The SteelSeries Arctis Pro are great gaming headphones that come with a GameDAC for on the fly customization. The Arctis Pro + GameDac are very similar in design to the Arctis 7 but aren’t wireless (although they do have a wireless variant available that costs a bit more). They’re a low-profile headset with a sleek and simple design that’s great for gaming and versatile enough to use outdoors, thanks to their mobile adapter included in the box. They have a good, retractable boom microphone for chatting with friends and teammates online and even more customization options on PC thanks to the SteelSeries Engine software.
They have a good, well-balanced sound quality that you can EQ, and they’re sufficiently comfortable for long gaming sessions. However, unlike the Arctis 7 or Acrtis Pro Wireless, they may not be as convenient for console gamers or for watching TV since they are wired. They’re also not as outdoor friendly and their headband can be a bit tight on some heads, but on the upside, they have practically no latency thanks to their wired design, making them an excellent choice for gaming, especially on PC and PS4.
Pros
+Versatile and durable design
+Good active features and app support
+Good audio and microphone reproduction
Cons
-Subpar noise isolation
-Can be a bit tight for some listeners
-Bass and treble delivery vary significantly across users
Design
The Arctis Pro + GameDac have a very similar design to the wireless Arctis 7 but come with the dac that offers easily accessible customization options and settings. They also have an elastic ski google-like self-adjusting headband strap which is comfortable but doesn’t have any type of additional adjustments, so they might not be as comfortable on larger heads and could be tight for some. The earcups are large and comfortable with breathable and soft padding for long gaming sessions. SteelSeries went with a porous and more breathable fabric instead of leather on the earpads. The build quality of the Arctis Pro is good and feels high-end. The headset should survive a few drops without too much damage and the retractable microphone is malleable enough not to break when positioning it. You get a mute mic button and a volume dial on the left ear cups and all sorts of customization with the multi-purpose wheel on the DAC. Unfortunately, like most gaming headsets, the Arctis Pro are bulky and not very portable, but if you decide to use them with your cell phone, they do come with an 1/8” TRRS mobile adapter.
Sound
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC are a great sounding pair of closed-back over-ear headphones. They have a punchy and thumpy bass, a great mid-range and a very good and detailed treble. Their sound signature makes them versatile for any type of music genres and also great for most games, especially if you sometimes like to listen to the soundtracks. Their imaging is also very good, so listeners will be able to hear video game effects like footstep and pinpoint other players accurately. Unfortunately, their sound is prone to inconsistencies, and different people might have different experiences with this headset. For example, people with glasses could hear a noticeable drop in bass but on the upside, with the SteelSeries Engine software, you get a good EQ so you can customize the sound to better match your mood, tastes or the game you’re playing. You’ll also be able to switch sound profiles on the fly with the DAC which is super convenient when gaming on consoles.
Isolation
The isolation performance of the Arctis Pro is sub-par, which is mostly due to their porous earpads that are made for comfort and breathability during long gaming sessions. A decent amount of noise seeps into your audio, meaning you shouldn’t expect great performance if you decide to use this headset outside in noisy environments like public transports. On the upside, they don’t leak too much at moderate volumes, so you’ll be able to raise the volume of your Arctis Pro to mask a bit more ambient noise, so you can concentrate on your music or in-game audio.
Microphone
Like most gaming headsets, the Arctis Pro have a great boom mic for gaming with friends or online teammates. In quiet environments like a bedroom, voices sound full and detailed. It might even sound too sharp sometimes for some. In noisy environments like a street or at a gaming competition, the microphone does a great job at separating speech from background noise. The mic is also retractable and is conveniently hidden in the left ear cup. It is also malleable and easy to position near your mouth for optimal performance but it’s not detachable like some of the other gaming headphones we’ve tested like the HyperX Cloud Flight which are a bit more suitable for outdoor use. On the upside, you have more control over the mic with the Arctis Pro. You have a mic-mute button on the back of the left cup and with the SteelSeries Engine software you have mic monitoring and sidetone options as well as gain and other customization options so that you can hear yourself as clearly as your teammates hear you.
Active features
The Arctis Pro GameDAC headset is wired, meaning it doesn’t have a battery, but it is compatible with the SteelSeries Engine software for many customization options. You get a great parametric EQ with presets, DTS surround sound, live preview, mic monitoring, volume control for the microphone and also many options of RGB lighting on the earcups. You can also access those settings on the DAC, on top of the channel mixing and you can switch between EQ presets with the multifunctional button if you keep it pressed for a short amount of time. You can also save your settings in different profiles and quickly change between them on the fly. It’s a great and easy-to-use software that’s further enhanced by the GameDac, which is why they are one of the better gaming headsets we’ve tested.
Connectivity
The Arctis Pro GameDAC are wired headphones but come with a proprietary cable that isn’t OS specific and with a 1/8” TRRS mobile adapter so they can be used with most devices. They will offer audio and microphone support if plugged into console controllers, but if it is used with the USB connection on consoles, only PS4 will support voice chat. The GameDAC also has multiple inputs: optical-in, line-in, line-out and USB. Thanks to the wired connection, the Arctis Pro have negligible latency that won’t be noticeable when gaming or watching video content.
Who should buy it?
If you’re a gamer looking for a great headset with excellent customization options and a good sound, then get the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC. They offer best in class customization thanks to the SteelSeries Engine, and all the settings you can access right at your fingertips thanks to the GameDac. They also have a great boom microphone for in-game chats with friends and teammates and it’s retractable, making the headphones somewhat versatile enough to use outdoors. Not being wireless does make them a bit less convenient for some, especially for console gamers or for movie watching (since the cable might be a bit short for a home theater set up). They also don’t offer great isolation because of the porous earpads so even if they are somewhat outdoor friendly, they won’t be the best for that use case. On the upside, the wired connection means no latency and the DAC is great to change settings or sound profiles on the fly, which the wireless Arctis 7 don’t offer. Since both are in the same price range, you’ll need to choose between the wireless convenience of the Arctis 7 or the better customization options offered by the Arctis Pro + GameDac. You could also go for the more expensive Arctis Pro Wireless but regardless of which SteelSeries model you choose, they won’t be as suitable for the Xbox One and are much better for PC and PS4.
To see all our measurements and our test results of the SteelSeries Arctis Pro GameDAC, please go here.
