SteelSeries offers a variety of gaming headphones, ranging from low-cost wired devices to high-end wireless bundles. With a hefty $329.99 price tag and the performance, build quality, and features to back it up, the Arctis Pro Wireless falls into the latter category. It comes with two batteries and a dedicated transmitter with its own screen for modifying sources, EQ settings, and audio mixing without having to touch your PC or console.
It also features Bluetooth and a wired connection, allowing you to use it with your smartphone while leaving the transmitter at home. It earns our top choice designation for wireless gaming headphones because to its extensive feature set, outstanding audio performance, and comfortable fit.
Design
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless headset is essentially identical as the wired Arctis Pro + GameDAC headset, except it includes a battery and Bluetooth controls, as well as a lack of colourful illumination. With slightly rubberized plastic earcups, it's modest and black. A black anodized metal headband holds each earcup on a nearly quarter-circle arm that allows them to fold flat and pivot slightly vertically. Soft, breathable fabric-covered earpads easily fit over most ears, and a black anodized metal headband holds each earcup on a nearly quarter-circle arm that allows them to fold flat and pivot slightly vertically.
The headband has an elastic strap that spans the length of it, providing adjustable suspension that lifts the headset off the scalp. This allows it to fit over even huge heads securely for lengthy periods of time. The suspension on the headband is a bit more pleasant to wear than typical headband cushioning, and it's considerably more subtle than the anodized coloured metal piping of the Astro Gaming A50.
The majority of the headset's controls and connectors are located around the left earcup's edge. A microphone mute button, a clickable multi-purpose volume wheel, a connector for the included headset cable (the same one used by the wired Arctis Pro), a 3.5mm pass-through to let other users hear the audio going through the headset, a micro USB port for charging, and a boom mic that stays retracted inside the earcup when not in use are all found on the back and working downward.
On the bottom edge of the right earcup are only two buttons: Power and Bluetooth, as well as indicator lights for each. Each earcup's rear panel is held in place by magnets and readily removed. The left earcup panel conceals a geometric design but no mechanical components, whereas the right earcup panel conceals the battery compartment.
Transmitter
The wireless transmitter is a 1.4-by-4.3-by-4.3-inch (HWD) black box with a monochrome OLED display, clickable dial, and separate Back button (that also toggles DTS simulated surround sound on and off) on the front, comparable in form and size to an Apple TV. The right side has a battery slot, while the back has 3.5mm and optical audio inputs and outputs, as well as a micro USB port and a barrel plug power connector (which is optional but allows you to keep the transmitter active so you can change the headset's settings without having to connect it to your computer or console). High-resolution audio may also be played back through the headset thanks to the transmitter. It can play up to 96kHz, 24-bit audio, which isn't suitable for most games but is ideal for listening to lossless music.
Except for a place to keep it while it's not in use, this is virtually everything you could want in a wireless gaming headset transmitter. You can't secure the headset over it as you can with the Astro Gaming A50's dual transmitter and charging base because it's just a black box.
The transmitter displays the connected device, volume level, and current battery levels for both the headset and charging slot batteries by default. Toggle simulated surround sound, adjust audio settings like game/voice chat mix, choose equaliser presets (or make your own custom EQ setting with a five-band equaliser), or change the source between PC (USB-only), PS4 (USB for voice chat, optical for game audio), and anything connected to the transmitter through the 3.5mm input by clicking the dial.
It's a nice interface to have on hand rather than having to go into an app or menu on your TV or monitor, but it's a lot clunkier than the GameDAC interface that came with the wired Arctis Pro. Fortunately, the headset's clickable volume wheel compensates; unlike the transmitter, which involves navigating menus, clicking the wheel cycles between volume control, game/voice mix, equalisation, and audio source settings.
All of the cords you'll need to operate and charge the Arctis Pro Wireless are included, including optical audio, USB-to-micro USB, mobile audio (proprietary headset connector-to-3.5mm), and 3.5mm. While it features ports for charging and using the headset wired, none of them are required to keep the headset functioning. It is pre-paired with the wireless transmitter that is provided and features a battery slot for charging. You can switch out the batteries and have one charged at all times because it comes with two, so you don't have to plug in the headset to use it. SteelSeries claims that each battery may last up to 10 hours.
Microphone and connectivity
The Arctis Pro Wireless is compatible with both a PC and a PlayStation 4, with the transmitter connecting through USB for the PC and both USB and optical audio for the PS4. Although the PS4 Slim lacks an optical audio output, the optical audio output from your television will suffice. This headset isn't ideal for console gaming if your TV doesn't have an optical audio output.
By turning on the headset and holding the Bluetooth button down until it flashes, you may use it on its own through Bluetooth. It can handle audio from both the transmitter and the connected Bluetooth device at the same time, allowing you to have your phone nearby while gaming. It may also be used in Bluetooth mode without the transmitter or linked with the provided cord.
The Arctis Pro Wireless has an excellent microphone. In PC test recordings, my voice came across cleanly, with ample of clarity and low-mid resonance without sounding excessively sibilant. I observed a low-level hiss in the test recordings, which I assumed was caused by our test lab's overzealous ventilation system rather than interference. In our quieter test environment, the PS4 didn't produce much hiss, so keep that in mind if you have a noisy air conditioner.
Performance of Music
The Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless does a good job with music, with sculpted sound and lots of bass, which is characteristic of gaming headsets. It recreated the pulsating subwoofer-like bass drum in Run The Jewels' "Legend Has It" with substantial force and minimal distortion at maximum and borderline hazardous volume settings. The voices on the tune, as well as the shaker backing the mix, stood out against the sub-bass tones.
Performance in the Game
The Arctis Pro Wireless, like the Arctis Pro + GameDAC, employs DTS Headphone:X for simulated surround sound. Although we haven't yet seen a headset that can provide true surround sound, the Pro Wireless' 40mm stereo speakers can at least construct a larger-sounding audio field with processing and mixing. Because perfect imaging of audio sources as in front of or behind you is difficult, you won't notice much, if any, tactical benefit, but it can still make the game experience more immersive.
On the Arctis Pro Wireless, Monster Hunter World sounds fantastic. The headset has just enough low-frequency response to give forceful hits some punch without overpowering the rest of the game audio, while delicate noises like whetstones or mining minerals have enough of high-frequency refinement. The DTS Headphone:X simulated surround sound provides excellent lateral imagery by combining the stereo channels to provide a superb sense of left-to-right orientation.
Nier: Automata sounds fantastic as well. Higher frequency sound effects like laser bursts and auditory cues to avoid come through cleanly in the game's terrific soundtrack, which has sufficient of low-mid presence to lend the instruments bombast. Even in the midst of a combat, dialogue is clearly audible.
Conclusion
With Bluetooth connectivity and a strong transmitter with its own display and controls, the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless is one of the most feature-rich gaming headsets we've encountered. It also sounds great and is really comfortable to wear, helping to justify the $320 price tag. The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless is one of the best headpones for wireless gaming because of everything it has to offer. The Astro Gaming A20 and SteelSeries' own Arctis 7 are excellent wireless headphones that lack the versatility and build quality of the Arctis Pro but are half the price.
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