SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset

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.

Comparing with my old Arctis 7. I wanted to upgrade my gaming headset and get a bluetooth headset for my phone. These are a perfect in between. Bluetooth quality won’t hold a candle to something like a Bose but an extra $400 for those was not going to be worth it. Audio quality is leagues better than the Arctis 7 when both are used with Sonar. Mic quality has a slight improvement as well. Friends have said I’m more crisp and clear. Super comfortable. They still default on the small side but with both the strap and ear adjustment, they can easily adjust for a perfect fit. I barely feel them on the top of my head. They do hug tighter on the sides than the Arctis 7 but also have softer cups. I did immediately swap for a set of Wicked Cusions because the base set are really warm. Everything else is incredible. Not much more to say that many reviews haven’t praised already. I love that the buttons are inset now because I dropped my Arctis 7 once which permanently pushed in my volume button and made it stiff. This will not be a problem on this set. It does include the game and chat balance on the headset which no one mentioned. You can push on the volume button to swap between volume and balance control instead of being separate buttons like on older versions. ANC is incredible. I turned it on and thought we lost power in the house because all ambient noise just vanished. Battery swapping is a game changer. It is so quick to do and charge the used battery. Overall, absolutely no regrets. I’ll update if anything happens but would highly recommend!

El producto se siente de calidad premium, sin embargo el sistema wireless 2.4ghz es muy susceptible a interferencias de otros dispositivos como el módem de tu proveedor de internet, bocinas inteligentes, lavadoras, secadoras, bombillas inteligentes, etc. dispositivos que usen la red 2.4 ghz de tu router causan pérdida de paquetes en los audífonos creando distorsión en la música o lo que sea que estés escuchando, por otro lado el software steelseries solo empeora estos síntomas, la verdad todo bien pero ese detalle es muy molesto por el precio esperas un sonido con mucho mayor fidelidad.