SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless evaluation: An ultra-personal gaming headset – PCWorld

Best Prices Today: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

$349.99

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The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless gaming headset will get nearly every thing proper, providing a compelling mix of fashion, consolation, and Hi-Res audio that sounds spectacular.

It additionally gives demanding avid gamers tons of the way to personalize their audio experiences with options like Pro Grade Parametric EQ and 3D Spatial Audio. And together with twin wi-fi performance (2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), the Arctis Nova Pro include a handy base controller that allows you to swap between your PC and Xbox One or Xbox X/S on the press of a button.

All this performance will set you again $349.99, which appears a bit steep contemplating a non-wireless version retails for $100 less. Still, for headphones with a stage of performance that may truly make you a greater gamer, this might be effectively well worth the worth.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless design

Some premium gaming headsets get excessive marks for consolation however fall brief within the model division. The SteelSeries Nova Pro Wireless, nonetheless, are a whole bundle that includes a trendy, principally black exterior with a premium-looking gun metallic high band and earcup covers.

SteelSeries has included its ComfortMAX system into the Nova Pro Wireless’ design, which is a elaborate means of claiming the design is constructed to accommodate heads of each measurement and form.

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Three most important options intention to enhance consolation: height-adjustable sides, a central versatile stress band, and rotating earcups. I discovered the strain band to be extra snug than the cushion in my present headphones, permitting my head extra room to maneuver. The earcups additionally really feel very tender—a lot in order that I barely observed I used to be carrying something on my head after an extended stint gaming.

The Nova Pro Wireless headphones are additionally remarkably robust. The high band is made out of PVD coated metal however is versatile. The outer a part of the headphones are additionally made out of metallic, they usually proved scratch resistant regardless of my tough use. Controls positioned on the left-hand aspect are simple to navigate along with your fingers when you find them. The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless’ microphone retracts into the bottom, offering it loads of safety.

From an audio perspective the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is excellent, not simply regarding the high quality, however as a result of the headset permits avid gamers to personalize their audio settings precisely as they need – from a alternative of connectivity, proper all the way down to their desired EQ settings.

For instance, the headphones can be utilized wirelessly through a 2.4GHz connection or through Bluetooth, however they will also be plugged in. These modes all have their respective execs and cons – the most important distinction of which is the audio high quality. In wi-fi mode you get higher freedom of motion, however with out the tonal vary of the Hi-Res 96KHz/24-Bit audio you get whereas plugged into the equipped GameDac Gen 2 base controller.

The new second era GameDAC options an up to date ESS Sabre Quad-DAC chip, which SteelSeries says extra precisely reduces distortion and noise than its predecessor. I bought a far richer audio expertise plugged into it whereas taking part in video games like Skyrim and Elden Ring than I did wirelessly, permitting me to choose up delicate sounds just like the wind within the grass and bushes. This richer soundscape actually did add extra ambiance to my video games and total elevated my gaming expertise. The microphone additionally produced an honest audio high quality that gained me a number of compliments in voice chats.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headphones additionally rating massive factors for his or her Multi-System Connect performance. Switching between my PC and my Xbox One on the GameDAC required just some twists and clicks. Adjusting parameters just like the EQ and chat settings throughout these platforms was additionally a cinch on the GameDAC’s generously-sized OLED show.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

You can flip the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and 360 Degree Spatial Audio on or off everytime you like, however for the sake of my testing I saved them switched on. Putting these two applied sciences by way of their paces, I discovered the ANC didn’t totally block some exterior sounds – this was extra noticeable watching films and listening to music than gaming, the place my headphones appeared simpler at isolating a recreation’s audio.

The 360 Degree Spatial Audio alternatively, was persistently spectacular; it makes use of 5.1 or 7.1 encompass sound tracks to ship the precise placement of sound in area. It actually enhanced my spatial consciousness in video games. Even with out altering any of the EQ settings on the GameDAC controller, sounds resonated left and proper and round every ear, precisely reflecting instructions and permitting me to extra simply find enemies.

My wi-fi headphones additionally let me recreation through Wi-Fi connectivity whereas taking cellphone calls through a Bluetooth connection, which implies I by no means needed to miss a name. This simultaneous audio performance will also be used for listening to music, podcasts or in Discord too.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Software

Making fast equalization modifications within the GameDAC controller is a reasonably helpful characteristic however you are able to do much more within the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless’ Sonar software program, which you’ll discover within the SteelSeries GG app. Here I might personalize the Nova Pro Wireless’ EQ settings for particular person video games and likewise tweak the sound of my voice in chat, in addition to a bunch of microphone settings.

Something professional avid gamers perceive is that tweaking your EQ may give you a aggressive benefit. For instance, you’ll be able to optimize your sound to select your opponents’ footsteps from among the many in-game clatter. Doing this your self could be fairly finicky, however in Sonar, SteelSeries’ sound engineers provide you with 23 pre-made gaming presets to select from – some generic, however others particularly for titles optimized for video games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Dota 2, Forza Horizon V and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

With this in thoughts, I examined considered one of SteelSeries’ extra generic presets known as ‘FPS Footsteps’ in an previous favourite shooter, Insurgency. This labored a deal with, simply amplifying the footsteps of anybody approaching me.

Being in a position to higher hear the footsteps of foes made it simpler to defend key tactical factors, particularly people who had been indoors and already had a slight echo impact. As you’ll be able to think about, there’s no finish to the quantity of experimentation doable in Sonar, which is an thrilling prospect for after we evaluation future SteelSeries units.

Conclusion

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is a premium gaming headset packing Hi-Res audio in addition to 360 Degree Spatial Audio, Active Noise Cancellation and a ton of personalization choices. They’re additionally fashionable, hardy, and comfy. Our evaluation set with twin wi-fi and wired connectivity doesn’t come low-cost at $350, but when you are able to do with out wi-fi, SteelSeries has a wired-only version for $100 cheaper.