Where I felt most let down by the SteelSeries Arctis 1 was with the microphone itself. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 is no replacement for the best headphones, but they aren’t a write-off. Listening on my Sony Xperia 1 II, softer genres of music sound better, such as Aqua Regia by Sleep Token and Fight by Me and That Man. Surprisingly, there’s enough bass presence and accuracy on the low end to convey the weight needed with minimal fuzziness.

I put the 3.5mm jack-enabled headset through its paces with Party Cannon’s Partied in Half EP and Pharmacist’s Flourishing Extremities On Unspoiled Mental Grounds album. Listening to music with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 is a pleasant experience, but it doesn’t really wow either. It’s a similar story with EA UFC 4, the headset captures everything from checked leg kicks to knockout strikes with suitable weight, despite feeling a little flat and muddy at times when the audience piped up. I could accurately hear Isaac Clarke’s heavy footsteps, slamming doors behind me, and the screech of undead nasties bursting out of the vents. I wasn’t exactly blown away by the sound reproduction when playing Dead Space on PS5, but every key beat was present. For the asking price of $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$139, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck here, as this model sounds better than it has any right to be. Considering the price tag, I was impressed by what the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 was able to crank out both as a gaming headset and as a pair of wired headphones.

Arctis 1 review