SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is the best gaming headset I have ever tested, and offers the most complete overall package that a wireless headset can offer right now, from design and features to sound quality and mic.
Pros
- The most complete gaming headset on the market
- First-class gaming audio on all devices and other media, too
- Premium design and build of every single part
- Tremendous connectivity and flexibility
- Brilliant ANC and microphone
Cons
- Only fully at its peak on PC
- Made for a *very* specific enthusiast audience
- includes a soft case only – not hard
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is still a brilliant wireless headset and can cover you across all platforms and provide exquisite audio, no matter the game.
Pros
- Superb sound quality across games and platforms
- Very detailed audio in-game
- Great battery life and solution
- Versatile and great connectivity features
Cons
- ANC is good, but not world-beating
- Physical controls can take getting used to
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless matchup has just become a very real titanic clash of two high-end gaming headsets, given the former’s recent release into the gaming headset market.
Personally, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless was always my go-to recommendation to anyone who has a decent budget in the headset space. I gave it five stars when I originally reviewed it for our sister site, GamesRadar+, and will keep recommending it as long as I can. However, the arrival of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite has changed this – it’s literally the best gaming headset I have ever used in all my years of reviewing gaming gear. It’s unbelievably good.
As a result, the Arctis Nova Elite vs Nova Pro Wireless matchup is one I have skin in the game of; I’m invested in this battle, and am a huge fan of both.
Therefore, I’m here to guide you through your comparison of the two premium sets to help you navigate to the best match for you and the best purchasing choice you can make.
I’ll be covering all the important stuff here, such as price and value, features and specs, and even dimensions and design, to help you pick your new premium wireless gaming headset from these two titans.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless: Price and Value
We are swimming in premium to super-premium gaming headset waters here, so we’re going to be throwing around some hefty price tags. However, that’s not to say we can’t talk about genuine value at the same time.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite costs $599.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,349, and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless retails for $379.99 / £329.99 / AU$735.
Both are chunky amounts of cash, there’s no doubt, but I’ve often stuck by the value that SteelSeries headsets offer, and even more so when they go on sale.
The price gap is a sizeable one too at the headsets’ listing prices: $220 / £270 or a 58% or 82% jump in the US and UK, respectively. This is enormous, and US folks seem to have got away with one here when it comes to straight comparisons between the two sides of the Atlantic.
However, if you’re on this page, you’re likely in the market for a super-duper headset, and thus are likely to be braced for such price tags. And, in short, I genuinely think both offer value as premium sets at their list prices.
You’ll likely get even more bang for your buck out of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless now, as it is regularly discounted. However, you will be sacrificing a few features and most of what makes the Elite unique. You’ll also have to ensure you get the right version from a compatibility perspective, whereas the Elite works across all systems.
The Elite, however, has only just released, so will likely be retaining its list price for a while before any discounts – and any we do see will be fractional, in my estimates. However, when you compare the audiophile-grade Hi-Res audio offering of the Elite to similar wireless audiophile headphones, you can instantly see that it will get you loads for your money in a wireless gaming headset.
In terms of price cuts and deals, however, a severely discounted Nova Pro Wireless is going to be a world-beater when it comes to value, and if we see deep price cuts on that headset to match its record low (around $230 / £200), or something even further this Black Friday, then it would gain a huge edge in a straight up contest.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless: Specs & Performance
While a host of similarities lie in the meat of both sets, the difference in specs and performance is where the main contrasts are between the two premium headsets.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless |
|
Price |
$599.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,349 |
$379.99 / £329.99 / AU$735 |
|
Weight |
13.4oz / 380g |
11.85oz / 336g |
|
Drivers |
40mm carbon fiber with brass surround |
40mm neodymium |
|
Compatibility |
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile |
PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, Mobile |
|
Connection type |
Hi-Res wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C and audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 (LE Audio, LC3, LC3+) |
Wireless (2.4Ghz via dongle), Wired (USB-C and audio jack), Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Battery life |
Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System |
Up to 60 hours (2 x fully-charged batteries), Infinite Power System |
|
Features |
Certified Hi-Res audio (96kHz/24-bit), 40mm carbon fiber, brass ring surround drivers, ClearCast Gen 2.X – Retractable Boom Mic and Smart-Switching On-Ear Beamforming Microphone with AI noise rejecting, ANC, Omniplay GameHub (connect four devices simultaneously) |
40mm Neodymium, ANC, magnetic drivers, 360-degree spatial audio, retractable ClearCast 2.X mic |
|
Software |
SteelSeries GG/Sonar (PC), SteelSeries Arctis Companion App (iOS & Android) |
SteelSeries GG/Sonar (PC) |
While the two headsets broadly look similar on the outside (see more on that below), they are definitely different on the inside.
In terms of the drivers delivering your audio, both headsets have the same size: 40mm. But that’s where the similarities differ. The Elite has brand-new custom-designed carbon fiber drivers that sport a brass surround ring. In contrast, the Nova Pro has SteelSeries’ trademark neodymium drivers. Both deliver awesome, awesome sound, but there is something truly special and superior about the Elite’s newly designed drivers.
Both headsets’ wireless connectivity is done by the usual 2.4Ghz dongle, but the Elite can transmit bona fide Hi-Res audio over it. The Elite also offers a boost to Bluetooth over the Nova Pro, offering a few more bells and whistles when it comes to high-end audio codecs over that connection.
With tinkering and customisation, both can be altered to your test, but with one key distinction. Sadly, SteelSeries’ brilliant Arctis Companion App came too late for the Nova Pro Wireless to see its benefits, but you can still tailor that headset in SteelSeries’ GG or Sonar app on PC. The Elite does have compatibility with the Arctis app, however, and therefore can be altered on the fly while playing on console or out and about, and this really is an extra feather in the cap for the more expensive set.
The Elite offers more in the microphone department. Largely because it has a dual-mic system that offers on-ear built-in microphones as well as a slightly souped-up boom mic. Representing this in the form of numbers, the Elite’s boom mic offers a frequency response of 100-14,000Hz, and the Pro Wireless offers 100-6500Hz. The on-ear mics of the Elite are excellent too, and really help this be a great pair of headphones when out and about for taking calls too. But that’s not to say the mic on the Pro Wireless is bad – it remains one of the best I’ve had feedback on from my online gaming friends and teammates. Tying a bow on this part of the matchup is the fact aht both have ANC, and while the Pro Wireless’ is great, the Elite’s is superb.
Audio quality is the proof-giving pudding, though, in gaming headsets, and let me tell you right away here that either headset will give you great, great gaming audio. They really will. However, for me, the Elites do ‘win’ here if you were to try to be as objective as possible and compare the two. In every way, during my extensive testing and living with the Elites, no matter what game genre, no matter the media, the Elite’s audio is simply astounding and really something truly special.
However, the Elite’s mere existence and premium audiophile-grade offering doesn’t mean the Pro Wireless’ audio quality now tumbles down by default or is subpar. For me, the Nova Pro Wireless had the best out-of-the-box audio until the Elite appeared!
So, on paper, the Elite has it when it comes to sheer specs. However, I really want to emphasize that the level of performance you get from the Nova Pro Wireless is still excellent, and if you don’t need all the super high-end bells and whistles that the Elite offers, you’re still going to have an excellent time with the Pro Wireless. There’s a reason (well, several) it was my PS5 headset and my PC gaming headset for the best part of three years.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless: Design and dimensions
The Elite and Nova Pro Wireless are clearly cut from the same cloth, design-wise, and you can tell that immediately. Indeed, like all the headsets in the Arctis Nova range, they share the same design language and form. The DAC units are also identical. However, the Elite does offer a more exciting colorway option in the exquisite sage and gold variant (as well as a classic obsidian black version), which is more interesting than the Nove Pro Wireless’ black or white options.
It’s not easy to manually measure a headset, but by the looks of my tape measure, they are exactly the same in terms of crude dimensions, though they do differ a little in weight: the Elite comes in at 13.4oz / 380g, and the Nova Pro Wireless comes in at 11.9oz / 339g.
While that’s a 1.5oz / 40g difference on paper, in reality, you won’t notice it, and I certainly haven’t cared one bit about the Elite’s extra mass comparatively when wearing it for hours and hours.
Connectivity is a department where the Elite has the edge. While both headsets can connect to multiple devices at once through the excellent DAC unit, the Elite can also simultaneously play audio from all of them at once – which can be a bit much, but can also be an excellent feature if you like to listen to music while playing games, and so on.
The Elite also does this across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and mobile, straight out of the box, while you will have to ensure you buy the Xbox variant of the Pro Wireless to get the maximum compatibility that one offers. Bluetooth is the same 5.3 version on both, but the Elite is better equipped for high-end audio codecs over that connection.
Elsewhere, the ports are largely the same, with a USB-C connection and audio jack connection available on both headsets, and the microphone – while different spec-wise, appears and functions the same on both too.
Broadly speaking, you’ve also got the same buttons on both headsets, but the Elite’s do feel a bit more premium whenever you engage with them, especially on things like the volume/control wheel. And while our original review by Michelle described the controls on the Nova Pro Wireless as not that intuitive, I would slightly disagree and say that both headsets have incredibly intuitive controls, and all are well spaced out and easy to engage with.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless: Verdict
Whichever side of the fence you’re thinking of going, your decision on whether to go massive on the Elite or go big on the Nova Pro Wireless will likely come down to a couple of factors.
If you’re a gamer who always wants the most performant peripherals and strives for the ultimate setup, then the Elite will immediately appeal. It is the best gaming headset I have ever tested, and I stick by that. If you’re an audiophile gamer, someone who simply wants the best gaming audio experience going, then the Elite will be a good match. If you have a multi-device gaming setup, then the Elite is even better and will definitely have you covered, too, while it’s also a great pair of headphones for other media.
Alternatively, if you think you’re not going to care or appreciate every single tiny audio nuance that an audiophile-grade headset can deliver, but still want something premium, then the Nova Pro Wireless is still going to be one of the best headset purchases you can make. Equally, if you want something high-end but don’t want to spend a console-price-tag on something, then the Pro Wireless is a great pick.
It still offers a premium headset experience, and by – comparatively – shirking some of the extra premium features found on the Elite, it offers a wonderful all-around high-end package. It can still cover you across multiple devices, too, so it’s still good in a multi-faceted setup, and its audio is still wonderful. And now we’re seeing more and more deals and discounts on the Nova Pro Wireless when it goes on sale, it’s only going to be more attractive, particularly during sales events like Black Friday.
Whichever one you pick, you’re in for a cracking time audio-wise; however, and while I have fallen for the Nova Pro Elite, I would still recommend either of these excellent headsets to anyone, no matter their platform or what games they play.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Pros
- Noticeable performance and visual upgrades over the PS5
- PSSR offering both fidelity and performance is dreamy
- Extra special with 120Hz displays
- 2TB of storage is excellent
- Wi-Fi 7 is a welcome boost
Cons
- Graphical advancements are not truly transformative
- No disk drive or stand included
- High price tag directly impacts value
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Pros
- Gameplay of up to 4K/120fps
- Stunning controller that features haptics
- Beautiful, fast UI
Cons
- Size of the OG model is bulky
- Usable space on the 825GB/1TB SSD fills up quickly
- Only a single generation of backward compatibility
The best audiophile headphones and headsets for gaming
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
