if you read this and are a gamer who plays games that has voice chat, I totally under-estimated and under-valued what the GameDac can do. The GG software splits up game sound, your game mic, and your game chat mix into 3 individual audio streams. The best part of this, is games like Warzone let you split which audio device the game uses for those audio outputs. You can then press the dial on the dac once and adjust the output between chat and game sound. This means I can dynamically adjust hearing my team or the game – if people have low mics, are mumbling, or are obnoxious children blaring music into their mic during the game I can curtail that instantaneously.- despite no ANC the ear cushions do a really good job of blocking out most sound- I think the ear muffs and head band could be more comfortable than my Sennheisers and AirPod Maxes. These things just disappear on my head. I have never gamed more than an hour and a half straight without taking them off, but I thought nothing of them being on my head for that long.- the mic is excellent, especially with the ClearVoice “AI” filter- the game presets are pretty good out of the box. the sound quality and clarity are excellent. despite lacking in music impact, I have to admit these are probably are setup as they should to give the most accurate, clear in game sound. the sound imaging to pinpoint players is spot on, the volume levels are good. I cannot take these more than 75% in war zone without hurting my ears.CONS:- the Sonar software component of the GG suite requires a SteelSeries account to enable. This is totally unacceptable and just shows where SteelSeries is trying to monetize by getting your e-mail address. I have never found an aspect of Sonar that requires SteelSeries knowing who I am or utilizing an account to manage or enable my product.- I don’t think if you’re an audio snob you’ll have a jack of all trades headset. as I mentioned above I have at least 2 over ear headphones that aren’t even in the same solar system for music- stop buying the hype about the marginal better sound quality from the DAC. 99/100 normal people with untrained ears with average hearing can’t tell the difference between compressed bluetooth audio and lossless wired headphones, all else equal. I bought the wired because I have so many bluetooth or wireless devices in my headset that when I want to game, I do not want interruptions, drop outs, hitches or blips.

38 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Chefs Kiss

These are by far the best headset i have ever owned! They are very comfy even when wearing glasses with them on. The sound quality is absolutely wonderful, i can hear everything when gaming, they are a game changer for sure! Even listening to music sounds better, i love the new game dac these come with it is well designed and looks really nice and is also easy to use and offers many tweaks that can be done for your sound levels. I also like that there are color options to choose from if you want to change up the look of your headset via headband or ear cup covers/plates on the outer ear. The only negative things about this headset is sadly they did not seem to change up the cheap plastic that is used on the part that attaches the ear parts to the headband, this is the same spot that my old arctis pro headset broke at and i ended up having to super glue it back together. The ear padding that comes with these are that fake type of leather, yes they are comfy but how long till it starts to flake, so in time these may need to be replaced with new ones. That is honestly the only negative things that i can say about this headset. Overall i 100% recommend these to anyone who has the cash to spare. Side Note: be careful with the headset since it does still have that weak point i mentioned above, if you care for them well then i do not see this being an issue for you. (at least not for a while)UPDATE: so i have had this headset for about 6-7 months now and they are still working great and look just as good as they did when i first got them. ( But i take great care of my stuff ) I am a huge PC gamer so i use them just about daily for hours on end. The weak spot on these headphones that i talked about in my review above is still holding up strong but again i take great care of my stuff, i hang these up on a headset stand i have when ever i am done using them. The fake leather on the ear pads has not flaked at all since i have had them so i am actually really surprised about that and pleased. Again i 100% recommend these headphones.

10 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great Gaming Headphones

I heard about the quality of these headphones, but you really have to hear them in action to truly appreciate the sound quality. They are somewhat expensive, but worth the money. The DAC really enhances the sound. Great improvement over my previous headphones.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Overall decent

PROS It is good when it’s set up correctly for the EQ settings (xbox). I haven’t tried to on Playstation yet though; so I’m not sure how the default sound on that is.CONS: It is a bit uncomfortable. I’ve tried adjusting it a few times but just seems a bit tight in my opinion. It could just be that I haven’t worn headphones in a long while. Also, the ear pads could play a big part of it. It does make me feel hot. I do have the Corsair Void headphones and I think those would be a better fit (feeling wise) for this headset if possible. One other CON, mentioned by a few others as well, is the reversal on features… aka… not being able to adjust the volume for BOTH the game and the chat setting. It’s just a mixture between the two of what you want to hear more of.Tidbits for others wanting these headphones: Make sure you’re paying attention on whether you’re getting the xbox version or the other. The xbox version is the only one that works with xbox. The SteelSeries product page better describes this. The included cables are a bit short if you play in the living room that is fairly large (mine is technically small). SteelSeries website does not sell any longer length of cable. Going to my local BestBuy I did find a USB – USB C cable. Although they didn’t have the one I was looking at on their website that said it was available. LUCKILY they had one in their PlayStation area. I ended up getting the Insignia Play + Charge Cable, 9 foot, (Model# NS-PS59PC) made for PS5. I was afraid it wouldn’t work (cause the main thing I wanted as of this moment was to use it on xbox). Luckily this cable works just find in the xbox side! I do wish it was a 10 foot cable to make it a bit better, but it works. This is the cable that hooks up from whatever system you want to the GAMEDAC.Tidbits for SteelSeries: Your website could use a bit more FAQs and your ‘Contact Us’ section is completely useless to “contact us.”

3 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

10/10! (2 month review)

My husband got these for me. I work from home and needed a good quality headset.Sound is crisp and clear!The mic is retractable! So I’m gaming instead of working I can tuck it away!I’m able to customize the sound to my liking!The ears are very comfortable! I will say if you wear glasses like I do- they will start to hurt- however this seems like a glasses issue more than the headphones.Blocking background noise- great!! I work from home and this has been very helpful with kids!Gaming- great noise tracking for direction in game play! Mic is crisp!Would recommend!!

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Don’t buy the wired version, but okay product.

For its price it’s a great headset with lots of capabilities. Only problem is they mislead you into thinking both the wireless and wired version have the same capabilities such as Bluetooth. Wired version does not have it so if that’s a selling point take note of that. Wired version has better mic quality of course but also comes with the hassle of, well, wires. Overall, if you aren’t worried about wires or Bluetooth, wired version is a great choice. I would suggest however just paying the extra money and getting the wireless version.

2 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Works well

Works well but only thing that isn’t good is that when you’re using it for long periods of time for gaming, the leather ear piece traps the heat in your ear and you have to constantly lift it to release the heat. Other than that it works well with my Xbox X.

2 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great for Zoom calls and gaming!

Wanted a pair of quality sounding and slick looking headphones and these delivered on both! I use mine for work Zoom calls and Xbox gaming. They connect directly to my gaming monitor via USB A and sound great for both purposes. Treat them gently and they should last a long while.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Amazing quality

Best set of headphones I have. Would recommend if you can spend a bit of cash. Use for Playstation and PC. The quality if far better than any turtle beach or Astros I’ve owned. Very comfortable. Sometimes the screen when on PC with glitch and have two different screens at once.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Good headset

I was a little skeptical and whatnot because the product I bought was listed as used, but when it came in it was surprisingly good, with practically no signs of wear, came with all accessories and cords, no scratches, and the instruction manual, and the sound quality is amazing. Definitely recommend, still having to experiment with the custom eq sounds, but the base sound is very good, able to detect footsteps and gunshots and things like that with Rainbow six Seige and COD

One person found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great headset, but definitely takes some getting use to…

I bought this headset as an upgrade from some hyper x soundclouds. First of all, I enjoy the fact that I don’t have to have the headset at 100% to actually here the game like a lot of high ends headsets. Moreover, if you do buy this headset and are pc user, definitely download the sonar app. Not only does this enable you to switch between pre-adjusted audio setting depending on the game, but also allows changes for how you want your microphone output to soundlike. I’m no audiophile, but I can genuinely say this is a great headset, with many features that you aren’t probably going to use. Finally, the sonar surround sound feature does take some getting used to if, it is just a different type of experience (definitely not in a bad way!)

3 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Best headset for xbox series x.

This product is great, event at its price point. The sound quality is fantastic and it has great directional audio for fps games. The gamedac can be used to change your eq setting and can also adjust game and chat audio. It has 2 USB c ports, 1 for your console and another for your pc. The xbox version can also work on ps and pc. The earcups are big, they can fit just about any ear size. The pads do get a little warm after a while though, but nothing too serious.Oh, and the mic quality is crystal clear and has a decent amount of enivoremtnal noise suppression, which teammates will appreciate.

One person found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Meh

Honestly was looking to upgrade from my astros A40 wired but was kinda let down . I was hoping for something with a Dac like the nova pro has but just didn’t WOW me for the price . The sound is good but I have to have the dac on max volume for it to sound good which I don’t want to break my ears just to get this to work . Sonar is an app you have to download to get a lot of good features but that’s only for PC not console because you can’t save the programs directly to the dac for console players . The spatial audio i only really noticed with sonar active , and there was a lot of noise in the line anytime the mic wasn’t muted . I could just be ignorant of some of the features but on the Astro mix amp your settings you program actually go to the mix amp. Again my opinion I’m sure theses are excellent for PC gaming but not for console player.

4 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Upgrade to the Arctic pros from the arctic 5

It’s is great I have been looking to upgrade from my Arctic 5 and these are so good well worth the upgrade very good for shooters and listening to music good all rounder highly recommend it’s a bit on the pricey side but it’s probably the best wired headset you can buy and the wireless option is not bad either but I don’t think it is worth a extra 100 bucks I was lucky to get them during Black Friday sales

5.0 out of 5 stars

Best headphones I’ve owned

I was a little hesitant when I saw the pricing for the new Arctis Nova Pro headphones from Steel Series. I had a previous pair of Steel Series gaming headphones from a few years back, but the comfort level was not great and the headband broke down within a year of use. I am pleasantly surprised not only at the modifications made with the comfortable ear cups and headband, but also the performance of the Sonar features and sound engineering. I use the headphones for gaming, work and music, and the headset excels at all 3. Having tried JBS, Turtle Beach, Logitech, and Sennheiser, I can say this is the best of the bunch, especially at this price point.

2 people found this helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars

Great entry for Audiophile gamers.

The Arctis Nova Pro’s are definitely a treat for people looking for higher quality audio on PC.Off the bat, these headset’s sound and feel are amazing. Much better than 99% of gaming headphones commonly used.In terms of audio being 10/10.These bad boys hit a 10hz-40,000kHz frequency (99% of gaming headphones on average are 20hz-20,000kHz which is double the quality on both frequency ranges) and if connected to pc, can be maximized to 96KHz/24bit audio resolution which is the beginning standard to Hi Res audio. These headsets have great sounding highs and lows with more of a focus on highs. These headset’s can be turned up REALLY loud.My only complaint is I would wish the lows (bass) were much stronger feeling.Comfort is 9/10The headband and earcups are very lightweight so it sits on your head weightless and perfectly. The earcups definitely block out most of the outside sound when audio is playing. Only complaint is the headset’s material feels rather cheap since it’s mostly plastic.Features is 10/10You use a DAC that lets you control everything. You have custom EQ settings, Chatmix volume slider (can be used in PC with app), and mic settings like sidetone sensitivity as well as mic volume.Highly recommend for sure.

7 people found this helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars

Great Headset with no headaches for gaming

I have been through a couple of different headsets, and this one foots the bill easily. No disconnects/drop-outs/ etc.. The audio and bass are top notch. Crystal clear audio and works well with the 5.1 surround. I can hear directionally where other players are or sounds are coming from. The DAC is a nice added feature as you can on-the-fly adjust game sound vs chat with friends. This works well as you assign each app a different audio output via virtual outputs. So for Discord I choose and audio output called CHAT, and for my game I choose an output called GAME. Then on the dac while playing you adjust the wheel to bring one audio up and the other down. It’s as easy as turning the dial from left to right. Click the wheel and then you adjust the overall volume. it’ super cool and I would buy it again. When I travel I just take the headest and not the DAC. My laptop supports the 5.1 natively so I don’t need the DAC. This headset has nothing to recharge and is hard wired via 1 USB cable. Easy to use and the software gives you lots of additional options such as equalizer. I would highly recommend this headset.

2 people found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Earpads are terrible

The material on the earpads is terrible, they heat my ears and make the area around my ears sweat as hell. So much that it has caused me a yeast infection on my ears. All other features on this headset are superb, except for the earpads.

3.0 out of 5 stars

The head clamp pressure was a no for me

As the title reads, the head clamp on this headset is unreal. After 30 minutes of use I would need to take them off. I tried using the adjust strap opening it up with all of the different sizes and it still didn’t work. I have a larger head so maybe not so terrible if you are a smaller person. My only other complaint is the wire from the mixer is quite short and was not great if I wanted to lean back in my chair. As well while usning the headset the cups are so tight that it feels like my ears were clogged. Will be returning these soon for some HyperX’s. All other features were very good, so I gave this a 3

3.0 out of 5 stars

finicky but it works ok,

had it about 2 years now for daily use, sound is ok even using the app. one of the more annoying things is the app and using the headphones, some times they just disconnect and you need to reset them up in the app or you cant hear anything and no one can hear you. the cable that comes with it is short so you should get a new longer one. the earphone pads started wearing out after about a year so if that annoys you then don’t get these tbh. the magnet disc come off and its cool but not when you lose them because the magnet went out and it scares the hell out of you at night. the mic was an issuing in discord, even setting it to max others couldn’t make it out. I may have just messed everything up, but honestly i just want some headphones that sound good and just work when i plug them in, some of the bells and whistles sold me on it but really its hasn’t been worth the hassle or money at this point.

One person found this helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars

Mic consistently broken

Overall a decent headset, but I have gone through two and the microphone is constantly cutting in and out. Not worth the price point.

4.0 out of 5 stars

A great buy, but it isnt perfect

I bought this product on impulse as i was originally going to buy a cheaper alternative. Once it got here i expected it to be pretty good, it astounded me with the amount of audio customization and clarity these give, I dont use the microphone but from what i can tell its a pretty ok microphone quality, nothing to good but nothing horrible either. The only thing im unhappy about is the pleather ear pads, they shift around easily and sometimes rotate when moved slightly, the inside of the earpad looks and feels like it is about to peel of, and i feel as if you would to scratch or rub it a bit to hard it would peel the entire thing of. the outside is nothing out of the ordinary, although it is clear it will eventually peel after a bit, might buy replacements for the ear cups down the line. But this headset is a great comfortable option even with the mediocre ear pads, although the plastic feels a bit to lightweight in certain parts, its not bad enough to warrant not buying it. I just wish it had a better plastic quality. Also forgot to mention that for music its quite ok, and for gaming its absolutely amazing, you can pinpoint an enemys location just by sound queues, its saved me multiple times in valorant.

8 people found this helpful