9.2.2020

TL;DR: A good audio experience (YMMV) once you've done a good amount of tinkering. Some features aren't as well thought out as they could be and a couple of Quality-of-Life enhancements could really have made these standout. They are not as comfortable as I think they could have been, although they're not so uncomfortable that I need to take them off.I'll preface this review by saying I am not the biggest audiophile out there. I do like good quality audio but I'm not somebody striving for the absolute best of the best. These headphones were purchased as a replacement for my breaking down Steelseries Siberia 350's,which were a clear downgrade in audio quality from my previous Turtle Beach PX22's (but a massive upgrade in build quality - the TB's broke apart after a few months!). I went with a higher-end Steelseries set this time around as I'm hoping for that better build quality + better sound quality. I mostly got what I wanted.First impressions of the Arctis Pro was not great, if I'm honest. I'm not sure why headphone manufacturers ship their headphones with the sound set at 'flat and rubbish'. I had the same experience with my Sony WH1000mx3 bluetooth headphones. Sound was terribly flat, lacking any depth, music sound poor and gaming? Yeesh. I loaded up a couple of RPG games and characters sounded like they were talking through a tin can.But OK, into the equaliser. It's a bit easier to manage the EQ via the desktop software but I've found transferring settings to the DAC to be very hit and miss. The DAC is a bit fiddly in that regard. Eventually, I managed to get the sound the way I wanted it - the right depth, good amount of bass, clear vocals, and those peak-range sounds you miss on poorer quality headphones. Very happy in this regard. I've not needed to use a third-party EQ as others have as through the included EQ I've got the sound to match my Sony headphones to the point I can't tell the difference and that's perfect for me.So quibbles? The USB connections to the DAC are very temperamental. You really have to make sure they are properly in. Even if they feel like they're in, and the sound plays, unless you've put a fair bit of pressure to make the connection the slightest knock of the DAC will cause it to reboot - which can also crash your games or cause issues. The DAC does contain rubber feet so you can get a decent grip on the desk, at least. That limits some accidental knocks. I'd also say the proprietary cables that Steelseries use are quite difficult to get to plug in.The microphone, I'd say, is above average but nothing special. It's clear enough that people have no issue understanding me, and doesn't seem to cut out. It is frightfully sensitive, though, and requires a fair bit of tinkering to make sure it's not picking up unnecessary background noise. I will say the ability to have an LED turn on while muted is a very nice feature and far more useful than the rather pointless LEDs on the side of the ear cups (I can only assume they're a thing to help you find your headset in the dark?).The Hi-Res Audio function is nice. I took a free trial of Amazon Music HD and although I don't think 96khz/24bit makes a huge difference to the experience, there are a few tracks where you can appreciate the little "extra" detail in the music. Unfortunately, if you're the 'set and forget' type of person, you'll find that in Hi-Res mode, a number of useful features are locked out. For example, you can't play a game in Hi-Res Mode and use the balance function to lower game noise and increase voice noise while on Discord, Teamspeak, etc.Of course, most games don't support Hi-Res anyway, so you're not missing out on anything by switching modes back to the standard mode (either PC or PS4 mode) while gaming, but it is a few extra button clicks on the DAC to do this - and you have to do it before you load the game. It'd be nice and more convenient if there was a 1-button swap between Hi-Res and standard mode.Gaming in the usual mode is quite good. Once you've tinkered the heck out of the DAC to eliminate the 'tin-can' voice effect I mentioned, game noises are crystal clear. I've especially enjoyed it in horror and RPG games. The surround-sound effect is a bit hit and miss, largely dependent on how much effort the game devs have put into it. In Fallout 4, for example, I personally think it sounds fantastic with DTS on. In some other games, it sounds like you're trapped in an echoey room.Using the DAC prevents you altering volume settings in Windows. That means you can't do per-application volume levels, nor can I use my Roccat Talk setup to control the volume with the mouse anymore. This is to be expected, as you're offloading audio control from the system, but I think it's worth mentioning for those unfamiliar with DAC setups.One other thing I should comment on is comfort. I'll be honest, these are not as comfortable as my 350's. I've loosened the headband strap as much as I can, and they still feel a little tight around the ears. They're not so tight I need to take them off, but I do find I need to adjust them now and again. The 350's, I could forget they were even there but these are more noticeable in that regard. I don't think I have a massive head - but hey, maybe I do?So overall, if you're in the same group as me in that you like to have a good audio experience but don't consider yourself an audiophile, I can recommend these headphones. I think if you're someone who demands the absolute best of the best, then you might be disappointed. As you can tell, there are things I'd change or think could have been done a bit better/more conveniently - but these blow my 350's out of the water, are on-par with my Sony WH1000mx3's in terms of audio quality and clarity. I'm not at all disappointed with my purchase but do think there are a couple of missed opportunities to add some more QoL for the user.

5.6.2018

EDIT: Notcied an annoying quirk, in that there is a subtle buzzing sound when charging a battery whilst using the AUX input.The range isn’t considerably better as I had previously stated..possibly the same as arctis 7..maybe a tiny bit better.I also wish I could use pc and aux at the same time, like the previous version - I realised that I used that feature often :((I was blown away with the arctis 7, after upgrading from my (in retrospect, AWFUL) turtle beach PX4... but the arctis 7 had a few features that bothered me, (main one being my computer having to be turned on to be powered.. so if I wanted to watch anything through my tv, I had to have my computer on.The wireless pro completely solved that..The arctis 7 also had a problem with signals being too ‘hot’, in that if the input level was a certain dB, it would just be clipping and kind of distorted; didn’t bother me too much, as I would just reduce the volume through the aux considerably, and boost it on the headset..but it was annoying and frequent enough to notice fairly often. I don’t have this issue with the pro... above these things, they also seem comfier, the range is better, the sound seems better, and the Bluetooth capability is perfect! Not to mention the battery charging. I also love the transmitter/control box, and you can control everything wirelessly from the headset itself.And just the attention to detail.. i.e, I would find myself wearing the arctis 7 in bed, but the volume knob was far too sensitive, so if I turned my head slightly, the control would rub against the pillow, and the volume would shoot up or down. Well, the volume knob in the pro has clicks in between to stop this.The input/output jacks on the 7s were also quite small, meaning it would only accept certain, more ‘slender’ 3.5mm jacks - so I had to buy little adapters.. pro doesn’t have this issue.Also my arctis 7 would struggle with connection when I’d go down the hall into my kitchen - Pro is much better at retaining, and I don’t think it has dropped yet. I haven’t extensively tested the range, but it’s definitely much better.I also prefer the fact that you can switch between the aux and PC, and not have the signals running simultaneously... that caused some slight hum/hiss on my 7’s, so i’d Have to unplug the aux all the time.They just seem like the best possible headset for me.. I use them for everything; from gaming, to films, to music, and now even phone calls/iPhone browsing (wirelessly) WHILST being connected to the transmitter.Yes it’s pricey, but you get what you pay for... I only bought them because I was so impressed with the arctis 7.. I figured why not upgrade to these? I’m glad I did, as it solved every problem I had with the 7s, even ones I weren’t consciously aware of.Also the range isn’t that much better as I had previously stated.Overall, a top quality item, and the best, most versatile headphones I have personally ever owned - I hope they last me for a long time. Kind of wish they were in white like my 7s, but it’s nice to have a change I guess.If you can afford them, I won’t hesitate to recommend them to you. If you can deal with some of the issues I mentioned about the arctis 7, those are also stellar; these just tick all those extra boxes. Also like, triple the price though.

18.5.2019

This is the best headset i have used for pc, It can do so much and the audio quality is extremely good for a gaming headset, Less focus on bass and more on actual good audio.If you want something with a lot of bass the kraken v2 is a better optionThis headset comes with a base station that you can use to control the Volume, EQ, Chatmix, Source, Surround Sound, Bluetooh and some other things.What i found really great about this headset though is the ability to use more than 2 devices at once, 2 wired and one bluetoothThe base station has a line in and out port & usb so you can use your pc and a nintendo switch for example, at the same time and you will get audio from both sources,

8.1.2021

Bought these as an Xmas gift for my other half, I've gotta say, I'm JEALOUS. Having semi-shunned the wireless Arctis headphones of the past (plus many other wireless HP brands), I'm really happy to report, these are a PHENOMENAL! Comfy, sturdy, light, great battery life, shall I go on? With the same drivers and readily admitted better connectivity then a pair of older Arctis 7s, these puppies sound top-notch and are highly usable to boot! I'm soo glad I chose them, my beautiful lady is going to have an absolute ball with this gem of a product!Thank you SteelSeries for smashing my skeptical expections, once again!Edit: Here are some more thorough additions. Even considering their cheaper price,

3.1.2020

These were bought to be used with my sons switch so that he could chat his friends were playing fortnight online.They do the job well, he is very pleased with him and can be heard well and I’ll see is friends.Features that we particularly like are the fact that you can turn voices down and gameplay up and vice versa, see you can get it to just the right level especially if you’ve got a particularly noisy friend playing!I liked the fact that it came with the attachment you need to plug into the switch. This meant he was able to get going straight away with it and I didn’t have to pay out front thing else. It was an all in price. We also discovered that the attachment fits the bottom of an iPhone,

18.4.2020

I bought this so I can work wireless from home and needed something that was not Blue Tooth and would be PC compatible.Start on the Con because the plus is much much more. Con is the transmitter is a black T Bar about an inch across and if lost your not going to be happy because it is such a good system. Make it Day Glow Orange and give us two for a back up and then you have nailed it.Build is good and very light and comfortable.To set up was so simple I was delighted.Sound quality out of the box was good and crisp, some reviews have said the bass is lacking and I put the headset through paces with a few music genres ie Autopsy, System Of A Down, Die Antwerp, Joan Baez, Eminem, Metalica,

17.10.2019

I have owned the wired GameDAC version of this headset for months and OH MY GOD... if your using it at a computer desk on a spinney chair the cables will CONSTANTLY get caught up and the GameDAC will get pulled off the desk because the cable gets caught on your body/chair if you move the slightest bit JESUS CHRIST NEVER buy a wired gaming headset unless you want to go insane...So here's my review:The audio quality is very similar to the wired one BUT the bass is significantly reduced/less pronounced.this can be fixed by simply plugging this wireless headset into the wired GameDAC but you will have to buy that separately (£130),

7.7.2020

I got these as a birthday present to replace my old wired Logitech G35 headset which were frustrating me with the cable tangling all the time.First impressions were that they were slightly on the heavy side, however was pleased to find that once on your head, the weight is distributed very well and they don't feel heavy when you are wearing them. The headphones are well padded and comfortable and block a reasonable amount of external sound although not quite as well as noise cancelling headphones would.On a PC, the headset provides two audio devices - Arctis 7 Game and Arctis 7 Chat. These can be used as separate audio devices which is good as you can set up different profiles for each applications,

19.6.2019

Once the plastic band on my razer man’o war headphones snapped after 2 years of owning them, it was finally time to search for a new pair of wireless headphones and i come across these!I read alot of good and negative reviews about these but decided to go with them despite the negative reviews, once arrived i instantly knew they were a good build quality, they felt sturdy and the extendable headband felt strong, everything about these felt good including the material ear cups which i usually dont like but these are much comfier than my razer man’o wars even without the huge leather earcups, i game with glasses and for a good few hours at a time and have had no head pressure problems or ear aching because of the glasses,

31.1.2021

Confession. I have owned some crap. I know what shoddy headsets sound like. This is not crap, not by any measure. I use a Rode NT+ USB mic, so I didn't really get this for the mic quality (which is clear, but by no means amazing). It would not be fair to compare the mic with what I am used to, but I have tested, and it's more than adequate for talking to friends and playing intense, communication focused games.I have worn them for hours with glasses, and they are as comfortable as my last pair of studio ref headphones (AT m50x). They sound really good with music, movies, and games. They are not "audiophile" grade, but that is not a fair standard to hold a pair of £99 wireless headphones to.

13.8.2019

With so many mixed reviews of this product, I was very nervous when I bought it on a great deal on Prime Day. I saved 100 pounds, but it was still expensive. I don't regret it, one of the best headphones I have used and I have high end ones. People seems to forget this is a HEADSET for gaming, not really for music or movies, but boy doesn't it work well on those too. A lot of people are going on about the audio quality, but connect it with a digital audio source and set it to PS4 (yes even on PC) and then make sure you are using the digital Audio output on your sound setup. Then turn off the volume limiter and listen to it then. Remember this is a WIRELESS headset, it is not a studio grade headphones.

19.4.2019

I bought this headset with little expectations, had a lot of headsets in the past and they've been just alright. When I bought the Arctis 7 it was very easy to manage and I quickly got the hang of it. The charge is quick and easy, just like putting your phone on charge, doesn't take very long to charge at all and when it is charged you won't have to put it on charge again until a week later with moderate use. The battery life is incredible and it warns you with plenty of time to have it back on charge before you go to sleep, ready again for the next day. The sound quality is amazing, fully 3D and can really tell where someone is on the map or what direction the sound is coming from due to it's brilliant surround sound.

25.6.2020

I want to preface this with the fact that I am not an audiophile. I'm not looking for the absolute best in class of headphones, and my standards are somewhat lower.Having said that, these headphones out of the box are shockingly dreadful. So much so that I almost immediately sent them back as they were so bad and thought I'd wasted £150. I gave them another chance and downloaded a 3rd party EQ application for them, and with the right settings, the difference is night and day. They sound so much better now, I didn't even recognize them as the same headset. Baffling as why they didn't include good software with the headset.Would I recommend them? Absolutely yes,

15.4.2018

I was probably one of this first to purcahse this as my confirmation of sale came through 2 minutes of it got released on its debut date,Iam really happy with it. and its less complicated than the Astro A50 gen 3.. I did love my Astro A50 but i had to send it back as for the type of gaming i was doing i needed reasurance that i wasn't going to get any sound drop outs.. And i did have the original Gen1 A50's that lasted over three years.I heard loads of good things about steel series so yeah i went with these, even the software didnt get released(updated) when i bought these thats how new they were, And now I am hapy i made the right choice going wired and with Steel Series Arctis Pro...iam hoping that at some stage that the GameDac will be sold separately,

25.3.2021

These headphones are pricey but absolutely worth the money! Great sounds quality, the mic is surprisingly good too which is nice for some recordings I do for university. It comes out which is nice if you want to use these in public but be sure not to lose it! I'd prefer it slid into the headphones like the Steelseries 7 does but it works fine as is.Be aware it does come with a dongle and they are not bluetooth. For me the dongle was part of the appeal because it means these work with my Switch, though I haven't made a great deal of use of this. But if you don't want a dongle then these are not the headphones for you. They're nice and comfy. The battery life is amazing. They undersell how long it lasts.

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless - Reviews

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