SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 Headphones Review

These over-ears have a very similar design to other headphones in the 'Arctis Nova' lineup, like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. Their ear cups have a rounded accent with the manufacturer's logo centered. They also have a ski-band headband design to help distribute the headphones' weight on your head, which differs from the older yet similarly budget-friendly SteelSeries Arctis 1.

This model comes in two colors: 'Black' and 'White'. In addition to these colorways, you can pick up console-specific variants with differently-colored headbands. If you pick up the Nova 1P, it'll have a black headband strap with blue accents, while the Nova 1X has a black headband strap with green accents. Our model is the PC variant, which has a black and grey design.

They have a comfortable fit. They're lightweight, and the ear cups don't clamp too tightly on your head. You can also adjust their ski-band headband to better fit your head and spread the headphones' weight across your head. However, the ski-band design may not be for everyone as it has a limited range of extension, so if you have a large head, you may have a hard time getting a good seal.

The controls are pretty basic. There are only two controls: a volume wheel with min and max stops and a clicky microphone mute button. On the upside, the controls are pretty intuitive and easy to learn.

These headphones aren't designed with portability in mind. In their default position, they're bulky. Even though the ear cups can swivel to lay flat, they can't fold into a more compact shape. However, it won't be a problem if you plan to leave them at your desk or table.

Like other SteelSeries headphones, they're mostly made of plastic with cloth padding. The mic is also retractable. The ski-band headband is adjustable, although the first setting on the top of the band can detach easily. Unfortunately, there have been user reports that the ear cup detaches over time. We'll continue to monitor this issue, but if you've encountered this problem, please let us know in the forums.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 are decently stable. They don't move around too much if you're wearing them while gaming on the couch or at your desk. However, the headphones can fall off if you like to bop your head or move more vigorously.

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 headphones
• 1/8" TRRS cable
• Y-splitter extension cable
• Stickers

They have a warm sound profile. They have a touch of extra high-bass to add warmth to mixes, which can help emphasize sound effects like footsteps when playing games like Fortnite. However, they have a large dip in their low-treble, which hurts the detail of vocals and instruments. They aren't compatible with SteelSeries' software, so you can't customize their sound this way.

Like most SteelSeries headphones with a ski-band design, they're very prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery. They're sensitive to fit, positioning, and seal, and if you have thick hair or wear glasses, you may especially notice a drop in bass, as these features can disrupt the ear cups' seal on your head. As a result, you'll have to adjust the headphones on your head each time you use them to ensure a more consistent sound.

Their bass accuracy is excellent. They lack a little bit of thump and rumble in the low-bass but have extra high-bass to help balance out the rest of this range. As a result, the gameplay has extra warmth and boom. That said, their bass clutters vocals and instruments a bit.

These headphones have excellent mid accuracy. The response is fairly even, although a dip in the mid-mid nudges dialogue and instruments to the back of the mix. However, these sounds are still present and clear in mixes.

These headphones have poor treble accuracy. A large dip in the low-treble hurts the clarity of dialogue and instruments. The response isn't so bad for the mid-treble; sibilants like cymbals lose a touch of brightness but are still present in tracks.

Their peaks and dips performance is mediocre. The headphones have trouble following their sound profile and are prone to large deviations away from it. A peak in the high-bass adds extra warmth and boom to mixes, while a dip between the low to mid-mid thins out and nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. Another peak across the high-mid makes vocals and instruments sound harsh, but a dip in the low-treble hurts their details. A steep peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like hi-hats piercing and painful.

The imaging performance is great. SteelSeries' more affordable gaming headphones, like the SteelSeries Arctis Prime and SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless, tend to have minor issues in driver mismatch, which is unfortunately normal at this price point. However, imaging varies between units and can indicate quality control and ergonomics. Overall, our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched, which is important for the accurate localization of objects like footsteps in the stereo image.

Their passive soundstage performance is sub-par. They're closed-back headphones, so their soundstage isn't very spacious or open. Although wide, the soundstage also struggles to feel out of head and natural.

These headphones are fully compatible with Microsoft Spatial Sound on PCs as well as Tempest 3D Audio on PS5s. These features can create a more dimensional and immersive gaming experience, although their performance can vary depending on the game. You can also use them with Dolby Atmos, but you must purchase a license separately.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1's weighted harmonic distortion performance is decent. There's a peak in the low-treble at both moderate and high listening levels. It can be hard to hear with real-life content, though, and most other frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in fairly clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

These headphones have a poor noise isolation performance. Although they're closed-back headphones, they don't block out sounds like car engines from an open window or ambient chatter. They can significantly cut down the hum of computer fans, though.

Their leakage performance is decent. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the mid to treble range and sounds somewhat thin. However, if you like to game at high volumes, it's unlikely that you'll bother others around you.

The mic's recording quality is excellent. Your voice sounds natural, bright, and clear. You won't have trouble being heard clearly by your teammates and enemies alike.

There's white noise present in our recording; it's the noise made from our testing rig's mouth speaker, which is picked up by the headphones' mic. The recording quality score isn't affected by this noise, though.

The mic's noise handling performance is decent. The mic can separate your voice from moderate ambient noise well, so you're heard clearly, even in moderate environments like a noisy living room.

The PC variant comes with a 1/8" TRRS cable as well as a Y-splitter so you can connect the headphones to PCs. If you have the 1X or 1P model, only the 1/8" TRRS cable is included.

These headphones (and all their variants) are fully compatible with PCs using their analog connection. While you can use the other console-specific variants on PC, only the PC model comes with a Y-splitter.

You can connect all variants, including the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1P (which have a color design that matches this console), to your PlayStation console by plugging in their 1/8" TRRS cable directly into your controller's AUX port. This connection ensures full audio and mic compatibility.

All variants of these headphones, including the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1X, are fully compatible with Xbox consoles via their 1/8" TRRS cable.