SteelSeries - Arctis Nova Pro Series

I use these and they are great. Except for the tiny detail that whenever NC is on I have a permanent waterfall in my left ear… Edit: typo

I feel like my comment come off very negative. I love the headset, without a doubt the best headset I’ve ever had. But when NC is on there is static in my left ear. Thankfully turning off NC solves it and since the NC isn’t a deal breaker for me I’m not really bothered by it

Well for me it happened like 3 days after purchase. So hopefully you won’t have the same issue if you’ve had them a while and they’re working

My first question would be what do you have now? Do you care about the quality of the mic at all? Have you tried the PS Pulse headset? If money isn’t that big a deal or you’d be down to save just wait and get a SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. Its the headset I plan to get after my PS Pulse 3D headset finally kicks the bucket. The Nova Pro is around $350. It’s basically the best headset on offer and SteelSeries virtually rules the market at this point for good reason. Fuck Turtle Beach, don’t go anywhere near those. Razer is always a good option but I’m not as up to date on their products anymore and they cater more towards the PC market. Had a Razer Kraken something something on the PS4 and it was great for the $250 price point. Don’t know anything about them now though. My list: 1. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro $350 2. PS Pulse Elite $150 3. PS Pulse 3D (can’t find a price on Amazon but it’s the cheapest of the bunch) it is genuinely the only good piece of external hardware Sony had available this generation, I imagine the Elite follows suit 4. Anything that is compatible made by Razer All of these are Wireless. I’m sure good wired options also exist through SteelSeries and Razer both should have a sizable selection.

I’ve never once had an issue with the Pulse 3D headset. Have owned it since the PS5 launched. I don’t see how they could have made it worse in that regard. It isn’t as feature rich (fine tuned) as something like the Arctis Nova Pro which is the main difference between lower and higher end headsets. Edit: Just to further expand on this, I have dropped, bent and done numerous other things to the Pulse accidentally and have had no issues. As I stated, it is the only external piece of hardware Sony got right because it holds up, has a good sound, isn’t heavy, and doesn’t have problems 6 months after you get it (which is why the DualSense sucks). As long as you don’t intend to abuse your headset and go around spiking it like a football the thing isn’t going to randomly just fall apart while you are wearing it.

Bought them about a week ago for work and gaming i connect them via Bluetooth to my work PC, and 2.4ghz - DAC to my PC (i like to use my own pc for media consumption) **TL;DR:** They are WAY over-hyped and overrated, my first time trying SS products *i also want to mention that i have nothing against SS, their support team are nice and dont give you the cliche annoying troubleshooting sentences, but they actually try to help ( i had to contact them after i unboxed my headphones the setup was a little annoying, they refused to connect, kept lagging...)* **Pros (My opinion):** \- GG software is nice \- Mic quality isn't as bad as other people make it sound, its not amazing but its clear especially with GG software mic eq \- Newer models don't have the annoying nub (that said i still even feel the smaller nub too) \- All plastic body doesn't sound as bad, they feel hefty and solid \- Battery swapping is probably the best feature **Cons (My opinion):** i have no issue buying more stuff to improve a certain product's experience better but for a $400 (*thats how much they cost here*), i shouldn't need to go buy ear cups to replace the original ones (*maybe this is okay for other people*) \- They are not comfortable, i have a medium-big head i also wear glasses sometimes, they feel heavy on my ears (its like the ear cup is resting on top of my ear). i have tried different adjustments also tried with glasses on and off \- They are DEFINITELY not the best gaming headphones ***I gave an example of my use case but my Bluetooth usage for work is still relevant if you want to use Bluetooth*** cont..

\- Battery life is no where near the 22hrs per battery as advertised, if i use them 2.4ghz + Bluetooth (ANC OFF) i hardly get 6-7hrs, 2.4ghz only (ANC OFF) i get 10-12hrs on a good day, you can imagine with ANC on :) i bought new batteries, still the same issue :| \- ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) is bad, its worse than passive noise cancelling on other headphones :) \- Say you used them for work and you finished working, you need to manually disable Bluetooth by holding the button (this doesn't sound bad a simple click right? it will make sense when you read the other points) if you leave Bluetooth on it will drain your battery \- You need to manually turn them on after they go to sleep, they don't wake up automatically, so if you want to start your day and you have work you need to press the power button as well as the Bluetooth button (you can make it enable Bluetooth automatically as an option in GG software but you may forget that its on and makes your battery life worse \- You can only connect one device via Bluetooth, so no multi-point Bluetooth connection \- Charging them while using them will introduce buzzing in the left ear (can get annoying) My Recommendations: \- **if you really need new ones:** Look for anything else lol \- **if you can wait:** i would wait for Sony WH-1000XM6 As for your use: \- **Wired vs Wireless:** very minor difference in audio quality \- **Comfort:** Comfort is subjective, we all have different head, ears sizes and shapes, if you can try them on in a store or a friend's, i highly recommend trying them on \- **Battery Life:** They wont last 22hrs per battery (as advertised), that said, removable batteries are a plus!

You’re 289 days late and mine is still going strong.

I have been using SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. It has incredible sound quality, a comfortable fit, and excellent noise cancellation. The dual battery system is a lifesaver for long sessions—just swap batteries and keep going. It’s pricey, but if you’re serious about gaming, it’s worth it.

My advice? Don't buy a gaming headset. Get a great pair of "audiophile" headphones, and a boom mic with it. I had the Steelseries Artic Nova Pros (Great phones), but then I got this recommendation from someone. When I did it, I had no reason to keep the Artics. The sound from Sennheiser was just so much better, and was even cheaper for me. I bought the openback Sennheiser HD 560S, and a V-MODA BoomPro X Microphone. My friends tell me my audio is very clear. If you don't take my recommendation, you can't go wrong with the Artics, and they have some great features, but truthfully you're overspending unless you really need them completely wireless like you said. I plug my headset into my controller so it's a non-issue. EDIT: I got the 560S, not 660S as previously mentioned.

OK, so it all depends on what you game on. So, some high-end headsets don’t work well with consoles because some features are not available for them in consoles, like the Artis Nova Elite and Pro Sonar program is not available for consoles, making them a bad option. Headsets that I tried for consoles that are good are Maxwells for casual gaming and Stealth Pro for shooters because of better footstep location. For PC, you can have all available features in all headsets if you play all types of games. Maxwells are a no-brainer, but if you want to have an edge on a specific game, just research popular competitive streamers that play the game you like and look at what type of headset they use, but most likely they use headphones.

I have the Nova 7P and the Nova pro. Both have good mic quality, a bit quiet but that also might be my settings. I’ve had the 7P for a good year now and they are amazing and feel comfortable. One thing I don’t like about them is that they seem to slide off my head whenever I look down to grab something off the floor or if I’m looking down at my kids or cats, but other than that they’re perfect and don’t really hurt my ears after long uses definitely recommend

As a streamer the Nova Pro wireless is a must. Routing all my stream PC sounds back into my headphones while gaming on PS5 Pro is just what I needed… but my pros do not connect to the eq phone app (the nova ears buds do!), & the side tone as mentioned above by someone else, is barely noticeable since the latest FW update. Also the pro mic is not great… (I use SM7B for stream chat). Elites hopefully address all these issues. Thinking of buying to test & if I like… sell my pros on eBay.

I have that one as well, it is a very good headset, but upgrading to the Pro was worth it for spare battery that can be swapped out in seconds!

Exactly what I did. I got 4 different cans (headphones) . Ended up keeping 3, gave one to a friend, kept a hyper and the arctic nova... Haven't used the hyperx in the year and a half I've had them should have returned them :/ The hyperx are really good too, maybe a little more comfortable at first (wicked cushions fixed that) , and the battery lasts like a month or so of full-time use it's ridiculous, but I find myself never switching to them since week 1

Astro A50X the guy above me was referring to i personally didnt like them. The nova pros where not bad but ive moved to the audeze maxwell now I lost dual audio but the sound is amazing.

As much as I hate the whole gaming and esports marketing strategy, I've honestly tried looking for a good alternative to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and I honestly just can't do it. I am simply not willing to go back to wired headphones for the promise of relatively better sound quality. It's light, clamp force is acceptable, audio quality is great compared to the Audio Technica ATH-ADG1X (yes, another gaming headset, I know) I used prior, and they're further improved—albeit slightly limited too—with GadgetryTech's WC x StealthZ cushion pads. Sonar also isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn good still, if you ask me, and most importantly, the swappable batteries are truly a genius move.

I think they do help with the ANC imo. I play a lot of shooters so I really just used the “hell let loose” eq setting since that game is so realistic and immersive. I’ve liked it in every shooter I’ve played so far and then turned on the Spatial Audio and smart volume with a single click. Worth checking out!

I own artics nova pro wireless and kraken v4 pro and so far so happy about them except they are a lot less breathable and just saw the alpha 2 since I kinda liked the original alpha wireless with the ear cups material on the alpha2 I wonder how it will turn out whether I will be keeping it or returning it

Damn. I just realized they went up in price since I bought them. Forget what I said.

When in doubt: Steelseries. They have not let me down yet. I personally use the arctis nova Pro, but the Arctis Nova 7 should be within budget.

If you're going to spend $250, might as well go for the Nova Pro Wireless.

Some of us like ballin out because we can. Sorry if that hurts your feelings. The fact is these have features no other product has, period.

I use Arctis Nova Pros with the PUBG profile I end up hearing everything well before my whole team and in exactly the right direction, it's insane!

Items of audio quality I’d say stick to artics nova pro-wireless But alpha 2 are somewhat amazing also and if u prioritise comfort alpha 2 it is since they are super comfy and mic is amazing but nova pro wireless with WC freeze(fridge tossing technique is out of this world )is also very comfy Rog delta 2 is also smth to consider if u priotize comfort

Between the cushions?  Not really.   Slightly better isolation with the wicked cushions,  MUCH more comfy. 

I had the Astro A50x - which you can use them with your phone while gaming Second pair I have is the nova pro wireless - mostly use those on my ps5 they’re great too

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset https://share.google/bSLPelkgJjWsyx1Te I’ve bought and tried almost every high dollar ($100-$300 Range) headset you can think of, and the Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro is the best one. What make it stand out to me is it comes with a 2nd battery that charges up in the base so you just take a magnetic cover off and swap the batteries out to have a fully charged headset in seconds. Sound quality is great as well as mic… Plus it has sidetone so you can hear yourself and anything outside of the headset.

I recently went with the Arctis Nova Pro instead. The convenience of the battery hot swap and dock seemed worth the money. How does comfort compare between the two?

I guess the main ones are 3 usb inputs, dual USB input mixing, with 4 total simultaneous connections. Other improvements are best ANC, much improved mic, and incredible sound and build quality.

Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Damn that’s lame you’ve had so many issues. I bought mine refurbished from eBay and have been really happy for about a year now. I did upgrade the earcups and headband with wicked cushions so maybe that has something to do with it but I literally can’t even hear my girlfriend yelling for me when I’m wearing them. Nontheless, it’s not something you should *have* to upgrade. I did it bc I have big ass ears and ran into some discomfort after awhile lol. The wicked cushions are bigger, thicker, and have cooling foam with a better material than the cheap leather steel series uses. The keyboard thing is pretty lame (I have a Corsair with a volume wheel) but I came from ps5 so I was just so used to using the headset wheel already. I’ve never had the popping issue (maybe being refurbished helped??) but that also sucks that it’s happening to people. I actually enjoy the minute details and really enjoy their software app with the sonar technology, preset eq’s, smart volume, and Spatial Audio. I also like how it’s just two cords, one straight to PC and one straight to PS5. After using A50’s for years, I really like the simplicity in this design for cable management and aesthetics.

https://preview.redd.it/xdckprj0h21g1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=995006035929ee15de05db6e5bce1848d7c2f2c7 Steelseries all the way. I bought the Nova and never had any complaints. Cheaper than Astros but approved by Pro gamers that they're better.

I’d suggest for a ‘cheap’ option the razer barracuda x which has a super long battery life and super clear microphone, with cloth cups and great sound. The pricier option I’d say steelseries arctis nova pro, but they have pleather cups and a little shorter battery life, with excellent mic and sound as well. I’d avoid anything turtle beach nowadays as the whole lineup has gone to shit, and unfortunately both my friends with hyperx headsets have a ton of trouble with them, mic quality is crap as well sadly.

Unpopular opinion. If bluetooth is not an issue, go to TJ Maxx/Marshall's and grab a pair of JBL Tune Series of headphones. Depending on what can be scored for $20 is more than suitable for CS gaming sound stage. Added bonus of wireless, features ANC and portability, connectivity, battery life. I use them with my phone, laptop, Etc. But where budget and serious pc gaming are concerned I use steelseries arctis nova pros just as a counter point.

I love the stealth pro’s and I also have the maxwells. I used to own the wired nova pros and have the epos h6. So these at £600 literally have no appeal to me. Maybe £350 to £400 but at £600 I doubt the sound quality is worth that and appears to just about convenience and features.

First of all, thank you for posting here and for being willing to help and provide answers. My journey has unfortunately been quite challenging, and any support you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I used the Nova Pro Wireless for two full years. I disliked the microphone but loved the battery system (similar to what I have with my Shark vacuum and Ring doorbell, haha), as well as the transparency mode(used to have it on like almost maxed out), since I need to be aware of my surroundings-taking care of mom. I also appreciated the ability to connect via both Bluetooth and the dongle simultaneously. Then, I bought a used Maxwell because it was very affordable and used it for about nine months. However, the microphone was almost as poor as the Nova's, and it didn’t support simultaneous Bluetooth connections. Half a year ago, I purchased the A50 Gen 5, but I still miss the Nova Pro Wireless because of its excellent battery system, transparency mode, and the ability to mix Bluetooth and dongle connections at the same time. Currently, I’ve returned to using the Maxwell due to the capability to have the earcup's microphones to act as a transparency mode with sidetone functionality on a very sensitive level (currently on 80%) I even tried the SteelSeries Gamebuds, which also feature transparency mode and sidetone, but unfortunately, I had a disappointing experience with them as they feel unbaked I would be super grateful if you could do a side-by-side transparency-mode test of the new Elite headset versus the Maxwell on 70-80% sidetone to see which one is 'better' and louder. I find the Audeze Maxwell to be quite little too sensitive, but I like how loud it does it so it can get just as loud as watching a youtube vid in normal volume. EDIT: I HAVE THE SAME ANKER CUBE AND ITS LOVELY Thanks and god bless

Congrats on a great purchase they are amazing headsets and do really great music sound too. It has really great noise cancellation as well .

Honestly I love mine got them used on mercari for 145 and totally worth it. Ive had the A50X,arctis nova pro,Razer kraken v4 pro these are by far the best headsets Ive owned. The battery is so insane to charge last about 3 or 4 days.

I have the Arctic Nova Pro wireless (PC/Xbox) and I love them, I've had Corsair headsets and turtle beach in the past but these re the best headphones I've ever had. The hot swappable batteries are a cool feature too although I rarely need to swap them in play as I charge the set most nights. I've got an Apex Pro TKL Gen 3 keyboard which I just upgraded from a HyperX alloy and I also love that too. My view is that their products are great, their software? Not so much!

Nah Steelseries is actually a good brand. The arctis nova pro's have been so good for me.

The Nova Pros are great, but honestly my experience has been so much better with an attachable mic. And regular Sennheiser headphones.

Best headset for PC on the market. Have it too. Only reason I use my nova pros is cause the dual BT mode. Otherwise the Maxwell's are king!

If you are looking for a wireless 'gaming' headset, and are used to a more neutral tune, like your Sennys, you have to do some research on which headsets come close to that. Out of the box, most gaming headsets have a weird tune compared to what you're used to, including all Razers. Some more recent notable wireless gaming headsets that sound great from an 'audiophile' standpoint are the Audeze Maxwells, Astro A50X, and Hyper X Cloud 3 S Wireless. Those come out of the box with a great tune, close to the Harman curve. You can also get a lot of other headsets to sound great with some EQ. Something like the Fractal Scape or Nova Elite sound great with a modest EQ. GadgetryTech on YT offers awesome 'audiophile' EQs for a lot of headsets. Also, if you are using a modern gaming headset, make sure you have any corny 'surround sound' or spatial type features turned off. Since you've been using the same set for 16 years, you also have to give some time to adjust to the sound of a new headset. Even something slightly different might sound a bit weird at first if you aren't that experienced with different audio products overall. Many people still totally write off any wireless 'gaming' headsets, and imo that perspective is outdated in 2025. You can get really awesome, low latency audio quality with wireless headsets these days. Yes, for absolute dollar spent, you can get the best 'value' by sticking with a wired setup, but if you value the convenience or features from a wireless setup, you *can* get a great sounding setup if you're willing to do some research and drop the coin.

I have the Pulse Elite and Arctis Nova Pros, almost exclusively use the Pulse Elites. Great sound stage, volume, battery life is solid, comfy and I like how the mute pairs with the controller. Of the few hundred hours it's been used, I've had it disconnect maybe 3 or 4 times for a second and it auto-reconnects. And Sidetone could be a tad louder. Otherwise, I love it and it's great for the price IMO.

Audio differences between the Nova and the 7P+ are minimal. I owned the 7P+ before I upgraded to the nova and let me tell you the two major points that I noticed were better. 1: The fabric headband that the 7P+ uses gets stretched out over time and needs replacing, whereas on the Nova you can buy rubber ones and you won’t have the same issue. 2: The Novas support simultaneous 2.4 ghz and Bluetooth connections. So you can have it connected to both a PS5 and a phone and hear audio from both simultaneously. There’s also the fact that with the 7P+, you have to connect it to your PC to mess with its audio settings and adjust its EQ. I’m told the Gen 2 Novas now have mobile app support. I’d go with Nova