SteelSeries Arctis 3 Review

👤by Tony Le Bourne Comments 📅21-12-16
Conclusion

SteelSeries are almost legendary for putting 'gaming headsets' on the market with the Siberia line, and thus there is a lot of pressure to deliver in a field that is not only important to gaming, but to every aspect of our technological lives. SteelSeries understand this, that is why they have implemented their high grade S1 drivers from the Siberia 800 series headset in each of the Arctis headsets. The default audio signature is enjoyable, despite the mids feeling a little washed out. This is easily fixed via the equaliser due to how well the drivers respond to tuning.

Versatility has become incredibly important regarding audio peripherals due to the many electronic devices that have invaded our lives. People do not want to fork out money for multiple headsets/headphones for their daily needs. The Arctis' design is more neutral, sleek, and attractive enough to be used outside (despite the sound leakage). To facilitate this, SteelSeries have implemented fully modular cables that will allow people to quickly move from device to device with very little hassle.

Not only does it look great, but it is evident that it is beautifully crafted, as displayed by the quality construction, materials. The comfort matches that which we previously considered one of the most comfortable headsets around, the Siberia V3/350. It is lightweight, and unlike the Siberia 350, it is strong. The ski-google headband is a stroke of genius as its soft, stretchy nature barely puts any noticeable pressure on your head at all. It also enables people to add a bit of flair with custom headbands. Finally, despite not being a ground breaking feature, the earpads are easily removed and replaced, with the SteelSeries Airweave material being a surprisingly effective solution that surprisingly soft, airy and light, ensuring optimal temperature and reducing any sweaty buildup. If you wish to reduce sound leakage/improve sound isolation, swapping the earpads for leatherette ones may be worth while.



It is a shame that we found that the Arctis 3 leaks noise to the microphone, a problem we have observed with the Siberia headsets too. Though not exclusive to retractable microphone designs, it does appear to be connected. It could be down to the soundcard I use driving the headset to high volumes, and thus the retracted microphone picks up the vibrations, the maximum volume was a little lower via the Xbox One controller, and was less noticeable, but still rendered certain in-game noises such as explosions, gunshots, as well as a voice echo of the people I was talking to.

The software was an interesting adventure, and you have to jump through hoops to access it, more so than the relatively painless sign in of the Razer synapse. I am also wondering if the code given is a single use code, meaning that should you lend someone your headset, or even sell it in future, others will not have access to the software. As it is supporting software, it is slightly annoying that SteelSeries didn't incorporate the basic audio functions into the SteelSeries engine and allow people free access to that, such as the Razer Surround software (free access to full feature set if you register a Razer device), or even some of the Creative SoundBlaster software can also be used with any Analogue headset. It would also be nice if SteelSeries released a supporting mobile app for audio controls via mobile device. Again, there are existing apps that can do this, but such things are all about Brand awareness. The software is certainly a good touch, and essential to access certain features, especially if you do not have a discrete soundcard. Though the virtual 7.1 rendering felt like it didn't add too much into the mix and could have been stronger.

The Arctis 3 really does show off the expert craftsmanship by SteelSeries and it does reach beyond beyond the standard of 'just a gaming headset'. The paradigm shift of 'great gaming audio is great audio', is something many have been pandering for a while, and the exaggerated, muddy bass headsets of yesteryear should be left in the past. Though comparing the Arctis 3 against some competitors, it feels a little pricy. It has escaped the 'gamer headset' category, but it costs £15 more than the HyperX Cloud II, and costs the same as the HyperX Cloud Revolver (£89-99), or even at time of speaking, the BlasterX H5 by creative is available for just £69 (at time of writing), sandwiching the Arctis 3 between a rock and a hard place. Personally I feel that the Arctis should have been a stand alone headset with all the features of the 3, 5, and 7, available for £99-119. I say this because it seems like that this would be the huge step that the technology market needs to be ground breaking. As it stands, The Arctis 3 is a high quality headset that is versatile, and totally comfortable.

The Arctis 3 reaches beyond the gaming norm in its beautiful craftsmanship and fine materials that afford a high level of comfort and enjoyable sound quality.

Pros.
+ Lightweight
+ Very comfortable
+ Sleek aesthetics
+ Quality construction
+ The S1 Drivers respond well to equalising
+ Enjoyable audio
+ Removable/replaceable earpads and headband
+ Fully modular/ versatile
+ Integrated volume dial and microphone mute
+ Audio-share jack

Mediocre
+- Price
+- Software is a hassle to obtain
+- Virtual 7.1 has little effect
+- Not wireless

Cons.
- Audio leakage to microphone


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