However, voices and instruments sound veiled and lack some detail, which might bother you for dialogue-heavy games.

They have a bass-rich sound profile with extra rumble and punch, which you might appreciate for action-packed games. Their boom mic makes your voice sound clear and full-bodied and does a good job of separating it from background noise. Their wireless USB dongle may not give you easy access to volume and sound controls, but if you buy the 7X variant, it provides a low latency connection with Xbox, as well as PlayStation and PCs, which is great if you use more than one system.

These headphones don't have as many extra features as the previous pick - they don't have ANC or swappable batteries and don't come with a GameDAC. The best SteelSeries headphones in the upper mid-range we've tested are the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless. Best Upper Mid-Range SteelSeries Headset.They have an ANC system too, and while it doesn't block out sound as well as more casual-use over-ears, it can still help tackle ambient chatter. They also support Bluetooth, which is great if you want to stay connected to your console and smartphone simultaneously, and their boom mic offers a very good overall performance, ensuring you're heard clearly. You can also finetune their sound using their companion software's robust features, including a parametric EQ. Their sound has a bit of extra boom to help emphasize sound effects in gameplay. Out of the box, these headphones have a somewhat neutral sound profile. If you prefer a completely wired design, you'll want to check out the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, which come with a GameDAC. Each battery has about 25 hours of continuous playback time, and you can even use the headphones wired when not in use. Since the headphones also come with two swappable battery packs, you can use one while the other charges inside the transmitter. The transmitter offers low latency, which is great when the timing is everything, and it has an interface that puts controls like EQs, volume, and chat mix directly at your fingertips. These headphones have a wireless transmitter that comes in Xbox and PlayStation variants, so it's important to get the right one to match your console. The best SteelSeries headset we've tested is the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.

Steelseries arctis 1 review