Many gamers have this question: is it possible at the moment to buy a modern, high-quality and at the same time affordable gaming headset, which will be suitable for both movies and games, and so that you can connect it to almost any device?
Rozetked replies: yes, there is such a headset, and its name is Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless! It was these headphones that came to us for review, and I have something to tell about them. And no, this is not an advertisement, but only a personal opinion.
Looks simple but tasteful
Appearance and kit, let’s start with them as always. The headphones are delivered in a white cardboard box with blue inserts. The headset itself is depicted on the front side, and its main features are listed in small print.
If you look at the right side, you can see a whole scattering of awards from various publications, including such famous ones as IGN, PC GAMER, WIRED, Forbes, Eurogamer and others. Each of the listed editions gives high marks to the typeface and calls it the best. The back of the box describes some of the features of the model, as well as lists the devices with which it is compatible: PlayStation (4 and 5), Xbox (One and Series), PC, Android and Nintendo Switch.
After I got acquainted with the beautiful packaging and description (interestingly), I began to unpack the whole case. Inside, the headphones, along with the rest of the contents, lie in a kind of figured box.
The kit, in addition to the headset itself, includes a removable microphone, an adapter for wireless connection (2,4 GHz), a couple of booklets with a manual, as well as three cables: an adapter from USB-A to USB-C for connecting a transmitter, mini-jack to mini -jack for wired connection to a sound source and USB — microUSB for charging. It’s strange that microUSB: in my opinion, Type-C is more relevant in modern realities.
In appearance, you will not find any revelations especially here. The design is laconic, the color is black-matte, the build quality is at a level, the cups on the outside have the Steelseries inscription. No backlighting is provided.
There is a soft pad on the inside of the headband, inside the ear cushions there is a fabric trim with a pattern. The headband is simple, made of plastic, there is a possibility of adjustment to the size of the user’s head, the power reserve is 3,5 cm. In principle, no complaints, the headphones sit quite tightly, nothing dangles anywhere.
The ear cushions provide a high level of comfort (memory foam and breathable fabric do their job), the headphones do not cause any discomfort even after hours of gaming sessions. But passive sound insulation is average here. If you turn the sound to the full, then people who are next to you will hear everything that happens in the headphones. The cups, by the way, rotate 180 degrees, which allows them to be conveniently placed around the neck during pauses in the game.
Connectors and controls are located on the left earcup. There is a 3,5 mm jack for connecting a microphone, microUSB for charging, a mini-jack for wired connection to a source, a wheel for adjusting the volume level and a microphone switch.
The right cup is equipped with a power button, which is also responsible for controlling the player on the connected device: accept / end a voice call – one press, play / pause music – one press, the next track – two clicks, the previous track – three clicks. These functions are only available when connected wirelessly, please keep this in mind. Also, next to the power button, a small indicator light for the device’s operating mode and battery level was placed.
As for calls, they can only be made with a microphone connected, but here’s the thing, it cannot be removed by the rim or hidden somewhere – you have to constantly disconnect / attach to the headphone jack, and this is a rather controversial decision. The microphone is flexible and customizable. We will talk about the sound transmission quality of the microphone and the headphones themselves a little later.
Easy to connect (not always) and set up
When I brought the headphones home, my first thought was to try them with my PS5. And, to my surprise, all that was needed for this was to insert the complete transmitter into the USB Type-C port on the front panel of the set-top box and activate the headset – everything worked right away, the console instantly identified the wireless headphones without too much digging in the settings.
The connection with the transceiver is automatic (everything is already set by default there) and very quickly. I inserted the transmitter into the port, activated the headphones, and that’s it, go ahead to play, listen to music or watch a movie, I really liked it.
To turn on the headset, you need to hold down the power button for a couple of seconds, after which you will hear a beep and the indicator light will turn on. To turn off the headphones, hold down the same button, but for three seconds.
Let’s go further – connecting to a PC. I hooked up the headphones to my home computer through the included USB-A-USB-C adapter, into which I put the receiver. The disadvantage of this solution is that a wire is constantly sticking out in the PC, and one USB port is occupied for it, and this can strain some users. The exact same method is used when connecting to the Xbox.
After turning on the headphones, Windows 10 immediately detected them. In principle, at this stage, the headset can already be used without any problems. But, if you want to squeeze the maximum out of the device in terms of sound, I advise you to install the proprietary SteelSeries Engine software – you can download it from the company’s website.
With the help of the program, you can customize many parameters of SteelSeries headsets. As for our model, an equalizer, microphone settings and idle mute settings are available for it. By default, after 30 minutes of inactivity, the headset turns off so as not to consume battery power, this indicator can be set from 5 to 90 minutes. The configurations created in the program can be saved and also loaded along with the selected applications and games – the settings will be applied automatically when starting a particular program.
And the last thing – Android phones. Since Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless cannot be connected via Bluetooth, you have to use the same transmitter for a smartphone. You need to plug it into the Type-C connector on your phone and everything will work. But here it is important to understand a few things. Firstly, even in 2021, not all smartphones are equipped with a Type-C port. For those who have a phone with an outdated microUSB, there is a special 3,5 to 3,5 mm adapter. In this case, only a wired connection is available.
Secondly, there are Type-C phones that simply cannot transmit sound through this connector. These, as far as I know, include Samsung Galaxy up to the Galaxy Note 10. The third point is that the headset is not compatible with iOS devices, so the owners of iPad and iPhone – pass by. But on a Mac, the headphones work.
Another detail that I would note: in some reviews and reviews they write that the connection of the transceiver with the device may be interrupted, you just need to close it with your hands. However, I can declare with full responsibility that during all the tests I did not have any problems with the quality of the connection either when playing, or when listening to music, or even when I left the room to the kitchen, and they were separated by a thick wall and a door.
The sound rocks, the autonomy is at the level
Well, here we come to the main point of each audio device – sound. Looking ahead, I will say that Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless is doing well with this. Interestingly, there are the same speakers used in the more expensive Arctis 7 line.
Speaker characteristics:
- Frequency response – 20-20000 Hz
- Volume level – 98 dBSPL
- Resistance – 32 Ohm
- Total Harmonic Distortion – <3%
Microphone specifications:
- Type – removable
- Frequency response – 100 – 6500 Hz
- Sensitivity – -38 dBV / Pa
- Directional Pattern – Bidirectional, Noise Reduction
Wireless characteristics:
- Type – 2,4GHz Lossless
- Distance – 9 meters
- Battery life – 20 hours
I tested the headphones in various scenarios and one of the first to test all kinds of games and movies via Netflix on PS5. In this case, the sound was clear, the upper and middle ranges are worked out just fine, the voices in the dialogues sound clean. With a wireless connection, there are no delays in the transmission of sound from the word at all.
As for the low frequencies, they are there, they do not put much pressure on the ears, but I lacked the depth a little. It is important to understand one point here – in principle, I never play with headphones (only during tests) – for games, movies and music, I have a powerful stereo system at home with a 90 W subwoofer, which presses be healthy. After that, what they can offer me in terms of low frequencies Arctis 1 Wireless … well, kind of frivolous.
For the average user, the bass will be more than enough. The sound as a whole is very detailed, there is clear positioning: if in the conditional The Last of Us 2 a zombie yells from the right or left, you will definitely hear it in the right channel. The manufacturer says it fully supports Tempest 3D AudioTech technology on the PS5. Judging by the sound and quality of source positioning, this is indeed the case.
Scenario number two is music on PC via Spotify and Call of Duty: Warzone. Here the situation is exactly the same as in the case of games and movies on the PS5: the highs and mids are superb. The bass is a little lacking. I got into the proprietary equalizer and played with the sliders, and only after that I began to more or less lack low frequencies. Again, this is specifically my case, and the average user will be satisfied with the sound in general, the bass will be more than enough for him. And yes, the headphone volume margin is good – I have never cranked the sound to the maximum during all the tests.
I heard the footsteps of sneaking enemies in Call of Duty: Warzone clearly, so the headset will give + a couple of points to your skill and bring the game to a new level.
I will say a few words about the quality of transmission through the microphone. It works great and is even certified by Discord, which is aimed primarily at gamers. Noise cancellation is there, and it works. Excellent voice quality, no distortions were noticed, you can shout as much as you like, the microphone will cope with the transmission of even the loudest speech.
The manufacturer claims that the headset is capable of working up to 20 hours on one full battery charge. For all the time I was writing this review, I could not discharge the headphones to the end, and I tested them for four days, playing in the evening for 3-5 hours. At the same time, it is possible to simultaneously charge the headphones and listen to them using a wireless connection, which is very convenient.
What is the bottom line?
The Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless is a versatile device in the sense that it will work for both PCs and consoles (especially PS5), and even headphones can be used with phones. Although, this is more of a nice addition, and hardly anyone will walk with an external transmitter in a smartphone.
The design of the device is modern and pleasant, the sound is good, the volume margin is sufficient. Watching a movie, listening to music or playing on a console or PC – yes, no problem, a pleasure. Bass may be lacking if you’re used to using powerful speakers instead of headphones. For the rest, this will not be a problem at all.
In Russia, the price of a headset is from 8990 rubles… And then the question arises, isn’t it better to buy the same Xbox Wireless Headset for Xbox, which I talked about earlier, or Pulse 3D for PS5? Moreover, they cost about the same. I will say this, headphones from Sony and Microsoft will better fit into the overall design with their consoles. In addition, connecting the Xbox Wireless Headset to the Xbox will be easier, and no wires will stick out anywhere, that’s a fact.
But in terms of sound quality, neither Pulse 3D, nor a branded headset from Microsoft can definitely beat the Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless. I’m not saying that the Steelseries product is some kind of benchmark, not at all. But this is definitely one of the best gaming headsets for its price. I recommend buying!
