We had the pleasure of reviewing the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset when it was released back in 2022, and had crowned it the undisputed champion of gaming headsets. I still use it to this very day on my Xbox Series X. It’s incredibly comfortable, provides great audio quality, and has a range of customisable and adjustable options via the dedicated GameHub DAC.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset serves as the successor to this aforementioned headset, with a list of more premium features like carbon fibre drivers, improved noise cancelling and additional software options. For what it’s worth, I cannot understate just how good this headset is. It’s essentially a better version of that Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, but it unfortunately comes at a cost. A great cost, in fact, so brace yourselves. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset currently costs $A1349.
In many respects, this is the only gripe I really have. While that poses plenty of questions for those looking to upgrade to a headset that costs more than the console they might be buying or using, it’s the main hurdle for those invested in additional gaming accessories. If the price doesn’t phase you, then there’s no real reason not to invest in the best gaming headset money can buy.
Design
Available in Obisidian and Sage Gold, we got the chance to use the latter of the two colours, and were impressed with the results. I’m a huge fan of the Sage Gold for its tasteful gold detailing and matching GameHub DAC. It’s also sporting a die-cast aluminium build, making it an incredibly sturdy and durable headset. If we’re comparing it to the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, they’re practically identical, but I guess there wasn’t anything wrong with those in the first place.
In the box alongside the headset, you’ll find a nice premium fabric carry pouch, the Arctis Nova Elite GameHub, a microphone pop filter, and three 1.5m USB-C to USB-A cables, to essentially fill each of the three ports on the back of the GameHub. There’s even a 1.5m 3.5mm to 3.5mm AUX cable for wired connections. Finally, there’s that extra battery, which is made to plug into the GameHub, while one is already pre-installed into the headset.
The memory foam earcups are also incredibly comfortable and soft to the touch, making them a great option for longer gaming sessions. While they might trap a little heat after a few hours, there are no signs of any sort of sweat or condensation in the cups, which is a win. Underneath the headband, you’ll find the adjustable elastic ski band, which is always something I look for in a premium headset, simply because it takes so much of the weight off the headset itself.
The headset comes with the standard buttons you would find on some of SteelSeries’ other offerings, including the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. On the left earcup, along with the sleek retractable microphone, you’ll find both a dedicated power and microphone mute button, and a volume control wheel. On the very bottom, there’s also that 3.5mm port for wired connections. On the right earcup, you’ll only find a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button for alternative devices like phones and tablets. It’s also worth noting here that there are detachbel magnatic plates on either earcup, which hide the battery on the right side, and a USB-C port on the left.
Finally, the GameHub provides three USB-C ports on the back and two 3.5mm ports, one line-in and one line-out, for various connections. This time around, all USB-C connections work for any platform, which wasn’t the case with the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. If you wanted to use it on an Xbox Series X/S, for example, you needed to buy the Xbox version, which came with a specific port that could only be used for that platform. While a USB-C port has been labelled for Xbox this time around, it can also be used for any other platform.
Overall, there’s nothing incredibly different other than the new colour, which jumps out in terms of design, but it’s all incredibly sleek and premium from top to bottom.
Sound & Performance
The big talking point here has to be the updated 40mm carbon fibre drivers in the Arctis Nova Elite, the first gaming headset to include such quality options. They’ve even added a brass surround ring to help with any sort of sound leakage, which only works to improve the audio quality. The 96kHz/24-bit audio processing also provides Hi-Res audio certification over wireless, but that is admittedly hard to find in gaming, unless you’re using these daily for music, via streaming services like Tidal.
The inclusion of Active Noise Cancellation was a nice touch to begin with, but it’s definitely much better than the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. I tend to use these only at home, where I don’t normally need ANC, but they’re surprisingly effective at blocking out background noise. That being said, I’m sure you could find a better pair of audiophile-focused over-ear headphones like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony XM6 headphones, which do provide better ANC overall. The thing is, though, we’re talking about a gaming headset, which is already leagues ahead of everything else in its class.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset also includes a Transparency Mode, which is equally helpful if you need to be aware of your surroundings while wearing them.
As previously mentioned, the included Gamehub works with everything out of the box, and the DAC itself will look and feel familiar to anyone who has used the Arctis Nova Pro before. Here, you can adjust the overall volume, choose from various presets, and it even allows you to mix audio from up to 4 audio sources at once, with zero audio degradation. That is seriously impressive stuff, and I’m amazed by how much this headset goes above and beyond at every turn.
SteelSeries’ Infinite Power System returns here as well, giving you virtually unlimited battery life, with two batteries in the box. Each battery will give you around 30 hours of gameplay, which I feel is a decent amount all on its own.
Finally, you’ll now get dual microphones; one from the existing retractable microphone and one from the actual headset itself, meaning you won’t have to pull out the retractable microphone in public if you need to take a phone call. They also come equipped with on-board AI Noise rejection, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say you should replace a dedicated microphone if you have one. It’s fine to talk on, but depending on the environment, voices can lack the nice full-sounding quality that you get from a dedicated microphone.
Software
Users can now take advantage of the customisation options across two types of software, with real-time audio control. Firstly, PC users can take advantage of the same SteelSeries GG app, while console gamers can download the SteelSeries Arctis Companion app to use on the fly.
I chose to use the SteelSeries Arctis Companion app during this review, as the existing SteelSeries GG app works in the same way it has worked for the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.
While there were plenty to choose from with the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, there are now a whopping 200+ EQ presets to choose from, which are based on specific games and designed in tandem with those games’ developers.
Even if you’re not a fan of those existing options, you can still create your own custom EQ profiles to your liking. Aside from that, you can change connection modes on the fly and also adjust and toggle ANC and transparency modes.
Overall, it’s a fine piece of software to navigate, which gives you virtually limitless customisation options to hone your own type of soundstage as you see fit.
Verdict & Value
For all the reasons I’ve mentioned, you literally cannot beat the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset. For its superior Hi-Res certified sound quality, solid ANC, GameHub and software for EQ customisation, versatility across a range of platforms and devices, and premium build quality, it’s honestly the best that money can buy.
But that really is the debate after all. If you can justify, or even consider spending such an amount on a gaming headset, I argue you’ll never need another, at least for the foreseeable future.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Incredible audio quality; Solid ANC; New Sage Gold is gorgeous; Premium build quality; GameHub and Infinite Power System are gamechangers
Lowlights: Steep price point
Manufacturer: SteelSeries
Price: A$1349
Available: Now available at JB Hi-Fi and via the official SteelSeries website.
Review based on unit provided by SteelSeries.
Featured header image provided by SteelSeries.
