Setting aside this year’s special Dragon Edition, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless was released back in 2022. While we normally don’t expect sequels for gaming headsets as often as we do phones, it wouldn’t have been surprising if it got a sequel this year. But we didn’t get that, and instead we got the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless instead.
Priced at RM699, this headset is made as the more affordable option, trading some features for a lighter price tag. On the surface, the brand has achieved that goal. Though at the same time, I wish the weight loss affected the headset differently.
What Am I Looking At?
Barring some small differences, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is pretty comparable to the 7. No surprise there, as they’re part of the same series. And with that, you can see that what you find on the earcups of one is mostly what you’ll find on the earcups of the other. One of two key difference though can be found on the right cup – where the Nova 7 has a wheel to shift the balance between voice chat and game sounds, the Nova 5 doesn’t. Ditto the left, where the Nova 7 has a 3.5mm audio jack that the Nova 5 lacks.
Another difference, though a smaller one in comparison, is that the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless has the USB-C port moved from the right cup to the left. The rest are just about unchanged. You get the same power and wireless mode buttons on the right, the volume wheel on the left, and the retractable boom mic with mute button as well as its LED indicator for when said button is pressed.
One difference that is not immediately obvious though is in the headband itself. While it is still made of flexible plastic, IGN reports that one on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless does not have a steel core like the Nova 7 does. This does make it lighter, but more prone to breaking if it gets involved in an accident, or if you pack it improperly when travelling.
Besides that, you have the familiar elastic suspension strap beneath the band, and the fabric-wrapped ear cushions. Worth mentioning though that this does result in less impressive passive noise isolation, which applies to both the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless as it does the Nova 7.
What’s Good About It?
One major improvement that the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless boasts over the older Nova 7 is that you get a mobile app to access some settings that were previously locked to the SteelSeries GG software on PC. Though this comes with its own fair share of cons, which we’ll get to in the next section. The silver lining here is that the app has separate equalisers for when it’s connected via Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz dongle, so you get some customisability when using it with consoles.
As far as sound quality goes, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is a bit of a mixed bag when compared to the Nova 7, on account of it being a newer but more affordable model. On one hand, the sounds are definitely more balanced, but on the flip side clarity and soundstaging has taken a bit of a hit. That being the case, spatial audio for games are still fine, and you’ll still be able to tell where gunfire or footsteps are coming from.
The built-in boom mic of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is essentially identical to the one on the Nova 7. Actually, it may be slightly better, as while it’s still picking up my voice clearly, it’s also doing it at a slightly higher volume. It’s no standalone mic, and it can definitely still benefit from a pop filter, but otherwise it’s a slight improvement.
As mentioned earlier, barring the game and chat volume balance wheel, you have every other control you need on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless as you did with the Nova 7. I’ll chalk it up as a win, as while losing said wheel is unfortunate, it’s one that I’m personally willing to give up. Depending on what software you’re using for your voice chatting needs, it should have enough tools for you to balance the two from there. You’re just losing the ability to further tweak it on the fly.
Closing out this section, I have the battery life of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless. The company claims that it can go on a 60-hour marathon. It had 60% of its charge when it first arrived at our office, and I got slightly under 40 hours from said 60% charge, so the maximum duration from a full charge is believable.
What’s The Catch?
Remember in the above section when I mentioned the mobile app gave you access to some of the SteelSeries GG PC software settings? Emphasis on “some” though, as while you can set your mic sensitivity, sidetone and the mute LED brightness, your equaliser settings are limited to presets.
And it’s done in a very messy way too, as in addition to the normal presets you’d expect like “flat”, “movie: immersion” “music: punchy”, these are lumped in the same list as game-specific equaliser settings. The result is a tedious navigation process for when you’re looking for a specific, non-game setting. And there’s no custom equaliser for you to tune things to your liking either, which is unfortunate.
While we’re on the subject, the PC software has all the same problems when used with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless as it did with the Nova 7. It’s the same software after all, so it’s a familiar bit of output clutter that you need to deal with.
One option I wished that the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless did not compromise on for its lower price point was the 3.5mm audio jack. While there are no latency issues while using the dongle, and the battery life is as impressive as advertised, when you do run out – because you forgot to charge it in between uses – your only backup is another pair of headphones.
Should I Buy It?
All that being said, if you were to pick one between the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless and the Nova 7, I would suggest you go for this newer gaming headset. Priced at RM699, you’re looking at a headset that costs RM250 less than the Nova 7, though naturally you are giving up some features for the lowest price point.
Of them all though, the only one that really feels like a real loss is the 3.5mm audio jack, and a slightly different sound signature that you may or may not even notice. In return, you get a mobile app which – strangely is exclusive to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless – allows you to have some degree of equaliser customisation when using the headset with a console or your phone.
This is one of those few times where an item that’s lower on a series’ totem pole is the better choice. While partly this is due to its asking price, there’s also something to be said about it just being the newer product. So if you want to pick up a gaming headset and you’re a fan of the brand, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is worth your consideration.
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