SteelSeries 61606

The mic is the star here, landing in the 87th percentile with up to 25dB of noise reduction. Comfort is also strong at the 86th percentile and 236 grams. But sound quality is dead average at the 49th percentile, and the US price swings from USD 39 to USD 97, so hunt for the low end.

The mic is the standout. At the 87th percentile, the ClearCast Gen 2 with its noise-cancelling claim of up to 25dB reduction puts this headset ahead of most of what we've tested for voice comms. If you're the person in Discord who sounds like they're broadcasting from inside a wind tunnel, this mic is aimed directly at you. The boom retracts fully into the earcup when you don't need it, which is a nice touch for a budget headset.

Sound is where things get more ordinary. The 40mm dynamic drivers cover 100Hz to 10kHz, which is a narrower range than you'd see on pricier cans, and the 49th percentile sound score reflects that. The 36Ω impedance and 93dB sensitivity mean it'll run fine off a controller or phone without an amp, but don't expect deep sub-bass rumble or sparkling high-end detail. The parametric EQ helps you tweak things, but it can't add frequency response the drivers don't have. For competitive gaming where footsteps and reload cues matter, the spatial audio does some heavy lifting, but for music or movies, this is middle of the pack.

Against the Sony ULT WEAR WHULT900N/B, the Nova 1 wins on mic quality but loses badly on sound and features. The Sony brings ANC and wireless, while the Nova 1 is wired with no real noise cancelling for your ears. The QCY H3 ANC undercuts it on price and adds ANC, though the SteelSeries mic is better. The JBL Live 770NC and JLab JBuds Lux both offer wireless and ANC, making them better commuter options, which explains the Nova 1's weak 37.4 commute score. The Anker Soundcore Space D1402 is another budget wireless option. Where the Nova 1 carves out space is the combination of a top-tier mic, solid comfort, and that parametric EQ for gamers who don't want to spend much and don't need wireless.

Pricing is all over the place. In the US, you'll see this headset listed anywhere from USD 39 to USD 97 across just 2 listings. That's a USD 58 spread, which is wild for the same product. At USD 39, this is a genuinely compelling budget gaming headset. At USD 97, you're getting into territory where the Sony ULT WEAR and JBL Live 770NC start looking like better buys. In Canada, the spread is tighter at CAD 63 to CAD 90 across 5 listings, with Memory Express carrying both black and white versions. The affordability score lands at the 50th percentile, so it's priced about average for what it is. Shop around before you buy, the difference between the low and high end of that US price range is basically a second budget headset.

The Arctis Nova 1 lands with a gaming score of 72.9 out of 100, which is solid but not exactly setting our database on fire. The mic is the real story here, sitting at the 87th percentile, which means it beats most headsets we've tracked for chat clarity. Comfort follows close behind at the 86th percentile, and at 236 grams, this thing is light enough to forget you're wearing it during a long session. But the sound quality sits at the 49th percentile, dead average, and the total score of 51.8 tells you this is a focused budget gaming headset, not an all-rounder.

SteelSeries packed in their Nova Acoustic System with 40mm Hi-Fi drivers and a 10-band parametric EQ, which is genuinely unusual at this price point. The 360° Spatial Audio works with Tempest 3D Audio on PS5 and Microsoft Spatial Sound on Xbox. The ClearCast Gen 2 mic claims to cut background noise by up to 25dB, and the whole thing folds up for travel. It's wired only via 3.5mm, so no Bluetooth, no dongle, no battery to worry about. That's either a feature or a limitation depending on how you look at it.

Skip this if you want wireless or real ANC. The 33rd percentile ANC score and wired-only 3.5mm connection make it a poor fit for commuting, which shows in the 37.4 commute score. If you care more about music than game chat, the 49th percentile sound and 100Hz-10kHz frequency response will leave you wanting more. And if you're paying anywhere near the USD 97 top end, you're overpaying for what you get.

The Arctis Nova 1 is a focused tool. If you need a wired gaming headset with a genuinely good mic and you can find it at the low end of that USD 39 to USD 97 range, it's an easy recommendation. The 87th percentile mic and 86th percentile comfort are the reasons to buy. The 49th percentile sound and 33rd percentile ANC are the reasons to think twice. For pure gaming comms on a budget, this does the job. For anything else, there are better options in the same price bracket.