The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is a wireless gaming headset that offers a premium experience at a more affordable price point compared to its predecessor, the Nova Pro Wireless. With a familiar design and an array of features, it's a worthy replacement for the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, earning the title of Editors' Choice for wireless gaming headsets. However, it's not without its flaws, and I'll delve into the details and my personal perspective on this device.
Design: Familiarity Breeds Comfort
The Nova Pro Omni looks and feels like a familiar friend, with a design that's identical to the Nova Pro Wireless. It comes in black, white, or midnight blue, featuring matte plastic earcups with soft memory foam earpads wrapped in faux leather. The earcups rotate 90 degrees for easy storage, and the headband is a two-part design with an upper metal strip and a lower elastic strip, providing a comfortable and secure fit for extended gaming sessions.
One thing that immediately stands out is the lack of premium materials in the Nova Pro Omni. While the Nova Elite boasts metal headband struts and vegan leather, the Omni feels more like a mid-range headset in terms of build quality. However, this doesn't detract from its overall comfort and functionality.
Base Station: Connectivity and Convenience
The base station included with the Nova Pro Omni is the same as the one that comes with the Nova Elite. It's a black plastic box with an OLED screen and a knob for adjusting volume and settings. The screen displays headset battery life and audio signal information, while the knob lets you switch inputs and adjust various settings. The base station also features three USB-C ports, 3.5mm line-in and line-out ports, and a slot for the removable batteries.
One of the standout features of the Nova Pro Omni is its connectivity options. It supports PlayStation, Xbox, and PC simultaneously, making it a versatile choice for gamers. However, it lacks the AAC and AptX codecs that support higher-than-SBC-quality streaming, which is a minor drawback.
Hardware: Audio Quality and Features
Internally, the Nova Pro Omni relies on 40mm neodymium drivers with a 10Hz to 40kHz frequency response and a sensitivity of 98 dBSPL at 1kHz/1mW. While it doesn't have the carbon fiber drivers with brass surrounds found in the Nova Elite, it still offers a rich and balanced sound. The retractable ClearCast Pro boom mic is omnidirectional, with a 50Hz to 16kHz frequency response and a sensitivity of -40 dBV/Pa, making it suitable for casual recording and streaming.
The Nova Pro Omni also boasts a dual-battery system, allowing you to swap batteries to keep playing without plugging the headset into a power source. This is one of my favorite aspects of SteelSeries' flagship headsets, providing uninterrupted gaming sessions.
Connectivity: Wireless Freedom
The Arctis Nova Pro Omni is wirelessly compatible with PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, and mobile devices via either a USB-C connection to its 2.4GHz base station or Bluetooth 5.3. The 2.4GHz wireless link is hi-res audio certified for 96kHz/24-bit audio, while Bluetooth supports the SBC codec, LC3, and LC3+ for low-energy and hi-res audio. However, it lacks the AAC and AptX codecs that support higher-than-SBC-quality streaming.
Software: Sonar's Audio Processing Suite
The SteelSeries software, including the Windows app SteelSeries GG and the Arctis app for Android and iOS, provides access to Sonar, an audio processing suite with many useful options. It enables spatial audio for PC games, offers customizable parametricEQs for game audio, chat audio, and media playback, and provides a mixer for adjusting levels. However, the iOS version of the app lacks Sonar and has limited EQ profiles.
ANC: Noise Cancellation and Music Performance
The Nova Pro Omni has built-in active noise cancellation (ANC), which does an admirable job of muffling lower and middle frequencies. However, it struggles with higher frequency hums and whines, and it can pop and hiss in strong wind. For more effective ANC, you'd need to invest in dedicated noise-cancelling headphones.
When it comes to music performance, the Nova Pro Omni delivers a rich and balanced sound. I listened to several tracks on the headset through an LC3+ Bluetooth connection to my phone, and they all sounded powerful and detailed. The bass test track, The Knife's 'Silent Shout', showed a good sense of force in the Flat EQ preset, and switching to Bass Boost made it ear-vibratingly strong at high volume.
Gaming Performance: Spatial Audio and Microphone Quality
Games sound great on the Nova Pro Omni, thanks to Sonar's spatial audio processing, which provides an effective surround effect. I could accurately pinpoint the source of bullets and footsteps in games like Pragmata and Apex Legends, giving me a tactical advantage. The microphone is also top-tier, with clear and full test recordings, making it suitable for casual recording and streaming.
Personal Perspective
In my opinion, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni is a solid choice for gamers who want a wireless headset with a rich and balanced sound, top-tier microphone, and a range of features. While it may not have the premium build quality of the Nova Elite, it's still a comfortable and functional headset. However, it's not without its flaws, and audiophiles may prefer the Nova Elite for its carbon fiber drivers and brass surrounds.
One thing that immediately stands out is the lack of AAC and AptX codecs that support higher-than-SBC-quality streaming. This is a minor drawback, but it's not a deal-breaker for most users. Overall, the Nova Pro Omni is a worthy replacement for the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, offering a premium experience at a more affordable price point.
