admin Verdict
If price isn’t a factor, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headphones offer unparalleled quality for a gaming headset. With incredible sound quality, a fantastic hot-swappable battery system, and great connectivity – all wrapped in a luxury design – I’d be hard-pressed to call anything on the market better.
- Fantastic audio quality
- Amazing battery system
- Comfortable, luxury design
- Perfect all-around headphones
If I could paint a picture of a perfect gaming headset, it would be tough to draw anything but the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite. After my high views on the Nova Pro Wireless, I struggled to think of anything better besides some minor problems I had, but the Elite enhances every aspect of the previous flagship to make something distinctly premium – the price is enhanced too, of course, but the features it improves on feel like enough.
As someone who prides myself on discussing the distinctions between different headsets, defining one as the best gaming headphones on the market is a hard choice. It all depends on various factors, which is a similar story for the best earbuds for gaming, too. However, if I were forced to make a quick choice before my impending doom, I’d find it extremely difficult not to choose the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, for a lot of reasons.
Price and availability
The main barrier for the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite will undoubtedly be the price point. Sitting at $599.99 / £599.99 on the SteelSeries website, it’s one of the most expensive gaming headsets on the market, beating out the likes of premium peripherals such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen and almost doubling its own Nova Pro Wireless, which sits at a retail tag of $349 / £329. Although that’s typically found even cheaper with multiple discounts since its launch.
If you’re willing to part with that much money, you have a choice between two colors: Sage & Gold and Obsidian Black. I am reviewing the former, which I’d argue is the better-looking of the two, although it arrived in more of a dark-pale green compared to the pale gray I expected. In honesty, it was a pleasant surprise, but just to warn you that it may have a slightly different hue than the pictures show.
Design and comfort
If I could give it full marks on design alone, this would get a 10. From the opening of the box to putting it on my head, I was enamored with the look and had the same feeling as when I unwrapped my first iPhone way back when I was younger. The box opening was magic, and SteelSeries knows it – the luxury is laid out right in front of you as you unpack the headset.
The gold look of the arms that hold the earcups to the headband looks stunning, with another subtle bit of gold on the SteelSeries logo on either cup. Memory foam cushions secure the headset to your head with a comfort I’ve never experienced on a pair of gaming headphones, while the headband disperses the weight evenly. I can easily wear this for hours on end without any problems; it’s that light.
All of the buttons feel responsive and nice to press, with a great amount of feedback on each press, but the volume wheel is where the magic happens. A satisfyingly light click happens as you scroll it, and it’s large enough that you can feel the response to each turn, making it just as nice to change the volume the one millionth time as it is the first. It’s a simple luxury, but it adds to the overall experience.
While this is a luxury gaming headset in all its glory, it’s clear that SteelSeries is marketing it as a one-size-fits-all solution, whether you’re powering through the best FPS games or listening to music during your travels. A comfortable design is paramount to that, and I think the company has completely nailed it. Sure, it’s a little thicker when folded than the likes of Bose’s flagship, but it also has plenty more features that make that extra weight a worthwhile trade-off.
Under the left earcup’s cover, you have a handy USB-C port – one that I’ve not really needed to use during my testing, but it’s useful if you want to charge it elsewhere, and you don’t have your Base Station handy (which is likely if you’re traveling). On the other side, the right earcup holds the hot-swappable battery, which I’ll get into later, but it remains my favorite way of handling a wireless gaming headset.
The Base Station is fairly unchanged compared to the Nova Pro Wireless’ variant. It has a few extra ports at the back for more devices, allowing you to switch to different platforms with ease – whether you’re jumping from playing the best Switch games to diving into some of your PS5 backlog. It also holds the extra battery, which charges while the Base Station is active.
Sound quality and performance
Considering that the expectations are rightfully high, with the promise and allure of Hi-Res Lossless audio – a ‘first in gaming’, as the company points out – it’s a pretty big surprise that the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite absolutely nails it. Thanks to the carbon fiber drivers, it offers great clarity, avoiding the potential distortion that more budget-friendly headphones may provide.
Both the Arctis app and SteelSeries’ desktop app, simply called GG, offer ways to fine-tune the EQ to your liking, or you can select from a variety of profiles that are tuned for specific games, whether that be your favorite action games or some relaxing cozy games you’ve been enjoying – there’s no shortage of titles available through the company’s software. It also helps that both pieces of software are actually well-made, a hurdle that many companies stumble at.
For example, you can choose the Cyberpunk 2077 mode, turning one of the best Switch games into a more immersive experience by elevating the subtle sounds of the world, while switching it to play Minecraft makes the environmental noises pop, with the satisfying crunch of blocks popping as the floating item drops to your feet. It further helps that the Elite can go quickly from a 2.4GHz connection via the Base Station to Bluetooth, allowing you to take your headphones out and about.
Of course, these are both lifestyle and gaming headphones, so there’s also a big idea around using them for music or chatting with people. Thankfully, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite nails this, too. I’m going back to a classic and using Sleep Token as my neutral line for any pair of headphones, and it provides the brilliant bass that I expect, with guitars hitting hard, while the treble of those lyrics lands beautifully with SteelSeries’ flagship.
It helps that the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is still pretty great, and it’s a bit better than the Nova Pro (which I didn’t think was fantastic, but it was good enough). Admittedly, it’s not as good as Bose’s offerings, but Bose is one of the best on the market, so that’s a high bar to reach. I wish it were a little better, sure, but it’s not a major issue, and it blocks out a decent amount of quiet noises like fans humming or the noise of a TV blaring KPop Demon Hunters for the fifteenth time that day (parents will know).
When I first saw AI mentioned in marketing, I was a little concerned, but I can happily say that the AI noise reduction for the microphone is not just a fancy way to get some tech enthusiasts on board – it’s a worthwhile investment that works wonders. People who I spoke to noticed the clarity first and foremost, saying my voice was much clearer than ever before, and there was a noticeable difference between the background noise compared to my Nova Pro, making my (probably tedious) voice sound much better.
Then, there’s the battery life, and I can say that it’s still my favorite. The hot-swappable battery mechanic means it will practically never die, allowing you a small interval as you switch from one battery to the one charging in the Base Station. If you happen to use it on your travels, it will last a hefty 30 hours roughly, which is plenty enough for most people, and the USB-C charging provides an alternative if you need a quick boost.
Should you buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headphones?
If you can afford to shell out on some top-of-the-line headphones, there’s nothing like them. Sure, there might be some options out there that are better for playing music, but once you reach this price range and this type of equipment, your returns are negligible – and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headphones are brilliant at gaming, which few high-end rivals offer.
It’s expensive, and that’s a fair hurdle, but if that’s something you don’t worry about, few options on the market do everything this brilliantly. From the fantastic battery system to the gorgeous, comfortable design to the great software, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite’s biggest problem will actually come up in the future – how do you create something not only just as brilliant, but better?
Alternatives
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
For a similar experience, but one that undoubtedly costs a lot less, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless still offers fantastic sound quality and the incredible hot-swappable battery system, running through the Base Station or via Bluetooth at a fraction of the Elite’s price.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen
If you’re looking for something that’s mobile-friendly but that performs brilliantly for music, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen offer some of the best audio for listening to your favorite albums or playing a few matches of Clash Royale. And, to top it all off, it’s some of the best ANC I’ve ever experienced.
