It’s been a few months since I last reviewed a gaming headset, and once again, SteelSeries has come through with the goods. After recently reworking their Arctis gaming headsets, and the new SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 replaces the original Arctis 5, and with how much I loved the Arctis Nova Pro, I was keen to see just how well this budget set would hold up.

One of the newest additions is the RGB accent lighting – a ring that circles each headset that can be controlled using the SteelSeries GG App, however this particular feature only works when connected to a USB device. Not only does the SteelSeries GG App control the RGB effects, but you’ll also have access to an easy-to-use equalizer featuring 4 built-in presets and a separate “custom” preset allowing you to set everything to your personal preferences. You can also enable and disable the microphone sidetone, allowing you to hear yourself to ensure your communications are being broadcast clearly.

The large ear cups fit comfortably over my ears and feature a soft-cushioned cloth, which I found helped keep my ears nice and cool during prolonged periods of use. This is also helped by the lightweight design and an adjustable elastic strap that sits just below the headband. I feel like this elastic band helps to spread the overall weight more evenly, but I also noticed that the headset was a little more likely to fall off my head should I move around too much. The left ear cup houses the onboard controls for muting the mic and adjusting volume, and given how big the button and scroll wheel are, they’re very easy to find and manipulate. This is also the side that connects the USB cable and houses the retractable Clearcast Gen2 Bidirectional noise-cancelling microphone. The right ear, on the other hand, has a single toggle switch for turning the RGB on and off.

Inside each ear cup is the same 40mm drivers used by the Arctis Nova 7, which also make use of an integrated DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Audio Converter), helping to deliver some punchy sounds and giving you better-than-average situational awareness. Given I’ve mostly been playing Star Citizen these last few months, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to reasonably accurately describe where enemy fire was coming from and relay that back to my companions, and let’s face it, there is nothing quite like the sound of a sci-fi ship blasting past you, with lasers pounding away at enemy armour.

For those of you more interested in the technical specifications, they are as follows.

• Headphones:
  • Nominal Impedance: 36 Ohms
  • Frequency Response: 20-22,000Hz
  • Total Harmonic Distortion: <1% (@1mW 50-10,000Hz)
  • Sensitivity: 93dBSPL (@1kHz/1mW)
• Microphone:
  • Frequency Response: 100-10,000Hz
  • Sensitivity: -38dBV/Pa

Now, there was one thing that bothered me a little with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3, and it was the lack of a filter for the microphone. I didn’t have anyone complain about it, but if I accidentally brushed the mic with microphone sidetone enabled, I would hear an awful scratchy sound through the headset, and it left me wondering if this horrible noise was being relayed to other people on the call. Of course, using a filter on the microphone would prevent it from properly tucking away in its little hole on the headset, but one was included with the Arctis Nova Pro, so why not this one?

What the package does include though, is the headset (of course), a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-A to USB-C extension cable, and a 3.5mm audio jack to USB-C cable. Effectively, you can connect this headset to any USB-C device, meaning you’ll have all of the prescribed features, or you can connect it to the likes of an Xbox controller or a Nintendo Switch with the 3.5mm audio jack, but this does mean you’ll miss out on the aforementioned RGB accents.

As far as budget headsets go, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 takes the cake, especially seeing as it can connect to a variety of devices, including Xbox – which it does not mention on the package. The simple design is lightweight and incredibly comfortable to wear, especially over long periods of time, and the audio quality is amazing. The microphone does an amazing job at isolating your voice and blocking out background noises, but it really could benefit from a filter of some description to avoid some horrible noises should you accidentally brush it. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, or perhaps something to throw in your travel bag to game on the go, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 is certainly worth your attention.

Written by: Mathew Lindner