I love the new Steelseries Arctis 1 wireless gaming headset.
They fit better than the Arctis 3 bluetooth that I’ve been using for a few months now
and thanks this USB C wireless transmitter you can easily switch between any current
gen gaming console and PC.
But since they don’t have bluetooth 4.2 or bluetooth 5.0, sometimes I do miss using
my Arctis 3.
But non the less if you’re looking for a $100 gaming wireless headset I don’t think
you can go wrong with the Arctis 1 wireless.
Now before we get started I just want you to know that I'm mainly an Xbox gamer and
i'll play on the switch from time to time.
I currently don’t have a gaming PC cause I don’t have room for it, so this review
is going to come from a console gamers perspective.
Like I mentioned earlier the Arctis 1 wireless retails for $100, but there’s also a non
wireless version of the Acrtis 1 which retails for $50.
So if you want to pick this headset up it’ll be linked down below.
So the Arctis 1 wireless comes included with a 3.5 to 3.5 millimeter audio cable since
you still have to use a wired connection if you’re an Xbox gamer, there’s a long USB
A to micro USB cable used for charging since the Arctis 1 still charges via a micro USB
port, you get your USB C wireless transmitter which you’ll plug directly into your computer,
Nintendo switch or even your phone, and you also get a USB A to USB C adaptor so you can
plug the transmitter into your playstation 4 or into your computer if it doesn’t have
a USB C port.
But now lets talk about the headphones themselves.
The Arctis 1 look very different from the Arctis 3.
The Arctis 1 no longer has a suspension headband like the Arctis 3, the microphone no longer
retracts into its ear cup like the Arctis 3, but the Arctis 1 now has a 3.5 millimeter
audio jack so if you want to get a fabric audio cable you can do that.
But the Arctis 1 are still very light weight like the Arctis 3, they’re still using the
same plastic body panels as the Arctis 3, and they still have the same super breathable
fabric ear pads that keep your ears nice and cool even after long gaming sessions.
But the Arctis 1 just fit much better than the Arctis 3.
They fit much more naturally on your head than the Arctis 3 do.
For me the Arctis 3 apply a little more pressure on the top portion of my ears than they do
on the bottom, its not uncomfortable but it is annoying.
Where as the ear cups on the Arctis 1 apply an even amount of pressure around your ears
so you forget you have them on after while.
The ear cups on the Arctis 1 are also a little more roomier than the ear cups on the Arctis
3.
So if you’re someone with large ears then you’ll probably really like the Arctis 1.
But something that I do want to point out is that when I first unboxed the Arctis 1
and put them on I did find them to be a little snug.
But after flexing the headband a little bit and gaming with them for a few hours, they
broke in and now they fit perfectly fine.
So over all the Arctis 1 are more comfortable the the Arctis 3 even without their suspension
headband… and not to mention I really prefer their more low profile design.
But now lets talk about performance.
From a sound quality standpoint I didn’t notice any major audio differences between
the Arctis 1 and Arctis 3.
They both get more than loud enough and distortion isn’t a problem.
But with the Arctis 1 you can you can connect to steel series engine 3 on your computer
and adjust the headset’s eq dynamic range compression, mic sidetone, and mic volume.
These settings are then stored directly on the headset so if you were to go from gaming
on your PC to gaming on your switch or playstation those settings will still carry over which
is good.
But unfortunately, since the Arctis 1 can only be used passively when when used with
a wired connection you can’t use your preset configuration for EQ and dynamic range compression.
So basically Xbox gamers are out of luck and are just better off getting the Arctis 1 Wired
version instead.
But just being able to have control over your EQ settings is a major deal over the Arctis
3 if youre gaming on a playstation or switch.
Now when it comes to wireless connectivity…
I’ve had zero issues with this wireless transmitter.
All I gotta do is just plug it in, turn on the headset and they automatically pair.
And from a performance stand point there isn’t any noticeable lag, and I’ve had zero connection
drops.
I can even walk around my whole house and get multiple walls between the headset and
transmitter and not suffer any connection drops or static.
But unfortunately, the Arctis 1 can only wirelessly communicate to anything that’s plugged into
this wireless transmitter.
Since the Arctis 1 doesn’t have bluetooth 4.1 like the Arctis 3 you can’t just pair
to your phone without using the transmitter.
And personally this is a big deal for me cause one of my favorite things about the Arctis
3 is that while im in a game lobby I can just watch a video on my phone without having to
take my headphones off.
And you just can’t do this with the Arctis 1 you’re going to have to go back to the
1 ear out technique.
And personally I think its a shame the Arctis 1 don’t have bluetooth 4.2 or bluetooth
5.0 cause this headset would also be great as a normal pair of headphones.
They’re very comfortable to wear and they don’t look bad at all.
I mean technically you could use them as a normal pair of headphones with your android
device, but you better not lose or break that transmitter.
If the Arctis 1 could wirelessly connect to both the transmitter and bluetooth on your
phone then this headset would be perfect in my book.
And finally there’s the microphone on this headset.
Just as you’d expect the microphone on this headset sounds great and it does a good job
of just picking up your voice and not everything else around you.
So over all im a really big fan of the steel series Arctis 1.
Its just fits much better than the Arctis 3, they sound great, and I can game with this
headset for hours on end.
But if you’re strictly an xbox gamer I highly recommend you just go with the $50 non wireless
version of the Arctis 1.
But for everybody else, the wireless version is the way to go.
The Arctis 1 wireless plays nice with PC, Playstation or Switch or even your phone…
so if you have more than one gaming console you can easily switch between them and play
wirelessly with the Arctis 1.
Being able to adjust the EQ, Dynamic range compression, and mic sidetone settings on
this headset and have those presets saved directly on the headset is nice.
But I just wish this headset could connect to your phone’s bluetooth without requiring
the transmitter.