SteelSeries Arctis 5 Review

Is the SteelSeries Arctis 5 really cool or is it just named after a cold place!?

SteelSeries is a brand that is almost synonym to eSport gaming due to their rich lineup of gaming peripherals and mainly courtesy to their infamous Siberia series gaming headsets that proved their metal when it came to eSports. But everything needs to evolve to sustain and so did SteelSeries by launching a new lineup of gaming headsets in form of the Arctis series which well is nothing more than fancy way to write Arctic showing SteelSeries's unhealthy obsession with naming their products behind cold places on earth just! The Arctis is a successor to Siberia and comprises of three models namely as the Arctis 3, Arctis 5 and the top of the line wireless Arctis 7.

Today thanks to SteelSeries India I have with me the SteelSeries Arctis 5 Gaming Headset which might be the sweetspot for many out of the three at offer.

Priced in at $99 or around Rs 7500 in India the Steelseries Arctis 5 is not only a semi-premium headset but is also identical to its bigger brother Arctis 7 in terms of a majority of features minus the wireless connectivity. Its loaded with a blend of unique features such as  such as a ski-goggle headband, the SteelSeries Prism RGB lighting system, a so-called ChatMix Dial and a retractable bidirectional microphone. It also boasts DTS 7.1 Surround Sound capability and is available in two basic colors - black and white.

What's in the Box!?

SteelSeries has packed the Arctis 5 in an exceptionally beautiful and artistic manner, atleast in terms of the outer packing. The box is solid cardboard with a rendered image of the product filled in the background by an attractive rendition  & "From the makers of 'Best Gaming Headset'" written and highlighted at the very top right corner. Tall claims I'd say which we'll definitely take a look at.

Inside the headset rests in a plastic tray with molded cavity for the headset and below it you'll find all the essential and accessories lying inside a tiny black hard paper box.

Among all the things you get there is the SteelSeries Arctis 5 headset itself along with a ChatMix Dial, a detachable USB cable, and a 4-pole TRRS adapter that will let you plug the headset into a standard 3.5-mm audio port on your laptop, tablet or even a cell phone. Warranty card and user manual are also included just in case you need to know how to connect all those wires!

Talking about wires I do feel that a USB to 3.5mm jack cable should've been included just for the sake of connecting it to devices that strictly rely on a 3.5mm jack namely as your cell phone, tablet and gaming consoles. Too many connections can create a hassle and if you misplace that tiny TRRS adapter then bye bye to hand held devices & hello to an extra expense for a new cable.

A Closer Look at the Arctis 5

SteelSeries Arctis 5 is a solid looking headset which has been made out of a variety of materials like premium grade plastic, metal, cloth and even rubber. The entire body is black with just the SteelSeries logo and the prints on the Ski Goggle headband. Over all the first impression of the headset is quite elegant and classy unlike what we are used to seeing from most of the other Gaming headsets out there which definitely earns the Arctis 5 a few brownie points.

The cushioning on the Arctis 5 is made out of a cloth material which resembles the texture of super-dry T-shirts. Surprisingly these don't rub against the ear in an irritating fashion and are extremely breathable and sweat resistant. In case you like leather cushioning then you can order them separately from the SteelSeries website for $15 a pair. These elliptical cups are large enough to accommodate even the biggest of ear sizes including mine which most headsets struggle to leaving my ear lobe hanging out! So definitely no complaints regarding the cups at all.

Coming over to the outer surface the cups are covered by a thin layer of  rubber feels good when touched imparting a premium finish to the headset. The RGB lights or the Prism lights as SteelSeries calls it are found on this section section of the product. The SteelSeries logo along with the ring that encircles it is LEG backlit and can be customized in a number of ways ranging from colors to behavior using the SteelSeries Engine 3 to which I'll come later on.

The right cup houses the entire IO panel and the retractable mic. First of we have the mini USB type B port for connecting the headset to whichever device one desires to followed by a volume dial which is textured and has soft clicks to it making ti easier to adjust volume and also gives a  nice feedback to the finger tips. The mic mute/unmute button is right adjacent to the volume dial and can be pressed in and out for the desired functions. Even though its small but it easy to find and press due to its protruding nature and springy feel. SteelSeries has surely designed this section pretty well considering how populous this side is.

Did you wonder why is that 3.5mm analogue port there? I found out that its used to connect another 3.5mm jack based audio device to playback what you are listening to on your Arctis 5! Before you jump and say that's pointless like I did at first let me tell you its quite beneficial for watching movies when you can just connect one device at a time to your cell phone, iPad or even the PC so well that's about the only benefit I can think of for this and it quite useful atleast for me.

The mic on the Arctis 5 is a bidirectional retractable one which is flexible and can be bent into any side or shape you desire to. Its retractable but works even when inside the cup so for muting it you'll have to use the mute button. Also the microphone has a red LED light which lights up when the mic is on and stays off when its off to notify you of the status. Its pretty neat design and works well to.

While the entire headband is solid and made out of plastic which has rubberized layer underneath the only thing that irks me is this joint on each side that is not noticeable at a glance but you can spot it if looked upon closely. I really don't know why its there but it does spoils the whole streamline finishing. Hopefully SteelSeries would correct this in the upcoming shipments.

SteelSeries has used Ski Goggle straps to give cushioning to the head on the Arctis 5 which is a very new and unique idea and yes these are the same straps that are used in Ski Goggles. These can be adjusted as per the head size as they are connected to the headband via metal hooks and velcro, you can even swap them for a different color ones as per your taste and gaming setup by ordering a new one from the SteelSeries site.

The wire supplied with the SteelSeries Arctis 5 are non braided but quite sturdy and flexible. The USB cable uses the unusual 8-pin mini USB type B connector which I really don't find any particular benefit of. Its 1.2m in length and can be further extended by around 11cm using the 3.5mm TRRS adapter which is  good enough.

SteelSeries provides a ChatMix Dial with the Arctis 5 which is very much the highlight of the product even if you haven't realized that by now. Its basically a dial that you connect to your headset via the provided USB cable and then connect the dial to your PC or PS4. This is the only and I mean only way to utilize the RGB and virtual surround sound functions of the Arctis 5 rendering the RGB lights useless for Xbox and other handheld device users that rely upon the 3.5mm jack alone.

Deceptively the ChatMix Dial looks like a volume control or volume balancing device but is rather used to balance the sound of your game and the conversation you are having with your teammates over the gaming session! You can either make the game sounds loud and the chat volume low by turning it towards the Game section or the other way around by turning it towards the Chat section. Also if left in the middle, where it makes a click and sticks as an assistance, the ChatMix Dial would virtually cease to work and you'll have the neutral rather default volume balance. Its a small but extremely useful device for on the go balancing.

The SteelSeries Engine 3

To make the full use of the SteelSeries Arctis 5 you need to install the SteelSeries Engine 3 which takes care of all the functions and bling on this device. Once I connected the Arctis 5 it immediately recognized it but prompted for an important update to be downloaded which I did and reconnected the device after which I was prompted for a firmware update after performing which I again methodically and irritably reconnected the device which this time allowed me a passage!

On the welcome screen you get a bunch of well laid out options with one dealing with the RGB lighting, one for the audio playback and another one for the microphone. A config tab is at the bottom left to save and store your configurations for a particular game or activity.

In the speakers section we have a bunch of presets for the DTS Headphone:X 7.1 virtual surround function which once enabled makes the headphones act like a 7.1 surround sound one which they aren't physically. Also below that you can choose from a bunch of presets for the equalizer and my personal experience has been best with the default settings on this one so you even stick to that if you like.

Lastly the RGB lighting section offers a bunch of features that not only let you choose a lighting pattern from a number of presets such as Multi Color Breath and Color Shift or to change colors but you can assign a different color or pattern to each cup! Yes you can make one glow in one color and manner while the other in another.

Let's put it to Test!

Are they Comfortable!?

The cushions on the earcups are soft and feel really smooth against the ear without creating any sort of irritation at all. Since they are breathable and apply a perfect force on the ears there is no sweat or strain caused even when worn for hours at a stretch infact these are so light that I even forgot that there is something on my head and ear due to light weight and no irritation. I've used a lot of gaming headsets and the SteelSeries Arctis 5 is by far the best in terms of comfort levels in its category and even a bit above that. I would not recommend using the leather cushions as then you'll compromise the breathing ability that can lead to sweat and itch over time as it happens with most of the leather cushions.

Also the Ski Goggle strap headband is perfect for my head-size and so would be for most of you out there. Its quite comfortable and keeps the headset in place even if I jerk my head suddenly all without hurting my head with too much pressure which is what one looks for in any headset & not just a gaming headset!

How do they Sound!? 

The sound signature on the SteelSeries Arctis 5 is neutral and well rounded which is rare to find on gaming headsets that mainly concentrate on bass and end up sounding not so generic to put it lightly.

This means that in Crysis 3 we had no issue whatsoever in listening to or understanding what Prophet was saying and noises were greatly distinguished in the heat of battle, even of the crickets in the NY jungle! Battlefield 1 came out fully immersive especially when it came to sitting inside the battle tanks or listening to aerial bombing happening across the field. In Shadow of Mordor we could really feel the voices coming from different directions and interestingly even thoughsince the bass on these headphones are mild to insignificant they didn't distort the sounds of footsteps from behind and I was able to pin point the enemy location making it a great choice for eSport players including CS:GO.

The passive noise isolation is great. With the ear cushions being marketed as "airy", I was a bit worried that they're going to leak a lot of sound into their surroundings, but they don't. At all.

Coming over to music since these are very natural sounding cups and not just gaming exclusives they cover all ends of the sound spectrum well making listening to music or watching movies a great enjoyment. Yes I did feel it lacks significant bass when it comes to listening to explosions or revving engines in movies but its not that bad that I start complaining about it!

Also the sound card that is built into these headsets is great since they sounded the same when using on the PC or through my iPhone 7. So spending on separate sound card here is not a necessity unlike the Siberia headsets that did require a sound card to utilize their full potential in everyday use.

The 7.1 Surround sound and RGB LEDs

Its a virtual surround sound system which makes your ear believe that its a surround sound but technically it isn't. While some brand have implemented this technology well SteelSeries with its Arctis 5 failed miserably! You would end up spoiling the whole experience of listening to music or even playing games especially games since the spatial sounding is lost and you won't know who or what hit you from which side. So please don't turn on this feature you'll be better off without it believe me.

As for the RGB lighting the lights are well diffused and work like a charm even though you can't see them while using the headset it'll be an eye candy for the on lookers! Customization options are enough and not over done which makes it look elegant rather than a toy that has speakers and mic. To be honest it looks like a premium audiophile headset and not a gaming headset at all due to its design, color and RGB implementation which is a very big testimonial for the Arctis 5.

Microphone Test

Now before I proceed any further we need to understand that the SteelSeries Arctis 5 comes with its own sound card build in and it would come into play if you use it on your PC or PS4 that connect through the USB port otherwise if connected using the 3.5mm jack to your cell phones or Xbox One you'll end up using the parent device's DAC. So with that being said I would like to say that the bidirectional mic on the Arctis 5 is the best in its category since I've already tested some headset mic's at this price point and I can tell the difference pretty clearly!

At 100% sensitivity the mic pics up your voice perfectly and reproduces it with a certain depth and detailing which is what you need for voice overs or audio calls if not game chats. The only downside is that a bit of nasal comes into play at this high sensitivity which can be get rid off if sensitivity set to 70%-80%. Obviously the nasal factor won't be audible to other if you are just speaking to them but it'll be noticeable if using it for a voice over or streaming purposes.

Noise cancellation is pretty good via the SteelSeries Engine 3 settings when set to Medium since at High I did notice that it felt as if I'm speaking in a void or something making my voice sound somewhat processed, so medium is what works best for me. If used on via an integrated sound card on the motherboard such as the Realtek's ALC1150 audio codec on my Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5P you'll notice a lot of noise being picked up if the settings are left to stock for the codec. The sound of the mechanical keybaord is easily picked up and so is that of my ceiling fan! With a bit of tweaking this can be reduced but still the performance of the supplied sound card is far superior and so it should be as these are meant to be connected via the USB port only.

My Verdict!

I'll be honest with you here, I'd always thought that gaming headsets are nothing more than a flashy pair of cups with mediocre to acceptable sound signature all wrapped around by a botched attempt at bass just to get the job done for gaming purposes but this was till I met the SteelSeries Arctis 5!

Boy this is a whole different breed in every possible way, the sound signature is so well rounded and rich that not only you can use it for casual gaming and also to pin point enemy's location due to a great spatial sounding but its also a very good daily use headset for making calls, watching movies or listening to music of all genres.

The solid design, rubberized finish and matte black color makes it an elegant piece of audio gear which I can carry outdoor while traveling or even in the gym. The fabric on the cups is the best I've experienced so far and are super comfortable with just the right grip. Headband is firm but unfortunately is of plastic which I'd preferred whereas I'd prefer a metal frame at this price point like the HyperX headsets have.

ChatMix Dial is a necessity rather than a marketing gimmick which does the job really well making you feel the need of it with not just the Arctis 5 but with almost every gaming headset out there.  SteelSeries  Engine 3 works well and is not just a useless piece of software providing enough tweaks for every aspect of this product. RGB lighting is brilliantly implemented and is customizable just enough to cap one from going berserk with them keeping its elegance intact. Microphone is the best in this category and one of the best among the wired gaming headset realm, its both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

"SteelSeries Arctis 5 is the perfect blend of elegance and performance, a rarity in the gaming headset category. It is highly recommended to casual gamers, pro gamers, streamers and even people who are looking for a decent pair of cups for everyday usage making it an all rounder!"

Pros - 

• Awesome sound signature 


• Microphone works very well


• Extremely comfortable 


• RGB lighting is well implemented 


• Design is both functional and stealthy


• SteelSeries Engine 3 is quite useful

Cons - 

• Headband is made of plastic 


• 7.1 surround sound is poor and pointless


• A single USB to 3.5mm jack cable should've been included 

I give it a 9/10 earning our Gold Award!