Price When Reviewed

109.99

Best Prices Today: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3

$99.99

$99.99

If the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is the high-performance sportscar of SteelSeries’ headset lineup, then the finances Nova 3 is extra of a sports activities sedan, in that it has tons extra pizzazz than a bog-standard machine however does with out a few of the luxurious extras you get within the Nova Pro Wireless.

Accordingly, it’s largely made from plastic and solely sports activities wired connectivity, however does share a few of its premium sibling’s higher options, like absolutely swiveling earcups and a stretchy inside headband that floats atop your head. In the audio division, too, it hits all the precise notes, delivering improbable sound no matter media kind you’re listening to. Plus, its flashy RGB lighting is dazzling anytime of the day or evening.

Note: This evaluate is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best gaming headsets. Go there to study competing merchandise, what to search for in a gaming headset, and shopping for suggestions.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3: Design

When it involves consolation, the Arctis Nova 3 truly outdoes the Nova Pro Wireless. The higher adjustable headband feels tremendous cosy with no trace of clamp stress, and the Nova 3’s AirWeave earcups are a few of the softest I’ve used. They’re coated in a light-weight mesh cloth, which is cooler than the Nova Pro’s ritzy, however generally stuffy, leatherette ones on scorching days.

SteelSeries has carried out a fantastic job making the Nova 3 tremendous mild and moveable too. At 8.9 ounces (253 grams), it’s deal lighter than the Nova Pro Wireless whose steel earcup covers, amongst different options, add on a further 2.9 ounces. In truth, solely the Asus ROG Strix Go Moonlight White comes up lighter in our subject of critiques. That miniscule weight means you possibly can put on all of it day lengthy and never even really feel it.

SteelSeries

Admittedly, some weight seems to be traded for a small measurement. I measured my evaluate unit to be simply 8 inches from high to backside, and the cups have been simply 4 inches at their longest half. That’s not splendid in case you have a big head or ears—in any other case the machine ought to match sq. on.

As to styling, the Nova 3 is undoubtedly made to impress avid gamers—the center of the outer earcups comprise a mushy scratch-proof materials that stops nicks and grazes, whereas concurrently exhibiting off SteelSeries’ iconic logos. Additionally, dazzling RGB lighting rings circle the outer cans. They’re programmable with as much as 16.8 million colours and a spread of cool lighting results by way of the SteelSeries GG software program app.

Admittedly, these options aren’t distinctive in finances headsets, however the Nova 3 does have a number of small design touches that elevate it above rivals. Features like its absolutely retractable ClearCast Gen 2 noise-cancelling microphone and its removable cords are two that come to thoughts. The former slides effortlessly again into the earcup, so that you simply by no means have to fret about shedding your mic, whereas the latter prevents you having to purchase a brand new set in the event you break your cords—so credit score to SteelSeries for going the additional mile.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

For connectivity, the Nova 3 sports activities simply easy wired connectivity, however you continue to get wonderful multiplatform entry with three helpful cords provided within the field. That features a USB-C to USB-C cable, 3.5mm analog cable and USB-C to USB-A adapter cable, which extends connectivity to the Xbox One and Xbox X/S.

Other than these gadgets, you possibly can hook up with just about every little thing else—together with a PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, or an Android smartphone. Mind you, you can be tethered at a distance of between roughly 4 to five toes (relying on the wire you employ), so be ready to need to take your headset off if it’s worthwhile to wander about.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3: Audio efficiency

SteelSeries has talked up the Nova 3’s Acoustic System, which incorporates custom-made 40mm drivers, as being a giant enchancment on earlier generations and whereas we didn’t have any predecessors readily available to check out that declare, we’re considering it’s more likely to be true, judging by how good the Nova 3 sounded in video games, music, and flicks.

The Nova 3 can be a cinch to manage, with only a quantity wheel, mute microphone button, and easy change to show the RGB lighting on or off, so that you received’t want to fret about studying sophisticated directions.

Playtesting a bunch of video games from my Steam library revealed the headset’s energy to be the higher bass and mid tones, which give it a heat and punchy audio profile. This actually hits residence in video games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Elden Ring, which are inclined to champion audio in that a part of the spectrum.

Regrettably, the Nova 3 allows nearly each ambient sound in your atmosphere, having no Active Noise Cancellation to talk of, and solely the slightest passive barrier to undesirable sound.

Still, this blip is partially made up for by a extremely delicate bidirectional microphone that relayed my voice with gusto in Discord chats. It’s noise cancellation, which makes use of an AI algorithm to dam ambient noise, was additionally very efficient, preserving my recordings distortion-free at regular quantity ranges, and solely selecting up some slight disturbance once I pushed the mic quantity to max.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

One of the highlights of utilizing the Nova 3 was having the ability to personalize my sound settings to a ridiculous degree—and I imply that in essentially the most complimentary manner. The Nova 3 makes use of the SteelSeries GG app on PC, which if not best-in-class, is at the least equal to the perfect that rivals have to supply. In the top-level of the app, I used to be delighted to see that I might apply as much as 4 audio presets and alter the Nova 3’s RGB lighting colours and results.

But the true hero is unquestionably Sonar the place any sane gamer ought to go to personalize their audio. In Sonar, in addition to customizing your spatial audio, you possibly can dig down deeper to switch issues like quantity and EQ, however not simply in your video games, for any of your audio sources—chat and different apps included.

Modifying the EQ for video games is particularly superior, since this may be carried out on a parametric chart. The sky’s the restrict for what you possibly can obtain with this device. While most gamers merely have to simply accept no matter sound settings their recreation dishes up, with a Parametric EQ chart you possibly can emphasize any sounds you want, or successfully silence these you don’t—and nothing’s off the desk; whether or not it’s your character clicking armor into place, your enemies’ footsteps, or your character’s voice, if you recognize roughly what the frequency of the sound is, you possibly can change it.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Sonar additionally gives you with ready-made presets for in style video games like Dota 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, and CounterStrike: Global Offensive, in the event you don’t need to spend time tinkering your self to create your individual.

These presets appear to be nicely engineered for his or her respective titles too. But simply to verify, I attempted out the Dota 2 preset and in contrast it towards a default one. By elevating the bass, higher mids, and excessive tones and scooping out the mids, this preset actually emphasised explosions and the crackle of thunder, when in comparison with the plain-old default setting.

Suffice to say, this introduced an entire new dimension to what would have been a comparatively regular recreation of Dota 2 for me, additional qualifying the Nova 3 as a superb headset for gaming, for my part.

Should you purchase the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3?

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 is extraordinarily light-weight and feels tremendous cosy and cozy in your head. It additionally sounds nice in video games, films, and music, producing a heat and punchy sound that you simply by no means get uninterested in, though it’s not that nice at blocking ambient noise. While it’s largely made from plastic, the Nova 3’s trendy cans and flashy RGB lighting by no means fail to impress each time you set it on.