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SteelSeries

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base)

Name: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base)
Brand: SteelSeries
SKU: B0C1P7XV7V
Price: 138.65 USD

Can you cut too many corners in making a budget-friendly headset?

Current price · Amazon US

$138.65

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Price last checked 22h ago

Key specs

Battery Life Wireless

36 hBelow average

36 h

8 h90 h

below average for gaming headsets — based on 83 of 149 we've cataloged.

Connection Type

2.4ghz

Wired-3.5mm32%Bluetooth29%2.4GHZ25%Wired-usb-c10%

2.4GHZ appears on 25% of the 182 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 149).

Battery

Battery Life Wireless: 36 h
Charging Method: USB-C
Full Charge Minutes: 15 min
Battery: Yes
Fast Charging: Yes

Connectivity

Connection Type: 2.4ghz
Dongle Connector: USB-C
Headphone Jack: No
Platform Compatibility: PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Wireless Protocol: 2.4GHz dongle

Design

Headband Type: Adjustable over-head
Color Options: Black
Ear Pad Inner Dimensions: 60×48 mm
Weight: 262 g

Features

Companion App: IOS + Android
Eq Customization: Full parametric EQ

Microphone

Frequency Response High Hz: 6500 Hz
Frequency Response Low Hz: 100 Hz
Polar Pattern: Bidirectional
Microphone: Yes
Is Retractable: Yes

Sound

Driver Size: 40 mm
Frequency Response High Hz: 22000 Hz
Frequency Response Low Hz: 20 Hz

SoundGuys review

Read the full review ›

SOUNDGUYS rating

7.2/ 10

Recommended

Reviewed byRiley BallantyneWriterReviewed August 2023

Isolation3.4

Battery life9.8

Comfort & fit8.5

Connectivity7.5

Design7.9

Portability7.0

The verdict

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 works great when it comes to wireless performance, and it's fairly easy to recommend if it's in your budget. However, it lacks support for Bluetooth, and has some shortcomings when it comes to sound quality.

✓What we like

✓Great wireless performance

✓Comfort

✓Battery life

✕What could be better

✕No Bluetooth

✕Default frequency response

Read the full SoundGuys review →

Lab data

How we test ›

Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.

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0 of 4 overlay slots used

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base)SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve

Measured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.

Frequency response — measurement data

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base): frequency response, as measured in the SoundGuys lab. Frequency in hertz.
Frequency (Hz)	Response (dB)
20	-12.6
25	-9.4
32	-8.2
40	-6.8
50	-6.5
63	-6.4
80	-5.3
100	-4.0
125	-3.4
160	-2.7
200	-2.1
250	-1.8
315	-2.6
400	-3.3
500	-2.2
630	-2.0
800	-0.6
1000	-0.0
1250	0.4
1600	2.3
2000	4.2
2500	5.3
3150	6.4
4000	2.3
5000	-4.7
6300	5.3
8000	6.4
10000	5.8
12500	-5.7
16000	-9.4
20000	-31.8

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base)

Passive isolation (dB) with ANC off — how much ambient noise the fit blocks on its own. Higher on the chart means more attenuation.

Passive isolation — measurement data

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4 (Base): passive isolation, as measured in the SoundGuys lab. Frequency in hertz.
Frequency (Hz)	Attenuation (dB)
21	-1.5
26	0.7
33	-0.4
41	-0.2
52	-0.3
65	-1.0
82	-1.5
103	-1.3
130	-1.9
163	-2.1
205	-2.5
259	-2.9
325	-0.9
410	-1.9
516	-0.6
613	0.2
772	4.4
972	7.9
1220	11.9
1540	13.3
1940	14.1
2440	25.4
3070	26.9
3870	23.0
4870	32.6
6130	29.0
7720	29.3
9720	35.8
12200	34.0
15400	29.1
19400	35.7