Sound Quality

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is equipped with a pair of 40-millimeter dynamic drivers with a specified frequency response of 10-40,000 Hz. When you first connect the headset to the GameDAC Gen 2 and turn it on, you'll be asked if you live in the European Union. If you want to have the entire volume range of the headset at your disposal, make sure you answer no. EU regulations limit 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 answering yes to the aforementioned question. If you end up finding the headset too quiet even with the volume limitation removed, I can tell you two things: your hearing is probably already damaged, and 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 present the results publicly. 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, which is used for headphone and microphone calibration, as well as doing the measurements themselves. 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 results 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 the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, I used the supplied GameDAC Gen 2 as the source, as that best represents the experience future owners of the headset are going to 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. It's important to keep in mind that my results cannot be directly compared 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.



The frequency response you're looking at was recorded at default settings, without any equalization applied. The overall sonic character of the Arctis Nova Pro is very similar to that of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, although the wired Arctis Nova Pro has a stronger emphasis on the bass. This is likely down to the difference in amplifiers powering them, as their speaker drivers should be identical. I don't see this added bass as a negative; in fact, in my review of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless I suggested a slight boost to its bottom end through the equalizer to get the set to sound fuller, warmer, and more engaging.

What did slightly worry me was the measured channel imbalance present in the sub-200 Hz region. It could be partially written off as a direct consequence of the finicky seal adjustment when using the miniDSP EARS fixture, but I did run over 30 measurements and reseated the headphones repeatedly, with no change in the result. I do have to point out that I didn't hear a substantial (up to 5 dB at specific points!) difference in bass volume between left and right channels before doing the measurements; that's exactly why I measure a product only after I'm completely done listening to it. With that in mind, I don't think this issue is worth losing sleep over. It's also quite possibly limited to my sample of the Arctis Nova Pro, as from what I can tell, no other reviewer or user reported anything odd with the bass region of this headset.


Like the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, the Arctis Nova Pro has a fairly neutral midrange, though with a noticeable dip in the 3-4 kHz region, and a boosted treble, with a noteworthy 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 that you've missed before, both when listening to music and playing games. This can be hugely beneficial in multiplayer shooters, especially when you combine it with the excellent stereo imaging prowess of the Arctis Nova Pro. For online gaming in general, the Arctis Nova Pro is fully capable of giving you a competitive edge over your opponents.

The built-in speaker drivers respond to equalization exceptionally well, meaning you have plenty of room to tune the Arctis Nova Pro to your liking, using the powerful parametric equalizer offered within the SteelSeries GG software suite. With it, your options are pretty much endless, and it's up to you to find a profile that suits your ears best.


I'd consider 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. In the screenshot above, you can see an example of a custom parametric equalizer curve I had a lot of fun with.

Virtual Surround Sound

On the virtual surround sound front, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro offers a Spatial Audio section with a ton of ways to tune the experience to your liking. First of all, you can pick between the 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 a 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.