SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 - Review

It wasn’t too long ago that I got the chance to put the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro through its paces and found that on the sound side of things, it was incredible, on the microphone though, it was clearly lacking. While I expected that they would take complaints to make the 2023 version of the headset better, I was not expecting them to apply changes to any headsets this year, but with the Arctis Nova 1 they have done just that. So the question, does this headset make for a more compelling purchase?

The straight answer is no, at least when you compare it to the Nova Pro, but looking at it, as its own device, it becomes a maybe and there are a few reasons for that. Looking at the design of the headset, you can see a lot of similarities between this one and the others in the range, which makes sense, but as this is the more affordable offering, there are some interesting differences. The first one is that the ear cups, the part that sits over your ears, is slightly rounded, compared the to more elongated ones on the Arctis Nova Pro. The shape won’t be an issue if your ears are on the smaller side, but if you are used to a larger cup, then it is something to be aware of. Thankfully, the material that surrounds them is soft enough, that should your ears not fit in perfectly, you won’t feel like they are getting pinched. The headband itself is the same hard plastic as their other headsets, but the inner elastic band is the weak point, there is no resistance in it, meaning that any pressure and it just gets out of the way, which can make the headset sit lower than you might prefer.

In terms of controls for when you are using it, its as basic as you can get, all of them are located on the left cup and by all, I mean two, there are just two options. You have a volume wheel and a mic mute button and that is it, the lack of a mixing button will be something that dedicated online players may find to be a turn off, but that is a preference issue. The actual volume wheel is smaller than those with larger hands may prefer, but it works well enough, I do wish there was something to indicate its position when not all in one direction. The only other function on the headset exterior is that of the mute button and like the Nova Pro, you have to have the button out in order to use the microphone, pressing it in mutes the mic, which is still weird, but it works just fine.

Speaking of the microphone, the improvements to this one at least compared to the Nova Pro are quite vast and a lot of that comes down to the noise cancelation that is built into the mic. Now this is not active noise cancellation, which is offered on other headsets from SteelSeries, but it does an admirable job, it is not the best headset microphone around, but for the price of the headset, it is damn impressive. The system that the team behind its design have used, cuts away a lot of the hissing and other background noises that some mics can pick up, which is transmitted through to other players. Even using it to dictate or just recording my voice on the computer, the results were much clearer and easier to understand, compared to the Nova Pro.

On the sound side of things, they are excellent and again that is driven by the two 40mm Neodymium Drivers. When used in a game, the sound is crisp and clean even if the action gets really loud, when I connected it to my Switch put some time into Lumines, I was able to hear the music clearly and the sound effects that play through it. However, connecting the headset to my PlayStation 5, through the cable to the controller, unlocked its 3D spatial sound offerings and those are fantastic. While they may not be as impressive as the official Sony made headset, for the price and the flexibility they offer away from the PlayStation 5, the trade-off is so worth it. When connected to my phone, I was able to enjoy a nice sampling of music, with newer music from Robbie Williams to classic rock like AC/DC and even some orchestral stuff in between. I have encountered some headsets that failed to support some genres, its either to quiet or to loud, but this was fine across all and given it’s connection method, there is no device you can’t use it with.

Connecting the headset to any device is done via the included 3.5mm cable, for those using an old PC, it does come with a splitter cable extension, so you are covered there. The length of the cord is decent, so unless you have 8-foot-long arms, you will be able to hold your controller, Switch or connect to a PC and wear the headset comfortably. There is one downside to the cable and it’s a stupid one, one of the ends has a little bump of plastic around its cap, that stops you from inserting it to far into your device. Given however that all devices will only accept things to a set depth, its an unneeded inclusion, it did however make it impossible for me to use on my PC, when using the GameDAC Gen 2 that came with the Arctis Nova Pro. On that device, where you connect headphones, the jack is actually recessed, which does allow for a nicer look, but that bump means the connection between the headset and it was never stable. Now you are unlikely to have a recessed 3.5mm connection point, but on the off chance you do, just be aware this won’t connect smoothly.

SteelSeries have taken a great headset base with the Arctis Nova Pro, fixed a number of complaints I had with it and dropped the price to insanely affordable. While the headband isn’t ideal, given its lack of resistance, those gamers with smaller heads may not care, while those going the other way, may just adapt to it. Extended use is fine, the ear cups offer enough padding to not feel too restrictive and the cord length is perfect for all situations. If you are looking for a basic headset that offers a decent array of options, then this is one to check out, if you are someone who is going to game a lot though, maybe look at the other headsets from SteelSeries.

The Score

8.5

Review unit provided by Steel Series

The Pros

+The sound quality is amazing, especially when connected to the PlayStation 5

+The microphone is so much better on this headset, it is hard to believe its only been a few months

The Cons

-There is no resistance to the elastic in the headband, meaning it may not sit comfortably for most users

-The little bump on the cable provides a connection issue that didn’t need to exist