The new flagship of SteelSeries gaming headsets, the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless offers very good features for gaming while providing great audio performance for classic use. An excellent quality/price ratio!
SteelSeries’ catalog of video game peripherals is not short of references. Keyboard, mouse, microphone, controllers and, of course, headsets, the Danish manufacturer, which has carved out a solid reputation in the field, offers products to meet almost all needs and budgets. This year 2024 is the opportunity for it to unveil a new headset model, the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless. Behind this somewhat long name hides a fairly discreet, versatile mid-range gaming headset, with dual connectivity and simply monstrous battery life. Small novelty: the accessory is accompanied, for the first time, by an application on Android and iOS with more than a hundred presets, in order to best adapt to the gaming session, and this, on any medium.
Note that there are three versions of the headset: the Nova 5, which we tested, the Nova 5P, which is more blue, and the Nova 5X, which is more green. The latter is the only model compatible with Xboxes, so if you want universal compatibility, it’s best to choose the 5X. All three headsets in the Arctis Nova 5 range are available for a single price of €140.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: CCM’s opinion
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: a discreet and comfortable headset
Far from the usual eccentricities, the design of the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is rather sober and qualitative, at the crossroads of the gaming headset and the classic audio headset, which allows it to be used also outdoors without attracting all the attention. It consists of a matte black plastic headband with a metal plate inside. It is accompanied by a robust headband that can be adjusted on three notches, allowing it to be adjusted and not to feel on your skull the pressure of a plastic part. For their part, the fabric ear pads prove to be very insulating and very soft. The whole thing weighs only 265 grams. The Arctis Nova 5 Wireless turns out to be a really comfortable headset to wear, very light, so much so that you easily forget it, even during long gaming sessions.
On the right earpiece, there is a USB-C charging port to charge the headset, a button to turn on the headset and another to switch between the different connection modes (Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz). As for the left side, it houses the volume control wheel, a retractable microphone and a “Mute” button.
In addition to the headset, the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless comes with a series of stickers – a nice customization addition –, a charging cable, a USB-C extension, as well as the famous 2.4 GHz dongle. This one is quite large – the one on the 5X version is even larger – which could be problematic on certain machine configurations, but the extension avoids any problems. In short, the whole thing is practical, discreet and versatile, nothing to complain about on that side.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: balanced sound with very low latency
Overall, the bass, mids and treble are well balanced. The headset offers a good rendering of the sound “details” which are nevertheless essential in successful gaming. Thus, locating the origin of shots or footsteps in shooting games, such as Call of Dutyis done without difficulty – and this gives a real advantage over other players! Similarly, in an MMO or a good RPG, you can enjoy a complete sound ambiance, whether it is calm and enchanting or epic and nervous. Spatialization is also part of it and allows you to enjoy 360° sound, which is very pleasant and increases immersion – and allows you to pick off an enemy who sneaks up behind you as you pass by. Without reaching the level of detail of some more expensive models, the overall proposition of the Nova 5 is quite convincing, including for more classic use.
Another fundamental point for a wireless product dedicated to gaming is latency. With a button, the Arctis Nova 5 headset allows you to switch from a 2.4 GHz connection, thanks to the USB-C dongle – the extension provided is also very practical – to Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. If the sound quality does not really change between the two modes, this is not the case for latency. Indeed, when you connect the headset in 2.4 GHz, the latencies are almost zero, while they are higher in Bluetooth. Essential for games, like FPS, which require responsiveness! Bluetooth will be reserved rather for nomadic use, on a smartphone for example, and to configure the headset using the mobile application – we will come back to this later.
The Arctis Nova 5 Wireless can connect via Bluetooth or via the small dongle. While the headset can connect both ways simultaneously, you can only have one audio source playing. So, if someone calls you during a session, you’ll hear a small (fairly low) ringtone and you just have to press the button to change connections. You can then answer the call instantly and automatically switch back to the console at the end of the call.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: A retractable microphone that does its job
The left earpiece features a boom microphone, perfectly concealed, which can be pulled out to deploy and retracted to store. This is particularly practical if you want to use the headset in a traditional way or if you prefer a solo gaming session. The wheel allows you to increase or decrease the volume directly from the headset. A button, located right next to it, allows you to mute the microphone if necessary.
The built-in microphone delivers good performance, with clear voice pickup. It supports 32KHz/16bit audio and uses Sonar AI-Powered Noise Cancellation on PC provides optimal two-way noise reduction.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: One software and one app to control everything
This is the big new feature of the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless and one of SteelSeries’ selling points: the company has developed a mobile application, called Nova 5 Companion App, available on Android and iOS. It gives access to more than 100 audio presets allowing players to adapt the sound rendering according to their preferences. Thanks to it, you can adjust the volume, choose the connection mode and the brightness of the Mute button LED, check the battery percentage, activate or deactivate the audio limiter, or switch to “Extended Range” mode, which reduces the audio quality of the microphone to increase the range of the wireless connection. Above all, you can choose your audio preset from more than a hundred already present.
These presets were made with eSports teams like FaZe Clan as well as with different publishers (Ubisoft, Valve, Bungie, Blizzard etc.). This allows you to choose the best sound rendering for the video game you are playing. We find the most popular games (Fortnite, League of Legends, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft, Overwatch 2, Roblox, World of WarcraftGenshin Impact)the latest AAA in different game genres (Tekken 8, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Hogwarts Legacy, Alan Wake II, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Starfield…), but also several music modes (Bright, Clear Vocals, Deep Bass, Punchy) and film modes (Clear Dialogue, Immersion). It is also possible to import your personal presets. Afterwards, it is a shame that we cannot really visually see the difference between each preset – no other choice but to trust the manufacturer. So it is not the major selling point, the one that will make us buy this headset rather than another, but it is an appreciable bonus. Above all, it is entirely possible to connect your headset to your console, via the dongle, and to adjust it via the application, thanks to Bluetooth.
In addition to the Nova 5 Companion App mobile application, SteelSeries offers the GG software, which allows you to adjust the settings of the manufacturer’s various accessories. It is made up of four parts. The first is called Engine and allows you to adjust certain options, such as LEDs, the microphone, etc. Then, Moments allows you to record videos during games. Sonar allows you to focus on adjusting the sound. You can thus define your game, chat and microphone sources via a configuration wizard, but also apply presets or carry out your own configuration using a very complete 10-band parametric equalizer. Finally, SteelSeries 3D Aim Trainers allows you to train to improve your shooting skills. A much more complete software therefore, which will satisfy the most demanding gamers – but which is not specific to this particular headset model.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: Absolutely titanic battery life
In terms of battery life, the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless promises up to 60 hours of use without recharging – more precisely 50 hours with the 2.4 GHz dongle and 60 hours in Bluetooth. It therefore depends on the options and the volume. Fast charging allows you to recover 6 hours of use in just 15 minutes. In fact, the headset easily lasts a week of intensive gaming, or even several if you are a moderate player. There is absolutely no need to worry about its charge, which is very appreciable. To charge the headset, a USB-C cable is provided in the pack. On the other hand, the headset only charges at 5 V. Note that it is impossible to use it wired, but that’s not a problem because there is fast charging. In short, it’s a big positive point!
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless: a gaming headset that has everything a great one has, except the price
In the end, the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is a real success, a mid-range model that does not have to blush in front of more expensive headsets. It benefits from a neat construction, a sober design and quality comfort, while not forgetting to integrate all the necessary functions for gaming to be an ideal gaming headset on PC and consoles, but also an audio headset to listen to your music in transport, and this with an incredible autonomy. The Arctis Nova 5 Wireless does not suffer from any major flaw. The absence of noise reduction is not harmful at this price, especially since the cushions surround the ears well, enough to isolate us.
If you are looking for a good, comfortable gaming headset with many pre-recorded functions in the mobile application, and you want to spend less than 150 euros, then the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is for you. As a reminder, it is available in three references, of which only the 5X version is Xbox compatible. The 5 and 5P have the same characteristics, only the design for the headband changes. A somewhat strange choice, which unnecessarily complicates things. But that is all we can really blame it for.