Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Review: Luxury Gaming Audio

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless provides the kind of sticker shock that requires an explanation. These headphones have an answer.

With a wide array of device compatibility, and a version you can use with both your Xbox and PS1, they are a luxury powerhouse for those who spend hours in the chair.

Audio quality is build and audio quality is audio quality.

The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are black over-ears with a headband that keeps your head comfortably suspended between the earcups. The magnetic plates on the outside of the headphones look like brushed metal and the body is covered in black plastic.

The retractable mic is one of the features SteelSeries seems proudest of. The rest of the earcup is almost completely flush with the mic. It is a small thing, but it is indicative of the attention to detail found throughout the rest of the design.

The earcups are made of faux leather and don't get sweaty after a while. The headband and cushion make it easy to sit on top of my head. I can start to feel it after a few hours, though it doesn't squeeze the sides of my head too much.

The audio quality on these headphones is great, with rich bass that doesn't muddy the vocals. The company's PC-only software adds a ton of customization tools that can be tailored to specific game modes or individual games. If you want to emphasize the biggest explosions in your game, you can balance the sound levels between games and chat apps.

The spatial audio is a boost to fast-paced games where situational awareness is important. It was much easier to tell what direction a demon was coming from when I was playing doom: eternal.

The mic quality is a downside. Even by gaming headset microphone standards, it's not great. It is similar to the effect in a movie when the director wants to make it sound like someone is talking through a headset. It gets the job done. It is a bit of a letdown for as well- engineered as the rest of the headset is.