SteelSeries - Arctis GameBuds
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Jul 20, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
17
7
"got 50 times better when I had it setup via sonar with the punchy music EQ"
"The EQ’s are amazing. ... Yes, with Sonar I can select which sound profile I want to hear and mic setting to chat."
"Before this they were amazing and I loved every second of them. Audio as good as my artic pro wireless headset."
8
0
"I love how convenient they are to travel with as I only need one pair for music and gaming etc"
"Both, PC, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch ... Versatility. I already have a Arctis Nova 7 but it's a bit big and I feel it too much on my head. And I cannot have it all the time in my pockets to simply listen music from my phone outdoor"
"I first tried them out as standard Bluetooth ear buds by pairing them to my iPhone and listening to music. ... I then connected them to my Series X and PS5 Pro and they sounded great too."
11
3
"I absolutely love how low-profile these are. Head-on, you can't tell I'm wearing them and the fit in my ear is GREAT and comfortable."
"in terms of comfort... well the Arctis Buds have nearly benched my T1s once in a while."
"I absolutely love how low-profile these are. Head-on, you can't tell I'm wearing them and the fit in my ear is GREAT and comfortable. ... I'm sure after a few hours of gaming I'll have to adjust them to give my ears some breathing room, but I do that with my Nova's and tbh they're still pretty comfortable."
11
6
"The EQ’s are amazing. ... Yes, with Sonar I can select which sound profile I want to hear and mic setting to chat."
"got 50 times better when I had it setup via sonar with the punchy music EQ"
"However, once I downloded the companion app and set the EQ to the Music options, wow, did that make a difference. ... I would rate the audio quality (including ANC) slightly below the Airpods/Beats Pro but on par with the 4th-gen Airpods. Not bad imo considering the price of the Arctis."
4
1
"Best total battery life at 10 hours per charge and another 30 hours in case."
"The battery life is awesome with the gamebuds as well. ... last 4x longer."
"The battery life has been great for me. I can easily do a week of gaming (2h every day approximately) without having to charge the case."
Disliked most:
10
11
"dont know why have distortion when anc is on ... the anc distortion is not fixed theycare break "
"Firmware 1.7 completely broke them. ... They can no longer be controlled by my pc volume control only the app or GG can do it now. ... The sound got significantly worse as well."
"They do but they suck, they are constantly having distortion issues and odd popping sounds as if they are about to blow up even though they aren't even loud."
4
10
"The Mic is absolutely garbage. ... Wouldn’t use if I was in a party chat."
"I've been told i sound way worse or that I am talking into a bottle. ... Ugh. Frustrating. I did all these and people still just told me I sound bad. ... Damn. Yeah I tried everything. I’m on Xbox and everyone just kept telling me it wasn’t getting better ... Every party I got into my friends would immediately say “woah wtf happened to your mic? Why do you sound so far away and like you’re talking into a bottle?” I tried every variation of settings and they never said I sounded good."
"the mic even after tweaking for hours on equalizer is like a radio"
0
8
"dont know why have distortion when anc is on ... the anc distortion is not fixed theycare break "
"super low volume on PS5 ... useless on PS5"
"My volume is on max every time I turn them on ... yes, it will start on max every time"
1
5
"They should easily connect, easily switch from 2.4ghz to Bluetooth, etc., but they don’t - at all. ... These are NOT worth $159.99"
"Doesn't seem to work and they pop and go all static or robotic constantly."
"couldn’t get the dongle to work"
1
9
"Firmware 1.7 completely broke them. ... They can no longer be controlled by my pc volume control only the app or GG can do it now. ... The sound got significantly worse as well."
"They should easily connect, easily switch from 2.4ghz to Bluetooth, etc., but they don’t - at all. ... These are NOT worth $159.99"
"Doesn't seem to work and they pop and go all static or robotic constantly."
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