SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset - Premium Hi-Fi Drivers - Active Noise Cancellation - Infinity Power System - Stealth Retractable Mic - PC, PS5/PS4, Switch, Mobile

I love the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, especially the hot-swap battery system. Being able to swap batteries on the fly means I never have to stop what I’m doing to charge, which is a huge quality-of-life win. The active noise canceling works very well for a gaming headset and helps block out background noise during longer sessions. Comfort is excellent, even for extended use, and the mic is more than good enough for voice chat. Sound quality is strong and feels premium, with clear audio and good balance. The headset itself feels well built and thoughtfully designed, and setup was simple. The biggest downside is the price, as this is definitely a premium headset. That said, if you want top-tier wireless performance, excellent battery management, and solid ANC in a gaming headset, this one is absolutely worth considering.

I’ve used these for a few hours so far, and they’re pretty good. The audio quality and ability to connect multiple devices using the base station and play simultaneous bluetooth is pretty incredible, especially if you are playing console games that do not allow music to be played in the background. The mic is sufficient for what I need and better than my other headsets The removable batteries are very handy since you can just swap them out when they run low and replace them as they age, so you shouldn’t have more than thirty seconds of downtime if the battery dies. The ANC doesn’t seem to be very strong, but these are headphones you should wear and use at home or in an office environment. So, it isn’t an issue. Plus, overly strong ANC can be bad as it often overcorrects and produces loud noises to counter ambient noise. The headphones do have a charging port in case you are traveling without the base station so you aren’t reliant on the charging slot in the base station, however it is behind a removable cover and a bit inconvenient to use. I believe this was just a convenient position, but it also encourages you to swap the battery out meaning you should get even wear between the batteries. I have little to say about the build quality, the ear cups are fine, despite my larger than average ears. They feel relatively solid and better built than my Bose QCs, while having more features and less glitchiness. I do think that the pleather feels iffy for the price, but replacement ear cups are cheap and easy to install. Overall, these are good for the price. I almost got the arctis nova elite, but realistically the arctis nova pros are as much as I need and once you go beyond this price point the competition becomes much stiffer.

I'm a gamer....and also a remote worker. I found myself looking for an audio solution that would fit both worlds. At the time I was using a wired Arctis Pro headset (prior generation) for gaming, and wireless earbuds for work communications. Needless to say, switching products for different use was becoming irritating, considering both PC's are set up on the same desk. I happened to be browsing the SteelSeries site, and came across the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Love SS products, as they have never failed me (headset, mouse, keyboard). Needless to say, I took the plunge and purchased them. I've always been a bit skeptical regarding headsets that are both wireless and bluetooth capable. Prior items I've tested always fell short, either in battery life, bluetooth or wireless range. I'm happy to say, I have yet to see any issues with the headset, with one exception, which I'll touch on later. Considering my prior SS headset was the Arctis Pro w/GameDac, I chose to purchase the model with GameDac for the Nova Pro Wireless. My first thought was about battery life *shrug* as that always seem to be a point of contention, even with earbuds I had in the past for use with my phone. I didn't waste time regarding testing wireless and bluetooth battery life separately. Once I had the latest SteelSeries software updates, and updated the headset to the latest firmware, I connected both my personal PC and my work phone to the headset. On an average day, I am typically in calls for at least 6 hours. In between calls, in the past, I had been using the personal PC to stream music via the wired Arctis Pro headset. Needless to say, the idea the Nova Pro wireless would eliminate swapping between headset and earbuds was the first thought in my head. The results were technical perfection. I could listen to music without issue. During inbound or outbound calls, the music muted as calls started. Calls ended, and back to music. No swapping between two devices, no hassle...no muss and no fuss. They say the battery life is on average 11 hours. Luckily this has two batteries and the DAC is also the charger for the spare battery. I've used the headset consistently day in and day out, and typically find I'm only changing the battery after about 13 hours of use without bluetooth enabled, and about the same with bluetooth only being used. With both, I see about 10-11 hours of usage before needing to swap batteries. During the first couple of days, I noticed sound quality wasn't what I was used to from my Arctis Pro headset...then it dawned on me. I needed to go back into the SteelSeries software, and make sure I had changed both the settings and Sonar to have these as the primary sound device, as well as doing the same in my Windows settings. 5 minutes later, music was back to the quality I had grown accustom to. Sounds when gaming had not only returned in quality, but were actually better. Spatial sound allowed for easier identification of direction. All in all, just turned out an overall bettter experience. Another plus was getting up from my desk, having grown comfortable with wearing a headset, and not jerking my head back down because of a cord. I had walked from my desk to my kitchen before I even realized just how freeing the wireless experience was. Distance of the coverage is also amazing. For bluetooth, I can walk 30 feet away from my phone without issue, where my earbuds (Sony 1000MX5) started cutting out after about 5-6 feet, requiring me to pick up my phone every time I moved. On the wireless side, music moves with me all through the house. I can cook, clean, or just chill anywhere and enjoy it. Even this gets close to 30 feet before I start noticing any degradation. The only thing I did notice was something that should have been obvious: if the microwave is between the headset and DAC, it will cause the audio to flutter, but not break completely. Now to the ANC (Noise Cancellation). While it is a great addition to this headset, I think this might be where I have found, from prior use of both, Sony and Bose have more efficient noise cancelling. On the plus side, while it doesn't completely eliminate consistent noise, it does drastically reduce it to a level of being some distance away. Even with the lawn mower nearby, I could hear people on the calls, as well as they could hear me, without the lawn mower drowning either side out. The ANC reduces sound possibly -30db, but doesn't eliminate them all together. Even consistent noises become a minor backdrop in the audio world. It does its job well...even when on Discord with auto-mic in a chatroom. Now I mentioned an exception at the start of this review, and here it is: the fit. My wired Arctis Pros would allow me to bend over and or tilt my head without moving around on my head. This isn't the case with the Nova Pro Wireless. I believe this is due to one simple reason: the factory pads on the headset do not feel as robust as the former, therefore does not have the same ability to remain stationary. This is easily rectified by purchasing aftermarket replacements. If SS were to pay closer attention to reviews, they would see how some have stated this, and I'm in agreement: make them robust...and make them a bit more breathable as well. The faux leather design is just a trend all headset manufacturers follow as it "allows a better fit to eliminate noises around you" Pish Posh! There is hardly any difference between using a breathable material vs "leather" materials, unless you are an uber-picky audiophile. Listen to the people SS...they have spoken. Outside of the pads, this is hands-down a 5-Star production for battery life, sound quality, gaming, media and bluetooth connectity to a ton of various products from phones to TV's to streaming devices. A stellar upgrade from the Arctis Pro wired, in both quality and freedom of movement. If you have your doubts about switching from wired to wireless...do yourself a favor....CUT THE CORD!!! You won't regret it at all.

I paid a hefty price for these "premium" headphones and the issues I have with this would not even be worth buying if this was only $30. Also, I'm still encountering new issues to update my review on. Good: +Wireless headphones with great range +Double batteries and the station for these headphones has a charger for one while the other is in the headset. +Comfortable fit. +Lots of audio customization in the station alone that doesn't require extra software. However, no amount of customizing fixed all these problems: - First off, this is a recent issue I'm adding to this review. I've had these headphones for less than a year, and already one of the ear cushions is tearing apart. I don't think I've owned a headset before that degrades this quickly. -The sound quality is awful. I compared this headset with a cheaper one that was only $30 (with the same audio settings) and it was insane how bad these were. It sounds like the good audio is playing from a distance and you can never reach it. -If you use the 2.4G connection, don't use the volume tuner on the station or on the headphones unless you want to hear an obnoxious popping noise soon after doing that. I've spent well over 3 hours looking up many guides and changing the audio settings on the station over and over and this issue never went away. And to top it off, you can't use an external app to change the volume manually because this headset locks the volume at max and ONLY lets you use the headset or station volume control. The only way to get around that is to use something like SteelSeries GG equalizer since the volume control works differently on there. That alone would have deterred me from buying these if I had known about this. But there's plenty more to say. -Bluetooth setting fixed the volume cackling issue but brought up a new one. Some devices had terrible audio regardless of station settings, ALL had background static while nothing was playing (and sometimes still while something was playing), and audio levels jumped by 5 instead of 1 when using the volume tuner on the headset. Once again, after hours of looking up guides and changing settings on the station did nothing to fix this. -Battery charging. Despite being able to swap batteries, it doesn't matter when they randomly decide to not charge for no reason. It happens every (and I do mean EVERY) time I take the battery from the headset out and put it in the charging slot. It won't charge at all. I have to keep messing with the cables and battery before it just decides to work. Both batteries can be affected by it. So, one of the most unique features for this headset, doesn't work correctly. (And I checked to make sure they were inserted to the charge slot correctly and that there weren't any obstructions). -The Equalizer settings on the stations are awful. The built in ones are bad and the custom settings are very bare bones. If you want to use an equalizer, you are better off downloading software. -Active Noise Cancelling option brings many issues that cheaper headphones don't have. The popping problems I mentioned earlier are even worse with this setting on. And setting the sidetone to high on the station settings also causes problems. So that's always fun to have extra stuff to try out only to have annoying problems that make them useless. -Using a wired connection fixes some of these issues, but manages to bring in it's own set of problems. First off, if you use a wired connection directly into the station connected to your pc, the volume gets locked at max and suddenly nothing will lower it. Not the headphones, not the station, not even manually trying to change it on your pc works, the volume level goes all the way to 100 and never moves from there. The only way to change volume is in whatever program you have that has it's own volume options. (So let's say, you are watching a YouTube video and you connect your headphones to your station with a wire. The volume is locked at the highest and the only way to change that is in the YouTube video itself since it has it's own volume slider you can adjust. Trying to use PC settings won't work). Connecting a wire directly to your PC doesn't have any problems, except a very glaring one. Since you aren't connected to the station, none of the settings from there will work on the headset. You can't have both a wired and wireless connection as a workaround. So in other words, the $300 you spent for all these cool features come with annoying issues. The only way to avoid them is to use a wired connection directly into your PC, and none of the bonuses that come with the station are available. If you want wireless gaming headphones, get something else, these are just awful. If you want Bluetooth headphones, you can get much cheaper ones without possible audio problems for cheaper. If you want regular gaming headphones, you can get much better ones at a cheaper price without all the problems this thing has.

OK. So, I bought these after watching a few review videos, and for the most part, I am glad I did. I bought the XBox edition mostly because it was on sale. All three versions say you can hook the headphones up to PC, PS5/4, XBOX X/S, Switch, tablets, and your phone. I really didn't know what the difference was between all the versions until it was delivered, and I started to set it up. Right now, I see that the PS edition is also on sale. I am still playing with the settings, but it was my hope to be able to connect my PC and my PS5 to be used at the same time. But what I have learned since this was delivered is, since I bought the XBOX edition, one of the two USB ports is dedicated to an XBOX. Right now, I have my PS5 connected to the second USB port. I can still use my PC and my PS5 at the same time by connecting my PC via Bluetooth. So, I am guessing that the difference in the three editions - XBOX, PlayStation, and PC- is that each has a different dedicated USB port reserved for whatever version you buy. For me, I should have gotten either the PC or the PS one even though I also have an XBOX Series X. But, I can make the XBOX one work for me. Like I said, I have my PC connected via Bluetooth for the time being might try a USB switch so I don't have to physically swap out USB lines when I am playing games on my PC. The Bluetooth connection won't give me the same sound quality that the 2.4G connection will give me. And I am still not 100% sure that I CAN'T use the XBOX USB port for my PC. Anyways.....that is where I am at right now. As far as quality, I am playing Death Stranding 2 on my PS5 right now, and the game sounds amazing through these headphones. And most of the time, I have a Twitch Stream or a Brewers game playing on my PC, and I love that I can get the audio for both at the same time. That for me is why I opened my wallet to pay for these headphones. I can't say anything about the mic yet because I haven't used it. I will come back and add my thoughts on that after I finally do. The main reason I wrote this review before I had a chance to set everything up and experiment is because I wanted to talk about using these headphones for music. If music is what you mainly want to listen too with these headphones, DON'T!!! These are NOT headphones for that. You probably won't like the amount of bass you can get, and if you like it loud, you will hear some popping. After messing with settings and the EQ, I got it to where the music sounds decent enough, but I didn't buy these to listen to music. I bought them for the convenience of being able to mix audio from all of my electronics at once. And they do exactly that very well. The headphones are comfortable, but I will probably end up buying some replacement ear pads at some point. The ear cushions fit completely over my ears, and I can't hear any sounds that are close by at all. I have a rather large head, and they fit very well. The only time they try to slide forward off of my head like some have reported is when I start to doze off at my desk and I begin to face plant into my keyboard. The build quality seems pretty solid. I am always concerned about the swivel for the earphones because I have broken so many over the years. I am confident that the swivel on these will hold up just fine. The three buttons for power, Bluetooth, and mute (mic) are easy to find while keeping the headset on and so is the volume dial. The base unit is pretty straight forward and easy to use. I plan to either buy or 3D print a mount for it so I can mount it underneath my desk. A quick Google search will point you to those 2 options. You get even more bells and whistles when you hook them up to your PC and then download the SteelSeries GG software. It allows you to switch easily between several different profiles. Again, I have only messed with those bells and whistles a tiny bit, but I like what I saw. As far as I know, there is no software available for consoles yet, but I think I saw something that said there might be something in the future. But for now, console just has the base unit settings and EQ at your service. All in all. I am very happy with this purchase. I will likely add to this review over time as I experiment and especially if I find a way to have my PC and PS5 connected at the same time without using Bluetooth. If I really wanted to, I could probably RMA it and then get the PS version. I will figure it out.....eventually. :)

Hi all (READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY), Below is my one-week review with the product. I will edit it after a 3 month period. To start, I have lots of experience with headphones. I have had Beats Studios, Airpods Max, Turtle Beachs, Bose 700s, multiple Razer headsets, and even other Steelseries products like the Arctis 6. None of these compare to these for a few reasons I will go into below. I use headphones for gaming but also I work from home as a software engineer, so I am on the computer a LOT and in lots of zoom meetings. !!! Disclaimer !!!: These are the "Xbox" version of these. That means, on your multi-system adapter/DAC, one cord can go into a PC/PlayStation and one can go into an Xbox. **If you plan to use this for a PC and PlayStation, please go buy the non-Xbox version. That said, if you plan to ever use this with an Xbox, you will need this version. You CAN use the Xbox slot for a PC, but it will show up as an "Xbox Controller" and will have more limited functionality. Okay, back to the reasons. 1. Ease of use. I opened these up, plugged the multi-system DAC into my PC, turned on the headset and was ready to go. I had a few onboarding steps: Download Steelseries GG, update drivers, restart device (a few times?), but since then they have works FLAWLESSLY. 2. Wireless. These aren't just your typical wireless. I have had no connection issues. I can walk to the other side of the house, as long as I don't have too many walls between me and my computer these things still work, even then there was just some static. The quality is great as well. 3. Battery. This is HUGE. There is a battery in the headset that you can remove and swap with the one CHARGING IN THE DAC. Yes, you heard me, just swap the battery when you need and boom, full charge. You'll never need the direct connection outside of updates to the firmware. This really is fantastic and easy to use. 4. Microphone. I don't personally use the microphone, but the quality compared to most other headset mics I have used it up there. Some have asked me if you can use the mic while it is in the headset still. I'd say yes, but it will be lower volume and less clear, but I tested it and it would still work (and frankly was still better than like HyperX headset microphones that I've had. I wouldn't buy these FOR the microphone per-say, if you want a nice microphone you can buy a Blue Snowball for cheap on amazon on sale and it'll be all you need unless you want more professional stuff (get the Blue Yeti after that maybe). 5. Connection. I have only used the DAC connection which is really really good as I said in the wireless review. That said, I will be trying to Bluetooth to test that seamlessness they inspire there. I would LOVE if I could get phone notifications while also gaming or in work calls without interrupting those I'm talking to our my gaming experience too much (while of course also me still being alerted). 6. Look. These look great. They look professional enough that I can wear them on work calls. I would maybe thing twice if it was a client meeting, but other than that, I'd feel comfortable in these all day. 7. Comfort. This is only a one-week review, but I will say they are quite comfortable. The airpods max and arctis 6 are notable uncomfortable to me, the first being too heavy and the second putting too much pressure on parts of my head that I get a headache. That said, no problem with these so far. I like the ear cups actually, they're soft and feel premium (as they should for this price point). I know I've seen people complain online, but I've had no issues with these. If I do, you'll see an update right below here. Overall: Great connectivity and ease of use while looking nice enough for me to not be embarrassed because they're "gaming" all while being comfortable with good audio. This is a very high price point. If you really are a gamer and want a very intuitive product while avoiding crazy RGBs and your headsets looking too "gaming", and you can afford these, then absolutely. That said, this is not just money you're spending on this headset but it's money you could put elsewhere. Audio is important, but you could get a perfectly good headset for less and still not miss out on the gaming experience. These are absolutely a 'premium' product and thus the price point might not really align perfectly. That said, these are my favorite headphones to-date and I am very happy with my purchase, so you might be too. Please like this helpful if this was useful for you. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk :)

I see the top review is by a guy named M. Webb. I'd like to address some of his points and how just a few seconds of reading the instructions would have addressed all but one concern he has because the optical port was removed. I have no issues with the GG software. There is a feature that will allow you to hear yourself with ANC on when you're using the mic. If you go to the break-out box, you can turn that off. Other than that, I don't see why he is recommending to stay away from it. You NEED it to update the firmware. 1. "you're restricted to only making changes to sound profiles, etc when you use the software" Hold the button down, it will go into the menus to adjust the sound profiles. It says so in the instruction manual. After updating the firmware I closed the app and have not opened it again. It's running in the background, and I have not used to adjust levels or anything. I do it all with the break-out box it came with. 2. "So they give you this charging box now that doesn't let you do anything other than adjust the volume and chatmix" Again, HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN for like 2 seconds and you can adjust everything from the break-out box just like the previous model. You CAN change sound profiles. You CAN adjust the chant mix You CAN switch input/output modes Read the instructions. 3. "Smaller battery - the previous generation used 1000 mah - they reduced the size to 700 mah. Less capacity so now we have to charge more often / buy more batteries" This is just flat out WRONG. The batteries easily last twice as long as the previous model. The previous model had a much shorter battery life, I have no idea WTF he's even talking about, to be honest. 4. They didn't get rid of digital output, but they did get rid of the optical output, that's his first valid point. But I don't know why you would need it anymore. You can link this with any device that has a USB with the included USB C cable. And yes, it's in surround, not stereo. Again, it seems like he just needs to read instructions, I have had 0 issues swapping devices without having to unplug/plug in any device. The headset outputs surround sound, check your settings. 5. " They decided to use the cheapest plastic design at this single point of failure resulting in headphones that deteriorate well within the warranty period unless you have a tiny head or treat them like they're made of glass." I have no idea what he's even talking about. These are some of the sturdiest headphones I've ever bought. They feel like a tank and are solid. I don't know where this "single point of failure is." He doesn't explain or elaborate. I am looking all over my set and can't find what he's talking about. Everything is sturdy, there are made from metal and thick plastic, but it doesn't feel heavy to wear. 6. "ANC is shit quality. I Have 4 year old BOSE with ANC that work so much better at masking / eliminating drone noise." The ANC is not the best you can get, but it works really well. Based on his previous complaints, I would guess he doesn't know how to turn the ANC on. I cannot hear my PC next to me, I cannot hear the AC running from where I'm sitting with the ANC turned on. Is the ANC as good as my Sony XM5s? Hell no, but those are the best in the industry. If you're getting these to wear everywhere and block sound, they are not the best, for that. But for just sitting at home playing games, again, it works really well. So in conclusion, he has no idea what he's talking about. These are some of the best feeling and sounding gaming headsets I've ever bought. Wearing them kind of feels just like the Sony XM4/5s. So if you like how those fit and feel, you will like this headset. You can connect to 2 devices with this at once too using the breakout box and Bluetooth. So you can listen to a podcast/music on your phone and be connected to your PC/PS5 at the same time listening to both. So I would very much recommend this if you can afford it. They are a very good headset and a justifiable upgrade over the previous model. Some other things to address. I saw another complaint about that, Bluetooth not working. It works fine if you connect it correctly and don't walk away too far. But I can walk downstairs and still listen to my phone with this if the phone is upstairs connected with Bluetooth. I have not had any issues dropping the connection. Maybe it's a defect and he should exchange them? I don't know, I don't have that issue. Another complaint was about having to use the software to adjust the chatmix. You CAN NOT use the software for that. If you try and adjust it with the software it tells you to use the box! See the included screenshot.

I have a variety of over the ear headphones. I’ve worked remotely since 2015 full-time, and as such I spend 10-12 hours a day with headphones on for both professional work and personal gaming. As such, I’ve a pretty solid experience and frame of reference. We own other SteelSeries headphones, including their synthetic 7.1 surround sound which was a game changer for us watching movies at night while the other partner is sleeping. Till this year, though, I was a dedicated Astro A40 user. While I preferred wired due to the extended use I put in daily, I opted to switch to wireless this year in the hopes that SteelSeries batteries could keep up. For sake of reference, I use Apple AirPod Max and Airppod Pro Gen 2 daily along with my SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. PROs: Things I like about the headphones. - Weight — these are light on the head. While not critical to me, my partner is very susceptible to weight leading to strain to her neck. SteelSeries are generally lighter than the competition, and so this is important to consider if it matters to you. - Microphone — I really appreciate the boom mic. It’s easy to get near my mouth without a lot of fuss. I really appreciate the mute light. It’s very easy to spot of out of the corner of your eye. - Sound Quality — I think the sound quality is quite good. It does not have quite the deep resonance in the Airpod Max, so I prefer those for listening to music. But I have zero issues using this as my daily drivers, and they work surprising well in games like Apex Legends where spatial audio is key. - Software — I appreciate that SteelSeries has thoughtfully created some great control software. While I normally do not fiddle with these things too much, I appreciate that I can with these headphones. - Swappable Batteries — one thing I hate about any wireless device is the need to let them sit and recharge between use. As noted, I use my headphones for long enough in a single day that I cannot afford to just recharge for an hour between use. Being able to just swap out 1 battery with a freshly recharged brilliant is one of the things I’ve always appreciated about the Steel Series. It’s still a bit of a PITA if you are in the middle of doing something, but the DAC shows you the battery levels for both the charging and in-use battery, so really can only blame yourself if the battery dies mid ranked play. CONs: Things I do not like, but are fixable - Noise Canceling Cone — you might have heard about the physical bit that sticks out inside the headphone ear cup. It’s true that it may impact some users. I’m one of those users. It just stands out too far. For me, it was not so far out that I could not use them, but it was noticeable enough to detract my from enjoyment of them. Fortunately, there is a simple fix. Go get aftermarket cushions. I personally recommend Wicked Cushion’s gel cushions — these are a bit thicker than Arctis. Frankly, Arctis should just throw their own out and source from Wicked Cushion to win back a star. HUGE CONs: Things that I think are broken - Noise Canceling — I find SteelSeries NC is pretty hit or miss. While it helps, it’s not even in the same class as Apple comparing against either AirPod Max or AirPod Pro Gen 1 or 2. Hands down, this is my biggest let down as it’s not clear there is anything I can do but hope they do a firmware update. Otherwise, I think SteelSeries sorta “sh*t the bed” on this. OVERALL If the noise cancelling was even close to Apple’s I would have given this 4 out of 5 stars. But it’s bad enough that I do not think that these can even score a 4 stars till it’s addressed. While the noise cancelling cone is annoying, it’s a fixable solution with aftermarket so I’m willing to overlook this design miss. If you are looking for a solid wireless headphone these are reasonable. But to be honest, you can find less expensive ones from SteelSeries. That said, the added cost of these for active noise cancelling makes it very hard for me to recommend these as they stand. I hope that my experience is largely firmware that can be fixed in the future … but if the issues I’ve encountered are fundamental to the physical design then you should conservatively look elsewhere.