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By immoderate accounts, SteelSeries invented the conception of a high-end gaming headset with its $329 Arctis Pro Wireless and $349 Arctis Nova Pro Wireless headsets. And indeed, we've seen a agelong database of different gaming brands travel its pb successful offering premium headsets with features similar progressive sound cancellation, multi-device basal stations and heavy bundle customization.
Now, SteelSeries is backmost with an adjacent higher-end model, the $600 Arctis Nova Elite. It comes with redesigned c fibre drivers, a much susceptible four-source basal presumption and hi-res wireless audio certification, but is immoderate gaming headset worthy that precocious a price? After a period of testing, I’m starting to deliberation that the heretofore dormant ultra-premium class mightiness beryllium astir to outpouring into life.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite – Design and Features
At archetypal glance, the Nova Elite looks precise akin to the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless released successful 2023 – though the classy sage/gold and obsidian colorways astatine slightest hint to the upgrades within. The comfy cloth suspension headband returns intact, with stainless alloy and aluminum utilized passim the framework to supply a convincingly durable design. The measurement instrumentality has transformed from integrative successful the anterior models to metallic too, with audible steps that supply bully feedback to signify the increments successful measurement change. The representation foam receptor cushions implicit the headset, providing mean levels of passive sound cancellation.
Though its gaming origins are unmistakable, this is 1 of the nicest-looking headsets I've ever tested and it doesn't look garishly retired of spot adjacent to similarly-priced manner headphones. The achromatic obsidian exemplary is peculiarly adept astatine not drafting attention, though its shiny metallic accents again attest to a high-end design.
Inside, the 40mm dynamic drivers utilized successful the anterior Arctis Nova Pro models person been upgraded to two-piece c fibre models, wrapped successful a brass surround. SteelSeries says that the caller "pistonic" plan moves up and down without jitter to debar distortion, and tin reproduce sounds from 10Hz to 40KHz.
The headset makes the astir of these interior upgrades too, with 96KHz/24-bit Hi-Res audio implicit 2.4GHz wireless oregon the LC3+ Bluetooth codec. The Nova Elite besides sports much effectual ANC than its predecessor, portion the microphone uses a 32KHz/16-bit wide-band connection. If you retract the default microphone, arsenic you mightiness portion on-the-go, a caller backup beam-forming mic is utilized instead.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite – Setup and Connectivity
The GameHub basal presumption besides sees caller ornamentation – with a golden measurement instrumentality connected the sage/gold colorway – which is again backed with caller functionality. The 2 USB inputs connected the archetypal Arctis Nova Pro Wireless person been upgraded to three, allowing for full-fat integer connections to a PC, PS5, and Xbox for example. And dissimilar the older Nova Pro model, present 2 of these connections tin beryllium unrecorded astatine once, with the crippled presumption automatically selecting the close inputs based connected activity. It’s worthy noting that there’s lone 1 mentation of the Arctis Nova Elite, with the 3rd USB-C input optionally enabling enactment for Xbox’s proprietary wireless standard, alternatively than requiring the acquisition of an Xbox-specific variant arsenic we’ve seen connected past Arctis headsets.
A further 4th 3.5mm input allows for an further connection, portion the headset itself tin besides support a simultaneous Bluetooth connection, with a dedicated on/off button.
Getting acceptable up is highly straightforward, arsenic it's conscionable a lawsuit of moving 1 of the provided USB-C oregon 3.5mm cables to the root of your choice, oregon alternatively pairing implicit Bluetooth.
Once connected, you tin agelong property the backmost fastener connected the GameHub to alteration betwixt assorted show modes, which amusement the measurement level of each source, their equaliser settings, oregon the existent bit-rate and left/right transmission levels. Additionally, way information from Tidal is besides shown erstwhile it is playing, though I privation this extended to each communal media players similar Spotify oregon YouTube Music.
Long pressing the measurement instrumentality enters a menu, allowing you to acceptable the 3rd USB input to Xbox oregon regular mode; alteration equalizer, gain, sound control, and microphone settings; swap betwixt wireless and Bluetooth; alteration enactment retired settings; oregon alteration strategy settings similar microphone brightness, show brightness, oregon power-saving modes. It's precise overmuch the aforesaid strategy arsenic the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, with a fewer other options that don't consciousness excessively overwhelming.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite – Battery Life
The basal presumption besides maintains the fantabulous swappable artillery strategy that's go the trademark of Arctis Pro Wireless headsets, with each artillery promising 30 hours of play time. While 1 artillery is being tally down wrong the headset, the different charges up wrong the basal station, truthful you're ne'er near successful the lurch.
The switchover is inactive a small awkward – you request to physically swap successful the adjacent artillery wrong 5 seconds aft the archetypal is removed successful bid for the headset to automatically powerfulness itself connected again – but it's thing that you'll rapidly set to arsenic an Arctis Nova Elite owner. (The lone mode to forestall this would beryllium to see a artillery oregon supercapacitor wrong the headset itself, which would apt adhd important outgo and complexity to the design, truthful it's an understandable restriction.)
In situations wherever you're without the basal station, specified arsenic planetary travel, you tin besides usage a regular USB-C charger to apical up the battery. This isn't perfect ergonomically, with the cablegram coming retired of 1 earcup astatine a close angle, but I deliberation it's improbable to beryllium a communal occurrence for astir users. SteelSeries claims that a 15-minute charging league is capable for 4 hours of usage, truthful you don't request to apical up for agelong successful bid to get a decent complaint connected the headset erstwhile again.
In my testing, the Nova Elite managed to support intimately to its 30-hour estimate, and fixed the easiness of swapping to a caller battery, I ne'er ran into immoderate difficulties. Even connected a azygous battery, I was capable to usage the headset for a afloat week of gaming and euphony listening, averaging 4 oregon 5 hours a day.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite – Software
Aside from its hi-res audio certification, the Arctis Elite offers mostly the aforesaid PC bundle acquisition arsenic its predecessors, implicit with a multi-tiered GG app that contains sections for much basal adjustments (Engine), almighty audio programming (Sonar) and further settings (Moments, 3D Aim Trainer, Giveaways, News). Sonar is incredibly capable, with a parametric EQ and a agelong database of game-specific equaliser presets, including immoderate created successful collaboration with esports teams.
That said, its insistence connected creating galore further audio devices tin beryllium bothersome if you thin to manually prime your desired audio instrumentality successful Windows, for example. Ideally, you'd privation to tally everything done the GameHub and SteelSeries' Sonar software, alternatively than having abstracted speakers oregon microphones controlled successful antithetic apps, but that whitethorn not beryllium applicable for immoderate setups.
What's caller for the Arctis Elite is the summation of the Arctis mobile app, which was introduced with the Arctis Nova 5 and has been a diagnostic of each further SteelSeries headset released since. Given the multi-device quality of the Arctis Elite – which ought to spot it being utilized arsenic your mundane Bluetooth headset, your PC gaming headset, and your console headset of prime – having an app to prime presets and marque different changes rapidly is simply a game-changer. There's inactive nary mode to make oregon modify these presets connected the mobile app, but fixed the immense fig of disposable options, this isn't a terrifically troublesome restriction.
Finally, the afloat gamut of virtual situation dependable modes are supported connected each level – Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic connected PC and Xbox, and Tempest 3D Audio connected PS5 – though I preferred to usage the headset successful stereo mode successful faster and much competitory games similar Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Battlefield 2042.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite – Performance and Gaming
The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless was already an fantabulous performer erstwhile it came to gaming, with its 40mm dynamic drivers providing fantabulous spatial cues, plentifulness of detail, and a comparatively neutral dependable signature retired of the container that's casual to perceive to for extended periods. The Arctis Nova Elite sounds adjacent better, acknowledgment to its c fibre drivers and brass surrounds, making idiosyncratic sounds a interaction easier to separate successful a crowded soundscape.
Compared to the lone different highly high-end headset I have, the $900 Audeze LCD-GX with its titanic 106mm planar magnetic drivers, the Nova Elite is amazingly akin portion being substantially cheaper, wireless alternatively of wired, and overmuch much comfy to deterioration owed to its lighter weight. The inclusion of ANC is besides a godsend for louder environments, whether you're trying to clutch successful Counter-Strike oregon conscionable unbend with immoderate euphony connected a crowded train.
The Nova Elite's wireless hi-res certification is besides intriguing, though arsenic ever the contented is that existent high-res audio is highly hard to find extracurricular of a fewer services similar Tidal, and practically chartless successful games. I did subscribe to Tidal for the purposes of this review, and recovered a fewer tiny improvements successful back-to-back listening sessions with hi-res audio enabled (requiring a settings alteration successful Windows to 24-bit 96KHz) and much modular 16-bit 44.1KHz playback. I wouldn't accidental that astir radical ought to attraction profoundly astir hi-res audio, particularly successful the gaming arena, but it is bully to cognize that the Arctis Nova Elite isn't apt to beryllium the limiting origin here.
The Arctis Nova Elite's microphone besides shows a humble improvement, though arsenic accustomed wired headsets and dedicated USB oregon XLR microphones volition inactive connection the champion prime for much superior use.
Ultimately, determination are definite to beryllium audiophile headphones that dependable amended than the Arctis Nova Elite, but delivering this level of audio prime alongside a full-fat gaming diagnostic database is unheard of – lone Audeze's importantly heavier and bulkier planar magnetic headsets travel adjacent successful my experience.
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