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@steady_otter_81 · Owner-reported
Owned over 2 years · Still using it: yes, daily · Posted
ANC tips stick out. Needed third party bigger muffs to not have my ears hurting after 30 mins. The band wears out and makes it so the muffs press down on top of your ears.
Own it? Your review joins these
Three answers, four quick reads, one sentence nobody tells you before buying · Sign-in needed to publish · Photo optional
Not only is this a fantastic gaming headset, but it's also a great all-purpose pair of headphones.
At 7.4, its noise cancelling beats 17% of gaming headsets we've measured.
Measured on 12 of the 150 we've cataloged.
Would not buy it again and still uses it daily.
Owned over 2 years.
What gave out: Ear pads (1)
below average for gaming headsets — based on 85 of 150 we've cataloged.
5.0 appears on 22% of the 60 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 150).
Wired-3.5mm is the most common — on 33% of the 207 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 150).
Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (Base) Frequency Response (measured on a B&K 5128)
Click a line or a legend entry to highlight it. Click again to clear.Tap a legend entry to highlight its line. Tap again to clear.
Measured frequency response (dB relative) against the SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve. When the measurement goes above the dashed line, that frequency is louder than our preference curve, and when it goes below: it's quieter. Use the curve for comparison purposes only, as your taste may vary.
| Frequency (Hz) | Response (dB) |
|---|---|
| 20 | 6.0 |
| 25 | 6.4 |
| 32 | 6.2 |
| 40 | 5.4 |
| 50 | 4.9 |
| 63 | 2.4 |
| 80 | 3.1 |
| 100 | 5.0 |
| 125 | 5.5 |
| 160 | 3.0 |
| 200 | -0.2 |
| 250 | -3.1 |
| 315 | -5.0 |
| 400 | -4.0 |
| 500 | -1.5 |
| 630 | 0.3 |
| 800 | 1.1 |
| 1000 | 1.5 |
| 1250 | 2.2 |
| 1600 | 2.0 |
| 2000 | 3.1 |
| 2500 | 5.2 |
| 3150 | 6.0 |
| 4000 | 0.0 |
| 5000 | 3.4 |
| 6300 | 2.3 |
| 8000 | 10.7 |
| 10000 | 2.7 |
| 12500 | -5.8 |
| 16000 | -13.8 |
| 20000 | -1082.3 |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (Base) Attenuation (measured on a B&K 5128)
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Solid lines: passive isolation (dB) with ANC off — how much ambient noise the fit blocks on its own. Dashed lines: total attenuation (dB) with ANC on — passive isolation plus active noise cancelling. Higher on the chart means more attenuation.
| Frequency (Hz) | Attenuation (dB) |
|---|---|
| 21 | 0.0 |
| 26 | 0.1 |
| 33 | -0.6 |
| 41 | -0.8 |
| 52 | -0.3 |
| 65 | -3.0 |
| 82 | -1.6 |
| 103 | -0.1 |
| 130 | -3.4 |
| 163 | 1.6 |
| 205 | 4.6 |
| 259 | 6.6 |
| 325 | 7.0 |
| 410 | 5.8 |
| 516 | 5.4 |
| 613 | 7.8 |
| 772 | 12.0 |
| 972 | 12.5 |
| 1220 | 18.5 |
| 1540 | 25.2 |
| 1940 | 22.4 |
| 2440 | 31.4 |
| 3070 | 32.2 |
| 3870 | 33.2 |
| 4870 | 49.1 |
| 6130 | 39.3 |
| 7720 | 37.7 |
| 9720 | 45.4 |
| 12200 | 31.8 |
| 15400 | 38.3 |
| 19400 | 43.5 |
| Frequency (Hz) | Total attenuation (dB) |
|---|---|
| 21 | 2.5 |
| 26 | 3.2 |
| 33 | 13.3 |
| 41 | 13.8 |
| 52 | 11.6 |
| 65 | 17.6 |
| 82 | 17.0 |
| 103 | 8.5 |
| 130 | 16.2 |
| 163 | 16.0 |
| 205 | 17.4 |
| 259 | 18.8 |
| 325 | 21.0 |
| 410 | 18.0 |
| 516 | 20.4 |
| 613 | 19.5 |
| 772 | 22.9 |
| 972 | 18.0 |
| 1220 | 16.4 |
| 1540 | 17.0 |
| 1940 | 22.6 |
| 2440 | 26.0 |
| 3070 | 28.7 |
| 3870 | 29.9 |
| 4870 | 36.7 |
| 6130 | 44.3 |
| 7720 | 33.7 |
| 9720 | 39.6 |
| 12200 | 30.9 |
| 15400 | 38.0 |
| 19400 | 43.0 |
The verdict
SteelSeries has delivered a headset that works not only for gamers, but for anyone that needs a multipurpose headset on the go, for meetings, and for casual listening. The only thing that really holds this headset back is its price.
✓Liked: Packed with features, Hot-swappable battery, Sound quality, Well built
✕Could be better: Doesn't support both consoles, Wireless quality dips (rarely)
What a reader who owns the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (Base) reports after living with it. Owner-reported, checked before publishing; ordered photo-verified first, then newest.
Owner reviews are not paid for, not solicited from specific owners, and not rewritten by us: at most we proofread typos, which is shown on the review’s own page and which the author can undo. The commission SoundGuys may earn on this page comes from retail links, never from owner reviews.
1 owner review
SOEvery author writes under a generated pseudonym; a member can choose to show their name and photo beside it. A signed-in author’s email is never shown. Read more · The reader says they own it. We have not seen proof, and we say so — no label here is proof of a purchase. Read more · Owned over 2 years · Still using it: yes, daily · Posted
Would not buy againANC tips stick out. Needed third party bigger muffs to not have my ears hurting after 30 mins. The band wears out and makes it so the muffs press down on top of your ears.
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What readers ask about the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro (Base), answered by the people who own it.
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