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Top Pros
Top Cons
Reddit Reviews
Steel series arctis. I have the wired version with GameDAC, have had it for about 7 years and it's only just now starting to go out on me, with sound cutting out of one side of the plug isn't perfectly positioned. It's been so reliable for so long though. I'm stuck using some more basic headphones until I can replace them, but I'll be getting myself another steel series, but this time I'll go wireless.
I’ve had the Nova Pro Wireless + GameDAC for years with wicked cushions and no amount of stretching has made them comfortable. I recently bought the gamebuds last week and it has completely changed the game for me regarding comfort and sound. The microphone may as well not exist as it truly is terrible, however I do have a separate microphone. Won’t be going back to headphones with SteelSeries.
What I can tell you is I have the Arctis Pros with the DAC and its coming up on almost 7 years. They are extremely well made. I’m on the original two batteries and all I’ve replaced is the ear cups. I would highly recommend SteelSeries. Before I got those I was on an almost yearly swap with various Sony wireless headphones. Batteries died early bands broke leather cracked. I’m glad I switched.
Get the Artctis wireless pro with gamedac the best unless these are newer better. The Sonys are trash steel series all the way.
steel series has a decent gaming headset around that price point especially if you can get it with the gamedac included. I would get a lot of compliments on my microphone quality as well just with the built-in one that comes in that. It emulate surround sound pretty well too, and it’s also pretty comfortable even though it’s kinda heavy because of the band thats between the unit and your head which is adjustable for different head sizes.
These headsets in particular will have plastic that after a couple years of use will dry out and snap for no reason. I just put mine on the head and they snap and my head is quite small on average so tension on my head should be way smaller than other people. When I googled the problem it had happened to a ton of people and ofcourse the warranty was just out so I couldnt get a new pair and they gave me nothing.
By that logic, the $379 Pro's which are inferior to these in both sound signature, microphone & build quality isn't worth the price. But they are rated as probably Top 3 in Gaming headphones. You have to look at it in the entire package. Software + build quality + feature set + sound performance + mic performance. The Pro's are already top 3 in this regard. There are other headphoens slightly cheaper that may deliver certain things better and vice versa. Many brands have better mics, worse sound signature. Some have better sound signature and worse mics. Some can't do crap for software and EQ control. Then you have Audiophile cans that you then need to buy seperate products to take advatange of and then overall can cost more than the gaming headset. Like it or not, sometimes spending a little bit of a premium for convenience and having a good experience in each category makes sense. I don't want 50 things on my desk just to hear 5% better. I don't want a microphone on my desk either, and want it attached to my mic. I also want a wireless headset. I also don't want to spend hours trying to EQ my games and want something that just sounds a bit more immersive out of the box by clicking a button. I also like to keep all of my software not so bloated with 50 different products. I also like higher build quality and decent mics. That's where the Nova Pro's came in, and they are easily top 3 in most categories outside of audiophile specific devices. Enters the Elites which is better than them by a good margin in each of those categories. With your logic, don't ever fly direct on an airplane... how dare you spend more money for convenience!
All these people mad that you bought an actual decept pair of headphones. Are there better out there, for better cost/performance. Yes, sure. And people buy NVIDA or AMD and fans based on aesthetics, and brand loyalty. They buy a certain vehicle, when there is a more fuel efficient car. Take a different airline because of how comfortable they may be for a few to several hours. Rather door dash vs pick up, because it's time vrs money. These are still one of the best 'gaming' headphones on the market, regardless of price. Do they have the audio quality? No. Do they have the build quality? Yes. We all have seen other headphoens from audiophiles that aren't worth the price, or well worth the price. The fact is, the dude says they're way better than his Pro's, and the Pro's are already costly. If they're better than that, then it's somewhat warranted just from the sound signature, let alone the build quality. So many jealous people here.
By that logic, the $379 Pro's which are inferior to these in both sound signature, microphone & build quality isn't worth the price. But they are rated as probably Top 3 in Gaming headphones. You have to look at it in the entire package. Software + build quality + feature set + sound performance + mic performance. The Pro's are already top 3 in this regard. There are other headphoens slightly cheaper that may deliver certain things better and vice versa. Many brands have better mics, worse sound signature. Some have better sound signature and worse mics. Some can't do crap for software and EQ control. Then you have Audiophile cans that you then need to buy seperate products to take advatange of and then overall can cost more than the gaming headset. Like it or not, sometimes spending a little bit of a premium for convenience and having a good experience in each category makes sense. I don't want 50 things on my desk just to hear 5% better. I don't want a microphone on my desk either, and want it attached to my mic. I also want a wireless headset. I also don't want to spend hours trying to EQ my games and want something that just sounds a bit more immersive out of the box by clicking a button. I also like to keep all of my software not so bloated with 50 different products. I also like higher build quality and decent mics. That's where the Nova Pro's came in, and they are easily top 3 in most categories outside of audiophile specific devices. Enters the Elites which is better than them by a good margin in each of those categories. With your logic, don't ever fly direct on an airplane... how dare you spend more money for convenience!
I put them on, and was deeply disappointed at the average sound quality after coming from Astro A50 Gen 5s. Bloated bass, muddy as hell, very small soundstage as the highs seem overly suppressed. Microphone is bang average at best, and the additional weight all of the metal added to the headset made them feel heavy and uncomfortable compared to the Nova 7s that my son uses. Sent straight back to Amazon and sticking with the A50 that I snagged for £200, a third of the cost. Avoid these at all costs. No headset should be £600.
Nope they’re are a tragic release at £600. Audio crap, microphone crap, sidetone crap, heavy and uncomfortable, and as you probably know now no better than the Pro that costs less that half the Elite. Truly an epic failure. Very nice to look at though 👀
I love mine, they are the clearest, most accurate headset I’ve used to date. Very comfy, good mic, and the sound beats anything I’ve used before, including Astro A50 Gen 5s (which I have just sold since getting the Maxwell 2), before this I tried Razer Black Shark V3 Pro, Nova Elite (most overpriced headset ever made), HyperX Cloud 3S. Nova 5P, and many more over the past few years. Maxwell 2 is the best so far. Bass is very much there and it’s tight & clean, no distorting. I have no complaints about the bass.
Yeah for me there’s absolutely no way on gods green earth is a headset from Steelseries worth £600. I’m sorry. I tried them and they went back the next day. Nice package, good looking. But Steelseries made absolutely no effort to have the set EQd out of the box, and then the companion app just had all the other game EQs that I’d used on the Nova 5s?? So, according the Steelseries, the Elite and Nova 5 can just slap on the exact same EQ preset and it’s good to go?? Hahaha absolute joke. They have zero clue what they’re doing. The Arctis 7 was the greatest set they had, and should have accepted they’re a mid tier brand and good at it. But the Elite is just laughable, £600.
The Pulse Elite are a very clean and detailed headset for around £130. If you’re happy to spend more, I have the Astro A50 Gen 5 and they sound amazing, currently on sale for £200 in UK. The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are also very good and nice design for £230ish in UK.
I left the Arctis series to go Nova and I wish I hadn’t. The Arctis 7X+ is one of the best midrange headsets I’ve ever owned. The new Nova style feels like it’s for kids heads and ears. So much smaller. Also, have you tried getting a new dongle instead? You could try and locate and 7X+ dongle and pair the headset and see if you get more life out of them?
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Competitive FPS footstep tracking

Top pick
Drop + EPOS / Sennheiser - PC38X
Best for Durable and repairable build

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis 7 Series
Best for Hybrid work and gaming

Top pick
Drop + EPOS / Sennheiser - PC38X
Best for Large heads and glasses

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis 7 Series
Best for Marathon gaming sessions

Top pick
SteelSeries - Arctis Nova Pro Series
Best for Mic isolation in shared rooms

Top pick
Astro (Logitech) - A50 Series





