SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset — Neodymium Magnetic Drivers — 100+ Audio Presets — 60 HR Battery — 2.4GHz or BT — ClearCast Gen2.X Mic — Xbox, PC, PS, Switch, Mobile

Casual gamer here, but these are incredible value. Fit and feel is second to none. Connectivity is solid, retractable mic is unexpectedly appreciated. The mic has an LED indicator when it's muted which is a nice touch. Sound quality punches above its price point and even has an app that allows you to choose from basic presets and game specific presets and the list is HUGE. Usually play for about an hour or two at a time and never feel discomfort. Setup was straightforward with the wireless dongle on Xbox. Came from wired Astro A20's and feel like they're in the same realm in terms of quality, but more customization and WAY lighter.

I had used the PlayStation exclusive headphones for the PS4 and PS5, and at the end of that journey I'm quite disappointed. Both pairs made my ears uncomfortable after having worn them for maybe 30 minutes. They would always cut out whether the dongle was plugged into the back of the PlayStation or into the front. I know that Sony's pretty good about updating their firmware so there shouldn't have been any issues in that regard. I spent so long asking people and reading through reviews until I finally settled upon these. So far I'm not disappointed! The ones that are labeled for Xbox are $50 cheaper than the ones labeled for PlayStation, and they're the exact same thing. And the "Xbox" branded ones are compatible with PlayStation, Switch, PC, and mobile. They can also switch to Bluetooth mode if you don't want to use the dongle, and the sound quality for music using my phone was actually pretty decent for middle of the road. The retractable microphone and alleged up to 60 hours of battery life makes the fact that they're lightweight even better. And the most important part, they're comfortable. They adjust to accommodate most head sizes I would assume. These gaming headphones are a great recommendation from me! I did read one review where somebody complained about the mic quality. After doing a mic test on my PlayStation I haven't had any complaints from people that I've spoken to. Decent quality, design, and volume control

These Bluetooth and 2.4 wireless headphones are excellent for gaming. The sound quality is clear and immersive, with no noticeable lag when using the 2.4 wireless mode. Setup was quick and easy, and switching between Bluetooth and wireless is super convenient. They’re comfortable for long gaming sessions, the connection is stable, and the battery life has been solid so far. For the price, these headphones deliver great performance and versatility. Definitely a great choice for gamers.

I received a PS5 as a Christmas gift from my wife and wanted a nice pair of wireless headphones to go with it. After a TON of research and not caring that wired are "typically" the way to go for the best audio experience, I kept seeing mentions and likes for the Nova 5's. I thought it was odd that the 7's kept getting "worse" reviews (still great...just not as good) than the 5's...and the 5's are much cheaper, so I bit the bullet and ordered a pair. Out of the box the set up and the app download was super easy. It was a pain to figure out how to update the firmware (do some research on it but essentially you have to plug in BOTH the dongle and headphones into the computer at once). Once I figured it out it was easy to update the firmware and check out the app. I really only messed with the mobile app (Iphone) and it was cool to check out the different sound/gaming presets you could choose from. As far as the sound goes; It's great. Deep thumping base (for the most part), high mids and good highs. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I know great sound compared to bad. These are great. Not excellent, but unless you want to drop another $150-200 for the 7's, these are perfect. The noise cancellation is great too; I have to take them off to talk to my wife - can't hear her at all lol. For comfort; they are super comfortable out of the box. I did opt to get cooling gel ear pad replacements, but the stock ones on these are perfectly fine. Very comfortable and I wear glasses - no issues there. Connectivity - for the most part is great. No issues with connecting to my phone or my PS5. The sound will start to cut out if I walk into another room with multiple walls between me and the console, but that's to be expected. What I'm not the biggest fan of (hence the one star deduction) are the random pops/interference I hear occasionally when I'm playing. The console is probably 10ft from my seat with no interference at all, and it still happens sometimes. Not enough for me to want to return them, but enough that it can be annoying sometimes. Again, it doesn't happen all the time, but even if I'm playing for an hour it will happen once or twice. I initially started with a white pair (returned for black) and the same thing happened with them. Unsure if it's interference from another bluetooth device somewhere or my router? All in all I recommend these. They are a little pricey, but once you make the next bump from the $30-40 pair, these are highly worth it. Sound, quality, battery life, comfort -- all great!

I’ve bought several wired and wireless headsets trying to replace my old Astro A40 Gen 1s. Those things have incredible sound and mic quality and have lasted forever with nothing but new ear pads and a new cord. But I’m tired of having a wire running across my desk, so I started hunting for a true wireless replacement. I tried a bunch of headsets: some wired, some wireless from big-name brands, and while the sound quality was usually good, the microphones always fell short. Almost every pair I tested had the same complaint: “The mic isn’t clear,” or “you sound far away.” I ended up returning all of them. I even went through Reddit threads, YouTube mic tests, and a dozen “Top 10 Headsets” lists. I compared those recommendations to Amazon reviews, where even 4- and 5-star headsets often have tons of comments saying the mic is garbage. After watching real mic test videos, I decided to try this headset, and I think I finally found the one. The features are exactly what I wanted. It’s wireless, and it works with pretty much anything thanks to the Bluetooth and 2.4GHz dongle options. Switching between them is literally a tap of a button. The comfort band on top is a huge upgrade over stiff foam padding and keeps pressure off my head, so no headaches. And the microphone hiding inside the earcup? Genuinely awesome. It stays protected, doesn’t stick out awkwardly, and pulls out smoothly when needed. Controls are easy: a volume dial, a one-tap mute button, and a power button that only needs a couple seconds of holding. The basics are done right. Sound quality is great for both music and games, solid bass, clear mids and highs, and overall it sounds more like using my desktop speakers than a typical gaming headset. The real test, though, is the microphone. I hopped on Discord and asked the same question I’ve asked with every other headset: “Can you hear me, and do I sound clear?” For the first time in a long time, I got: “Yes, you sound like you always do.” Finally. Check. On top of that, the software gives you a ton of customization. You can choose presets, adjust EQ, tweak mic quality, and personalize everything from desktop, web, or mobile. It’s a lot more than I expected at this price. Battery life hasn’t been an issue at all. I haven’t charged it once in five straight days of use, including multiple gaming sessions each day. Even if it needed charging, that wouldn’t bother me because everything else checks out. For me, this headset hits every key point I care about. It’s not even at a premium price, but it performs like something that should be. Definitely do your research, because a lot of premium-name headsets have great sound but fall short in the mic department. This one finally delivers on both.

So far, so good in the past few months. Pretty comfortable, adjustable headband inside of the main band. Clear audio, feedback loop microphone audio (known as sidetone in the comm world), and a lot better than paying $250 Plus for a certain beach turtle that puts such cheap plastic that the headband snaps off. I have not had a problem with these things mixing up my audio unlike the other brand, either, so you will have a USB, corded dongle. Cool thing about these is that they do Bluetooth to your phone simultaneously while 2.4 gigahertz channel to your game system. You can switch between the two, answer calls and hang up. I have not messed with the equalizer settings but I read there are some preset and your own custom equalizer to mess with. I have not because I'm just using it for game chat anyway. I would not suggest expecting super high fidelity audio, but it is crystal clear at this time. The ear cups are comfortable. I also like the fact that mic is on a flexible boom that can be touched back into the left earpiece. There is a push button mute and the microphone itself lights up with a red LED when it's muted. Overall, this has been a better purchase than the other one I was talked into that didn't last a year at a $250 price tag at that. Good luck getting one of those fixed, by the way. 🤷 This one has been a great alternative in our recommend it at this time. Plus, read the reviews online and decide for yourself. This is a very budget-friendly option compared to many out there with a good balance of features.

I'm in love with these headsets, it was just plug and play. The app is very useful to change the EQ preset according to the game I play on Xbox. There was no need to do extra steps to get these to work, although you might need a PC in order to update the firmware with SteelSeries GG software. The headset feels comfortable and I barely feel I have them on after several hours (I have a small head). The sound is very clear, I can notice small details while gaming, no heavy bass boost or any extra sound feature that make the sound uncomfortable like explosions in game. It is a well balanced sound and they are very loud that I barely keep them 100% the volume, with SteelSeries GG software on PC you can customize the EQ how you like for competitive shooter games or any other games you play. I feel the default EQ presets I tried were really nice, some people have issues with some default EQ presets but you can always tweak it with GG software ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The SteelSeries App just works, it was easy to set up and there is no delay while changing the EQ preset. However you cannot make a custom preset from the app, you might need to install SteelSeries GG software on your PC and create the EQ preset on Engine section. You can set the Equalizer for 2.4Ghz connection or BT, having an EQ gaming preset for 2.4Ghz and EQ music preset for BT, there is no need to switch it over again after switching to Xbox/PC or phone. There is no delay or distortion issue with the dongle on Xbox or PC, I feel the delay on these headsets are very minimum, dialogues are always synced. on mobile I just use it to listen audios or watch short videos that I don't care much how it works there but it works really nice and there is no delay at all. Bluetooth on PC I wished I can test it and I hope to do it soon. A quick tip if you move the dongle back and forth on Xbox and PC, you can install the Xbox Accessories app on PC and use the dongle on Xbox mode on PC, this just works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Noted: These headsets will only work Wireless, with either the original dongle or Bluetooth. There is no wired solution or to pair it with Xbox Wireless Adapter on PC, I wished these two options were available for versatility. and there is no simultaneously BT connection, you either have it connected via dongle or have it connected via BT but you cannot listen to both at the same time, the quick switch just works really fast tho. I still haven't tried really well the battery life for these headsets, I've been using it a lot to tweak things and use it on Xbox, PC and phone that battery life just lasted a week, I will measure it with a normal use later on. (hopefully I didn't get a deflective one since 1 week was pretty short according to their 60hr battery life advertisement) --- I hope to get back to this review for long term review, in my opinion SteelSeries did a good job making these headsets for this price comparing to others brands for what it offers. It is really worth the purchase if you mainly use Xbox and PC for gaming.

Overall, an excellent wireless headset for the Xbox. It can be used with a phone, however I would not recommend using it for calls. The voice quality is fine , but for whatever reason you cannot get the volume of the mic where it needs to be for calls. It does well on the PC, although I’ve heard the mic isn’t quite loud enough for that either. but I only had a problem with the mic when using it on my iPhone. Pluses : Good audio quality Battery life Comfort Light wait Light clamping force Great connectivity and wireless range The audio quality is good for sure. Not quite as good as the higher priced A50s or some other higher priced headphones but Given its current price, the sound quality is very good. Definitely go into the software and create at least one custom equalization. It’s worth taking the time to play around with equalization and tune them to your liking. I don’t need to change equalization for each game. I find that a bit excessive, but I did find a measurable improvement when I created my own preferred equalization. Increasing the bas just a little bit and decreasing the high treble made them sound just the way I wanted it for gaming, TV, etc. Negatives: PC required to create custom equalizations. Why not on phone app? Too many per game built-in equalizations makes selection difficult. Thankfully custom is a separate selection. Ear pads are a bit scratchy (but still comfortable) but there are plenty of third parties out there and they’re fairly easy to replace. These headsets replaced my cracking and broken turtle Beach 700 max. The sound quality (with equalization) is very similar in qualify but these are so much lighter and more comfortable! I prefer these 100% and hope they last a long time. You can even use them on the PlayStation 5 as well, which is kind of a bonus, although I don’t switch back-and-forth. It would be great if they offered two dongles so that you could simultaneously use both but the cost increase would be an issue. It would be great if you could purchase a separate dongle and switch between two 2.4 sources but you can’t have everything. Some people complain that you need an extension for the dongle. At first, I agreed with that, but when I realized I preferred to plug them into the back of the Xbox, I realized that using the cable and the dongle make a much more flexible solution. Despite any nitpicks, this is a great headset for any Xbox owner who wants to go wireless. The quality of the mic and the sound is very good. They connect fast and stay connected reliably. They’re light and comfortable and look like they’re gonna last.