SteelSeries - Arctis 9X

9x, 7p, and Nova 5x.

Huge congrats! I had the Arctis 9X since launch (middle of 2019 I believe) and just recently had to lay them to rest (hinge on ear cup snapped). Ever since then I have missed having a SteelSeries headset, but the other day I saw the Arctis Gamebuds were heavily discounted for prime day, so I snagged a pair and have been super happy so far! Like most anything there will be negative reviews, but me personally I have never had an issue with anything from SteelSeries. The quality is there along with exceptional sound. Enjoy the new headset!

I'm using the Arctis 9X (including a Dolby Atmos license). First on Xbox, which was fine, but on PC it sometimes has a little cracking sound because of the Xbox wireless protocol. Went and bought the Nova Pro, but in terms of sound quality it was almost the same to me. So for me, it's not worth the 300 dollar price tag. However, if you're using a budget headphone now, I think it's worth the investment!

It is up to date. Thanks for suggesting that though! I saw a comment somewhere else that they were getting interference from a bluetooth baby monitor and that might be my issue. I plugged in a 3.5mm headphone cord and haven’t had any problems since

Very good headset imo and the customer service from steelseries is unmatched imo, i bought the arctis 9x like 4 or 5 years ago and have not paid a penny for replacements and am now using the arctis nova 7x.

I’ve had my Arctic 9X since December 2021 with zero issues, I’ve also had a pair of Arctis 3’s since March 2022 and again zero issues.

Primarily for Xbox use, used to have the Arctic 9X’s but they died so currently evaluating the Nova Pros and Astro A50 Xs. Weeded out the the Maxwell‘s because didn’t think the imaging was that great, they were heavy, and I kept getting this feedback with side tone. TB Stealth Pros kept getting this fuzzy/wind sound when the volume is above 70% and/or while SHH mode was on, unusable. Narrowed it down to the above two. Also, if you’re using the two mentioned, do you have your EQ settings dialed in?

I went through 2 pairs of Arctic 9x for my Xbox series X and while they were super comfortable to use and were marketed at Xbox users, they wouldn’t stay synced to the console for longer than 2 mins, which is useless, especially for multiplayer comms. They were brand new out of the box with this issue. In the end I kept using my Lucid Sound headset.

Just don't do the 9x. The Bluetooth they use is garbage, and your controller will constantly disconnect for no reason.

SS Arctis 9X are great. 20 hr battery life, great sound, go around the ear so they are comfy to wear for extended game play. I've had a pair for over 3 yrs and haven't had any issues. Pair directly to Xbox without any extra pieces.

Steel are great, lots of options to choose from around your price point. Arctis 9x are the ones I've got. 20 hr battery life.

Ergonomic, lightweight. Thanks to the spare battery, you don't have to worry about the charge level. And this is now becoming a must-have feature. ChatMix is one of the reasons I chose SS in the first place. It's definitely worth using and is a high-quality product. I've praised it so much, but of course it has its flaws: In the previous series (my previous headset was the Arctis 9), the ChatMix feature was built into the hardware, but now it forces you to use the Sonar software. The GG can be frustrating when it occasionally becomes unstable. It would have been much easier to charge and remove the backup battery from the charging unit inside the DAC.

I really like my Arctis 9 headset. It appears they aren't available anymore - I imagine the Nova Pro would be a great choice.

Arctis 9x is good, I also have the Nova Pro Wireless and it's also good Both work flawlessly with Xbox One Series X

I’ve been using arctis 9x for a few years, love them, but when it’s time replace I’m going nova pro’s. The 9x was a huge step up years ago, and i got several friends now who use them

steel series arctic 9 like 150 but worth it

I will add, range is fine for your immediate surroundings, but I miss being able to walk downstairs and to the end of the backyard while still in a call with the incredible range of the old Arctis 9s

I moved from Arctis 9X to Nova Pro. I'm using this neutral EQ (with bass boosted, both 31 and 62Hz at +3dB): https://i.rtings.com/assets/pages/6NAt1PKy/custom-eq-engine-large.jpg

It is ! I’ve just upgraded to the wireless one and it’s so easy to set up and have really good sound quality and noise cancellation :)

The Arctis ones do it with a cool little dedicated box where you can also control other things. I had some years ago and it was a very handy feature...though yes, windows now does much better, channel-based volume control. Still not as cool as a dial on a box though :)

I live and breathe by the steel series arctis series. They have lasted me a LONG time and has withstood a lot over the years with zero damage.

steelseries arctis are as good as it gets for me. I've tested every major headset over the last year and they've been the best sounding and by far most comfortable. they suffer from some software issues when using in pc but outside of that i will be sticking with steelseries offeringsbfor the foreseeable future

I’d look into a hyperx headset. Those usually are good quality and last quite a while. I haven’t found one I’m not a fan of but I’m also not an enthusiast although I currently bounce between the alpha and a Steelseries arctis headset.

Steelseries and something in your budget in the arctis series. I am on my 3rd model. I love the headband part that doesn’t press on my head, and the material on the earpads are so comfortable.

Just got these. I can recommend them. Not tested mic yet. As for comfort: I have a large head, and am finding the clamping a bit tight however, and the earcups just fit around my ears - it's a bit snug. Nothing bad, per se, but not quite in the super comfort zone of some other headphones. They'd be fine for gaming sessions, but not something I'd want to wear all day. I'd have preferred a bit more of a relaxed fit. On the other hand, a relaxed fit means very big headphone that can turn some people off.

Having owned the arctis, and now just picked up the Scape, I can tell you that it's in a different league to the Arctis. It's very good. Not quite as good as my high end audiophile headphones, but very, very good compared to most gaming headsets. I'd rate them in the same class as the Audeze maxwell. Happy to listen to music on them. Excellent controls too. And very nice looking in person. I have a large head, and am finding the clamping a bit tight however, and the earcups just fit around my ears - it's a bit snug. Nothing bad, per se, but not quite in the super comfort zone of some other headphones.

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.

I use the Steelseries Arctic for 3 years. Still solid

What headset you recommend? Currently have a hypercloud 2 and it´s breaking down as I´ve got it for 8 years now lol, bought the hypercloud 3 and it´s whack, literally feeling pressure on my ears and the microphone is bad. Tried arctic steelseries and even that one felt like pressure on my ears.

Audeze Maxwell - Considered one of the best wireless gaming headsets. Popular with music creators as well as for gaming. Mic is reasonably good, though can clip a little. Comes with leather earpads, but they can be replaced easily. Drop + EPOS PC38X - One of the best wired gaming headsets for sound clarity and mic quality. Bass reproduction is a bit muted, which is common for older style EPOS / Sennheiser headsets, and common with open back headphones in general. The mic is essentially the best of any consumer headset you can buy. Generally can only be bought directly from Drop's site. Comes with both cloth and velour earpads. [https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset](https://drop.com/buy/drop-epos-pc38x-gaming-headset) Steel Series Arctis headsets are generally a decent middle ground in terms of decent bass and mic quality. The overall audio quality isn't as good as either the Maxwell or PC38X, but they're closed back so their bass response is more like the Maxwell. And the mic quality is generally better than the Maxwell, but no where near as good as the PC38X. Most (maybe all?) use cloth earpads. Nova Pro Wireless and Nova 9 are both quite good, with the Nova 9 being slightly better in terms of audio clarity and mic quality, but the Pro Wireless has better bass and noise cancelling.

The Arctis steel series ones that are marketed for Xbox work with PlayStation too and I see now they have some PlayStation branded ones too

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