Redefining the ‘Premium’ Gaming Headset

I really feel no compunction telling you the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite gaming headset wasn’t made for most people studying this evaluation. How premium is it? It prices $600.

It comes with a particular GameHub that can hook as much as three consoles or PCs directly to allow you to seamlessly swap between all of your units. It additionally prices $600. It has among the finest premium audio I’ve heard from a gaming headset all yr. It can ask you to fork over $600 for the privilege. The Arctis Nova Elite chock-full of small facilities, which mixes with all the opposite options to make the gaming headset so easy to function. All, for $600. It’s simply the costliest headset I’ve used, which makes it that rather more annoying once I admit I loved it as a lot as I did.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite isn’t doing something we haven’t seen earlier than, even when its price ticket is likely one of the highest we’ve seen. The $400 Logitech G Astro A50 X used a big base for video passthrough to hook up all of your units to at least one place. The newer $180 Astro A20 X does one thing just like the Arctis Nova Elite, although with solely two as a substitute of three outputs for various consoles on a miniature station.  SteelSeries’ ultra-premium gadget isn’t the primary to make use of a miniature OLED display screen to show your headset settings, both. The $400 Razer Kraken V4 Pro’s base station lacks the additional console and PC outputs, however its metallic body feels extra premium when it’s sitting in your desk than SteelSeries’ plastic.

SteelSeries was adamant that is the primary “Hello-Res” gaming headset, largely attributable to it receiving certification from the Japan Audio Society. However there are different corporations promising their gaming headsets can provide gamers the audiophile expertise. Gizmodo Senior Author James Pero just lately reviewed the $360 VZR Model One MK II hi-fi headest. My ears are nonetheless begging me to return to the good tones of the Sony Inzone H9 II, which used the identical audio drivers because the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones. So, no, this isn’t the primary gaming headset with any number of audiophile-level sound.

As an alternative, the Arctis Nova Elite is the primary gaming headset I’ve used that has every thing (and like an every thing bagel, that actually gained’t please everybody). It’s sporting some high quality energetic noise cancellation (ANC), although not one of the best in its class. Its audio capabilities are actually prime tier (although I should want the Sony Inzone H9 II for pure gaming audio bliss). The headset makes connecting to each considered one of my units seamless, and it helps 4 separate streams of simultaneous audio (although it can require downloading the Arctis app to your cellphone and the GG app to your pc to regulate equalization choices for every gadget individually). The Arctis Nova Elite is constructed for the devoted gamer, the one who has one spot of their residence the place they play. In that very particular case, this is likely one of the finest headsets I’ve used.

The most effective for every thing?

There’s no getting round it. The Arctis Nova Elite alone prices greater than a PlayStation 5 console even after price hikes. I’ve used sufficient SteelSeries headsets to know its typical design ethos. In impact, the Arctis Nova Elite is an upgraded model of the Nova Professional Wi-fi, with metallic frames and a metallic quantity wheel. This gaming headset appears to be like particularly good with its cream and gold colorway. I simply don’t know if something in regards to the it desgin reads that it’s value a lot cash.

The sound is the place issues matter, and that’s what the Arctis Nova Elite has acquired going for it. The dual carbon fiber drivers provide a clear audio presence at its baseline. It’s able to lossless 24-bit, 96kHz wi-fi audio, although consoles just like the Xbox Sequence X and PS5 are restricted to 48k/16-bit. It might take a number of hours of listening, however ultimately I got here to acknowledge the Arctis Nova Elite’s true potential as soon as I put it by means of its paces in numerous titles of varied types.

In the event you’re so used to shoving your AirPods in your ears each morning commute, listening to high quality audio from a devoted hi-fi headset can actually go away you in tears. You’ll begin to establish subtleties positioned by cautious palms within the songs you’ve heard 1,000,000 instances earlier than. There’s a purpose some individuals change into obsessive about audio high quality. When you attain the highest of the mountain, it’s that rather more troublesome to crawl again down and reside among the many rocks and weeds.

As soon as I linked the Arctis Nova Elite to my cellphone, I wasn’t pressured to disconnect from PC or consoles. It makes residing your life contained in the headset simpler. I couldn’t stand it for too lengthy, although. Whereas the reminiscence foam cups are plush with a pillow-like softness surrounding my ears, the headset needs to hug my head tighter than others to get that excellent seal. There was a rising strain between my eyes as I used it, forcing me to take intermittent breaks.

The Arctis Nova Elite may simply be my one and solely gaming headset. That being stated, I don’t actually know many individuals who trouble with multiple. SteelSeries instructed it could possibly be your audio buddy even once you’re not close to your sofa or desk. The gaming headset comes with a comfortable felt-lined pouch that snaps shut with a satisfying magnetic clasp. If you would like one thing extra protecting like a tough case, you’ll have to purchase it individually. The factor is, one of the best headphones are designed so that you don’t look appear like an alien when sporting them. You gained’t look stylish together with your head shoved between these cans such as you do together with your AirPods Max. These are designed to put on for hours and hours. I couldn’t stand them for that lengthy. Possibly anyone with a thinner skull would get pleasure from them for longer.

Each recreation requires its personal finetuning

In the event you don’t go into the app to regulate the EQ profile to suit the sport, you’ll find yourself with a a lot worse expertise total. SteelSeries has a daft variety of game-specific profiles for among the hottest video games round and much more you wouldn’t anticipate the corporate to trouble with (there’s a preset for Doki Doki Literature Membership!, for goodness’ sake). So should you load up into your Cyberpunk 2077 save, and enter with out the preset bass profile, it gained’t have anyplace close to the degrees you wish to make your machine gun fireplace actually pop. This requires you to manually change their settings from recreation to recreation in order for you one of the best expertise.

Inevitably, you’ll come throughout a recreation that’s too new for it to have an EQ profile. I’ve been enjoying The Outer Worlds 2, which has a soundtrack that’s equal components thriller and nostalgia. It doesn’t sound dangerous by any margin with the “flat” preset within the Arctis app. I simply know deep in my soul the sport may sound higher with a number of knobs twisted. In the event you scroll by means of all of the preset EQ choices, you will discover one or two that can sound higher to your ears. For example, I performed Gears of War: Reloaded with the Name of Obligation: Black Ops 6 preset and it sounded a lot better than with the inventory customary profile.

A minimum of, the GameHub enables you to swap and modify the amount mixing between the primary and second USB inputs. Swapping between Bluetooth and the two.4GHz connection doesn’t require a lot enter. Nonetheless, if you wish to take a name within the headphones, you’ll have to hit the Bluetooth button on the proper earpad.

SteelSeries’ “flat” profile is ok for many listening experiences, together with music or when speaking on video calls. After I acquired on with a few of my coworkers, they instructed me I sounded extraordinarily clear, practically—however not fairly—podcast ranges of readability. That’s spectacular contemplating the telescoping mic wasn’t even sporting a pop filter. The mic affords 16-bit 32kHz recordings, and listening to myself again I can affirm it’s of excellent high quality. There’s an extra mute button the left earcup if you must keep away from any again chatter when gaming with buddies and even chatting with workmates. Once more, it could possibly be my every thing headset when at residence I may stand sporting it for too lengthy.

Higher battery life? Attempt extra batteries

There’s loads of constructive qualities to this design. I may stroll 30 ft away from the GameHub with a wall in between me and my desktop, and nonetheless hear my recreation as clear as if I used to be standing subsequent to it. Solely once I put a number of partitions between me and the gadget did the sound begin to waver.

The ANC is nice sufficient I might repeatedly miss what my colleagues have been saying even when they have been speaking proper subsequent to me. With the ANC on, I couldn’t hear the blast of the loud followers from the Acer Predator Triton 14 gaming laptop computer I just lately reviewed. Nonetheless, I may sometimes hear ambient noise, just like the distant pop of a fireplace truck siren or a loud bang on a dialog my boss was having on the opposite aspect of the room. The Arctis Nova Elite is greater than sufficient to your gaming den once you wish to gap up like a contented otter and ignore the dashing river waters round you. It simply gained’t provide something near the sensory deprivation chamber sensation of some high-end ANC wi-fi headphones just like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

If there’s one factor lacking from the Arctis Nova Elite, it’s a battery life equal to its $600 price ticket. SteelSeries guarantees you will get 60 hours of energetic listening, however that’s solely once you make use of two separate batteries. The GameHub comes with a small compartment that accepts considered one of two cells that come within the field. The magnetized cap on the right-hand earcup comes off to disclose the battery. It’s not technically hot-swappable, as eradicating the battery will flip off the sound. Swapping in a recent battery will instantly flip the headset on and return you again to your numerous connections. By comparability, a $300 HyperX Cloud Alpha 2 wi-fi can go for 250 hours earlier than you must plug it in.

Value greater than a console?

I maintain citing different headsets that value much less simply to elucidate the place we’re with the present panorama of gaming cans. Nothing I’ve tried has even got here near SteelSeries’ worth level. There are different gaming headsets that promise hi-fi audio or allow you to join all of your consoles. The Arctis Nova Elite is the one pair that I do know of that gives each in a single bundle. I can’t consider another headset I might need extra if I’ve all my gaming units in a single spot.

I additionally know I personally couldn’t drop $600 on any headset. Even when I did go for the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, I must take into account if I may settle for Bluetooth extra usually than the two.4GHz connection. Although I personal a PS5 and Nintendo Change 2, and get to check a rotating forged of PCs, I spend extra time gaming on a handheld than anything. There’s actually a number of people on the market who’re glued to their gaming chairs and need a headset for each single gadget they personal. I can’t consider something higher than the Arctis Nova Elite.