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Steelseries Arctis Prime Gaming Headset

With the Steelseries Arctis Prime gaming headset, the company offers an interesting proposition: for $100, it provides the same drivers and acoustic tuning as its more expensive $249 Arctis Pro, but without the GameDAC. So if you don't need a gaming DAC to power your audio, you can apparently get a much more expensive headset for a lot less.

I've never tried the Arctis Pro before, so I can't immediately give a comparison to how Steelseries delivered on that promise. But with over a month of use, the Arctis Prime really impressed. With its detailed and open sound, excellent comfort, and a decent mic, it's easily my favorite gaming headset under $100.

Design and features

The Arctis Prime is sort of a fusion between the Arctis 3 and the Arctis Pro when it comes to its design. It's clad in black metal and plastic, with two large Steelseries logos on each ear cup. Like most Arctis headsets, the Prime isn't overtly flashy and is largely unassuming, with no garish colors or bold lines. In the hands it feels solid and polished, which is on par with what you'd expect from a $100 headset.

If you want to spice up the look of the Prime, you can swap out the removable magnetic of the speaker plates for the many cosmetics available on the Steelseries store. A pair usually costs around $29.99 and you can find them in different designs and colors, including limited editions for games like PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege, and more. suspension headband which has become quite popular with the Steelseries brand. The stretchy fabric adjusts automatically so you don't have to worry about "finding" the right fit for your head, because it does that automatically. You can tighten or loosen the strap on the fabric to make the helmet sit higher or lower on your head, and it's an effortless process. I really wish more manufacturers would adopt such a self-adjusting headband because not only is it convenient to use, but the superior weight distribution across the head just adds to the overall comfort of the helmet.

And speaking of comfort, the Prime is a joy to wear for hours on end and is easily one of the most comfortable headphones I've had the pleasure of wrapping around my noggin. When you first set yourself up, the clamping force might feel a little harsh, but the large, plush leather cushions elevate that problem almost immediately and allow the helmet to sit comfortably on your head. I wore the Prime for several four to five hour sessions and didn't feel the need to remove them or adjust them in any way. They just melt on your head and kind of make you forget you're even wearing them. For a helmet weighing nearly 350g, that's quite an achievement.

Ergonomically, the rotating rods allow you to lay them flat, so you can hang them around your neck instead of pulling them out completely. They pinch your throat due to the tighter clamping force, so it's not entirely comfortable to have it around your neck for a long time. The Prime also has the classic Steelseries retractable microphone design that slides in and out, and features a flexible metal boom so you can place it exactly where you want it.

In terms of I/O, you get a large mic on/off button, a textured volume wheel that has a start and an end, a micro-USB port to plug in the audio cable, and a data sharing jack. 3.5mm headset if you want to share your audio with another headset (I guess it's useful during an esport tournament but I honestly haven't seen anyone do that). The micro-USB cable terminates in a 3.5mm port so you can plug the headset into virtually any device that supports it.

Performance

The Steelseries Arctis Prime uses the same 40mm height. resolution drivers like the Arctis Pro, meaning they're capable of outputting audio up to 40,000Hz, which is a rarity in this price class. For gaming this doesn't mean much as games have yet to catch up on this front, but if you have high resolution encoded music files the Prime should be able to drive them just fine.

Primarily, the headset is designed for online gaming and this is evident in the way the drivers have been tuned. The focus here is on audio separation, clarity, and an extended high frequency range to let footsteps and gunshots through.

One of the most striking features of the Prime is the soundstage. It's surprisingly large and open-scaled, and easily compares to open-back headphones like the Sennheiser HD598, which are hugely impressive. A wide soundstage helps with audio separation and directionality in video games, so whether it's approaching enemy footsteps in Warzone, or an ultimate power-up in Overwatch, you should be able to discern direction. and the distance from them quite easily. In single-player games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal, an open soundstage adds to the immersion factor, bringing small sounds and audio cues to life and giving you a sense of space and scale.

What you lose with such a high frequency focused driver tuning is the bass. There just isn't enough low-end bass extension to provide the "boom" of an explosion, for example, so the audio can sound a bit lacking and "rough" in certain areas. Doing an A/B test with the $300 HyperX Cloud Orbit S, which is capable of delivering stunning bass thanks to its planar magnetic drivers, the difference is quite noticeable. That's not to say the Prime doesn't have bass, it does, but it somehow rides without much presence. For games, especially online multiplayer games, that's much less of an issue, but if you're planning on using the headphones for listening to music, some bass-focused genres can sound a little off.

The overall signature sound, however, is fantastic. With a wide soundscape, punchy mids and detailed highs, the Prime proves to be a great source for enjoying all kinds of entertainment. Action movies in particular are a pleasure to watch, as the headset's natural stereo mix is ​​able to weave in an impressive surround sound feel without thinning the sound or overwhelming the sound clarity. The drivers lend themselves well to any virtual surround sound solution, like 3D audio on the PS5, but it doesn't necessarily require it thanks to its already massive soundstage and impressive directionality.

Finally, the Prime headset includes the standard ClearCast microphone found on most Steelseries headsets. It's not the clearest sound you'll get from a gaming headset, but it's capable of producing decent sound that should suffice for gaming online with friends or binging on a video call on Zoom. It's also capable of filtering out most ambient sounds like computer fans, but some of the higher-pitched noises like that of a mechanical keyboard will pass through.

The verdict

The Steelseries Arctis Prime impresses on almost every front. From its wide, open soundstage and detailed sound to its excellent comfort and ergonomics, the headphones are one of the best on the market. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if you're looking for something to help you with your online FPS games, the Arctis Prime is easily the top choice, if you don't mind paying $100 for what's a gaming headset base.