Sound Quality

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is equipped with a pair of 40-millimeter dynamic drivers with a specified frequency response of 10–22,000 Hz in wireless mode and 10–40,000 Hz in wired mode. Of course, there's no audible difference between the two because human hearing doesn't come anywhere close to 22,000 Hz anyway. What you can hear when using a wired connection, compared to wireless, are differences in the DAC and headphone amplifier driving the built-in speaker drivers. As for the amplification you're getting when using the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless in wireless mode, I found it sufficient for all types of usage. While I did occasionally turn the volume up to -5 dB on the scale displayed on the wireless base station, I never felt like pushing it to the very limit (0 dB) as even a short exposure to such sound volume would hurt my ears.


When you first connect the wireless base station and turn the headset on, you'll be asked if you live in the European Union. If you want to have the full volume range of the headset at your disposal, make sure to pick "no." EU regulations restrict the headphone volume to 85 dB (SPL), which many of you will find too restrictive. Thankfully, SteelSeries doesn't try to do any kind of geolocating through its software suite, so nothing bad will happen if you're not honest about living in the EU. Unless you bought the headset for your child, I wouldn't even consider picking "yes." If you do find the headset too quiet even with the volume limitation removed, your hearing is probably already damaged, but you can add up to +12 dB of output gain by activating Sonar in the SteelSeries GG suite and scrolling all the way to the bottom of the Game tab, where you'll find a "Gain" slider.

Recently, I've been thoroughly testing and experimenting with the miniDSP EARS headphone test fixture, probably the least expensive such device on the market. I got to a point where I feel comfortable using it for frequency response measurements to publicly present the results. The miniDSP EARS consists of two miniDSP UMIK-1 microphones placed inside a pair of silicone ears and affixed to a steel headphone stand. It's a USB-powered device, perfectly integrated with the fantastic Room EQ Wizard (REW) software used for headphone and microphone calibration and doing the measurements. Every single miniDSP EARS unit comes with its own microphone calibration files, which are loaded into REW before doing the measurements. The miniDSP EARS certainly has its quirks. The artificial ear canals aren't particularly deep, so I wouldn't necessarily consider it a viable option for IEM testing. The integrated microphones are exceptionally sensitive to headphone positioning, partially because of the screws affixing the silicone ears to the stand, which aren't perfectly flush with the silicone surface. Some users also claim that the fixture is too narrow for very large hi-fi headphones, so they have to use rubber bands to tighten the clamping force. The latter isn't something I had an issue with, though; all my headsets and headphones fitted perfectly.

Because of all that, the miniDSP EARS is prone to user error. Whoever is using it has to know how to interpret the results and, even more importantly, how to spot those that are clearly flawed. After getting rid of the bad data, assuming the initial configuration and calibration were done properly, the resulting frequency response measurements are usable and in line with what one would hear from the headphones (or headset) in question. Once I got to where the frequency response plots corresponded to what I heard from the headphones and headsets I measured, I knew it was time to bring the results into my reviews. My testing methodology mostly follows the best practices of using the miniDSP EARS as covered in great detail in this article on Headphonesty. The most significant difference is that I'm using the updated HEQ compensation, where a subjectively neutral headphone would measure approximately flat. The audio source for my analog headphone and headset tests is the fantastic EVGA NU Audio Pro PCI Express sound card. For wireless headsets, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, I'm using the supplied wireless base station as the source, as that best represents the experience future owners of the headset will have when listening to it. To compensate for minor seal variances, I'm measuring each ear until I get 10 usable results and reseat the headphones, or headset, between runs. After I have my results for one ear, I apply a 1/12 octave smoothing and average the measured responses. I then repeat the process for the other ear for an idea of whether any channel imbalance exists. My results are plotted on a 50 dB scale (50–100 dB) at roughly a 16:9 aspect ratio, which needs to be considered when examining the frequency response graph(s). It's also important to keep in mind that my results aren't directly comparable to anyone else's, as only an identical methodology conducted on my exact sample of the miniDSP EARS would yield directly comparable results. Still, we now have a relevant visual representation of the sound characteristics of the headphones or headset under review, so I hope you find it useful.

I only just started building my gaming headset frequency measurement database, but you can explore it and follow its progress on my personal Squiglink. Let's take a look at the frequency response measurement of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.



The frequency response you're looking at was recorded at default settings without any equalization applied. It shows the reasonably neutral bass and midrange tuning of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, although with a noticeable dip in the 3–4 kHz region and a boosted treble with a substantial 8 kHz peak. To my ears, the aforementioned dip doesn't translate into a lack of vocal presence or general dullness of the sound. However, if your ears are treble-sensitive, you could have an issue with the 8 kHz peak as it does introduce some sibilance to certain vocals (particularly female ones) and makes high-pitched sounds, such as cymbals or gunfire, somewhat piercing. At the same time, you get a strong sense of hearing subtle details you've missed before, both when listening to music and playing games. This can be hugely beneficial in multiplayer shooters, especially combined with the great stereo imaging prowess of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless.

To get the most out of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless sound-quality-wise, you have to make use of the powerful parametric equalizer and that the built-in speaker drivers respond to all kinds of tuning exceptionally well. For a quick way to get a very consumer-friendly sound, one you're likely to enjoy regardless of content, simply open the Engine section of the SteelSeries GG suite and select the Bass Boost preset. That will make the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless sound significantly warmer and bottom-heavier, although also a bit less airy and hyperdetailed. Another option is to activate Sonar and play around with the parametric equalizer. In there, your options are pretty much endless, and it's up to you to find a profile that suits your ears best.


I'd consider adding a bit of bass around the 60-80 Hz region and slightly boosting the 1–2 kHz region for added clarity and detail. Be very careful what you do here, though, because human ears are very sensitive to changes in this frequency region. Also, don't bother trying to completely smooth out the 8 kHz peak. You'll end up with a sound that's muffled and unappealing. I'd rather focus my efforts on compensating for the dip around 4 kHz, as that will open up the sound even more and add attack and presence to it. On the screenshot above you can see an example of a custom parametric equalizer curve I had a lot of fun with.

At factory defaults, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless sounds good. After some adjustment, good quickly turns to great, to where—and I don't say this lightly—it becomes obvious why it carries a $350/€380 price tag.

Virtual Surround Sound

On the virtual surround sound front, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless offers a Spatial Audio section with a ton of ways to tune the experience to your liking. First of all, you can pick between headphone and speaker mode, with each offering a slightly different tonality of the surround sound effect. Then you can play around with individual virtual speaker placement and distance and adjust a slider that has Performance (better sound localization) and Immersion (more ambiance) on its ends. While I didn't find a spatial audio setting that would offer me more accurate in-game target retrieval or a more engaging music listening or movie watching experience than traditional stereo mode, your mileage may vary. The sheer number of possibilities is staggering, and experimentation is highly advised.

Active Noise Cancellation

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless uses a hybrid 4-microphone active noise cancellation (ANC) technology. It successfully drowns out lower frequency sounds, as well as parts of the midrange, up to around 1 kHz. After that point, there's not much of a difference between ANC and blocking external sounds passively by using the closed-back nature of the ear cups.

On a more of an "everyday life with the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless" note, my current living situation has me working in an open space shared between myself, my partner, our 10-month old baby, and two dogs. With ANC active, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless blocked out enough of my surroundings to allow me to disconnect and keep fully focused on my work, this review included.