Steelseries Arctis 5.
There’s an enemy behind sneaking up on you, but you keep playing unsuspectingly because you can’t hear him. It feels like you’re hearing movement in front instead. Then he knifes you.. wait what, how could you not know this?
Have you ever noticed that enemies suddenly had an easy shot on you, when you didn’t expect them? The Steelseries Arctis 5 is a good headset to help you getting an advantage over opponents. Nowadays, most headsets are using 7.1 surround sound like – your enemy was probably using this. You could take the chance to be ahead of them, being able to defend yourself against that knife on time, but instead, you lag behind.
When playing a game, it gives a nice feeling that you’re in the middle of everything that’s happening around you. Virtual 7.1 surround sound will help you to know where exactly your enemies are coming from. Steelseries Arctis 5 has this feature, it uses 8 audio channels to give you a 360-degree sound field as if it is real-life.
We use our gaming headset for long periods of time and something we do not want is physical pain, making you maybe even quit the game - just when you were having a winstreak.
Steelseries has a solution for this: they use special AirWave Technology – something athletics use. It keeps your ears dry and cool even after many matches. You won’t even notice the difference before and after you dropped into sweaty battlefields. The Ski Goggle Headband makes sure the weight of the headset is evenly balanced on your head, providing a light-weight feeling.
‘’Can you please tell your siblings to stop arguing next to the door of your room?’’ This is not necessary anymore because the microphone has noise cancelling, to get rid of background noise.
When you’re done gaming and you want to chill with your favorite music songs: you can do this with the Arctis 5 as well.
In short, the Steelseries Arctis 5 lets you hear everything perfectly, so you can anticipate quickly on in-game situations and even gain an advantage on your enemies, leading to more kills.
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Full Review
You’re hearing footsteps.. but where exactly do they come from? The right? Left? Behind? And suddenly you get no-scoped by a sniper or the enemy is in your face, getting an easy point-blank shot. As a gamer, you want to be able to rely on the surrounding sounds you hear. In other words, know the direction and get a sense of distances.
To get the most out of your game you’ll need more than a beast gaming PC. This review will tell you exactly why a good gaming headset is important – showing you which one you should pick, including all the benefits and technical specs.
The importance of a good headset
You’re probably here because you consider upgrading your headset or you want to know what it exactly is that makes a gaming headset great. Maybe you already have a headset or earphones, but is that one really good enough to get the most out of your in-game skill? Does it fit all the needs, aren’t you missing out on great benefits? Maybe your opponent has a competitive advantage on you because the way he’s hearing you is way better than the way you’re hearing him.
Excellent sound quality is a big part of what makes the difference in your game. Quality audio is essential for an immersive gaming experience and therefore is one of the best headsets the best way to achieve it. Get your game to a higher level.
Virtual 7.1 Surround sound
Is this really important in gaming? Yes, absolutely. This is one of the most important specs on the list, and of course, the Steelseries Arctis 5 has 7.1 surround sound. Modern games can offer the greatest audio experience – as if it is real life. They are designed to take advantage of surround audio.
Did you know that surround sound was first used in theaters for ‘Batman Returns’ in 1992? Also in home theatres, surround sound did the trick to create a way better experience. Most new movies nowadays have 7.1 surround playback.
Without Virtual 7.1 surround sound, your gaming headset won’t offer you the best sound experience.
Virtual surround sound is an audio system, which makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a wide sound-field, in the middle of the action, as if you’re actually inside the game. As it says, the sound surrounds you, increasing your awareness. Especially when playing in open-world games; there is so much going on.
Let’s say you’re walking in a game. The enemy is near you, he might be busy preparing his attack on you. You hear him – and every rotation you turn, you can still hear where these noises are coming from. It gives you a 360-degree sound field – how it’s also like in real life. This is not only really beneficial, it’s also way more fun!
The difference between 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound
5.1 surround sound systems use 6 channels, whereas 7.1 surround sound systems use 8 channels. These two extra channels provide a better, clearer audio quality. At the price ranges where 7.1 systems usually operate, the audio capabilities and built quality of the speakers are way better than any 5.1 system.
Comfortable: Steelseries Arctis 5
Lower quality headsets seem fine at first, but imagine sweat, trapped heat, and friction building that build up over time – your headset has to be able to endure this. The Steelseries Arctis 5 has unique AirWeave technology, used by athletics. It does not only feel great, but you will also be surprised by cool and dry ears – even after a sweaty game, or terrifying horror movie.
The Ski Goggle headband - which characterizes Steelseries – works wonders because it perfectly adjusts itself to the shape of your head. This way the weight of the headset is balanced and it has a light-weight feeling, so you won’t feel any pressure.
Other features of the Steelseries Arctis 5
Noisy siblings? Or a mother that’s vacuum cleaning? The headset comes with a noise-canceling microphone. This means it has two or more microphones that are picking up sound. One is picking up the ambient noise, to make sure the primary microphone clearly picks up your voice. Your team will experience clearer communication. And we want the best for our team, right?
A nice benefit: when you’re not using the mic, you can easily push it inside your headset if you prefer not seeing the mic. On the left side, there is a mute button to quickly mute- and unmute your mic. When muted, a red light will appear on the mic.
If you want the best sound quality out of your microphone, I would recommend using a standalone USB microphone, like the Blue Yeti Nano. Even though mics on the best gaming headsets have improved over the years – it is comparing apples to oranges.
For adjusting the volume, there’s a scroll wheel on the left as well. This way you don’t have to adjust the volume on your computer itself, and if you’re leaning backwards watching a movie for instance or your teammates are screaming in your ear, you don’t have to move to the front to adjust the volume. That’s what we need, right?!
The headset also includes a ChatMix Dial to create the perfect balance between gaming and chatting. For a lot of people, this feature might be useful, but personally, I think they didn’t have to add this since I’m not using it.
If the game sound suddenly gets really loud, you can quickly turn up the voice chat volume and vice versa. The Speaker S1 drivers are specially designed for a balanced soundscape, with very low distortion. You’ll get a powerful sound for gaming, listening to music, and watching movies.
Steelseries Engine 3 software
We haven’t mentioned the RGB yet which makes your headset look fancy! This headset gives you the choice between 16.8 million colors, so your favorite color is not missing out here.
To get started, make sure to download the Steelseries Engine 3 Software.
Once downloaded, the software should automatically detect your headset. When you click on it, you get to the configuration settings.
Simply click on the left to adjust the colors on each side of the headset, and make sure to turn on your 7.1 surround sound- that’s where we mainly bought the headset for. You can also decide how strong you want the noise reduction and the mic volume to be, and change the bass enhancement – and other features.
When you want to increase the bass and you like to play shooters, be aware that you possibly won’t get a clear distinction of footsteps and the noise around you. Imagine a grenade that has just exploded, and the explosion sounds keep going.. Just as you knew there were enemies circulating around you.
Good to know
The headset is easy to connect via USB to PC, Mac, and PlayStation with a cable that's long enough to cover the distance. When using it for VR or mobile, you can use the 3.5mm jack connection. Engine 3 support is only suitable for PC, where a Windows 7 (or higher) operating system is required.
The Premium Choice
The Arctis 7 is an advanced version of the Arctis 5, offering a number of premium features. It has better sound quality supported by 7.1 surround sound and the headset can be used wireless. You’ll have the freedom to move around in your room whilst you’re gaming, listening to voice chat, or music.
This gaming headset can also be used wired, which comes in handy if you forgot to charge the battery. The headset stays connected up to 12 meters with a battery life of 24 hours.
The Recommended Choice
The Arctis 5 has by far the best price-quality ratio and is focused on the core: a good gaming sound. If you want a good 7.1 surround gaming headset and freedom of movement is not that important, then this is the right headset for you – saving you money. Extra’s such as a wireless option is missing, but it comes with RGB – a nice addition.
There’s no hassle connecting it to your PC, since the cable is long enough. When using your headset wired, the quality of the microphone will be the best.
The Budget Choice
The Arctis 3 can be used by those who want to stay more on budget. It has 7.1 surround sound too, but not as good as the Arctis 5 and 7. It uses ‘SteelSeries 7.1’, Arctis 5, and 7 use ‘DTS Headphone:X 7.1’ which is a better surround technology.
