The time-honored Arctis Nova Pro Wireless from the Danish manufacturer has been at the top of our headset best list for years. But now it’s time to change the guard: the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is nothing less than the best gaming headset currently available, setting new standards with hi-res wireless sound, Bluetooth, active noise cancellation and innovative OmniPlay. But is it really worth the high price of around 650 euros? Our test reveals more.
Technical data
| The product | Arctis Nova Elite |
| Design | over-ear |
| Driver | 40 mm carbon driver |
| Frequency range (headphones) | 10 – 40,000 Hz |
| Impedance | 38 Ohm |
| Connectivity | 3x USB-C (2.4 GHz); Bluetooth 5.3; 3.5 mm jack |
| Microphone type | ClearCast Gen 2.X boom microphone, On-ear beamforming microphone |
| Frequency range (microphone) | 100 – 14,000 Hz |
| Range (wireless) | Approx. 12 meters |
| Battery life | 30 hours (2 rechargeable batteries included; replaceable) |
| Charging time | 1.5 hours |
| weight | 390 g |
| Spatial sound | Tempest 3D, Windows Sonic Spatial, SteelSeries Sonar Surround for Windows, DTS Headphone, Dolby Atmos |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch / 2, Xbox Series, Xbox One, smartphone/tablet |
| Special functions | ANC; Infinite Power System; OmniPlay; Wireless Hi-Res sound; Base station |
| Price | € 649.99 * |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite review: Familiar design, fine workmanship
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite presents itself as an extremely high-quality premium gaming headset that immediately catches the eye with its choice of materials and workmanship. The central frame is made of robust metal, which gives the headset exceptional stability and durability. This not only ensures high resistance to everyday wear and tear, but also conveys a high-quality, robust feel to the touch. The finish is flawless, with seamless transitions and a sophisticated design that virtually eliminates creaking and flex.
The padding on the ear cups is generously sized and has a soft, breathable memory foam padding that guarantees comfort even after several hours of gaming. The feel of the padding is convincing across the board, although the outer material is made of artificial leather (pleather), which could show slight signs of wear and tear after prolonged use.
Fortunately, the manufacturer has opted for a modular design here: The ear pads can be easily replaced, which extends the service life and hygiene.
The headband uses a textile-coated, flexible spring steel band that fits snugly but comfortably around the head without exerting excessive pressure. The manufacturer’s typical ski goggle headband is used, which can be adjusted to the shape of your head in three stages. This makes the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite extremely comfortable to wear, even for hours on end.
The microphone boom can be innovatively integrated into the left ear cup, disappears completely out of sight and glides smoothly and precisely. Alternatively, the headset also has two integrated beamforming microphones if you don’t want to use the boom mic.
The headset looks modern and minimalistic. The scope of delivery is also extremely generous. In addition to the headset, you get a high-quality base station, replaceable batteries and a practical case for transportation or storage, as well as three USB cables and a jack cable. Overall, the Nova Elite gives the impression of a well thought-out premium product with a focus on comfort and durability.
Features and operation
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is not only equipped with state-of-the-art, but also extremely versatile and innovative features. On the hardware side, it is equipped with high-resolution 2.4 GHz wireless, which enables lossless transmission at 96 kHz and 24-bit depth. This makes it the first hi-res wireless audio-certified gaming headset.
It also features Bluetooth 5.3 with Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) and multipoint support, which makes it much easier to pair to multiple devices at the same time. High-resolution sound is also available via Bluetooth thanks to the LC3 codec, which means the headset can also impress as powerful over-ear headphones.
For fans of classic connections, a 3.5 mm jack cable is also included in the scope of delivery, making the headset universally applicable – whether PC, console, smartphone or other audio sources. The Arctis Nova Elite also comes with active noise cancellation (ANC) to simply block out annoying background noise.
The headset also has a USB-C port to supply it with power if you don’t want to use the Infinity battery system.
OmniPlay is an absolutely ingenious feature for users of multiple platforms. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite not only allows you to connect to PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox and other systems simultaneously, but also to mix up to four audio sources at the same time.
And that even alongside the simultaneous use of Bluetooth and a 2.4 GHz wireless connection. In theory, you can listen to music on your smartphone, chat on your PC via Discord and play the game sound on your console – all at the same time.
Impressive? Absolutely. And it works perfectly in practice. Especially as you can individually adjust the volume between the game chat and game sound thanks to Chat Mix.
Excellent operation with base station
The supplied base station acts as the central control center. We already know it in this form from the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Volume and source mixing can be controlled via a tactile, high-quality rotary control wheel, while an OLED display clearly shows the most important status information such as battery level, active profiles and connection status.
The operation seems well thought out, but you first have to familiarize yourself with the menu navigation until you have internalized it. If you want to criticize something then perhaps the fact that the menu is not in German but only in English.
Nevertheless, the menu is clearly structured and allows a wide range of settings to be made directly via the base station. From the equalizer to the ANC to the microphone.
However, there are also important basic functions on the headset itself: An on/off switch, a volume control, a microphone mute switch, a Bluetooth button and a switch for active noise canceling (ANC). These short distances enable quick interventions while playing or streaming. The functions are well thought out and the buttons are easy to reach.
Battery life of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
- Exchangeable batteries for infinite runtime
- 30 hours runtime per battery
- quick charge function
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite relies on the “Infinite Power System”, which fans already know from the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Two exchangeable 700 mAh batteries theoretically enable non-stop gaming.
Win battery is located under the left, magnetic holder on the headset, while the second can be charged in the base station. The charge status of both batteries can be seen on the OLED display of the base, and the headset also informs you when it is time to change the battery.
One battery lasts for around 30 hours – a decent value. This results in a runtime of 60 hours with both batteries. Changing the battery is quick, a short battery change does not interrupt the sound as long as you act within eight seconds. A quick charge gives you four hours of operating time with just 15 minutes on the charger.
App connection: GG/Sonar and smartphone app
As is typical for SteelSeries, the GG software including Sonar is once again used on the PC and, in my opinion, this is by far the best companion app of all gaming headsets on the market to date. It’s not just that you can adjust the equalizer to your personal preferences down to the smallest detail.
There are also countless audio presets to choose from if you don’t want to do it yourself. You can customize the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite for games such as CS:GO, Apex Legends or League of Legends or tune it for music and video streaming at the touch of a button.
However, this doesn’t just apply to the sound of the headset. The microphone can also be fine-tuned down to the smallest detail. Both with the equalizer and sidetone, surprisingly good AI-supported background noise suppression or the option to add a compressor and noise gate.
To ensure that console gamers don’t go away empty-handed, the Arctis Nova Elite can also be customized down to the last detail via the “Arctis” smartphone app, which is available to download for free on iOS and Google.
Audio quality, ANC and microphones
In terms of audio quality in particular, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite has improved significantly compared to the Nova Pro Wireless. Not only is the headset now capable of delivering wireless Hi-Res sound at 96 kHz in 24-bit depth, the entire driver design is new:
The Danish manufacturer has given the headset a new type of carbon driver, which – compared to classic neodymium magnets – should not only be more durable and robust, but should also produce a rounder, more detailed sound with less distortion and significantly fewer sharp peaks.
And indeed, the carbon drivers with their frequency response from 10 Hz to 40,000 Hz deliver an incredibly detailed and clear sound that should also appeal to audiophiles. I was absolutely delighted with the headset both when gaming and when streaming and listening to music.
By default, the tuning is somewhat bass-heavy with an accentuated high frequency response, which supports better positional resolution in gaming, although I personally would have liked the treble to be more airy – how good that you can make incredibly fine adjustments to detail here with the parametric equalizer.
In just a few simple steps, I was able to adjust the Arctis Nova Elite so that it could even outperform my beloved beyerdynamic studio headphones in competitive gaming.
The excellent spatial representation of the sound should also be emphasized, thanks to which acoustic cues can be located very well in the room. This can be further improved by switching on the spatial audio function, where the headset is also superior to many of its competitors.
Active noise suppression
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite also has an ANC function that additionally filters out ambient noise. You can switch between ANC and normal mode by pressing the on/off button. SteelSeries promises active noise canceling that can filter out 42 percent more ambient noise than competing gaming headsets.
In fact, the ANC function does an excellent job and can almost completely reduce low, monotonous frequencies in particular, while mid and high frequencies are greatly reduced.
Although the result still can’t keep up with some of the best ANC headphones, some of which completely shade you out, in combination with the very good passive isolation and ANC, the Elite achieves the best value among gaming headsets with ANC – and significantly so.
Microphone quality
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite comes with two types of microphone. On the one hand, there is the retractable boom microphone, which is activated by default when you unfold the microphone boom. This has a resolution of 32 kHz and 16 bit and is undoubtedly one of the best microphones among all wireless gaming headsets.
Microphone test recording SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite:
Microphone test recording SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite (beamforming):
Microphone test recording Razer Kitty V3 Pro:
Microphone test recording Razer BlackShark V3 Pro:
However, if you don’t want to use this or want to make calls on your smartphone, for example, SteelSeries also equips the headset with integrated beamforming microphones, which can’t quite keep up in terms of sound, but still achieve a clear and detailed sound.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite Review: Conclusion
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the best wireless gaming headset currently available. The top model sets new benchmarks in many categories: with a robust, comfortable design, multifunctional operation, almost endless battery life, flexible app control and top audiophile performance including strong noise suppression and microphone quality, the headset is positioned at the top of the premium segment.
The sound quality in particular absolutely blew me away and should even delight audiophile music lovers. You get a sound quality here that can easily keep up with high-quality studio headphones.
In combination with the elegant design, the Arctis Nova Elite also cuts an excellent figure as over-ear headphones for listening to music.
But there is still the elephant in the room. With a price tag of 650 euros, the wireless gaming headset is expensive. Extremely expensive. There is no question that the Elite lives up to its price. But whether you are willing to spend that much money is another matter.
In my opinion, the purchase is worthwhile for all those who are looking for a headset that can connect to several platforms at the same time. The simultaneous mixing of so many audio sources is absolutely unique.
- Outstanding sound
- Wireless + Bluetooth
- OmniPlay connectivity
- Infinite battery life
- Very good ANC
- Very good microphone quality
- Excellent wearing comfort
- Extremely expensive
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Workmanship
Wearing comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value For Money
95/100
Outstanding sound, strong ANC, excellent wearing comfort and an infinite battery life: the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the best gaming headset of 2025.
