For a long time, the SteelSeries Arctis line of headsets has appeared at the top of our list of gaming headset recommendations. They're an easy and popular pick: comfortable, great-sounding and available in a wide range of formats to suit all manner of platforms, connection types and budgets. But five years after the first Arctis headsets were revealed, the overall formula hasn't changed much - and so, it's time for something new. That something is the Arctis Nova Pro, a timely redesign that recaptures the line's strengths while also marking the most substantive evolution in its history.
The £250/$250 Arctis Nova Pro and £330/$350 Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are high-spec, feature-rich, all-platform headsets, so I'll focus on what I believe are the most meaningful changes and additions. These include a more comfortable and adjustable design, improved dual-input base stations and better sound - plus active noise cancelling and a convenient dual battery system for the Nova Pro Wireless model.
Let's look at the Nova Pro's design first. The look is very reminiscent of the earlier Arctis models, complete with a fabric suspension headband, but SteelSeries audio czar Brian Fallon says it was redesigned from scratch - albeit to fairly similar principles. The dense plastic frame is a different shape and more adjustable to ensure it gets a good seal around the ears - one of the few complaints levelled at the original design was that achieving that seal could be difficult for some folks, leading to inconsistent sound.