SteelSeries Arctis 9x

A PERFECT example of why simple isn't always best – Considering this is the First review on here for this device, and the second time i have personally owned said device, I will go in depth about this brilliant yet flawed headset. Googling this headset will spawn several main websites that rant and rave about this headset. 40mm broad spec drivers, 20hr plus battery life, the easiness of its connection to your console, the seemingly brilliant bluetooth/game audio combination, all rolled into a headset created by one of the most renowned tech companies in the world. One would be forgiven if they expected this headset to work flawlessly, hit the gamer ground running and never look back. And for the most part, it does this well. The mic is almost flawless; Discord certified boom mic works brilliantly on both console and bluetooth, although the latter is super sensitive and is only saved by the Steelseries Engine. This allows you to adjust and save EQ settings, along with critical mic and sidetone controls. This is even more important if you game in a regularly loud environment. The drivers are brilliant in every aspect apart from bass. Mids and highs are brilliant, and surround sound support, especially Dolby Atmos, is heavily recommended, especially for bass support. Using max bass levels in the Engine gives little boost for bass. These drivers are all-round crown pleasers and are great for comp play, but if you want more bass emphasis and a tad more balance, download and pay the miniscule 15 dollar once off payment for Atmos. Considering you are forking out hundreds for this headset, getting the most out of it via another 15 bucks is nothing. One thing this headset is, is comfy. You can wear them for hours, with the battery lasting at least 20 hours, and the air weave fabric will keep you comfy for all of those hours. Steelseries sells alternative materials such as leather earcups, but for maximum comfort, keep the default cups. Where the major flaws lie, is in the Wireless connection. The 9x's are some of the only headsets that connect to the console via the Xbox Wireless connection...the same network that the controller uses to connect. On the plus side, it is easy to connect and disconnect. ANNND that is where it ends. This headset suffers considerably from interference, especially on new consoles like the Series X. The problem lies in the frequency; wifi, along with most devices and this headset run on the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies. Anything within 5m of this headset can cause either a delay or cut the connection entirely, even causing the device to turn off completely mid game. Steelseries support is terrible in this regard. there is no official firmware update since its release that solves this issue, and the official response by Steelseries is that they are working on it....for eternity it seems. Solutions i have trialled include disabling Bluetooth, flattening the EQ and installing Atmos, as adjusting the EQ in the Engine seems to throw out the headset after a short period of time. Adjusting the EQ through Atmos seemed to help. Turning off a proprietary segment of the device permanently is a huge blow, just to get the headset to work and connect better. Losing bluetooth places this device in line with argaubly better sounding headsets, such as those from LucidSound and Xbox themselves. Altho, the Bluetooth is only 4.1, suffers at range, and music sounds sub-par on a device meant for gaming.

So in summary... Buy this headset if: you want one of the best gaming headsets money can buy, happy to spend over 300AUD on a device that only connects to one kind of console, and want great quality sound and microphone experiences...while the connection lasts Look elsewhere if you want: more bass (i'd go the official Xbox Wireless headset, i will review that later), better long term connection (most headsets using the same method suffer the same problem...goes a RIG headset with a dongle, works wonders), or do NOT wanna spend over 300AUD on a console headset (again, either the Xbox or RIG headsets will be perfect for less)