SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset Review - Unbeatable Audiophile Sound

TweakTown Rating: 95%

Our Verdict

Versatility, comfort, and sound quality come together to deliver a gaming headset unlike any other. Yes, it's pricey, but if you're after audiophile-grade sound for gaming, music, and on-the-go listening, with premium ANC, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is truly impressive.

Pros

• Premium build quality and comfort
• Impressive Hi-res sound
• Versatile GameHub and connectivity options
• Some of the best ANC you'll find on a gaming headset
• Excellent app support on PC and mobile devices

Cons

• Yeah, it's pricey
• Cable quality could be better
• GameHub's finish makes it prone to fingerprints

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon for $599.99 USD

Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up

With the new SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, one of the most recognized names in gaming audio is dipping its toes into the world of audiophile-grade hardware. For those out there who listen to lossless digital music, own or have used portable headphone amps and DACs, and also have a separate amplifier just for a pair of bookshelf speakers that only play music, the $600 price tag for the Arctis Nova Elite won't be that much of a surprise.

When you go through its design, features, and underlying hardware you'll probably even be impressed with just how much audio goodness and versatility SteelSeries has packed in because $600 is considered entry-level for a pair of decent audiophile over-ear headphones - let alone one that includes 24-bit audio over low-latency wireless, dual microphones, an audio hub for connecting multiple gaming devices, and impressive ANC for on-the-go listening (and gaming).

Of course, when looking at the Arctis Nova Elite Headset as a wireless gaming headset, it's a different story. $600 is a lot of money, and you're looking at one of the most expensive options on the market. And realistically, if you're going to spend this amount on a gaming headset (and the Arctis Nova Elite is a lot more than a gaming headset), you'd expect it to knock it out of the park no matter the aspect, whether that's comfort, fit, sound quality, customization, device and Bluetooth support, battery life, and more. Now, if you've seen the rating above, then it's safe to say that SteelSeries has delivered an impressive gaming headset with the Arctis Nova Elite.

And it has done so without losing sight of what it means to be a wireless gaming headset that can be paired with a gaming PC, PlayStation, Xbox Series console, a gaming handheld like the Steam Deck, a smartphone, a laptop, or a Bluetooth device. Part of this comes down to SteleSeries' fantastic app support on PC with Sonar and on iOS and Android devices with the Arctis Companion, where access to a wide range of custom presets really lets the Arctis Nova Elite spread its wings, so to speak. Let's dig in.

Specifications & Close Up

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Kosta's Test System Specifications

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Best Deals: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Wireless Gaming Headset

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$599.99 USD	$599.99 USD	-	Buy
	$599.99 USD	$599.99 USD	-	Buy
	$599.99 USD	$599.99 USD	-	Buy
	$599.99 USD	$599.99 USD	-	Buy
* Prices last scanned 1/17/2026 at 12:34 am CST - prices may be inaccurate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn affiliate commission from any Newegg or PCCG sales.

Design & Software Support

Design

Available in stylish Sage Gold or Obsidian (aka all-Black), the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the most premium version of the company's modern Arctis gaming headset design. Like other models in the Arctis lineup, the Arctis Nova Elite looks just as much like a pair of lifestyle audio headphones as it does a headset that you'll put on to play a few rounds of Battlefield 6. Albeit more so here, with the Sage Gold design of the review unit definitely falling more into the lifestyle or luxury camp than the RGB-lit gaming one.

Although relatively heavy at 380 grams, the weight distribution is even, and the plush memory foam on the earcups adds to the comfort while creating a natural seal and decent passive noise cancellation. From the moment you first pick it up, the Arctis Nova Elite feels premium, thanks to its mix of stainless steel and aluminum, as well as faux vegan leather and fabric. Throw in cups that rotate to lie flat when stored in the carry case and a headband that is impressively sturdy and flexible, and it's easily the company's most well-crafted headset to date.

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Inside the Arctis Nova Elite headset, you'll find Carbon Fiber Drivers with a brass ring surround, a first for the company and any gaming headset as far as we can tell. These premium materials, alongside the tuning that delivers a rich sound with warm bass, an inviting mid-range, and crisp highs, result in a more durable, lighter speaker driver with less distortion and a wider dynamic range. This is something you really notice when using the Arctis Nova Elite on a PC with a 24-bit audio source - it's a level of clarity we haven't really heard from a gaming headset, and it keeps the same dynamic range even when you pump up the volume.

The retractable boom microphone is also premium, sporting a 32 kHz sampling rate and an expanded frequency range to capture the nuance and detail of your voice. There's noise cancellation to improve clarity, and when fully retracted, a second hidden beam-forming microphone activates when you're on the go or don't want to use a boom mic.

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When it comes to the underlying hardware, there's a second half to the Arctis Nova Elite, and that's the GameHub, which serves as the audio hub for connecting various gaming devices, as well housing the DSP for handling the low-latency Hi-Res Audio over 2.4 GHz wireless, which is an impressive feat in its own right and something that wasn't even possible a few years ago. The GameHub has three USB inputs for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, as well as line-in and line-out capability - and SteelSeries includes cables for each port in the box. That said, they're the company's standard cables, which is a shame as we were hoping they'd be braided or a little more premium. And in a bit of a flex, SteelSeries has even included the option to simultaneously mix and listen to audio from up to four sources, including Bluetooth.

The GameHub includes its own black-and-white display and touch controls, letting you switch between sources, adjust equalizer settings, and more. It also includes a battery charger, which plays into the Arctis Nova Elite's Infinite Power System. Underneath the removable magnetic cover on the right earcup, you'll find a compact removable battery. With two batteries supplied, you can charge one while using the other. With each offering up to 25 to 30 hours of use (without full ANC), you'll basically never run out of charge, except for those few seconds when you're swapping one battery for the other.

Software Support

When it comes to fine-tuning the audio and messing around with equalizer presets, you've got two options on PC: SteelSeries GG Engine and Sonar. The latter is definitely the way to go, as Sonar, with its parametric equalizer and a massive lineup of presets tailored and tuned for specific games, offers granular control over the sound, which you definitely hear when paired with a hi-res premium headset like the Arctis Nova Elite. Sonar also includes virtual surround options and the ability to create and switch to a separate profile for Game audio and Media, with its detailed tuning also available for the microphone.

The SteelSeries GG Engine is where you can access all Arctis Nova Elite-specific settings, while the Sonar app works with all headphones, headsets, and other audio devices. You can use Engine for tweaking audio; however, the 10-band equalizer and handful of available presets pale in comparison to what's on offer in Sonar. SteelSeries GG Engine lets you turn ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) on or off, adjust noise cancellation on both microphones, adjust sidetone levels, tweak the display on the GameHub, and enable a few handy features, like automatically enabling Bluetooth when you turn on the headset.

As a versatile headset that you can travel with, thanks to the fantastic ANC, you can also make changes and tweak settings via the Arctis Companion app available for iOS and Android. Although you don't have full access to Sonar's parametric equalizer in the app, when connected to a PlayStation or Xbox console over 2.4 GHz wireless and the GameHub, you do have access to all of the existing presets, which cover all genres and some of the most popular games currently being played. That said, the GameHub does include impressively detailed controls that let you customize the audio, adjust game and chat balance, and even mix up to four audio sources simultaneously.

Performance & Microphone Quality

Performance

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite was built to offer a premium audio experience no matter the source. And although gaming performance is usually where we place most of our focus when reviewing a gaming headset, based on the underlying hardware, our first few hours with the Arctis Nova Elite were spent listening to a wide variety of lossless 24-bit music. And yes, it's impressive and more than a step or two above the sort of sound you get from a wireless gaming headset. The default tuning is warm, balanced, and mostly neutral, with a distinct frequency response that captures nuance and detail. Basically, it sits in that audiophile realm where you really start to notice the differences in the mastering and mixing of a particular piece of music.

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This is a good sign because a balanced, rich out-of-the-box sound that doesn't require tinkering or boosting bass or other frequencies means that any equalizer adjustment you make is either for personal taste or to enhance a subpar mix. Switching over to some PC gaming, and firing up a few different titles with excellent audio and sound mixing like Battlefield 6, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Diablo 4, Hades 2, and Red Dead Redemption 2, there's also no real need to tinker with the sound as the default tuning works exceptionally well. From in-game dialogue to music and sound effects like footsteps, weather, and environmental cues, everything is crisp, clear, immersive, and free from any distortion. And when using Sonar's presets or enabling virtual surround, the Arctis Nova Elite headset can maintain all the detail in a mix, which is what makes it one of the most impressive-sounding gaming headsets we've tested to date.

It's worth noting here that the 24-bit 96 kHz capabilities of the Arctis Nova Elite are PC-only, as consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X can only handle 16-bit 48 kHz. This does mean that the Arctis Nova Elite's hardware is overkill for PS5 or Xbox audio, and likewise in Bluetooth mode. The flipside is that the Arctis Nova Elite is the sort of headset or pair of headphones that makes the most of a device's capabilities and the source recording. With support for the latest Bluetooth audio codecs and impressive ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), the Arctis Nova Elite is a premium on-the-go audio solution that charges over USB. So there's no need to carry the GameHub with you.

Microphone Quality

The Arctis Nova Elite features two microphones: a high-quality retractable microphone and an in-built one that activates if the primary boom mic is fully retracted. Both deliver clean, clear voice chat, with the boom mic edging out in detail. Neither is on par with a standalone microphone; however, when paired with Sonar's equalizer and other effects, the boom mic can deliver quality good enough for broadcast. Both also offer sidetone, so you can hear your voice or background sounds when speaking, and it's adjustable. Having two microphones definitely adds to the headset's versatility, as when you're on the go, you've got a premium pair of headphones that can also take calls.

Final Thoughts

There's no denying that the high price tag of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite makes it a niche product, especially when viewed purely from the perspective of gaming audio. That said, the audiophile-level sound you get wirelessly out of the box when connected to a PC is more than enough to justify its premium price for those with a premium OLED display who want the same level of game-changing sound quality. But it's the versatility that makes the Arctis Nova Elite something to consider as an all-in-one device for all media, pairing with multiple gaming devices and supporting on-the-go listening. And that's versatility that doesn't fall into the 'jack of all trades, master of none' trap of similar (admittedly less expensive) products.

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As a premium audio solution for PC or console gaming, the Arctis Nova Elite is right up there with the best, if not the best. Sonar remains the best app for sound customization, and when you pair it with a parametric equalizer, hi-res audio, and carbon fiber drivers, the result is game-changing. And with its impressive ANC (which SteelSeries says is 42% more potent than any other gaming headset), the Arctis Nova Elite doubles as a pair of lifestyle headphones in a way we haven't seen before from a gaming headset.