SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1

The Arctis Nova 1 nails the mic (88th percentile) and comfort (87th percentile) but lands dead average on sound (50th percentile). At 236g with a universal 3.5mm jack, it's a lightweight wired workhorse for competitive gamers. No ANC, no wireless, and a 10kHz frequency ceiling hold it back.

Let's talk about what this headset does well first. The ClearCast Gen 2 mic is a standout, landing in the 88th percentile across all products in our database. For a budget headset, that's genuinely impressive. Your teammates will hear you clearly, and the noise-cancelling on the mic does a solid job filtering out keyboard clatter and background chatter. The 40mm Hi-Fi drivers are fine, but the frequency response tops out at 10kHz, which means you're missing some of the upper sparkle and air that pricier headsets deliver. The 93dB sensitivity is about average, and the 36Ω impedance means it'll run fine off a controller or phone without an amp.

The 360° Spatial Audio is software-driven through SteelSeries Sonar, and it works with Tempest 3D Audio on PS5 and Microsoft Spatial Sound on Xbox. That's a nice touch at this price. But the sound score of 50th percentile tells the real story: this is middle-of-the-pack audio. Fine for gaming, fine for casual music, not going to blow anyone away. The 10-band parametric EQ through Sonar helps, but you can only polish a driver so much.

Against the Sony WH-CH720N, the Nova 1 wins on mic quality but loses badly on sound and features. The Sony brings actual ANC and wireless connectivity, while the Nova 1 is wired with no ANC. The Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus is in a completely different league for audio quality, though it costs more. The Soundcore Life Q20 and TOZO HT3 both offer wireless and ANC at similar or lower prices, which makes the Nova 1's wired-only design harder to justify unless you specifically need the low-latency wired connection for competitive gaming. The JBL Tune 670NC is another wireless ANC option that undercuts the Nova 1 on features. Where the Nova 1 stands out is the mic, the comfort, and the universal 3.5mm compatibility. If those are your priorities, it makes sense. If you want wireless or ANC, look elsewhere.

Pricing is all over the place in Canada. We're seeing CAD 63 to CAD 80 across four listings, which is a CAD 17 spread for the exact same headset. Memory Express has the best deal at CAD 63, and that's the one to grab if you're north of the border. In the US, it's USD 97 from a single listing, which feels a bit steep for what you're getting. At CAD 63, this is a solid budget pick. At USD 97, you're creeping into territory where wireless options and better sound quality start showing up. The value proposition really depends on which side of the border you're on and which store you pick.

The Arctis Nova 1 lands at 51.6 out of 100 in our database, which tells you exactly what this headset is: a budget gaming pick that nails the essentials and skips everything else. The mic sits at the 88th percentile, comfort at 87th, and build at 75th. Those are genuinely good numbers for a wired headset in this price range. But sound quality sits dead center at the 50th percentile, and the ANC score of 32nd percentile is rough, though to be fair, this thing doesn't actually have active noise cancelling. It has a noise-cancelling mic, which is a very different thing.

At 236 grams, this is one of the lighter gaming headsets we've tracked. The 40mm dynamic drivers push audio through a 100Hz to 10kHz frequency range, which is narrower than most competitors. The 3.5mm jack means it works with basically everything: PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox, and your phone. That universal compatibility is the real selling point here, not raw audio performance.

Skip this if you want wireless, ANC, or immersive audio. The sound score of 50th percentile and the 100Hz-10kHz frequency range mean music and cinematic games will feel flat compared to competitors like the Soundcore Life Q20 or JBL Tune 670NC, both of which offer wireless and ANC at similar prices. The social proof score of 27th percentile also means there's not much real-world feedback to lean on. If you're buying in the US at USD 97, you're paying a premium for a wired headset with average sound. And if you're an audiophile or someone who cares about music quality first, the 10kHz ceiling is going to bother you.

The Arctis Nova 1 is a comfort-first, mic-first budget gaming headset that sacrifices sound quality and features to hit its price point. The 88th percentile mic and 87th percentile comfort are genuinely impressive for the money, and the 236g weight means you can wear this thing for hours without fatigue. But the 50th percentile sound score and complete lack of ANC mean this is a specialized tool, not an all-rounder. If you're a competitive gamer on a budget who needs a clear mic and all-day comfort, this is a solid buy at CAD 63. If you want immersive audio or wireless freedom, keep looking.