Expert’s Rating
Pros
- The audio sounds heat and punchy
- It’s very light-weight and transportable
- The retractable microphone is a deal with
Cons
- Supports wired connectivity solely
- It allows various ambient noise
- The headset is kind of small so received’t go well with bigger heads
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 has all of the hallmarks of a top-quality gaming headset, that includes wonderful sound and a cushty and trendy design. While it solely helps wired connectivity, the Nova 3’s beneficiant cabling choices can help you join to simply about any machine you may personal.
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 number of the luxurious extras you get within the Nova Pro Wireless.
Accordingly, it’s principally manufactured from plastic and solely sports activities wired connectivity, however does share a few of its premium sibling’s higher options, like totally swiveling earcups and a stretchy interior headband that floats atop your head. In the audio division, too, it hits all the best notes, delivering implausible sound no matter media kind you’re listening to. Plus, its flashy RGB lighting is dazzling anytime of the day or night time.
Note: This overview 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 out a trace of clamp strain, and the Nova 3’s AirWeave earcups are a number of the softest I’ve used. They’re lined in a light-weight mesh material, which is cooler than the Nova Pro’s ritzy, however generally stuffy, leatherette ones on sizzling days.
SteelSeries has performed an important job making the Nova 3 tremendous gentle and transportable 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 an extra 2.9 ounces. In truth, solely the Asus ROG Strix Go Moonlight White comes up lighter in our discipline of critiques. That miniscule weight means you’ll be able to put on all of it day lengthy and never even really feel it.
RGB lights programmable to 16.8 million colours gentle up the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3’s earcups.
SteelSeries
Admittedly, some weight seems to be traded for a small dimension. I measured my overview unit to be simply 8 inches from prime to backside, and the cups had been simply 4 inches at their longest half. That’s not perfect you probably 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 forestalls nicks and grazes, whereas concurrently displaying 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 through 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 totally 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 if you happen to break your cords—so credit score to SteelSeries for going the additional mile.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3’s noise-cancelling microphone totally retracts into its left earcup.
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 equipped 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 units, you’ll be able to hook up with just about every little thing else—together with a PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, or an Android smartphone. Mind you, you may be tethered at a distance of between roughly 4 to 5 ft (relying on the twine you employ), so be ready to must take your headset off if it’s essential 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 available to check out that declare, we’re pondering 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 also be a cinch to regulate, with only a quantity wheel, mute microphone button, and easy swap 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 power to be the higher bass and mid tones, which give it a heat and punchy audio profile. This actually hits dwelling 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, protecting my recordings distortion-free at regular quantity ranges, and solely choosing up some slight disturbance once I pushed the mic quantity to max.
Sonar within the SteelSeries GG app offers you plenty of management over your mic’s settings.
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 probably the most complimentary manner. The Nova 3 makes use of the SteelSeries GG app on PC, which if not best-in-class, is not less than equal to the easiest 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’ll be able to dig down deeper to change issues like quantity and EQ, however not simply on 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 performed on a parametric chart. The sky’s the restrict for what you’ll be able to obtain with this software. While most gamers merely have to simply accept no matter sound settings their recreation dishes up, with a Parametric EQ chart you’ll be able to 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 roughly what the frequency of the sound is, you’ll be able to change it.
The Dota 2 preset in Sonar highlights recreation sounds that fall within the bass, higher mids, and highs.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
Sonar additionally gives you with ready-made presets for standard video games like Dota 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, and CounterStrike: Global Offensive, if you happen to don’t need to spend time tinkering your self to create your individual.
These presets appear to be properly 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, in my view.
Should you purchase the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3?
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 is extraordinarily light-weight and feels tremendous cosy and comfy in your head. It additionally sounds nice in video games, motion pictures, 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 principally manufactured from plastic, the Nova 3’s fashionable cans and flashy RGB lighting by no means fail to impress each time you set it on.