SteelSeries - Arctis 5

I genuinely don’t get how people break their Steeleseries headsets (unless there’s a defect) you say “with caution” but probably not lol, I had an arctis 5 for like almost a decade and also now have a nova 3. Yall need to take a chill pill stop whipping your headsets on the desk when you take them off loooool.

Ok, I can answer for the Steelseries ones. Dual Device. The PC sees my Arctis 5's as 2 devices instead of just one Output/Input. So I can have my Game audio play over the Arctis 5 Game device, and have Discord or Chrome use the Arctis 5 Chat device. Then I can use the adjustment knob on the fly to change the volume between the devices. So I can boost my friends voices over Discord while lowering the Game volume to hear them more clearly, or for example, move the audio over to the Game for a Cutscene while lowering the volume of my Music playing on Chrome. Can't get that with feature at the same price point on other non-gaming headphones.

Tldr. My arctis 5s have been great when they work. Driver and update issues always cause tedious issues to fix before use. Design issues will cause failure depending on model, wired or not. . I've had steel series arctis 5 wired version for about 4 years. They have been great....when they work. Idk if it's just my pc but every single time there is a driver update. A Nvidia update or a windows update ...my settings get FUCKED. the main issue is with the channel knob randomly changing how it works . Ie turn it left, it mutes discord but game audio is clear. Turn it right and vice versa. Mutes game but discord is clear Often on updates this feature just stops working. You still get audio and mic working but it's open channel for everything. It will also change the profile setting in the SS software. It's an easy fix once you know how but it can still be finicky and tedious. My other issue is with the cable and where it plugs into the headset. It's basically forcing pressure on the micro usb connection and bending the cord. I've had to replace the cord 2 times They are fully failing now. The usb port is loose in the headset, wiggling makes audio sound like robo porn.

I hard disagree. But might just be our settings are different. I had to turn bass down for a lot of games

Did you use the SS software, do you remember you're profile settings? Bass boost etc? I'm genuinely curious as lacking bass is something I have never heard about SteelSeries sets. I'm mixed about recommending them tho. All modern ones are usb-c for the dongle , I can't use because my PC doesn't have a native usb c port. I don't want wired again because that's the failing point on every set I've had but fuck the Arctis 5s have been the best I've ever used. (Sound wise)

My music equipment set up is my go to but I don't have a designated mic to use. Playing PvP multiplayer I need to use my "gaming" set. I tried using my audio Technica for sound and my DS4 controller for the mic but it's a conveluted mess of cords at that point. And audio lag with a BT dongle.

Thanks. I actually did take a look online to see if I could find an answer but there’s nothing definitive, at least so far. I’m totally fine with using it wired if necessary. My wired Arctis Series 5 finally took a dump after the cord deteriorated and stopped carrying sound. I loved everything about that headset. The fact that it was wired meant I could use it with everything that had a jack. Appreciate the response.

I mainly use the pc. I have an arctis 5 headset and it sounds good and it has not a sign of wear and tear for like 2-3 years. The nova pro has some really really good quality of life features. But if you change the eq in the sonar and apply it in your headset it saves it to the headset okay but does it only change the 2.4 ghz audio with the eq or does it change both bluetooth and 2.4 ghz audio for the eq? Also im kind of worried about the oled screen burn in, does your dac have a screen burn in? Plus i maybe dont need a dac? Cuz i have the sonar app and maybe i can control the settings from there im unsure. Can you kindly show a picture of how the settings look for the arctis nova pro in the steelseries gg app? That would be much appreciated!

I have an Arctis 5 and i dont have any issues with the app. I had mine for 3 years and i was looking for something new and nova pro seems good, but do i need the software for game/chatmix?

I may go for beyerdynamic mmx 200 because some say the hinges on arctis are weak and break easily. But i had arctis 5 for like 2-3 years and i have dropped them like 10 Times total and the hinges didnt break. Also Someone Said that if you use the arctis nova 7 at higher volume the sound gets a bit distorted. Is that true? How are the hinges so far?

The Arctis 5 to me sounds good in games, movies etc but i wanted a wireless option that is not steelseries cuz i hate their software and i found virtuoso max that has onboard memory so i think i dont need iCUE. What worries me if it has better sound than arctis 5 cuz the virtuoso max has 50 mm graphene drivers while my arctis 5 has 40 mm something drivers.

I hear stuff other people don't hear in my arctis headset, both in Pubg and CS. The directional sound is awesome and the mixer is very handy. Good build and fabric quality too, they look almost new after 2-3 years hard gaming.

My A50s shit the bed after six months. Just said f it and got the arctis 5s from walmart and so far I do not regret it. My buds tell me I sound good. They're mega comfy and the range is great.

Bought the steel series arctis 5's for 20 bucks, they are great

I'm also really satisfied with that one. That extra wheel to balance voice chat and other sounds is such a good idea.

Guess what I'm also here, my arctics 5 broke after 2 years LOL

My Arctis 5's lasted like 5 years. Maybe they break easily if you treat em like shit, but my experience with gaming headphones is that they have alright build quality.

I mean my Arctis 5 headset had replacement cables you could easily buy, but you can't even remove my BD DT770's cable, it's hard locked in. So that's definitely on a case by case basis thing rather than a gaming headset thing, at least in my experience.

I use Logitech g733 headphones currently and I find them super comfortable to wear with glasses. I've also used Steelseries Arctis headphones a lot and always found them to be very comfortable.

My Razor Nari headset is still going strong for 4 years now. I know it’s not the best, but I returned some equivalents like the steel series arctis and corsair hs80. They just sounded tinny.

I hated mine personally. Terrible software as well

I paid a restocking fee to return them after I kept getting sound blasted while playing BG3. I'm talking about high volume static noise that was only fixed by unplugging and replugging them in. They caused me physical ear pain, and this is after they were already uncomfortable to wear. I felt misled by reviews claiming premium comfort. Let's also talk about how the software doubled my boot times and how I would often have to restart my pc for the software to even function properly. I now have Audio Technica and they are so much nicer in every way for the same price

False. You're either literally saying something like HRTF which is already in the game itself, and mind you something that engineered headphones take into account for, or something like simulated 7.1, which 0 headphones can mimic an actual 7.1. Both "gaming" or "audiophile" headphones will only receive 2-channel stereo. Also an FYI, my HD800 can tell more in all directions than 99% of "gaming" headphones can. Source: HyperX Cloud 2 and Steelseries Arctis user before.

Never heard a headset sound worse than the steelseries arctis

I love my Steelseries Arctis. It's a touch out of your price range but the features are top notch.

My steelseries Arctis headset is still going strong after 7 years. I had a hyper x one that didn’t even last a month.

Arctis steel series. I can hear more than my teammates typically with incoming cars etc

This is the best answer. I went steel series arctis until i upgrad

Whichever steel series arctis is in the range. I've had mine for 4 years and still going strong

It's kinda meh for me. I can dodo like the built in eq for games. It's kinda makes me have superpowers in CoD. I can hear footsteps across the map.

Yea SS is kinda overpriced for what it is. But it's also plug and play and easy to hook up to a PS, Switch, PC, or phone. I've had no issues with the headphones, but the keyboard I got is absolute crap. They marketed it as mechanical, but it's a clicky button that hits a membrane. Only took one year to die because the mechanical part broke the membrane. I won't be buying any steel series only because of the false advertisement from that. I love these headphones but there are other options since I only use them on my PC 90% of the time.