SteelSeries - Arctis Nova Pro

I can’t verify this on console but the arctis nova pro on pc , with sonar is incredible . Amazing immersion and the audio is pinpoint on footsteps and their direction  . The only thing better is using artiswar audio Tuning on pc , which will make your game sound like shit but it’s the equivalent to audio wall hacks imho - and probably should be considered cheating .  I’m sick of people cheating constantly on pc , so I’ve switched to a ps5 and sold my 5k dollar gaming rig - I love being able to turn cross play off and only have to deal with strike pack / Cronus type cheats “even though that’s still vile “ it’s nothing compared to blatant wall hacks and aimbot with cross play enabled !

I have the wired so I can't speak on behalf of the wireless aspect. I bought mine a couple days ago and after messing with the EQ for awhile I enjoy them thoroughly. My advice is to stay away from sonar. Just using the gameDAC EQ customization and Dolby Atmos has been a big game changer.

Have u tried the nova pro wired? I just ordered one it should arrive tomorrow, but I'm low-key having buyers remorse and doubting if it was the right thing to do. I also have a apex pro tkl gen 2, and a aroax 5 mouse. Which is why I ultimately chose the novas, mainly to only have 1 software open doing it all.

I ended up getting an insane deal on the wired version for just $100—brand new, sealed and everything. The seller got it as a birthday gift but didn’t know how much they’re actually worth. They’re not into over-ear headphones and prefer IEMs, so they just underpriced it lol. Tried it a bit today, and yeah, they’re really good—way better than my old Arctis 3s. Only issue I’m having now is that I use SignalRGB to sync my room’s LED lights with my keyboard and mouse (*don’t have any RGB PC parts*), so it all has a cozy, in-sync vibe. But since I need to use Sonar, I straight-up can’t run SignalRGB at all because it clashes with GG. I was hoping there’d be a workaround, but people have been complaining about this for like three years. I even tried disabling the Prism engine so it wouldn’t control the lights, but SignalRGB still won’t work. It’s honestly so frustrating.

I really enjoy the Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro set I picked up on a open box deal from Amazon for under $200. The GG sonar program allows you to customize every app's sound quality along with a virtual mixer for different games. Batteries are cheap \~ $15 for a 2 pack to double or triple your mAh capactiy (longer play time). It's been awesome for the month i've had mine and is able to connect to xbox/ps5 at the same time as your PC and can have dual-channel audio going on at the same time.

Arctis Nova Pros Wired. Won’t miss a step (literally)

Yeah, I’m feeling this right now. I replaced the old wired Nova Pro because the tilt adjustment was going to break some. I loved how the chat mix was implemented in hardware, where the headset was actually two audio devices that Windows/Linux recognized. Then I find out it’s all in software now and the software is incapable of picking my headset as the default audio output device every single time I turn on my computer. The mic quality isn’t as good either. Longer list of grievances than I’m going to bother putting here.

I have a nova pro, would recommend 100%

(I'm not the guy from the rest of the thread haha)

The way I have mine set up, I have the pc at 100% volume (all the sonar channels) and the volume on the dac at "-9" on the dial, and then adjust volume and things with the headset dial, and fiddle with game/chat mix on the dac (press down on the dac dial to access that)

No additional amp aside from the included dac, and I can put the headset up to max volume and listen to it when it's on the arm of my chair not on my head - it would deafen me if I had that on my head for too long at that high, you get plenty of volume scope

Literally the dac that comes inside the box with the Arctis Nova Pro Wired

I really like my wired Arctis Pro+GAMEDAC. I know some people have issues with the “brittle” plastic between the headband and earphones, but I’ve had the Arctis Pros since 2021 and most of the issues I’ve had was trying to disable the SONAR software.

Have had my pro+gamedac since 2021 and it’s been perfect hardware wise. The only issue I had was disabling sonar after deciding that I hated it

I have the Nova Pro Wired, in my opinion they cost way too much for what they offer and don't have ANC (I know some people don't care but to me that's a big minus). The wireless versions have ANC but overall lower sound quality afaik, no clue why the Wired doesn't have it. Also as far as comfort goes they're clamp tight and (this is very subjective) have little room for ears. I upgraded from a Kraken Ultimate set and they feel way worse in most aspects.

Wireless headsets are known for bad mic quality, but some recent models made by Astro and Razer sound pretty good. I use the wired Nova Pro and it's perfect and sounds x1000 than wireless

from an audiophile, i’d recommend the one you made this thread about, audeze maxwell, and the astro a50s. i personally have the old nova pros and the newer nova 7x. sound quality id prob rank the a50s above the nova pros, but id say the convenience of the quick swap batteries can have a nice argument as well. i’ve heard a lot about the maxwells too, but i haven’t had too much experience with them personally as i don’t really have interest in another wireless set, and they haven’t went on a good enough sale for me to pull the trigger

I have had theNova Pro X's for 2 years now and they have never given me any issues and sound is amazing!!😀 Whether I'm playing old games like Chaos Theory or modern games, sound is nice. **For those curious, I do recommend(if buying good headsets) purchasing the Dolby Atmos App and DTS app. Both go on sale quite often too** 👍

Mine does that too and I have to reboot my PC to get it back to normal. It just started tho, not sure what's causing it.

I currently own the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (wired) ones, and I can say they're the worst headset I've used in the last 5 years or so, even my ancient Sony MDR HW700DS have a miles better audio.

To keep it simple, buy once, cry at the credit bill and then forget because it works well without any BS and as I said below, having capability of receiving both console (wireless) audio AND Bluetooth...literally eye opening plus the mic is great for calling even on the train or out of the gaming den https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-nova-pro?srsltid=AfmBOorpC6BfhfaS6xlaM_e9Ni7Eaard4kcUQp-QoLU8niyBD7wGdUPG No problems, can game audio whilst on phone call and as soon as my end calls my mic switches back yo psn party chat I do have yo unplug and replug the dac because the mic is low sensitivity, but once rebooted, it's back to normal. I cringe, yes, but it's a sony problem The range of wireless and Bluetooth can reach through 3 stories of my house (attic yo kitchen and front door) ANC is nice, not heavy, and mic can be pushed in flush And honestly, the most convenient, literally able to reload the headset battery (2 come with box) and charge in DAC or just USB C to headset I also recommend using USB c to C for the dac. The bandwidth is a noticeable difference

Hey I'm so sorry but I have to ask. What headsets would anyone recommend with huge heads. I got the arctis Nova and stealth gen 3 700 and both hurt my head bigtime. Use Sony XM5s currently.

Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro, no question. Edit: if you can stretch your budget the Audeze Maxwell are insane.

I’ve been wildly impressed with my arcs nova pro

+1 for Arctis. I grabbed the Arctis nova pro this year after returning other premium headsets and love it. Grab the 3rd party cushion upgrades and he will be in heaven

Hi there, I literally JUST changed out my Steelseries Arctis 7 this week, so this post caught my eye. I am assuming by your budget, that you are using the wired version. I am using the wireless version. But I loved my Arctis 7's, they had just gotten aged with wear and tear so it was time to replace. I stayed with Steelseries (since I also have an Apex Pro keyboard and am used to the driver software now), and I went with the Arctis Novo Pro. I couldn't be happier, I love them. I instantly heard a difference in them over my Arctis 7s. Like, instantly, I heard differences in the surround field that I had not been hearing in the 7s, and in the first game I brought up I was hearing ambient sounds that I have never heard before, same game, no changes other than switching from the 7 to the Novo Pro. Just thought I'd let you know my experience since I had steelseries also.

Steel Series Arctis nova pro without a doubt

I strongly disagree, I’ve had both and the Nova Pros were noticeably better, I exclusively play COD SnD.

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!

Are the TB Stealth Pro comfortable? My Nova Pro are fatigueing for the ears (because the anc bump touches the ears, even with thicker after market ear cushions).

I’ve had great experience with steel series. Never had any issues and I’ve owned two headsets. I currently own the nova artic pros.

I tried the 5X and they where REALLY good for the price. That being said, I haven't tried the Hyper X so I have nothing to compare the 5X to :p I have the Nova pro's rn and they are better than the 5X but... not by that much. It's just cool to have a hotswap battery and the dock thing. The Pro's also have more base and a bit more range. IMO tho, the 5X are fantastic.

I feel as a Steelseries user, I need to elaborate on this. Some big issues with their headsets and 1 positive 1. The sound quality is cheap and nothing like any review states. I've had my Arctis Nova Pro's for around 1.5 years. I had a pair of $150 Sony headphones that sounded 100% better than the Nova Pro's. Nova Pro's are $400 headset up in Canada and they sound like a pair of $100 headphones. 2. There seems to be some issues with connection every once in a while. Gets all blurbly and static at times. Very disturbing and distracting while playing. 3. The quality build on the Nova Pro's is great. I threw them once time across the room very hard and they didn't break at all. So they get a very very good durability score.

The Sonys have built-in mics, not a boom mic but they're pretty good for videocalls Steelseries Nova Pro or Logitech G Pro don't have any bright colors, they're just black, but they're gaming headsets

As someone who dabbled in the headphones recommendations with a DAC and a separate microphone and then just ended up going with Steelseries 7 and Nova pro. Each headphones is different Gaming headsets focus on noise isolation, comfort , a microphone and software features ( Steelseries has 2 outputs and buttons and knobs that allow you to manage them, i.e I have chat apps going through one output while games go through another with different EQ and a button to mute or lower volumes of one side or the other ) While headphones focus more on sound quality. Being honest I would recommend getting a gaming headset like I did, is not the best of both worlds but is perfect for gaming and long computer usage. But if you don't spend time in discord or don't mind tuning in an external mic etc go for the headphones.

In short they have different purposes. Think of the surround sound you might have for your tv and compare that with the speaker sets used with CD players, cassettes, record players, or even at concerts. In long, gaming headphones are designers to Block out outside noises and provide an accurate surround sound experience, which is great when you have 8 small fans blowing in your pc case and you need to know exactly where the enemy footsteps are coming from so you know where to position yourself. Music headphones are very different in that regard because they dont need to eliminate outside noise as much and they dont need to play from different angles, they instead need to provide a rich and full range so you get a better music quality. Gaming Headphones +Noise Muffling +Surround Sound +Faster Response/Less Lag (Honestly its a indistuingishable difference) +Built in Mic +RGB Lighting Common +Some Brands offer Apps for customization of RGB, programable button, etc -Often Mediocre Sound Quality Music/Audiophile Headphones +Superior Sound Quality +Some Brands/Models offer ANC, which i have never seen in gaming headphones +Some Brands offer Apps with Equalizers and presets -Often provide a Flat or 2 Dimensional sound space Edit 1: Most of these differences wont be that noticeable for everyday use Edit 2: Personally I have separate devices for both purposes, a pair of Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro for when Im gaming and a set of Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Earbuds for music

I did own a set of the nova pro, the one with the little dac thing. Great features, like connecting to both ps5 and Xbox, but they had a noticeable lag and the amp couldn’t power much else other than their own headphones which I didn’t think matched the audio quality they should have had at the price.

I had the nova pro for a while, feature rich, but unfortunately not for me in the end

I have the nova pros and love them

Im always away from home so its nice i can be connected to the pc and to my phone through Bluetooth to talk to the wife without having my airpod in my ear under the headset and still hear the game

To me, yes. I never have them full volume. No problems yet after about a year

Nova Pro user here, add me to the meh list.

I have 2, 4 and 10. Sennheiser for PC, Artic Nova for PS5, and Hyper X for work

The Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro gets recommended so much, and they are genuinely some of the most mediocre headphones I've ever slipped over my ears.

The headset I spent $350 on isn't even on the list I don't think. The left side died after 2 years lol. The mic also doesn't work. Guess I see why it's not on the list. Back to the SteelSeries I go wherever I have the money for the pro novas.

I can't recommend the Steelseries Nova Pro enough. Came from the Arctis 7 and the sound quality alone is night and day.

I have the Nova Pro and had the Acrtis Pro Wireless before, they are some of the most amazing headsets I have owned.

Arctics nova pro should sound really good, I had arctics pro’s and people were telling me the exact same thing quite often.

The steelseries Arctis nova series is pretty nice

I just picked up steelseries arctis nova pros, but tarkov audio sucks so just pick your budget and do your research to find what the best headset is in that range

Audeze Maxwell and steelseries arctis nova pros are your two best options If you care about competitive games get the nova pros if you care more about music and mainly play story games get the maxwell The nova pro would also probably be better if you play on console and pc because you can have it connected to both and it will just auto switch to whichever one is on Also the nova pro can connect to your phone and you can listen to things on your phone via Bluetooth at the same time as you are playing on your pc listening to ingame audio I personally prefer the nova overall for gaming (the maxwells also have a ton of quality control issues)

I would avoid Arctis Nova, as other people already said they don't last very long, go for HyperX-Cloud-Alpha, the metal beam is not going to break on you and they sound great!

Ripp i bought their top of the line nova pros like 4 years ago thinking they would be good but theyre just built like crap mics not great plastic is creaky seriously just get somthing else my beyerdyamics which cost a 3rd the price are better in literally every way sound quality, build quality. Whats the point in asking for advice if you're not gonna follow it.

I'd go with the Arctis Nova Pro that should do you fine. They usually have great sound and a decent mic

I use the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro’s. Sound quality is superb, and you can have game specific presets. The feature of changing the fully charged battery from the dock within seconds is so helpful when in game too. Expensive bit of kit, but well worth it imo. * wouldn’t visit the steelseries sub for pointers, as it’s full of rage quitters who clearly launch their headsets at the screen complaining that their headset “just snapped in half for no reason at all”.

Imo the best gamee headphones on the market rn is arctic nova pros I'm not gonna list everything about them but it is really customizable has great design and comes with a deck that works it bunch of stuff

Arctic pro is an old model arctis nova pro is better

I’ve been through loads recently. Here’s a brief rundown (all ran on my Xbox): Audeze Maxwell - Best sounding, not a single other dedicated gaming headset comes close. However the weight really puts strain on your neck after a while. The mic was also not the best Arctis Nova Pro (wired and wireless) - Just not good, for the price anyway. Sound was ok, mic was ok, ear cups were too small, the eq on the dac didn’t make a big enough impact to the sound to make it useful. Very light however Razor Blackshark V2 Pro - Comfy, sounded ok, mic was phenomenal, looks were nice. However for the price again, just doesn’t offer anything special, and the eq was similar to the issues the Nova Pro had DT 900 Pro X (with mod mic) - VERY comfy, fantastic soundstage, very detailed, look very nice. However non existent bass (for immersive games and games like battlefield would be nice to have), and the mic was just ok. Overall from these choices the best value (bar the next one on the list) Astro A50x - Never had a pair before cause I thought the price was just not worth it, however I am stunned. Comfort is phenomenal, sound is next level especially for competitive games, the eq works fantastically, the mic is great. And the free Dolby Atmos you get with it is fantastic for immersive games, and even when using standard stereo sound, the bass is great whilst leaving the treble for footsteps still great If you’re on PC alone, I’d say go for DT 900 Pro X and get a proper USB mic, however if you’re on PC and console, the a50x is a no brainer, the ability to switch inputs to determine what is shown on your screen is fantastic. And the audio switches to that specific source straight away.

Best sounded is the Audeze Maxwell. It’s Planar drivers which are superior to Dynamic drivers. However, they are HEAVY, and even after I added extra headband padding, and new ear pads, they still felt weighty. Just got the A50x Astros, and comfort wise they’re far better, but they also come both lifetime Atmos for gaming so you don’t need to pay for a pass, the Audeze do too, but have the weight issue. I also find out of all the headsets I’ve tried, they’re the closest to sounding like the Maxwells. The mic is decent too. I recently sent back the V2 Pro, the mic was GREAT, but the sound was quite muffled, and I couldn’t find a perfect EQ for things like Rainbow Six. Arctis Nova Pro, just don’t get, ear cups are tiny, mic is pretty poor and build quality is badddd.

Had them, returned them. Getting up between game sessions to go downstairs, the headphones would do loud, awful "pops" and "cracks" in your ear, probably well into harmful decibel levels. My Astro A50's never did that, no matter how far I was from the base station. The sound on them was good, but outside of the cracks/pops, I had issues with the comfort and the software being pretty useles. The base station had good features, but that's about it. These were one of the headphones I tried that I absolutely do not udnerstand the hype around, and was severely let down.

I have owned many, just went from the artic pro to the nova pro, which I gave the old one to my wife. Works with everything, never bugs, sounds awesome, comfortable - and the cherry on top is the swapable batteries. You can stream audio from two devices at the same time, like from phone bluetooth and the pc receiver. Need an aux entry or usb-c? Got that too. Thing is just incredible.

It works with my switch, pc and phone. I dont own an Xbox and playstation. I think you can find your answer online. The back of the nova dock has two usb-c inputs and an aux. There's a lot of versions of the headset but the latest is the nova pro and that should work with all the platforms.

If swapping batteries is too hard for you, you probably struggle with a lot of things lol

I swaped my Maxwell for the Arctis Nova Pro, not regretting !

Before the Maxwell I had a Arctic 7. I wanted and Upgrade, everyone was saying the Maxwell was the best. After 2 months I’ve decided to get the Nova Pro and sell the Maxwell. Maxwell issues : - Range (loosing connection walking in my really small apartment) the Arctic never lost connection - after loosing connection, taking a good 20 seconds to reconnect back (even though it sometimes changed the mic in discord) - Really heavy and big (Niva Pro feels way better on the head) - Software, the software really suck, no warning for the battery level, annoying to lower sounds between games/discord, crashing,… Nova Pro works fine without headset - The pads are isolating to much and make you sweaty after less than 30min It’s still a great sounding headset, I just felt like I fixed all of these issues passing to the Nova Pro wich is a cheaper choice. Oh and finally the swapable battery is literally the best thing, never connecting a cable in middle of a game.

I made the switch from Corsair Virtuosos to Steel series attic nova pros and it was night and day in audio quality. Also the mic seemed to be better if you need it. By far the best selling point was having the ability to easily swap batteries. I used my Corsair headphones so much that the battery no longer lasted a work day and swapping the battery in those was a little too risky for me to do myself. The pho surround sound is a lot better with the steel series when gaming. I know it’s a ways away but if you’re willing to wait for a Black Friday deal you should be able to get them for under $300. I believe I got mine $75 off and that was 2 years ago.

Also agree with steeleseries arctis nova pro. Wires and you can run your phone via Bluetooth and the headset to your pc at the same time. Have tunes on while gaming. They sound amazing. Very good at hearing where things are and like mentioned having two batteries you can hot swap as needed so they are always ready to go. The base station functions as a charging base.... plus there are lots of aftermarket parts to customize them to your flavor.

I returned my A50s when I got the series X. I don’t know why they got rid of the optical port. Arctis Nova Pros have been solid for me since.

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

I'm going to return mine. I like everything about nova pro but, for 350 euros I feel super uncomfortable weaering it, it's more uncomfortable than my jbl 610 and the fact that you should put another 40 euros to get WC cushions to get the comfort is not acceptable for the price tag. Overall it's an amazing headset which I can't wear it, they could have do better for cushions with this price tag.

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

For PC I went with Arctis Nova Pro. Actually solid battery life. Replaceable batteries. Just works. Balanced sound with hardware EQ. ANC is bad but it's there. I'm not using their audio software though, but I can't imagine it's much worse than Synapse/THX driver issues that plagued my Nari Ultimate for years across multiple PCs lol

Same mine started making a weird buzzing noise and it randomly cuts out and my batteries last like two hours instead of 5-6 hours like when I first got it. I actually gave mine to a family member so I’m going to need a replacement. I might just go back my good ol arctis pro wireless, what I had before this Nova pro crap. I was so excited when I heard steel series was coming out with a new wireless headset to replace the Arctis pro, and then the nova pro happened and I bought it and I was seriously unimpressed and was sad I sold my arctis pro wireless to make of for the funds I spent on the nova pro

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.

Artics Nova Pro - you won’t regret it

Are you talking about Nova Pros? Although still quite decent, Arctis Pros do not have hot-swap batteries nor ANC.

Um no, Pro Wireless comes with 2 batteries but turns off when you switch batteries, Nova Pro stays on for a few secs while you change batteries, hence hot-swap.

I had an Arctic Pro Wireless and it was just fine, but the Nova Pro has those issues too. Still love the features and the in headset Bluetooth audio mixing which is why I still use it

I got a DT770 Pros in 2020. The only thing I have had to do is replace the ear cushions, and that was $15 and 10 minutes. I did add a wireless mod mic on them and that has been great. It is attached with a magnet so when I'm not using it I can take it off and lose the extra weight. On the other hand I got my son a pair of Steel series Arctis Nova Pros and he has been loving them. They come with an extra battery that charges in the base station so he doesn't have to think about ever running out of battery. They are a bit expensive, but have lasted a long time.

Steel series arctic nova pro, best headset I have ever owned.

If music is a bit of a primary focus I'd say go Maxwell, if you know how to EQ and want to use Sonar. Then Nova do get good quality sound.

Are you still enjoying them as much? How fast do they recharge if they run out? I use my headphones quite a bit and one of the best things I find with the arctis novas is I can just fast swap the battery, but I'd love having a smaller (and portable) solution in general.

I have both gen 1 Arctis pro and just bought the Nova. I wear glasses too and have had zero issues wearing the Nova set. They feel much lighter and prefer the design and functionality changes over gen 1. However, got them yesterday and STILL cannot find the option for Dolby 7.1. ! It's driving me mad. Re-installed everything more than once. Everything unplugged and reconnected, no matter what i do , still no surround option ? These will be going back on Monday if I can't find a fix. Any advice would be great.

I just bought the Nova and cannot find an option for Dolby 7.1 ? Do you have that on yours ?

Same here. Tried everything I can think of, still no surround. No option for surround on gg engine . I'm confused ?

Thankyou ! Will try it now 👍

I use a steelseries arctics nova. I got it fairly recently (like a month ago) and i can hear the smallest of sounds when I play pretty darn well. It's also fairly lite weight and has a long battery life.

I've heard steelseries arctis novas are really good, I use one myself and it's really good

I did end up returning them and don't regret it. I searched a lot of the forums and tried a few things but ended up switching to the arctis nova pro set which I quite enjoy

I haven't tried Astros. Customer support is what first made me stop buying Steelseries. Theirs was awful--basically, buy a new one if it breaks. I only bought the Nova Pro because they changed the headband design and I could get the 2-year warranty throguh Best Buy. Once the mute switch on those went bad, I got a refund through Best Buy and was done with them. That, and the Nova Pro had shallower earcups (ears pressed agaisnt the drivers) and slightly worse wireless range than irs predecessor. I got some cheap-ish Turtle Beaches now, just to try something else. They're OK, but not particularly good. The one thing I really miss from the Arctis lineup is the Aux pass-through. Plugging my PC speakers in and having the receiver pass audio to the speakers when the headset was off is something I really miss.

I wish, but it was just a few months ago that I had to return my Nova Pro. I can't bring myself to give them another $300+ after they've failed me twice.

Sennheiser hd 800s = best, but over at $1k they are quite the luxury. I have Sennheiser 560s and 660s. Both are excellent but for the money 560s are the best bang for the buck. No mic, so buy a stand mic. These are all open backs and work well in my situation (I like to be able to hear my environment if someone is yelling in the house. My space is relatively quiet. You can even use steel series "sonar" software to enhance and eq. Btw I hated the arctis Nova pros. Hot ears, could not hear directionality nearly as well.. returned them quickly once I tested the 560s.

I love my arctis nova pros. Sound is excellent, mic is great.

I use artis nova pro and I love them. They have seperate setups for audio and gaming. I like deep house so bass and treble are important which I get when listening to say SoundCloud or Spotify, but I also like mil Sim games so directional sound is important. I get both of these from the steel series software. I'm sure lots of other headsets have the same sort of options, just got shop around find which one suits your needs best.

SteelSeries artic nova pros. Had the Astros before that and they were nice too

I had an arctic nova pro, and switched to Audeze Maxwell. The Arctic Nova was good, but after switching the sound and build quality is night and day with the Maxwell, it’s so much better. The battery lasts over 70 hours as well. Default sound settings aren’t great, but an easy Google search has people sharing much better settings which really brings the sound quality out. It’s usually around $300, but you can find them for sale around $250 every now and then, if you’re willing to stretch you budget a bit.

He the nova pros. They’re the nicest looking gaming headset on the market and sound great. Also really comfortable for long sessions. Best headset I’ve owned

Well, what you also need to consider is not many people care about all that. And yes, for most solutions you do need an amp/dac. Sure there are 80 ohm headsets that can be run straight from the onboard sound, but if you really want to experience the sound Sennheiser/Beyerdymamic/AT, etc. are known for you’re going to need a dac/amp because most require 120+ ohms which a motherboard just cannot push. Personally I agree with going the non-gaming route, because after these two headers I’m gonna invest in a pair of DT770’s, and still researching amp/dac, and I’m not going to bother with a mic since I don’t chat with people online. But for most folks who want plug and play, gaming headsets, namely ones like the HyperX Cloud 3, Razer Blackshark, or other solutions $120 are the best value for their needs. There’s them the more expensive solutions that are tuned specifically for what people need from a gaming headset. Sure, they’re not going to match the overall quality HD600’s, or DT770/990’s, but they’re also not just RGB plastic junk either.

Well, things to take into consideration is the sound signature, comfort, noise isolation, convenience, sound stage, imaging, etc. AT isn’t for everyone, in this case the m40x are designed to be an entry level studio headphone, they’re a neutral sounding headphone with an emphasis on its user knowing how to properly use an EQ. Some people prefer heavy bass, some prefer imaging, some prefer a wide sound stage, which from what I’ve read the m40x doesn’t have. They have no on board controls meaning if you want to turn the volume up or down you’re gonna need to either have controls on your keyboard, or you’re going to be alt-tabbing a lot. They’re also not wireless, which some prefer. There’s also features that come with the gaming headsets like sound profiles for different games, and in the case of Steelseries, they have sonar which allows you to deep dive into EQ’ing to fine tune things like footsteps in competitive gaming, or adding extra on the low end for immersive gaming. In some cases the headsets themselves store multiple EQ settings allowing you to use them on other platforms without the need for extra software. The a50x pinched the hell out of my head, I can’t imagine a cheaper version of it magically being more comfortable. The same goes for others, people have different shaped heads, some prefer featherweight cans, people like me like planar magnetic cans which are always on the heavy side. Different strokes for different folks. Noise isolation is a big one, especially for people who commute a lot, or live in a house with other people. The reason I haven’t gone open back is purely because my house is not quiet, so I need sound isolation to hear what’s going on. All in all, I’m big on sound quality, but I’m also big on comfort, and I’ll say that I personally wouldn’t invest in a headset under $200, and AT while appealing in the price range, it’s not going to have the sound and comfort want. While in the same breath the Arctis Nova Pro’s wired and wireless, and Audeze Maxwell’s after some basic EQ’ing are the best headsets I’ve experienced in terms of the total package. Again, different people have different wants and needs.

Same here, 4 years and 100% best headset I’ve owned. If anyone’s in the market for a wireless headset these are a no brainer. If I still played as much as I did before I’d consider upgrading to the nova pros too

if it ever breaks and you decide to upgrade to nova pro, dont. some more/better features, way worse sound overall, a little better bass though

The sound is ok. The software for the EQ (which is required because the flat sound on these is fucking awful) is overbearing and stupid. I've had to factory reset them three times (holding down power and bluetooth) because they just get locked up and don't respond. The battery life is trash. The fit is good but the cups are already shredding after a year. For the price I expected more.

Stealseries specifically the Arctis Nova Pro's they are amazing

I had my 7s since 2018. 6 years seems decent for a battery - the battery gave out. I could have repaired them, but picked up Arctis Nova Pros for my birthday. I’m really enjoying them so far. I can go from my pc to ps5 by just switching the receiver to a different usb. You can also connect it to Bluetooth devices, so it can be used as soundproof headphones for the airplane or whatever. PS5 3d sound is fantastic.

No issues with my headset but man does the software suck. Steelseries GG is way too overcomplicated and it occasionally reroutes my devices. I had the siberia 800s and I loved them. The battery swap function is still amazing but they definitely dropped the ball with the arctis nova pros in terms of quality.

I have a steelseries arctis nova pro (#2 on list) and I'm sure it's the trash software it's paired with but every now and then it starts to spaz out and the sound sounds like a 56kbps transformers bootleg movie. I've been told my mic sounds the same way from people in discord. The headset itself is very comfortable though 2/10 looking to replace

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

Came here to say this, had mine since it came out and I use it very often , besides for the DAC knob breaking just like every other DAC knob does, the headset is the best for gaming/movies, and I use it for work at the office too

Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro. There is no substitute.

Arctis Nova Pros are very good, once you update the DAC it even puts a PUBG audio preset on there for you so you don’t have to mess about making your own. I’d avoid Astros completely, they didn’t keep up with the competition. And don’t use Dolby Atmos, it’s ass for PUBG.

I have an Arctis Nova Pro and I'm currently looking to replace it. The DAC knob died **right** out of warranty and only works in one direction, and now, periodically the headset cuts out and just emits a super loud buzzing/white noise until I turn it off and on again. For a $350 headset to last less than 2 years is ridiculous, IMO. Currently testing out a Corsair Virtuoso Max, but idk if I'm gonna stick with it. The audio is fine, but damn is it uncomfortable (at least out of the box.) Was thinking of trying the Kraken 4 pro, but looks like this one isn't great either.