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Wireless Gaming Headset

SteelSeries Arctis 9X vs SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless

SteelSeries Arctis 9X

SteelSeries Arctis 9X

154 reviews

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SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless

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in Wireless Gaming Headset

SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless

191 reviews

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Best Mid-Range Xbox One Headset

RTINGS · The 6 Best Xbox One Headsets

Best Mid-Range Headset For Xbox Series X/S

RTINGS · The 6 Best Headsets For Xbox Series X/S

#135 most mentioned

Reddit · r/headphones

RTINGS · The 17 Best Headphone Brands

Best Gaming Headset Splurge

tom's Hardware · Best PC Gaming Headsets 2022: Budget, Wired and Wireless

Great sound quality and chat mixing

Comfortable and lightweight design

Retractable mic with mute button and light indicator

Can be used on Xbox and Bluetooth at the same time

Has a 3.5mm analog cable for versatility

Great sound quality

Highly versatile with Bluetooth and wired connectivity options

Dual batteries and ease-of-use with DAC battery swap out

Not as durable as some users would like

Some users have reported connectivity issues, such as intermittent sound cutouts

Some users have reported rattling in the headset

Not comfortable/adjustable for larger heads

Creaking in the right earcup

Paper-thin plastic swivel points on the earcups that will break within 24 months

Verdict

The SteelSeries Arctis 9X is a comfortable and lightweight wireless gaming headset with great sound quality and chat mixing. It has a retractable mic with a mute button and a light indicator. However, some users have reported issues with connectivity and durability, such as intermittent sound cutouts and rattling. Overall, the Arctis 9X is a solid choice for Xbox One-specific wireless gaming headsets, but users should be aware of potential issues.

Verdict

The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless is a highly versatile wireless gaming headset with a handy transmitter, Bluetooth compatibility, and wired connectivity as backups. It offers a low-latency wireless connection for gaming and can mix audio from a console and a mobile device at the same time. The dual batteries and ease-of-use with the DAC battery swap out are highly praised. However, there are some unfortunate flaws such as the creaking in the right earcup, the paper-thin plastic swivel points on the earcups that will break within 24 months, and the housing that can crack easily. Some reviewers recommend going for a different brand headset, while others highly recommend the Arctis Pro Wireless.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Sound Quality

Hands-on: SteelSeries Arctis 9 gaming headset brings dual wireless to PC and PS4

I never had an issue with the audio or microphone quality on the Arctis 9X. When I tested the 9, the noise-cancelling function worked well enough, blocking out the hum of my ancient air conditioner and desktop PC fans without degrading the sound too much. I do have some nitpicks with the design, though.

Positive

I currently use the Steelseries Arctis Pro (no game dac) and I also have some Sony WH-XM3s and Galaxy Buds for on-the-go listening. Budget is preferably under 150$, but I am willing to stretch it a bit if it means significant improvement to sound. I mostly listen to various genres of rock, 70s/80s pop and a little bit of rap.

Positive

reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice

Bluetooth Connectivity

youtube

Arctis 9X Review - Take your Xbox to the next level

With my Xbox in the next room and separated by a thick wall, it would occasionally lose connection, but when in the same room as the console, I didn't...

Positive

SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless Review

You can also use the headset on its own over Bluetooth, by powering it on and holding the Bluetooth button down until it flashes. It can handle audio sent simultaneously both by the transmitter and the connected Bluetooth device, so you can keep your phone on hand while gaming. It also works standalone without the transmitter in Bluetooth mode, or wired with the included cable.

Positive

Durability

Disconnects constantly - Makes almost unusable

Edit at 1yr: I use these now in a fixed position near both my xbox and pc so I can hear both at the same time which is great. I can listen to movies/music on my pc while I play xbox or vice versa. It only disconnects occasionally if I don't move further than 6' from either. It sounds good and isn't a cheap pos plastic construction like all my other headsets

Best ease-of-use, solid sound, poor microphone, and structural weakness on earphone hinges

Due to the above experience that I still consider highly preventable if the design around the earphone support was more secured, reinforced, and possibly double or even triple ensured to not have the earphone ever get loose, I'm now watching for structural sturdiness in the next gaming headset. At this point, high on my list is Logitech G PRO X Wireless Gaming Headset with Blue Voice. While it's missing the DAC battery swap out, it does have other features that I like, and out of most other wireless headsets, its design looks sturdy and resilient against earphone coming off loose due to chafing/grinding and breaking of cheap or low-quality plastic. There are other gaming headsets that I wouldn't even consider because their design looks very prone to earphones eventually coming off, just like with this Arctis Pro Wireless one

Battery Life

Wireless gaming headset suggestions

Great sound quality. Solid battery life. Independent audio controls. Only con is you can't do Game Audio and Bluetooth at the same time

Positive

reddit.com/r/xboxone

A great headset if you can ignore the little things

Hands down one of the best features of this headset is having 2 batteries. I would say each battery nets you between 7-10 hours of battery life depending on the usage. Swapping batteries is incredibly easy and takes about 10 seconds due to the magnetic coverings on the cans. Another great feature of this headset

Comfort

Three steps forward, one step back

The ear cups are comfortably padded to fit around the ear, and there is a cloth strip that the headband rides on, cushioning the top of your head as well. (Arctis calls it the "Ski Goggle Headband", for reasons that escape me.) The downside of this cloth strip is that it makes the SteelSeries 'phones a bit easy to pivot off the back of your head, for example when you lay down on the couch while gaming. They are more comfortable than the Razers, so this is another win for the Arctis 9X

A real review from a real normie

While they're very comfortable, they have one huge setback. They're not noise cancelling. I thought that noise cancelling ear muffs were industry standard, because of how important that is to immersing yourself in the game. I can hear my brother on the Xbox in the other room, my dogs barking downstairs, my mom listening to podcasts and my dad walk through the door

Fit

Can be great, when the basic functionality works

My next big thing that I like about them, is they are comfortable. Usually, after a few hours full size headphones get heavy on my ears . Being female, with a smaller head and ears, this can get quite uncomfortable. These headphones I can wear for hours on long gaming sessions and no discomfort

The 17 Best Headphone Brands - Spring 2022

Most of their models share the same ski-goggle-inspired headband design, which features an elastic strap inside a frame that's fixed in place. This design is quite comfortable if your head fits within the rigid frame, but if it doesn't, there's not much you can do. It can also be tricky to get the tension on the elastic strap just right - how tightly they seal affects their bass performance, so depending on how they fit, they can sound different to different people. SteelSeries provides sound customization options in their companion software to help you find a sound profile that works for you, and some of their more premium models even have an onboard EQ

Positive

Price Point

Worst headset for Xbox

4.) Price - at this price point, this headset should’ve been flawless. Instead I get a “working” product that wouldn’t have even passed quality control. My recommendation: Return this headset immediately and purchase the Razr Blackshark V2

5 Star wireless on PS4, but 1 Star wired + GameDAC on Win 7 x64 Ultimate PC

My only gripe is the price, which seems to have increased to full retail for the holiday season. It's very expensive, but it definitely feels high quality at least from our limited testing so far. My wife loves it, so to me it was worth it. I'm curious to find out if the bluetooth pairing is done at the base, or if it could also be used on the go paired to a phone to take with me on the go

Warranty

Great Sound But Can't Recommend

It's inexcusable that they do not have stock on hand to honor warranty returns. Because of that, I can't recommend. I need to fix my wireless router interference issue and go back to using the Turtle Beach headsets.

Buy the extended warranty

I have had them for just under 2 years, use them pretty frequently for gaming and they are stored nicely, well taken care of. Randomly yesterday the right side stopped working, after doing some research I have found that this is actually a common issue and no way to fix it. Customer service is great I have read, if you have a warranty, but you are SOL if you don’t, as the regular manufacturer warranty for the US is only 1 year. Almost $500 spent on headphones to not even get a full 2 years out of them

Noise Cancellation

Decent headphones with good mic. A little heavy

I bought a gaming headset for meeting because most "meeting-use" headphones with a boom mic are supra-aural, and I absolutely hate to have headphones clamping on my ears. Gaming headphones are usually circumaural and that works for my purpose. For meetings, the most important thing is the microphone and its ability to filter out external noise. The mic quality is pretty good, and it does a good job of suppressing background noise

SteelSeries Wireless Headsets - THEN versus NOW

Sound Quality: BETTER BUT NOT THE BEST IT COULD BE - I would say that I agree the sound quality in general has been a little improved, HOWEVER the rest of the reviews on Amazon here are indeed telling the truth - there is a slight "HUM" sound that happens when you're wearing the headphones and they are powered on and you are not playing any sound. HOWEVER AGAIN, the noise canceling capabilities are significantly improved as other people talking around me were noticeably muffled. To be honest im not doubting the other amazon reviews but I think that the "HUM" is more noticeable only because of how much more Noise-canceling these headphones are. If you have zero hum tolerance than I would stay clear of these

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