In its quest to expand its product range, the famous Danish brand, whose reputation is well established, offers us its new wireless headset: the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless. True to its tradition, the manufacturer promises exceptional sound quality at an affordable price. After testing the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless and Arctis Nova 7X models, it is now the latest that catches our attention.
This Arctis Nova 5X Wireless headset is compatible with many platforms: Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Switch, Mac, VR, portable and mobile devices. Offered at a list price of €139.90, it is positioned as a mid-range product, between the Arctis Nova 4X and the Arctis Nova 7X, in terms of features. But what about its performance?
Unboxing, a pleasant discovery
At first glance, we notice a deliberately classic packaging, which harmonizes perfectly with the other models of the brand. This one highlights the device itself, without frills, and sports the green Xbox badge, emphasizing its compatibility with these consoles.
When opening the box, no bad surprises, quite the contrary. The headset is carefully presented in attractive packaging, reflecting its quality, and it is well protected in a double case, housed in its green case. On the outer cardboard, the color varies depending on the reference of the headset (blue for the PlayStation one for example). This presentation combines safety and presence, which is already an excellent point!
Inside, in addition to the headset, we find a USB-C dongle, stickers to personalize the product and a user manual. In addition, two cables are included, one for charging, the other to connect the headset to the console dongle (USB-C to USB-A). Their quality and length (1.5 m) are appreciable. However, it should be noted that there is no 2.5 mm jack port, which may be a disadvantage for some.
Simplicity and comfort combined
At first glance, the product seems to be of satisfactory quality, an impression that is confirmed when handling it. The plastic material used is of good quality, both flexible and compact. The whole, dressed all in black (the only shade available), is sober and refined. It consists of the main headband as well as an elastic headband adjustable on three levels and decorated in green. A small downside for this headband: although it hugs the skull very gently, it may not be suitable for larger heads.
This is a closed circumaural headset, meaning that the earphones surround the ears and the pads are in contact with the skull. The earpieces, which can be rotated 90°, allow the headset to be worn around the neck without discomfort. They are covered in a soft, velvet-effect fabric and are pleasant to the touch with their memory foam. The brand logo is affixed to each of them and the microphone is fully retractable. With a weight of 265 g, the device is light and comfortable, without any feeling of heating in the ears, even for glasses wearers.
The controls, easily accessible thanks to the buttons placed on each earpiece, are intuitive. On the right side, there are two buttons, one to select Bluetooth mode or switch to the dongle, the other to turn the headset off/on. There is also a wheel to balance the volume between chat and game. On the left side, there is a button to mute the microphone, another wheel to adjust the general volume, and the retractable microphone. This clever idea saves space when the latter is not in use and the flexibility of its stem allows it to adapt as best as possible to the mouth. A red LED light indicates when the microphone is muted.
The dongle provides the wireless Quick-Switch function to switch from Bluetooth mode to a 2.4 GHz connection, with the simple push of a button. To do this, simply plug it into the supplied cable, and not directly into the console (or PC). A significant new feature is the integration of Bluetooth 5.3 technology, which was absent from the previous model, the Arctis Nova 4X. The advantage of the Nova 5X therefore lies in this dongle equipped with a switch dedicated to the console.
A convincing sound balance!
When pairing, the connection is impeccable, whether on Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch. From the first listen, the mids are very clear and very present. There is no saturation at maximum volume, whether in the treble or the mids, which is very pleasant. The punchy bass pleasantly surprises us, with a “wow” effect and without stifling the mids.
In addition, the voices are clearly audible (tested on the title Hellblade II) and the spatialization is well felt, which is another good point. The sound effects are well transcribed and detailed and we enjoy the atmosphere of the RPG, even during the masterful musical sequences. For action games and multiplayer, the experience is immersive, the bullets whistle in our ears and the footsteps of the enemies around add to the intensity of the game.
The SteelSeries is equipped with 40 mm magnetic transducers, offering a wider and well-calibrated sound spectrum. The binaural sound retransmission is good, making it an ideal choice for gaming. It can also be used to listen to music (although it is not a HI-FI headset) with honorable results. The clear sound, whether in DTS or Dolby, makes it versatile, perfect for enjoying video applications as well. For fans of technical details, the frequency response of the headset is between 20 and 22,000 Hz, with a sensitivity of 93 decibels and an impedance of 36 Ohms. When using the dongle, the bandwidth is of better quality than in Bluetooth. However, it is important to specify that its design has a drawback, it does not allow simultaneous audio in 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth, which is a shame.
The ClearCast 2X microphone delivers clear, noise-free voice reproduction. It features 25 decibels of noise reduction, eliminating bidirectional noise. Its frequency response ranges from 100 to 10,000 Hz, with a resolution of 32 kHz / 16 bits. However, it is unfortunate that it is difficult to remove from its compartment once the headset is on your head. If you do not want to use it, it is therefore advisable to remove it before wearing the headset.
A dedicated application
The Arctis Nova 5 mobile app, dedicated to gaming, stands out for its ease of use and its many advantages. It offers more than 100 equalizer presets, depending on the types of games and musical styles, improving certain sounds such as those of nature or weapons during combat, for a more intense immersion, which is an additional advantage. The application also displays the battery level and allows you to switch between the dongle and Bluetooth, without having to touch the headset.
In addition, the brightness of the microphone LED can be adjusted or disabled, which optimizes battery life. A color-coded LED indicator indicates the percentage of battery life, which is very practical. Likewise, an audio limiter is present, which helps prevent too high a volume, especially when listening safely for children. In addition, there is also an extended range mode, which increases the range of the wireless connection, although this can reduce the quality of the microphone sound. Finally, the sidetone function ensures good voice diffusion on speakers.
On PC, the Steelseries GG software offers the possibility to create your personalized gaming profile with an equalizer and save it. It can then be used on the mobile application.
Finally, the battery life does not disappoint. In less than 2 hours, you get a full charge for about 60 hours in Bluetooth (and 50 hours with the dongle), as announced by the manufacturer. The fast charge is very efficient, 15 minutes is enough to enjoy more than 6 hours of autonomy without worries. The headset loses about 5% of battery every 2 hours in continuous use and at medium volume.