Customer Ratings & Reviews

PROS: Can work with all major consoles, PC, and Steam Deck Sound is excellent Voices are crystal clear Retractable mic Sound profiles on the app (both PC and phone) are amazing The most comfortable gaming headset I've used SO-SO: The build quality of the battery covers could be more premium Price is $400, which is high for a gaming headset (although the Elite version is $600) CONS: Volume levels are lower than I want (it's still plenty loud, but I'd love the option for louder). Can this be fixed with a firmware update? I hope so. SteelSeries introduced the premium Arctis Nova Pro Elite wireless headset at the end of 2025, which was received not just as one of the best gaming headsets of 2025, but as one of the best of all time! To think they went back into the lab to improve what was already a near-perfect headset really shows the company's desire to perfect its offering. While the Omni isn't the flagship Elite, the main improvements have been on the mic; there have been other, slighter refinements. The Omni is still one of the best headsets available, with clear sound output and voice input. While certain aspects make it a lower-tier option than the Elite, it's still a strong choice if you don't want to spend $600 on a gaming headset. The package includes several essential components: the headset itself, the Arctis Nova Pro control deck, two USB-C-to-USB-A cables, two swappable, rechargeable battery packs, a pop filter for the microphone, and a travel bag. This is everything you'd expect from a $400 headset. It's premium, regardless of it not being the "Elite" version. The most important aspect for me is the comfort of the Omni headset. The plush earcups rival those of some of my $1,000+ music headphones. Additionally, the headband is comfortable, even for those with slightly larger heads. I have used it for over four hours without feeling the need to take a break. As a glasses wearer, this is particularly impressive, as it's often challenging to find a premium headset that accommodates glasses comfortably. While the OMNI may not quite reach the Elite's level in depth, volume, and build quality, it's more than capable of fulfilling your gaming needs! One standout feature is its microphone, which I believe outperforms the Elite in terms of quality. From the very first moment I unboxed it, I could tell SteelSeries put significant effort into enhancing the mic. It even offers tailored profiles for various professional settings, just like its fantastic audio suite. This allows players to easily find their perfect communication style. It's truly an exciting upgrade that could elevate the entire Arctis series! I can't wait for you to experience it. SteelSeries has improved its carbon-fiber drivers, delivering exceptional sound quality from the start. Plus, users can further customize their audio experience by exploring hundreds of sound profiles available in the SteelSeries GG app on both PC and mobile devices. And when I say there are a lot of options, there are. You will find profiles for just about every major game that has been released in the last few years. There are profiles for gaming, music, and movies. There's everything you need to customize your own, too. The Omni focuses on gaming and PC use. It skips the second microphone the Elite used for phone calls and everyday activities, opting instead for an upgraded retractable mic. And let's face it, most gamers don't care about phone calls when their primary reason for using the headset is to game. This headset uses omnidirectional capture on its retractable microphone. Coupled with new microphone drivers, it delivers the clearest speaking experience I've had with any gaming headset. The control deck is equipped with 3.5mm Line In and Line Out ports, allowing gamers to connect and run up to 4 sound sources simultaneously. It offers versatile compatibility with PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Steam Deck, and smartphone devices via a variety of connectivity options, including 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and direct line connections. Also, users can use the SteelSeries companion app, available on both PC and smartphones, to access more settings and customizations. The app will be updated on the release date to include the Omni. Before the release date, I downloaded and used a beta app. There was an initial firmware update that required a connection to my PC with a solid internet connection.

While I’m not a professional gamer or streamer, something these are a bit geared towards, I do spend both half my day in virtual meetings and the other half gaming, either solo or with friends. In the past week I’ve used them countless times in Zoom, Slack, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, PS5, Discord, Phone Calls, and Xbox. And it handled all of them perfectly! The first thing you should note is that unlike other headsets that may use a USB 2.4Ghz dongle for connection, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni uses what they call their GameHub. It’s a small squat box that serves as both a replacement for the USB dongle and provides a big volume knob as well as quick access to settings and a helpful OLED screen. This both allows versatility, but it is a bit more intended for you to have all your devices you will use in the same location. There’s USB ports on the back for your PC, PS5, and XBOX (as well as a 3.5mm audio line in/out), so one can easily swap between all of them, including mixing between multiple devices at the same time! However, if not everything is right next to one another, say you have your consoles or PC in a different room, then it’s not quite as portable. I have moved mine around for testing purposes, but since I’m going to primarily use these in my home office where I work and PC game, the hub will likely live here. The GameHub is impressive and provides access to nearly all the settings you can also access via the mobile app and PC software. The headphones themselves I found to be comfortable, lightweight, and unobtrusive. They may be “gamer” headphones, but they don’t look like it. There’s no wild RGB lighting it – in fact the only two lights on are subtle lights for the 2.4Ghz and the Bluetooth connections, as well as a red light on the microphone that only shows when you’re muted. While lightweight, they do feel sturdy with the headband being a solid piece of metal. However, your head doesn’t rest on that – or even a cushion attached to it. Instead, there is a slightly stretchy band that sits below that part, resting comfortably on your head without allowing the structural metal support to touch. It looks unique and feels fantastic. The earcups are a soft faux leatherette and feel comfortable. I’m not sure I’d call them the most comfortable, but I don’t notice any problems with overheating after having them on for hours. Both the headband and earcups are replaceable. Taking a tour of the headset, the left earcup contains most of the controls. You’ll fine the power on for the main 2.4Ghz wireless connection, a mute button that physically pops out a bit when muted (in addition to a light on the microphone itself), and a volume slider wheel. On the lower front is the microphone itself, which retracts easily back into the headset – something that not only mutes the microphone, but allows these to just be a comfortable set a headphones without any microphones in your peripheral vision. On the very bottom is a 3.5mm line in, something you don’t see too often but helpful if you need an old school analog connection. On the right side you have a single button for bluetooth that both powers it on/off independently of the 2.4Ghz connection and allows you to connect to a new Bluetooth device. On each earcup facing away from you is a clever magnetic panel with the subtle SteelSeries logo that is easily removable. On the left side it reveals a USB-C port for charging the headset with a cable and on the right for changing the swappable battery. This is both unique and one of my favorite features of the Arctis Nove Pro Omni – the hot swappable batteries. I use my headsets a lot and when I’m in a meeting or gaming and the battery is running low I hate having to work/game around a cable hanging off my head. SteelSeries clearly thinks similarly and includes two batteries. One stays in your headset and the other sits inside the GameHub, which keeps it charged! Battery running low? Grab the one from the GameHub, pop out the earcup cover and swap batteries. The old battery will charge in the GameHub and you’ll be back to using your headset in two seconds. There’s a time limit to the swap, but every time I’ve swapped batteries it’s been fast enough I haven’t even had to touch a button to reconnect the headset. No cables to your head necessary here – SteelSeries ensured you’ll always have a fresh battery to swap with. While the headset itself may seem to have the minimal number of buttons, the GameHub also provides you with access to nearly every audio setting you could want. And from there you can go to the applications. SteelSeries GG is the name of the main PC software, and I have mixed feelings about it. Common with nearly every software for computing peripherals, it both does what you need it to do and tries to include a great many number of things that just cause the software and your sanity to feel bloated. All the same setting from the GameHub are found here, including some great equalizers for general use and then specific for games that it can swap to automatically. In addition, you can do some fun things like link it to specific applications. For example, with Discord you can see who is currently talking. Or you can see what music is currently playing. A powerful feature the application encourages you to use is called Sonar. This is, effectively, a virtual sound mixer. Using it you can categorize applications so that each can have a customized equalizer and you can even mix between the two. For example, you can adjust your game volume along with your discord chat audio. If you’re a streamer, this is invaluable. However, for my purposes I found it far more invasive than helpful. If you’re using Sonar, it does take over your audio on Windows. You don’t use Windows to control audio, you use Sonar. This includes when you’re not using the headset. For me, it meant my Windows volume was maxed out at 100% and I wasn’t allowed to use the volume control on my keyboard anymore. While I do know there’s a volume control on the GameHub right next to it, that’s just not what I’m comfortable with and I don’t want to manage all my system audio fully within the GG application. This is a personal preference and I can tell you that it works just fine without using Sonar and even without the whole GG software installed. It’s a matter of convenience and how much tinkering you’d like to dive into. I appreciate that it gives you the option of using Sonar and that it works just fine without it. You’re not locked into proprietary software to access the vast majority of features. The Android phone application is a bit more barebones than the PC’s GG software, but it does have access to all you’d want, including presets for both 2.4Ghz, Bluetooth, and microphone. Between the GameHub, PC software, and phone app, you’re never too far from a way to adjust your settings, whichever you find the most convenient. I must commend SteelSeries for giving you all these options. I’ve only a few negatives, really nitpicks, to bring up. First, I do wish there was an on-headset control for Bluetooth volume. On my last headset, there was both a volume control for 2.4Ghz and for Bluetooth. It’s a small thing made more minor with the GameHub, but it would still be nice to have. My second issue, also dealing with Bluetooth is a fantastic setting that I feel is only half complete. You can set it up so that when you power on your headset for its 2.4Ghz connection, it automatically turns on and connects Bluetooth. For me this is great as if I’m wearing the headset for either work or gaming, I’ll certainly not want to take it off to answer the phone. However, this connection only works for powering on. When you power off the headset, you must do it independently for both the 2.4Ghz connection and for the Bluetooth, via their respective power buttons. More than once I’ve turned my headset off and then wondered half an hour later why I can’t hear any audio on my phone. I hope a simple software/firmware update gives you the option to power off simultaneously just like you can with powering on. Lastly, while I do commend SteelSeries for going the opposite of RGB lighting everywhere and keeping it very subdued (professional for work meetings!), I do wish the two power lights were slightly more noticeable. The last thing I’ve yet to talk about is how they actually sound – and it sounds amazing. Without even adjusting the equalizer settings, out of the box I think it sounds phenomenal. The same goes for the microphone – I sound clear and easily heard by others no matter the platform. The microphone sidetone, the feature that plays back your voice in your headset, works perfectly. I tend to get louder with a headset on, and this allows me to easily hear my own voice and keep myself in check. The noise cancellation also works great – my office also has a big fan and a 3D printer so there’s a lot of background noise to filter out. Then there’s the noise control settings. The Active Noise Cancellation works great. The second I turn it on the outside world is silent. Even without the ANC on, the earcups do a great job of passive noise cancellation, muffling most of the outside noise. On the opposite side of noise control, transparency, where it actively picks up the noise of your surroundings and plays them back through the headset, also works perfectly. I will not be worried that gaming means I don’t hear my dog needing me to open the door to go outside. I certainly understand that these come in at a premium price that may not jive with everyone. I can’t say this is a must purchase for everyone, but I can say if you have a reason to keep a headset on more than off, if you have multiple consoles you use a headset with, or just want to have one of the most feature packed headsets on the market, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni is the upper echelon of headsets.

I had my first great pair of gaming headphones 10 years ago and they were Steelseries, so I was excited to see what the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni was all about. After wearing them with my current setup I discovered they're not just here to be heard but they're here to solve a specific set of problems. If you've ever sat down with your gaming setup and you have a PC, a console, your phone, or any other device you're probably juggling audio across all of these sources and it's a mess. The Omni is the answer to that mess. It can mix up to four audio sources at once. This headset can act like a true universal hub. - Unboxing - Opening the box presents you with an orderly layout, nothing flashy. There are headphones, a light carrying bag, an extra swappable battery, 2 USB-C to USB-A cables, a small microphone pop filter, and a Game Hub dock. Having 2 batteries in a meaningful addition. This completely solves the problem of having to wait for a charge, or charging them overnight. When one starts to run low, you swap them out. Each battery is rated for approximately 30 hours. 2 cables gives you some insight into how this is supposed to be used. The Game Hub has multiple USB inputs, and the cables mean you can hook up multiple systems at once to your hub and mix as you see fit. There's a carrying case which is a nice touch for travel. The pop filter is nice for recording or streaming. The documentation is minimal but there's an instruction manual that will give you product information and critical/essential instructions. - Design & Build Quality - The headset is clean with a matte black design and the subtle SteelSeries logo. It can definitely blend in well with any school or work environment. It has an adjustable suspension headband at the top to secure the fit. It's about 350 grams; weight in your hands feels about average for the wireless category. There's a retractable boom microphone, love this design because you can tuck it back in when not in use. On the left cup you have a textured volume wheel, a mute button, and the power button (also a toggle for ANC once powered on), along with a USB-C port underneath the magnetic cap. On the right cup you have a bluetooth/wireless button and a swappable battery underneath the magnetic cap. The earcups are a soft, comfortable, leather material. The build quality feels about average in terms of sturdiness. The gamehub that comes with is a small rectangular dock with an OLED display. The pixels look sharp and the contrast is good enough to be read easily from a sitting position if it's placed on your desk. There's a metal textured mix dial for selection. On the back of the gamehub are 5 ports. You have Line In, Line Out, USB1, USB2, and USB3/Xbox (if you have an Xbox you need to use USB3.) This setup allows the Omni to support every major platform. The GameHub mix dial handles the balance between them. - Comfort - This was a big surprise. The earcups are very comfortable relative to the premium headsets I've used over the years. After a full session of gaming, music, browsing, and a movie, I didn't even realize I was wearing headphones; no heat or discomfort. SteelSeries did an excellent job here. The suspension headband helps distribute pressure across a wider area so that the main headband just kind of floats on your head. The earcups are deep enought that your ears are feeling anything but cushion, and don't feel clamped down. Hopefully the leather and cushion holds up over time. - Performance - This is the most important part. After running these headphones through music, movies, games, voice chat, and morning video conference meetings here's my honest evaluation. Music, Movies, and games all sound remarkably good. The 40mm neodymium drivers paired with the 96kHz/24bit hires signal give you exceptional sound and clarity. The positional sound is top tier. Bass stands out. With the Bass Boost EQ preset enabled, the low end is tight and heavy. There's nothing mushy here. Drivers are well controlled and the earcups have a proper seal. Volume is also worth mentioning. This headset gets loud. If you've ever owned a headset that you felt you wanted to crank up a little, but you were maxed out, I know how you feel. I had to turn down this headset on a couple of occasions which is a good thing. There is a volume limiter in the software if you want to lower the max volume. ANC is good, but not great. I picked up some sounds I'm not used to hearing in ANC. Overall, I'm really happy with the quality of sound and performance. - Spatial Audio - I tested positional audio in Minecraft and the spatial separation and positioning was really good. The direction based audio told me right where someone was sneaking up from. You can pinpoint sounds around you with confidence. Sometimes this is the difference between life and death during a game. - OmniPlay - This is the standout feature so I tested this specifically. I had Bluetooth music streaming from my phone, a game playing on the PC and my Discord App going simultaeously. The Gamehub mix dial handles the balance between them. Every source arrived at the headset cleanly, no weird crosstalk, no audio issues, and the mix dial seemed to shift the balance without cutting any of the sources, Impressive! - Microphone - The mic test was the most surprising result. I jumped on a call with a friend and his reaction was that my mic sounded like I was on a Podcast. A podcast quality voice on a gaming headset mic with no external interface or adjustments is excellent. The AI noise rejection is doing its job and the AI processing produces a natural sounding voice. - EQ Presets and Software - This preset library is unbelievable at 342 presets in the companion app. There are EQ profiles tuned for specific games, music genres and content type. Whatever you're doing, SteelSeries most likely has a preset already tuned for it and there's even an auto-switch feature meaning the EQ can change on it's own as you launch different games. Beyond the presets you have 3 different ways to control your headset. The Gamehub gives you instant control. I found myself using the volume or chat knob in game depending on what I needed at the moment. The SteelSeries GG software on PC gives you the most customization and comprehensive set of features like the per app Sonar mixer where you can route Game, Chat, Media, and Mic to different virtual channels all with their own EQ curves. The mobile companion app does most of the same but it's more of a light version of the app with the more critical options available in an easy to access touch format. I did like the convenience of the mobile app for certain quick settings. - Battery - This headset has amazing battery life at 30 hours and it can be swapped out. The other battery charges in the gamehub while you're using your headphones. This is a great idea and perfect solution for gamers. I have one of their gaming mice with the hot swappable batteries and it's a lifesaver. - Learning Curve - Setup takes a minute. There's no way around it. There are three sets of controls (Gamehub, SteelSeries GG PC app, Arctic companion mobile app), sound mixing on the Gamehub, presets, customization, etc. I even had to go into my PC into the advanced sound settings to get 96 kHz/24 bit setup. The first few days I was clicking around trying to figure out how everything worked and where each setting lived. Give yourself a little bit of time. Play some games, listen to music, get on Discord, talk on the phone, sit through some conference calls, and customize to your liking. Everything will start making sense and I soon realized how I could merge all of these separate worlds together. - Pros - * Sound Quality is exceptional acros music, movies, and games * Bass is tight, even when boosted * True multi-device mixing * Hot-swap dual battery system eliminates downtime * Hi-Res Audio * Genuinely comfortable enough to forget you're wearing headphones * Multi-Level ANC * Feels really light on your head, excellent design * Over 300 audio presets for games - Suggestions/Needs Improvement * Travel bag could be sturdier * ANC is adequate, but needs improvement The Arctis Nova Pro Omni has excellent drivers, universal platform mixer support, a hot swappable battery system and comfort that makes you forget your wearing headphones. The audio quality stands out on its own. I would highly recommend this to any serious gamers that want excellent audio, long battery life, and multi-platform support. This is the headset for all of your devices. I highly recommend it.

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of using dozens of mid-range to premium headsets. While they all boast their respective ups and downs, very few sets encapsulate all my major priorities in one unit. This would be the second headset I've come across that truly does that. The first thing I noticed when taking the Omni out of the box was the beautiful aesthetics and the sturdy build quality. The headset itself has a decent amount of weight, but not so much that it becomes uncomfortable. The ear cups are comfortable, and the headband is generous enough to fit over my rather large head. The control box has nice shapes and angles, plenty of inputs and outputs (which I'll get to later), and looks great in my setup. Moving on to the sound, the first thing I recommend is that you absolutely must download the app—whether for PC, iOS, or Android. It is a necessity for this headset. Not that the sound out of the box isn't already impressive, but once you pair it with all the presets created by other users or use the excellent built-in EQ, you can truly unlock soundscapes unlike anything else on the market today. Because of the wide range of presets, you can find an EQ setting that works well for any type of content. I tested several EQ settings with pop music, bass-heavy hip hop, calls, and multiple video games with expansive sound stages. Once I found the right EQ, I was blown away by the clarity and quality. The two things that stood out most were the highs and the bass. The highs are crisp and clean, with no distortion even at high volumes. The sound frequencies are very precise, allowing me to notice even the slightest variations. The bass is more like a reverberation than sitting next to a subwoofer. It’s not directly pounding into your ears—it feels more like it’s surrounding them. That’s the best way I can describe it. Very impressive, as it doesn’t drown out other elements but instead complements them, almost blanketing the audio with undertones while still delivering that satisfying punch. The overall volume is beyond average. There weren’t many situations where I could comfortably listen at full volume without it being too loud. I tested this across a few games, with the primary one being Red Dead Redemption 2. Using these headphones added a completely new layer of immersion. I could hear where horses were coming from, birds in the distance, layered water sounds, gunshot reverberations, and even subtle footsteps. I had been playing with another popular headset, but switching to the Omni was a completely different experience. In short, the sound is clean, crisp, powerful, detailed, and full. Moving on to the control unit—it's very easy to navigate and offers plenty of customization options. The key feature I want to highlight is how they’ve integrated mixing. You can mix multiple audio sources without needing major adjustments. For instance, I can plug one PC into USB 1 and another into USB 2, play a game on one and music on the other, and mix both audio sources directly through the control box—no need for additional software like Logitech’s Mixline. Another interesting aspect is how Bluetooth is handled as a separate entity. You can turn on the headset and then independently activate Bluetooth. Even if you turn off the headset audio, Bluetooth remains active for calls. That means you don’t have to keep the headset fully engaged just to take calls. You can also mix Bluetooth audio with your game audio seamlessly. Additionally, you can route Bluetooth through Sonar and GG software if desired. As for call quality, it did not disappoint. The microphone was clear and easy to understand on the receiving end, and I could hear every nuance during calls. While you don’t typically buy a headset for calls, if that matters to you, the Omni performs very well. All of these features can be controlled directly from the control box, which is intuitive and efficient. The only minor downside—if you can call it that—is that the Sonar and GG software primarily work with one to two input ports. In practice, I didn’t run into issues since I only used one to two ports along with wireless. A couple of features worth grouping together: the swappable battery system works great. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this design, but it’s implemented as well as anything else out there. Battery life has been excellent—I’ve gone several days without needing to swap—but it’s reassuring to have a backup ready. The second feature is the microphone. I really enjoy the retractable design. Most of my previous headsets had detachable mics that I’d end up misplacing. Being able to extend and retract it directly into the headset when not in use is extremely convenient. While it doesn’t accommodate a windscreen, the convenience outweighs that drawback. As mentioned earlier, mic quality is excellent, and you can further customize it through the control box. Here’s another underrated bonus: the control box includes both a line-in and line-out. The line-out is especially valuable to me. I use peripherals that add vibration, primarily a Woojer Vest. My vest is an older unit that connects via a 3.5mm jack. Previously, I had to use software like Mixline to split the signal. With the Omni, I can run a direct line-out from the control box to the vest, eliminating the need for software-based audio splitting. That may sound minor, but it’s a big deal when chaining multiple peripherals for immersion. Similarly, the line-in allows you to plug in additional devices and mix their audio seamlessly. This makes it easy to run multiple audio sources simultaneously. There aren’t many negatives. The only concern I have is with the leather-style ear cushions. In my experience, they tend to crack over time and require replacement. I can’t speak to the long-term durability of these specifically, but it’s something I always keep in mind. Other than that, I don’t have any real complaints. It stands up well against other high-end headsets. The only one that competes closely for me is the A50X. While the A50X has HDMI switching—which is extremely convenient for saving monitor ports—I personally prefer the sound of the Omni slightly more. In terms of overall audio performance, it’s among the best I’ve used. In summary, this is a premium-priced headset, but considering everything it offers—the soundstage, customization, and thoughtful design—it’s worth the investment. From the app to the control box, everything feels intentionally built with the user in mind. Allowing users to tailor their audio experience should be every headset manufacturer’s priority, and they’ve clearly delivered on that with the Omni. Very impressed, and I would definitely recommend it.

This is a fantastic headset with great, high quality sound… giving my high end headphones a run for their money in a few ways. Its design is both professional and fun, making it great for general use beyond just gaming. Games, music and video calls all sound great. The handy self-storing microphone is ideal and I find the head strap and ear cups comfortable and premium. Pro-level EQ controls, Hi-Res audio, and the ability to seamlessly control up to 4 inputs make this stand out on the audio front. __ Sound __ I didn’t expect it, but these challenge my top-tier headphones for best (or equal) sound quality. I love how these sound. They were balanced by default, with a rich spectrum of sound. Steel Series Arctis apps will allow you to fine tune these - gaining full parametric EQ adjustment from the desktop app that allows you to fine tune the sound curve itself - something I’ve only ever seen in my higher end headphones. These also offer a list of games with game-specific EQ settings to toggle. Since the sound is already great, I doubt I’ll bother to toggle to these, but for games with strange imbalances, or if you just want to ensure you’ll hear important sounds in specific FPSs, it could be helpful. Active noise cancelling (ANC) is a great inclusion and makes gaming better in almost every situation, creating better focus and immersion when in rooms with others. The ear cups alone can only do so much to block out outside noise on their own. The mic sounds good, with independent noise cancelling control from the app. I love that extending and retracting it can auto-enable and auto-mute it. Always handy and one less button to fiddle with. __ Design & Build Quality __ I love the design here. The mix of matte black plastic, anodized metal and silicone give these a very premium, ‘studio’ look. Supposedly the prior version had a rubberized material on the ear cup caps, but I’m happy to report that these are quality plastic, with no rubberized finishes to be found (those finishes always fail in time). The head strap is fantastic - with better ventilation by virtue of being an actual strap, rather than a pad. It can be adjusted by notching it onto predefined peg holes, but it can also be easily removed for cleaning as a result too. Primary size adjustment is still done by extending the ear cups independently on their posts. These posts are plastic, but are solid and well made. The top of the band is an anodized aluminum/metal that looks greats and definitely lends to the pro look on these. The caps on each ear cup are held on by magnets, concealing a USB-C charge port on the left and the battery on the right. A simple cloth is included, which offers little protection, but should prevent scuffs. These also come with a control dock to plug in up to 3 usb connections for wireless transmission, in addition to the bluetooth option. All 4 inputs can be switched between or mixed, with control over chat volume and other audio you’d like to get just right while gaming. This had a nice white pixel display that shows realtime status of battery levels and volume. You can also toggle through menus and EQ settings. It’s not super intuitive, but has a small learning curve involving pressing and holding the knob’s button for an amount of time, or holding the capacitive button at the front. The knob itself is nice to have for quick volume control without fiddling with the dial on the headset itself. Like prior Arctis Nova Pro models, this dock also stores and charges a second battery for hot-swapping to your headset if you happen to run out at an inconvenient time. The battery life is so good in these anymore, it’s mainly useful for this situation, but also allows you to rely only on battery swapping rather than ever having to plug these in. __ Summary __ I really love these so far. With incredible sound, ANC, its integrated mic, the novel charging transmitter with it’s volume dial, and a slew of features and fine EQ control... it ticks just about all of the boxes. Sound-curve-level adjustment level thanks to rare parametric control provided by the Arctis desktop app is a great and unique inclusion. I have almost no complaints... The only small nit that comes to mind being that these do not pause music when taking the headset off. These look great and are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. Quality, through and through. These will be what I recommend to friends and family going forward.

Overall there is a lot to like about the Arctis Nova Pro Omni. I found the fit to be comfortable for their size and the earmuffs along with the ANC seal out any external sounds. The spare battery and charger in the base station guarantees you will not run out of battery life. The base station provides the ability to mix your audio feeds and there are lots of connectivity options using 2.4 wireless or Bluetooth. I found the sound quality to be good and you can access over 320 different preconfigured equalizer settings to match your game play. There is both a mobile app and pc software that allows you to configure the audio quality to your specific needs. The headphones do support spatial audio but even using the software I wasn’t as impressed with the spatial separation compared to other high-end headphones. Pros: - Solid build with good audio quality and ANC - 2.4 wireless and Bluetooth connectivity that allows up to three simultaneous connections via the base station - Replaceable battery with spare included - Feature rich Apps for mobile and pc - Retractable recessed microphone - Base station with Display and battery charger Cons: - Not the best spatial audio separation - Limited voice prompts vs tones Performance: I found the 40mm drivers provide good sound quality and the ANC does a respectable job isolating you from external sounds. Within the GG Windows app and the mobile app there are preconfigured equalizer settings for over 320 various games and listening modes. I tried many of them including the equalizer settings for Asseto Corsa, War Thunder, Beam NG, Sniper Elite, Star Wars and Minecraft. For the most part I felt the equalizers did a decent job and there is a custom mode that you can configure for your specific needs. The only downside I felt was in the Spatial audio playback. The Steelseries GG software does allow you to configure the spatial audio however when playing some games they just didn’t seem to provide the spatial separation that some other high-end headphones provide. Set Up: Once I had the base station connected to my gaming pc I downloaded the Steelseries GG app for Windows. The app is user friendly and I was able to download the latest firmware for the base station and headset. Next I downloaded the app into my iPhone and verified that I could control the headset from the Windows app as well as my mobile app. This is great if you plan on gaming using your phone or a console. The Windows app does offer some additional features but the mobile app covers all the basics. The connectivity is simple on this headphone because you can use the 2.4 wireless or Bluetooth to the base station as well as Bluetooth directly to your mobile device or tablet. Sadly these headphones use tones vs voice prompts most often so you don’t get a voice prompt telling you that you are in pairing mode or connected. Instead you get tones which you have to interpret. Fit and Feel: These are rather large headphones but they have super soft earmuffs which help seal out the ambient noise as well as cup your head softly. There is an elastic headband strap that you can adjust to control how much of the headphone’s upper arm contacts your head. For me this really improved the overall feel of the headphones because I no longer felt a bar sitting on the top of my head. Also because of the way the headband sits on my head I didn’t notice the weight of the headphones nearly as much. The earmuffs and speakers are large enough to cover my entire ear and they didn’t create any issues for me when wearing my glasses.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omini gaming headset is one of the best options for people who have multiple gaming systems. With the Nova Pro Omni, I’m able to connect to all of my game consoles. Finally, one headset for my Xbox, Playstation 5, my Nintendo Switch, as well as my desktop. Headset The headset is very comfortable. I played an all day Diablo IV session on my Xbox. Around 8 hours without the headset feeling uncomfortable. The ear pads are very soft and the headband band is flexible enough that, combined, offer all day comfort. I didn’t have to adjust the headband. It has 3 positions for adjustment. It came set to the middle position which worked for me. The buttons are easy to find by touch. The microphone recesses in the left ear piece when I’m not using it. To extend it is simple and I can do it by feel so I don’t have to remove the headset, see the mic, then extend it. Each side of the headset has two outer removable ear caps. Underneath one is the rechargeable battery. It came with two and it is simple and fast to swap them out. The batteries are lightweight so there was no sense of feeling one side of the headset having more weight than the other. The balance is good. Hub The Nova Pro Omni comes with a connection and control hub. There are three USB-C ports on it, one line in 3.5mm port, and one line out 3.5mm port. The third USB-C port is marked for Xbox which is the port I used to connect one of the two included USB-C to USB-A cables to my Xbox. I used the second USB-C to USB-A cable to connect port 1 to my PS5. Both resulted in the two gaming consoles automatically recognizing the connections. I didn’t have to go through any kind of setup to get either to recognize the Nova Pro Omni. The hub also has an LCD screen on the front along with a dial. The dial allows me to control the volume, but I can also do that from the dial on the headset. The hub has a battery charge slot on the right side which allows me to charge one battery while the other is being used in the headset. The LCD screen will show me the battery status of the battery in the headset as well as the charge on the battery in the hub. That is helpful as that means I don’t have to connect some charger to charge the batteries. I can do it by one at a time in the hub. Charging one battery while using the other in the headset. There are many settings you can set through the hub as well. I use the dial on the front to traverse the options and set them to my preference. There is an app for Android and iOS, but I was having some problems with it. StealSeries I’m sure is working on that. The app allows for presets to be set as one of 200 or so game presets. Audio The audio quality from the headset is really good. The level of immersion in Diablo IV and other RPGs that I was playing steps up the gaming experience. The Diablo IV score and character voices are top notch and the Arctis Nova Pro Omni definitely helps to bring that out for a much more immersive gaming experience. If you are looking for a new gaming headset, one you can connect to multiple sources, that is comfortable enough to have long gaming sessions, then consider SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova Pro Omni gaming headset. I like what they have with this headset and would recommend it to console and PC gamers.

I primarily play FPS games on my PC and having headphones to hear footsteps is key to getting a jump on your competition. The Arctis Nova Pro takes it 20 more levels over my last over-ear headphones. The magic really happens with Steelseries’ app called GG. The app isn’t perfect but once you get dialed in, you won’t need the app as you can control most critical settings via the desktop OLED display. Out of the box, the headphones sounded great. To truly unleash all the potential, you will need the GG app. Within this app, you can adjust things like EQs, volumes for your mic, etc. The “Sonar” portion of this app is what makes these headphones sing. Within Sonar, you can adjust spatial audio. This is the magic I mentioned earlier on hearing clean and crisp in-game footsteps. Not only can you clearly hear the footsteps, you can hear the direction and the distance those footsteps are in. No joke, you can distinctly hear the footsteps above you, around a corner, etc. It does feel like cheating at times….or I would call it an advantage over others. The settings I have it on is “spatial audio” set to ON and Performance slider all the way to the left and Distance slider all the way to the right. While I love the Sonar portion of the app, the rest of the app is clunky to navigate. Changing noise canceling properties is a completely different part of the app as an example. But luckily, once you have everything dialed in, I just leave the portion of the app opened to the EQ so I can dial in the amount of low freq vs high freq while gaming. These headphones pack every feature you would want in a pair of gaming headphones. Music is “ok”. These headphones are perfect for at least 80% gaming and 20% all other use cases. I love the wireless desktop hub to display battery levels and spare battery charger, the noise canceling is a nice touch if you have a noisy room, the Mic sounds great for a gaming headphone but not great enough for recording podcasts. Works great with popular apps like Discord. I super love that the mic retracts into the earcups for a non-cluttered look and the ability to adjust game/voice mix via the physical dial on the desktop hub. Comfy for long hours of use and battery life has been fantastic. The ability to always have a spare battery charged is nice. In summary, these are first and foremost a gaming headphone. Music and noise canceling are just mid for the price. If you want the best headphones for gaming, the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is it.

I run a lot of things at the same time, during the week and weekend, especially when MLS is in season. What does that mean? That means I’m either watching an MLS game on the big screen/AppleTV (if it’s a favorite team) while also playing FC 26 on my laptop and listening to music on YouTube on an iPad. Since I can only listen to 2 things at the same time with my Steel Series Nova, I choose the laptop/pc, and leave transparency on so I can hear the tv, which is playing through a HomePod located next to my laptop, so i can hear all 3. Sometimes the iPad and TV(AppleTV) or swapped depending on the game, and sometimes I’ll watch a movie on the TV/AppleTV while having a non-favorite MLS team play on the IPad. The problem with this was always one device had to be loud enough to hear through the other 2 sources. Well…not anymore! Now I can physically plug in iPad & PC to the Omni base, while I connect to AppleTV through Bluetooth. I will say doing it this way I lose built in spatial surround sound on AppleTV (verses my AirPods or AirPods Max), but if I’m watching a movie and doing other things, I’m not fully paying attention to said movie (likely a rewatch) so 100% spatial sound isn’t a deal breaker for me. I spent all day last Saturday watching MLS matches, watching a TV show, on iPad and playing FC 26/Pinball on laptop - for 4 hours straight when I decided to take a break. Of course it was only to find out/hear my new neighbors moving in…so instead of listening to them come up and down the stairs, I swapped the battery from the Omni base with the headset battery, and continued another 4-5 hours as they moved. Did I have to swap the battery? Not really, there was still around 70% left, but the Omni already charges the other battery, so the swap just made sense/convenient! Pros 4 audio sources!!!! Can raise/lower individual sources for appropriate mix of sounds Omni bases charges as connected, allowing that battery to be swappable for headset Noise cancellation works pretty well Cons: The included USB-C to USB-A cable didn’t work for me, it worked for my PS5 controller, but I had to use USB-C to USB-C, as my laptop and IPad only have USB-C anyways. I thought it was weird to not include at least 1 USB-C to USB-C cables Omni base charges when plugged into IPad- luckily latest IPad Pro has 2 USB-C ports, allowing me to charge iPad AND Omni at same time Charge Port on headset inconveniently located under a magnetic cover. If you don’t swap batteries, you have to leave the cover off while you charge the headset - and that just means you can lose the cover. My Nova charge port is located on the bottom of the cushion - no need to remove anything.

SteelSeries has long been a heavyweight in the audio space, and their Arctis Nova Pro lineup has reigned as a top-tier gaming headset for years. This newest iteration doesn't reinvent the wheel; instead, it offers targeted refinements to an already excellent foundation. With the upgraded ability to play five audio sources at once, improved noise cancellation, and enhanced microphone clarity, it remains a flagship contender, while still keeping all the other pros from the previous generation of great comfort, durability, and sound. Flagship Features and Seamless Switching, but Incremental Sound Upgrades Pros: - The main selling point of these is the ability to have four audio sources (3 via USB-C, 1 via Bluetooth, 1 aux) all playing at the same time. Setup is simple, essentially just plug and play (via USB-C). An example would be Xbox audio, PC audio (say Discord), and PlayStation audio all at the same time while also listening to music on your phone. If two sources are playing, you can mix them in real-time with the base station so one is louder or quieter than the other. Personally, I use two PCs (say one work, one play) and this allows me to use a single headset without having to change cables constantly. Which is AWESOME! - The frequency response is heavily focused on clarity, with a focus on highs and mids. Highs are crisp without suffering from sibilance. Mids sound pleasant and full. The bass is accurate but restrained. If you’re looking for a head-rattling explosion experience, this will feel too light for you. The soundstage is excellent. It offers great separation, allowing you to easily distinguish overlapping footsteps, gunfire, talking, etc. Additionally, the directional quality is extremely good, allowing you to easily tell where things are coming from, even if it is not quite 'industry leading'. In general, this is the same typical SteelSeries sound signature that doesn’t sound revolutionary different than prior. - I like that it has full support for PlayStation's Tempest Audio, which works well here. - Microphone was surprisingly great. It had a good low end where my voice sounded natural. Very clear. I am in a semi-treated environment though. I don’t think you’d get any complaints about this in lobbies or from friends. - The Vegan Leather-Wrapped Memory Foam material is very soft and incredibly comfortable. It provides a good seal for the passive and active noise cancelling. Cup depth is good and the ‘nub’ is greatly reduced and no longer rubs against the ear like the previous generation. I can wear it all day easily and honestly forget that I’m wearing it. No need for third-party earpads. - Noise cancelling is improved. One of the better ones I’ve tested on a gaming headset, but still not at the same level as dedicated noise cancelling headphones. I don’t get the pressure in my ears that sometimes noise cancelling can give. - The Base Station here is the key to all the magic. It has a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) in it. This means it takes all the processing load off your computer and delivers cleaner, higher-resolution audio without static or interference. This is also Hi-Fi Certified, meaning it supports 24-Bit/96kHz signals giving studio-quality sound. This is rare, especially for a wireless gaming headset. - It uses 2.4 GHz wireless. This means there is more bandwidth (think more lanes on a highway) to allow data through. Due to this, latency is very low, though perhaps not as low as some of the competing headsets. However, the latency is good enough that few people if anyone would notice or find it to be a hindrance. It is much faster than Bluetooth, which has increased latency. But this supports Bluetooth 5.3 (latest is 6.0). - Bluetooth connection is easy to setup and turn on/off. Also, very quick to connect and to say play/pause. It will keep that connection on independently from being connected to the base station. - Build quality is great. Made of metal/steel with no flex anywhere, but still lightweight. - Controls are straightforward, if a bit limited. Volume rocker, noise cancelling on/off, Bluetooth connection. - Having two batteries means you are never left without power. When you quick-swap it will auto-turn on the device. Turning on/off the device is quick. Battery life is good. Batteries do take a while to charge, but that is a good thing from a longevity standpoint for lithium-ion batteries. Also, there is a physical plug-in port to charge the headset via USB-C in the left earcup beneath the magnetic covering. - Having dedicated controls on the base station is very appreciated. This means you don’t need to use software unless you want to. - SteelSeries software is one of the better ones out there. User friendly, intuitive, and has a lot of features, especially when it comes to EQ if that is your jam. Cons: - I don’t like having a very light cons section, but all of the complaints I have with this one are more personal preference. - I would have liked to have seen a stronger display of sound quality here, as the Novas are essentially unchanged except for an updated base station that allows multiple sound inputs at the same time. Noise cancelling is slightly improved, but I was hoping with the new gen to have significant leaps. Additionally, the material the drivers are made from is good, but not the usual that you’re seeing from flagships in 2026. Basically, what I’m saying is the sound is still in the top 5, but it just takes the place of the old gen without outclassing other current competitors, which is my main reason for removing a star. - Again, the noise cancelling is appreciated. But I just wish it were a lot better. I would love it to be in line with the flagship noise cancelling headphones. Instead, it performs closer to the middle tier versions. - These things are unbelievably expensive. You get a ton of features, and they are in the same price bracket as others in the same category. This is me saying that I think the price is justified based on comparative market value. More, I just can’t believe we have gotten to the point where gaming headsets are >$250, much less pushing $400. WHAT?! We live in crazy times. - With its leather-like material your ears can get warm. This is a side effect of that material vs an actual con, but something to be aware of. - 1 year warranty. Would have liked to see more than that. - No optical audio port. - Base Station controls have some hidden features (holding down buttons) which aren’t as easy to remember or think of. But overall is intuitive.

My review of the Steelseries Arctic Nova Pro Omni (say that three times fast) is overall a very good one. Read on to find out more. Overall, there’s a lot to like here, these ultra premium gaming headsets don’t play around, they have all the features. Not only are these bad boys well made and designed, they are not very heavy at all weighing in at .74lbs, the ear cushions are super soft and come in what I assume is faux leather. They have active noise canceling (ANC) which can be turned off and on, and even adjusted to different levels. The microphone itself extends out when you are using it or it coils back inside when you are not. Very clear, all my friends can hear me just fine while playing online. The best feature is what not a lot of other headsets have and that is you can hear yourself talk. This is important because otherwise, while gaming you may think you’re talking in a normal voice, but in reality you are yelling. This mitigates that. Besides the headsets themselves, the first thing you will notice is the Wireless Game Hub. You can do a lot with this. Overall, it took me about one hour to get used to all the different settings and there is a lot to play with here. With the game hub, you can control the game chat, and overall volume. You can create your custom EQ settings, or choose from one of different settings they have on here… if you need more settings, you can download the app on your phone. You can also turn the ANC off and on, it has Mic settings, you can connect up to four audio sources on the back, it also has a line out, As well as adjust other settings. Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The price. These gaming headphones are pricey that’s for sure. But you get a lot here. A lot of features not found on cheaper headsets. I will not deduct a star because they are expensive, there are people out there that want the best and have the money. This is certainly that. The box comes with two batteries, you can charge one while you play with the other, each battery is rated to last 30 hours and charging them doesn’t take very long. Maybe one hour tops in my experience.

TLDR: Supports multiple simultaneous connections, but below average noise cancellation mar otherwise good audio reproduction. PROS Supports Hi-Res Audio Up to 4 Device Simultaneous Connectivity True Line In / Line Out Connections Intuitive Scroll Wheel & OLED Display Hot Swappable 2 battery set-up CONS Sloppy Manual Documentation Extremely poor ANC performance APP & SET-UP The SteelSeries GG app makes it easy for gamers to capture their game play and audio. Honestly, I find it the easiest software to date to allow for game captures, providing easy to understand settings and options for game play. The GG app will automatically scan for games and depending on the game, will automatically capture in-game clips based on pre-defined criteria. Take Black Ops 7 for instance. The GG app can automatically save clips of any headshot, any long shot, and any triple kill or more. That's just an example and the criteria will vary by game with some games supporting more options than others. But I think its great for content uploaders and makes capturing moments easy without a ton of editing and searching. AUDIO PERFORMANCE & ANC Once I figured out that you have to manually adjust audio settings on the Base Station, I was able to get the audio pleasing enough. Steel claims audio reproduction capabilities of 10 - 40000Hz. Far beyond the ability of human hearing. Those are very good specs, but I think are very optimistic. The 40mm drivers will only go so deep, it just physics. To be fair they do a very admirable job of reproducing crisp, clean audio especially when using high resolution sources like Amazon Music. I have no complaints about the Nova Pro's mids and highs. They are comfortably open with just enough airiness to keep the audio from feeling overly compressed. Its a pleasing spaciousness. One thing that I can't speak highly of is the Active Noise Cancellation. I find its performance is sub-par compared to the competition. If you look at the SteelSeries website they talk about how they tuned their ANC against hair dryers and jet engines. If so, I think it may be the only thing they tuned their ANC against. The Nova Pros don't effectively eliminate outside speech or other ambient sounds. I tried all the settings in the Base Station. ANC Low, ANC Med, ANC High, Transparency On, Transparency Off. A TV in the same room, playing at a volume level of 3 (just barely audible & my go-to test environment for ANC products), isn't effectively drowned out, regardless of the Nova's settings. The Nova Pros have some of the least capable ANC capabilities of all my headphones, even being bested by some that have no ANC technology built-in. Voices, keystrokes, etc. aren't effectively drowned out. GAMING PERFORMANCE The Nova Pro Omni's gaming performance is decent. The Omni's offer 360-degree audio processing and Steel has a TON of built-in EQ settings for game play. It makes it extremely easy to get the Omni's tailored for best performance during game play. Find your game of choice and a simple point-and-click get the Nova's configured for what Steel feels is best for said game. It works well and most games are spot on, but I feel that the overall changes between games are minimal. The same with Sonar. It is Steel's approach to allowing the headphones to pinpoint footsteps, gunshots, etc. It works well, but is nothing special that the competitors don't already do with their products and software. I do find the 2.4GHz responsiveness very good with minimal, if any lag or hiccups. Even when using other 2.4GHz transmitters, I haven't experienced any hiccups or interference during gameplay. But like I said above, there is just too much ambient noise that is allowed through during quiet passages. BASE STATION The Base Station is a nice piece. It has a lot of things to like. It accepts 2 different USB-C sources, plus Bluetooth. It also has genuine line-out and line-in connections for direct connection to sources and destinations that support 3.5mm inputs and outputs. A fantastic addition for those with powered speakers. It makes for a great way to play high resolution audio to those said speakers. Great job Steel! The monochrome OLED display is generously sized and extremely easy to read. Having just a jog wheel and what equates to a back button, makes changes and navigation extremely easy. Steel also deserves kudos for making the entire package USB powered. No additional power connections are required!!! Major, major props Steel!! Not only is the Base Station powered via USB, but there is also enough overhead to allow for charging of the Nova's back-up battery as well. Outstanding!! I find charging times slow, but not objectionably slow. The Base Station is a nice, tidy package and Steel has put a lot of effort and design into it & should be recognized for their efforts. FINAL THOUGHTS Do I like the Nova Pros audio quality? They are average. Would I buy them for myself or recommend them? No. The Nova Pro Omni represents Steel's best offering in the premium headphone market. However, it falls far short of the competition. The app has limited functionality with the Nova Pros. Users can't make the same changes to the headphones and the Base Station from within the app, that they can make on the front panel of the Base Station. This forces users to bounce back and forth between the app and the Base Station to dial in the system. Secondly. The ANC is subpar compared to competing products. As I stated above, it cannot effectively overcome ambient noises. Transparency modes make little difference and upping the ANC aggressiveness really only seems to add more digital hiss than anything. For me, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni's are a no-go. There is just too much left on the table that Steel's competitors don't do leaps and bounds better, particularly in the noise cancellation department. NOT RECOMMENDED

The latest iteration of the Steelseries Arctis gaming headset, which popularized the concept of one headset connecting to many devices simultaneously, comes with one big dongle. Can you even call it a dongle if you have to connect it to your devices via a cable? For now we'll just call it a hub? Regardless, you are supposed to be able to hook up to 3 devices to it, plus bluetooth for your phone, and that way you can be on your PC, your phone, and your console all at the same time, if that's the sort of thing you are into. Maybe you're playing a game on the console and watching a youtube tutorial for the level you are on, all while talking on the phone, and you can hear it all at the same time instead of having the headset swap devices entirely when it detects sound like how multipoint bluetooth works. There's also a line in and line out, in case you also live with other people and want to play all the sounds through your stereo system instead. I guess it's better than plugging and unplugging a dongle every time you switch systems, especially if all of your front ports are already in use and you have to reach behind the console / pc every time you want to swap devices. Having the giant hub is less useful if your primary gaming system lives in a different room than your console. I wish that there was some way to have both the hub and a tiny dongle so that I wouldn't have to unplug 3 things from my entertainment center just to move to the next room if I want to play on my gaming PC. The hub itself is pretty cool despite being so big. It's about the size of two Sega Genesis cartridges stacked on top of each other. There's all sorts of settings accessible through it, EQ settings, volume levels between devices, turning off environmental settings. The volume knob is clickable, and there is also a capacitive button that toggles between the settings that doesn't seem to like me because I have to try pressing it several times while holding my finger down for a bit to get it to work. Maybe it's my dry skin? The coolest thing about the hub is that it also has a place to charge the included extra battery so that you can quickly swap out and get back to what you were doing. As for the headset itself, I really like the style with the elastic band that evenly distributes the weight across your head. The fabric on the strap for the Nova Pro Omni is much nicer and smoother than the one on the original Nova 1 that I had, almost a satin texture. The ear cups are covered in a soft leather-like material and are not uncomfortable while wearing glasses. The pop-out microphone stays put when you bend it around, though bending it in a weird shape does mean that it doesn't go back in the slot as smoothly. I had to sit through 4 hours of online meetings the other day wearing these, and afterwards I didn't take off my headset because I was perfectly comfortable with it on despite all that time and wanted to watch a show on my phone while I had lunch. Music is great on this device. The sound stage is nice and wide as is to be expected, with the instruments cleanly separated. On Thriller, it sounds like the rhythm guitar and the guy playing the cowbell are practically in different zip codes. In game, sound effects like environmental noises and enemy footsteps similarly have excellent audio directionality. Out of the box, the treble is a but high for my tastes. The ANC setting doesn't bother me as much as other headsets. The feeling of pressure in my ears is far lighter. However with it off and with the passthrough on, out of the box, I felt like I had super hearing. I'm not sure if it was the mic sensitivity or the passthrough default setting, but every environmental sound around me was super amplified, from my shirt rustling to the cats walking on the hardwood floor in the next room. It dampened somewhat when I slid the microphone back into its slot. I had to go into the settings app on my phone to turn it down to a point just so that I could have regular hearing again instead of the sort that Superman has. I'm not sure that if I was on a voice call or whatever that other people could hear my ambient noises, but maybe if I was an ASMR creator then having such a sensitive mic would be a plus. The GG software that Steelseries provides for the PC is super useful, especially Sonar. Being able to split out which program outputs sound to which device is invaluable for streamers, and pretty helpful if you just want to do something like chat privately over the headset while still having media playing over your speakers. If you've got multiple consoles plus a gaming pc in your entertainment center, then you couldn't go wrong picking up this headset. It could be a bit overkill for hooking up just to a PC, though there's still value in using it with your phone or tablet for simultaneous audio.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is a pleasant surprise. It is a very versatile headset that doesn’t look like a typical gaming headset and is hands-down the most used headset I have ever owned. It seamlessly connects and works across so many devices in my setup. I used it with my iPhone, my PlayStation 5, and my desktop running Windows and I’m able to switch between all three easily using the app. Setup was super easy and unboxing was also a surprise because I found that this headset comes with an additional backup battery that you can swap out like an old battery in a flip phone. It charges in a hub that you plug into your PC and PlayStation so you are always charged. Setup honestly took less than a minute. Usually you have to mess with apps and all of that, and yes you do have to use an app, but you honestly just connect the device and it automatically connects to the hub that you attach to your game system and desktop. I plugged the hub into the back of my PlayStation and my desktop which I have sitting next to each other. The only time I think this would be a struggle is if you had the hub in separate areas, but if your desktop has Bluetooth it wouldn’t matter anyway since the headset has Bluetooth built in as well. When I first connected to my PlayStation I noticed the volume was really low. I found out the hub asked me a question that I didn’t realize pertained to the PlayStation since it automatically knew what it was connected to, so I had to adjust the volume within the internal settings of my PlayStation and then everything was fine. On my phone I played music and it sounded great. The headset honestly sounds like a high quality headset and back on the PlayStation gaming sounds awesome. I love that the boom mic is retractable and hides right into the headset. Now you may ask where do you charge it or where do you swap out the removable battery? On each end cap of the left and right speaker the cover is magnetized on. Remove one side and it reveals the USB-C charger, remove the other side and it shows the rechargeable battery. How cool is that? Super high quality. I feel like I’m back in the 2000s because they have really thought this through. Gaming honestly sounded great. It is immersive and it improves my gameplay, especially since I am upgrading from a lower end headset so everything is finally fine tuned. The drivers in the speakers are high quality. The headset is also very comfortable. Although it is leather I didn’t feel like my face was sweating. It is lightweight and it also doesn’t look like a typical gaming headset like I mentioned earlier. You could wear this for music out in public and not be embarrassed because the boom mic retracts inside, the logo doesn’t scream gaming, there are no crazy colors, it is straight black. They look professional and sharp. The hub is also just phenomenal. You can quickly adjust audio and settings on the fly with a giant dial and get a readout of where you are actually at. This headset is worth getting if you have multiple devices, even if it is just a desktop and a mobile device and not a PlayStation or Xbox. Connect all your devices and have an immersive seamless experience instead of buying multiple headsets for each device. One thing to note is that this is a PlayStation version. I believe they make an Xbox version as well and I don’t have one to test it out, but knowing it connects to PC I wouldn’t doubt it works well there too, it may just be missing some drivers so your experience could vary. I also noticed the noise canceling seems light but it still works well for me. I do like having a little awareness of my surroundings. I may need to adjust the settings more and it also might have just been the environment I was in when I was testing it out. Overall this is an excellent headset. Quality sound, no fatigue, swappable batteries. This is a no-brainer.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I have heard so many good things about the SteelSeries headphones that I just had to get a pair for myself and see what the hype was all about! I am mainly a PC gamer, and I do play a little on my Switch as well. But these will primarily be used with my PC. Out of the box, you can tell that this is a well-built product and a lot of thought was put into the design. It has a nice solid feel, all of the parts feel like they are made with good quality materials. Nothing about it feels cheap or flimsy. The package comes with the headset and wind screen, 2 batteries so you can always have one ready to go so there will never be any downtime, and the little breakout box that you connect to your device that is also used to charge the batteries. They claim each battery will give you about 30 hours of time before having to swap in a new one, which is pretty impressive. Getting it connected is pretty easy, there are 3 USB ports on the back of the breakout box that you can use to connect to up to 3 different devices if you choose (although it only comes with 2 USB cables). You can easily mix those 3 devices together so if you wanted to have some music playing on your PC, while gaming on your xbox you could easily mix the 2 together. There is also a line in and line out as well if you wanted to mix in some other audio. The headset comes with a companion app which you can use to control a ton of settings for the headset. Once you install the app, you can easily connect your headset via Bluetooth. Within the app you can do things like set custom EQ’s for certain games. You can also control the ANC level to either completely block outside noise, or to allow some of it in. There is a slider that you can easily dial in the exact amount that you want. There is also a limiter as well to make sure you don’t accidentally get blasted with audio louder than what you want. On the other tab there are adjustments for the microphone as well. I found the app to work very well and offer plenty of customization options for the headset. Now lets get to the important part, how do these sound. The headset has 40mm drivers with a frequency response of 10-40,000Hz which means you should be hearing some good deep bass as well as crisp high frequencies. It also will play audio at 96kHz / 24 Bit, so you are getting some of the best audio quality there is. Putting these headphones on, they feel extremely comfortable to wear. I had them on for hours and never felt any kind of fatigue or soreness anywhere. They are also fairly lightweight so you don’t even feel like you are wearing a large headset. The sound was phenomenal. I could hear the rich bass, good mids, and nice crisp high ends. I have a corded headset that I paid double the price for and these are easily on par with those. The active noise cancelling also works great. I like to always let a little bit of outside noise in, and I was easily able to dial in the perfect amount that I wanted. From playing games, to watching action movies with a lot of surround sound action, these things sounded great with it all. Even music with spatial audio sounds amazing with this headset. The microphone also worked very well. I did a test and talked with my wife who was on her computer in another room and she said the audio from the mic was crystal clear and she couldn’t hardly hear any background noise at all. Overall, this is an amazing headset, and I can guarantee any gamer would absolutely love it. If you are in the market for a new headset, definitely give this one a try, Im sure you’ll love it as much as I do!

To briefly sum all of my thoughts, I think this is a very high-quality headset, is great for me, and I think most would feel the same. I like the build. There is a lot of plastic, (the headband is metal) but they still have both a solid and premium feel to them. Physical buttons also feel good, are responsive and intuitive. The boom mic retracts and inserts well (and nice indicators for status). Charging is very easy, as each cup has a removable plate, one with a USB-C charging port, one where the…swappable battery goes. More on that later. I found them comfortable, even for long sessions. The pads are quite thick and deep, and while they warmed up fairly quickly, it really wasn’t an issue for me. Clamping pressure was good, and adjustments simple. All good with build and fit for me. As for sound, well, I found it good as is, but really think it improves and shines when you dig in to the EQ and dial it in for how you like it. Noise cancellation and physical isolation were very good. Separation, localization, and depth were all excellent. It helped me get more into games over my previous cans, and “probably” helped my results, but probably not. I am awful lol. Just nice detail and immersion. It is a personal thing, but definitely take the time with the EQ, as I mentioned, there is a lot to work with and I think it is worth it. You really can get great sound. As for the mic, I will stop a bit short of that and simply qualify it as “very good.” Effective, very clear, cuts out background, but a bit tinny to me and, well, very good. Perhaps I would have liked more here, but no real complaints. A little nod for the retractable nature, as it will be nice to be able to use these in a pinch if needed away from the keyboard. I think just for build, fit, and sound, these are good, but I think it is the hub and overall system that really push these over the top for me. The wireless hub gives you control over the headset settings (but so much more so in the GG software so go there) and displays some relevant information. This is also where you can connect several devices (up to 4? I think) via three USB-C and one 3.5 in/out port (as well as Bluetooth via the headset itself). This was all easy and just worked. Quality sounded consistent when multiples sources were connected (although cell connectivity was bit lower all things being equal). Further, you can get audio from two sources at the same time and set volumes to your liking. Idk, this seemed cool to me and I think is a nice add. Lastly, and it is tied to the hub, is battery life. So far, it has been outstanding for me, as is, on the surface, but I do not think it will ever be a concern. One, as it has been great, but two, they give you two hot swappable batteries, one for the device itself, and one that can be charged in the hub. I just don’t really see a scenario where I will have battery issues. This is a great solution, and maybe this is common, but I have not seen this and wish more things could do this. In the end, I think this is fantastic headset/system and I really like it. It is well built, comfortable, will seemingly never run out of battery, and sounds excellent. On some level it may lack some premium materials; but, for the overall performance I already mentioned along with the hub and all the functionality and versatility it offers, I really think the value is there. Check you needs, for sure, but I think most would be pleased here.

Let’s get this problem out of the way first so we can move on to the rest of the review. There is a DSP unit that connects to the USB port on your PC or console. The headset connects to the PC or console though the DSP unit. What I would expect is that when the headset is powered on, the sound travels through the DSP to the headset. When the headset is off, the sound comes out of the speakers. However, that is not the case. When the headset is off, the DSP still absorbs the sound and just doesn’t send it to the powered off headset, or the speakers. Whenever you want to hear the sound through the speakers, you have 2 choices, either set the sound output to the speakers, or unplug the DSP unit. On console you only have the option of disconnecting the DSP unit. I find this to be a major flaw in the design. Great Connectivity Options: The DSP unit has 3 USB ports that can connect to different devices at the same time. You can connect your PC, Xbox, and PlayStation to it at the same time, which is great and unusual at the same time. There is also a line in (and out) option as well as Bluetooth. Sound Quality: The sound quality is where this thing shines. I’ve owned several headsets and this is the one that has the best sound quality. It is crystal clear throughout the entire frequency range. If I was really searching for something, I wish had a little more bass, but honestly when I am playing, I have absolutely no problems with the sound. This is an A+. Battery Exchange System: This is also a bit unusual and feature that I really love. It comes with 2 batteries; one can be used in the headset and the other can be charged in the DSP unit. Also, the battery in the headset can be charged there, but it is a little unusual that you must pop off the side to access the USB-C port to change the battery. Not really a deal though, just an observation. Fit and Finish: The fit is good. It does a good job of blocking out a lot of the noise even with ANC turned off. It doesn’t seem to quite angle enough down to cover the bottom of my ears, but maybe that is just how my head a shaped. This is only slightly the case. The feel and quality of the headset is what you would expect from something made from plastic and fake leather. The DSP unit is also made from plastic but feels like it is slightly better quality. The OLED screen adds a nice touch to make the quality stand out. Contents: It comes with a simple cloth pouch. It also comes with 2 USB-C cables used to either connect 2 devices to the DSP unit or connect 1 device and the headset directly to the PC (which is needed to update the firmware. Mic: The mic pulls out and in from the headset so there is nothing detachable to lose, which I love since I never know where to put the accessories from new things I buy so they don’t get lost. From the people who I have asked, the sound quality is average, not bad not great. Headset Controls: The controls are minimal and simple. There are power and mute buttons, a volume dial, and a Bluetooth on/off and pairing button. Below the panels of the earcups which are removeable, there is where you put the battery and a USB port for charging the battery and updating the firmware. DSP Controls: The DSP device has two buttons (one on the dial) and a dial control. One button is for selecting the setting to change and the setting values, and the other is the back button. I found that this takes a little to get used to how to work this. On the home screen are the VU meters of the USB inputs, and a volume position which is set by the dial. The following are the settings you can change: • Setting the type of device that is connected to the USB port, PC or Xbox • Equalizer sets one of the EQ presets • Gain set to low or high • Noise Control sets to ANC or transparency mode. • Mic on or off • Mic Volume • Mic equalizer • Wireless pairing of Bluetooth or between DSP and headset • Audio Output set to speakers or streaming • Display brightness • Mic LED brightness • System sound volume • Auto Off time • Power Saving Steelseries GG Software: The GG software that comes with it allows you to change a bunch of settings based on the game you are playing. This is really something you want to play with when you are online, or even in some cases, playing by yourself. That is basically the gist of what this does. I personally don’t find a use for this but maybe others do. Arctis Phone App: There is also a phone app that controls the headset over Bluetooth. It does take a long time, and in my opinion too long for the app to connect to the headset. You really feel like something is wrong instead of having to wait so long. In the App, you have the following: Audio: • Battery life remaining • One of many game EQ presets for Wireless or Bluetooth. There is a very lengthy list of games to select from • On/Off ANC and transparency mode • ANC strength (low, medium, high) • Volume limiter Microphone: • EQ with a bunch of settings to choose from • Noise cancellation (off, low, medium, high) • Volume, Sidetone, Mute LED Brightness General Settings • Firmware update • Power inactivity timer • Sound during a Bluetooth call (do nothing, lower volume, mute) • Factory Reset The app is very easy to use and laid out very logically. I personally don’t find much use for it, except for turning ANC on or off, and for setting the EQ to a preset game, which you must remember to change when you switch games. Pros: • Sound quality • Fit • DSP display • Ability to connect to all types and consoles and PC at the same time • Swappable batteries Cons: • Switching to device sound output when the headset is turned off Finally: I’m really on the fence about these. I love everything about them, except the problem with turning off the headset. I can’t decide if this is a dealbreaker or not but loses one star for it. If it weren’t for that, it would be a major go. If someone knows a way around this, please let me know but the Internet hasn’t helped. There are still so many pros about it, my favorites being the sound quality, swappable batteries, and compatibility with PC and consoles. I guess you must decide for yourself.

I got these headphones because of previous experience with Arctis Game buds. Those are ok, but what I liked about those was the very customizable equilizer, and looking at this, what lured me in was the swappable battery pack. I must say, these are not a an entry level headset, and unless you know specifically that you need a swappable battery because you've ran into a dead headset in the middle of the game, and have it happen more often than not, then there are possibly more affordable headsets that can give you good sound also. For me, I have two little people that love to game and not recharge. They are getting better anout it, but this can help. Having the spare battery to swap quickly and always have the fresh one charging is handy. I use this mainly on pc, but it does do ok on the Xbox when I hooked it up. That being said,I plan on keeping it on my PC. This came with an instruction manual, i find that handy rathern than having to run for my phone right away. The build on these are supurb. Very study metal on plastic on the headband, a bit on the heavier side, but solid head grip plastic has satin finish and the muffs are little cloud pillow soft on the ears, and so far fairly breathable. The button push on these is good feedback and so is the volume dial. What makes this very nice is the external volume button/dongle/battery charger. That is super handy for me. The mic in this retracts, and when in use, picks up very excellent dialogue. The app for the pc once downloaded works very well, and you can customize the equilizer a lot more than many other headsets. There is an app for the phone, but it says it's only for the I phone, so I can't speak for how that works. I know the buds app was pretty good for the android platform. Comparing this to about 3 other brands of gaming headsets I have. All sound very good, this is on par with them, the atmos works great in this, it is one of 2 sets I have capable of it. I do feel this give you features that make this worth the premium price, and I do reccomend them. As noted above, these are not entry/mid level. There are many headsets that have great sound and functionality that are much less, but if you are wanting to step up and have the external control and swappable battery, these are fantastic.

I’ve used a lot of headphones in the past and while I would not call myself an audiophile, I would say I can be somewhat picky about the performance of headphones that I typically use. And I’m glad to say that with these headphones I’m happy so far. Overall sound quality (albeit with some software eq applied) is actually not too bad and in the region that I typically like, obviously everyone is different, but I would say that these headphones have enough switches and setting to tweak that most people will probably find some sort of sound profile they prefer. On the comfort side I feel they are overall comfortable but the earcups at least on me are a bit on the warm side so some small breaks to cool my ears down on longer sessions are needed sometimes. The real standout with this setup though is the fact that I can have not just my computer and my phone connected at the same time (and the Bluetooth can be turned on and off separate from the normal power huge win with that feature) but that I can also attach my gaming consoles as well with just one set of headphones and use everything together. That feature is amazing and I wish more headphones had it. I also like the small controller that allows you to easily see the status and adjust the volume, that’s nice as well. If I did have anything to complain about it may be that some of the settings are a little buried in the software and are not the easiest to find. One such setting being the Noise cancelation (which overall I give a B+ compared to others I have used) was a little harder to find. Maybe there is a quick access setting for it someplace that I just missed. The features themselves all are great and work great but finding them can be a bit difficult at first. One final note that I think more manufacturers should have is the swappable batteries. It’s so nice to be able to have one battery charging and when the current battery dies just swap in the fresh one in a few seconds. Super quick and easy, I don’t ever have to worry about remembering to plug them in overnight like I do with some other headphones I have.

I've been using a single headset for close to 3 years now that has been my goto for so long because of its dock, ease of use, long battery life, etc. This is really the first headset that I've considered can even come close to competing with it (and it's about time, my current headset is starting to show its age from use). I've not been a huge fan of the Arctic headsets in the past so it's nice to see the amount of thought and effort put into this one. To start: It's packaged with the headset, 2 batteries, the control unit, cables and some minor documentation. Nothing too standout here but I wouldn't expect there to be. Use: I have to say I love the dual battery design. Part of why I stuck to my current headset for so long was because of the dock, when I'd finish using it, I set it down and it charged to full between uses. It had such a long battery life that I never really considered something else and never wanted to get a headset that needed to be plugged in because I would just forget to charge it. With the dual battery charging design, I can easily go ahead and forget about plugging it in because the second battery will be charging while I use the primary, and it doesn't require me to remember to do anything. The sound is excellent, the control unit offers varying types of profiles and control and is easily used, I also appreciate that it can be plugged into basically anything, doesn't require bluetooth or usb or a headset jack as it kinda does it all. It's wildly comfortable and really just overall an excellent design. Overall: A worthy consideration over many headsets in the market at the same price point, better than many with its two-battery setup where you can always be using one and charging one without having to remember to plug things in. This should be a more common setup in wireless devices. I heartily recommend it.