Cheap and not angry. Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless Headset Review – review Addiction

Today we’ll take a look at what a wireless headset is good for. Steelseries arctis 1… The model is far from new, but better late than never. The headset has a lot of interesting things, but it seems to me that it makes sense to put its cost at the forefront.

At retail, the device at the time of writing can be purchased for nine thousand rubles. For them we get: wireless headphones, a detachable microphone, a decent appearance, a bunch of cables with adapters and proprietary software. At the same time, Arctis 1 do not fall apart on the first day after purchase and even sound! In principle, this is already enough for a positive assessment, but let’s restrain our emotions and talk seriously.

Design

There are no complaints about the appearance. Arctis 1 is a discreet classic. Nothing more, it looks strict and stylish. There would have been no questions even if Steelseries had asked two or three times more for it. Well, yes, the manufacturer did not lie, in Arctis 1 you are not ashamed to appear on the street.

But there are some nuances in the matter of materials. In general, everything is great: soft-touch matte plastic, metal and eco-leather in the design and design of the headband, fabric ear pads. However, the leatherette is very delicate. It reminded me of the material that I used AKG in K550 MK II… It took, as far as I remember, about a year, and he was all worn out. I cannot say that this is the same case, but there are fears. In my opinion, it would be cheaper, easier and more reliable to use a fabric lining, as is done in Sennheiser, eg. But, in the end, this is the only potential drawback of the model in terms of the exterior.

There are already more complaints about ergonomics. Globally, everything is fine. The headset sits securely on your head, weighs a little, and you almost forget about it while playing or listening to music. Why almost? There are three reasons. The ear pads are too small and the ear touches the speaker grill. Plus they are hot, which is strange: they are still fabric. But here, apparently, the problem is not in the material, but in the size of the ear pads. Further. The headband presses a little on the top of the head. Not much, but nonetheless. Again, I would use cloth. With her, as a rule, such inconveniences do not arise. And the last thing. If you have a small head, the range of headband adjustments may not be enough and the headphones will seem too big. Everything else is good. People with medium-sized ears and heads should be quite comfortable.

As for the workmanship of the Arctis 1, there are no comments here. Absolutely. The materials are pleasant to the touch, not easily soiled. The gaps are minimal. Fitting parts as in Hi-fi class. No creaks, no dangling. It seems that the Arctis 1 belongs to a completely different price category, and this is good news.

The delivery set is also pleasant. There is a USB dongle with a connector USB Type-C, with which the device communicates with almost any device equipped with USB or USB Type-C inputs. I.e PC, PS 4, PS 5, Nintendo Switch and gadgets based on Android OS… True, in the case of Android devices, you will have to make sure that the phone or tablet is capable of transmitting sound through this connector. Yes, most people can do that, but there are exceptions.

Thus, only the owners are left behind. iPhone and iPad with their proprietary Lightningas well as those who have Xbox… In the first case, you will have to look for adapters Lightning – USB Type-C from Chinese craftsmen, but it’s not a fact that all this will work, since there is no official support, but in the second one you will have to limit yourself to a wired connection to an Xbox gamepad with a 3.5 mm jack. Support for wireless connectivity is available with the special edition headset for consoles Microsoft, but keep in mind, buying this version, you lose support from consoles Sony… Confusing, but what to do – the competition between the two giants.

Also included is a USB extension, a USB to Micro USB charging cable, a detachable microphone and a cable with 3.5 mm jacks. The latter, however, is short and suitable for use only with mobile phones or gamepads.

In work

In terms of autonomy, ease of control and stability of the wireless connection, the Arctis 1 is gorgeous. My 40-meter apartment was not enough to make the Arctis 1 lose signal. You can move freely in space, go about your business and at the same time continue to listen to music or chat with friends. I did not notice any audible loss in sound quality. Well, about autonomy – I counted about 19 hours from one charge of the built-in battery.

Using headphones is also convenient. There are not many controls, but they are all in place and are correctly placed in the body of the device. On the right cup we have a power button, on the left: a Micro USB input for charging, a 3.5 mm input for connecting a microphone, a volume control wheel and a slider that turns the microphone on and off. Convenient and nothing more.

Sound

Well, now about the main thing – the sound. Arctis 1 is a classic example V-shaped frequency response… Connoisseurs of an even and unpainted presentation are unlikely to find something interesting in a headset, but such a minority. For the most part, when it comes to consumer audio electronics, people love a lot of bass and a lot of treble, as proven by more than one test conducted in many different focus groups. So V-shaped frequency response shaping is an intentional move.

However, in my opinion, Steelseries is still a little overdone. Well, there is a lot of bass. It doesn’t hum, it doesn’t turn into mush, there’s just a lot of it. In some compositions it is beneficial, yes. For example, tracks Chris Brown & Young Thug – Go Crazy, as well as Nais – Bee Zone served fat and dense. Shakes. In other cases, on the contrary, it spoils the overall picture. Phace & Subtention with track Oh Dear performed by Arctis 1 literally kill with bass. The pressure is such that it is uncomfortable to listen to, literally, ears begin to hurt. And here Silly, Wasn’t I from the legend of soul Valerie sympson sounds wonderful. The bass is played just right.

In short, there are certain difficulties with a low register, but this is fixable. The equalizer has not been canceled, so we simply lower the range from 60 Hz to 180 Hz by 3.5–1.8 dB using proprietary software, and the frequency response takes on a balanced look.

But what cannot be fixed due to the limitation on the part of the driver is sibilance. Unfortunately, any upper register instruments (cymbals, shakers, violins) will be distorted in timbre. Simply put, they will be “sandy”, so be careful! If you are very sensitive to accentuated high-frequency presentation, it makes sense to consider something other than Arctis 1. The headset is very, very bright.

As for the mid frequencies, they are cut by about 4-5 dB. Not critical – you can equalize with an equalizer, which I recommend to do for music lovers looking at Arctis 1. Without this, the headset lacks the completeness of the sound picture. For example track Accidental happiness Thomas Newman, who, in general, is all about the middle, before the equalization sounded mean and uninteresting, but after – it was already quite acceptable.

Now about whether it makes sense to buy a sound card for Arctis 1, external DAC or something like that. The answer is no. Steelseries sells a completely finished and self-contained device, even plugged into a pretty serious sound card Evga nu audio, in which, in my case, the factory op-amps are also replaced by NJR Muses02The Arctis 1 play plus or minus the same as from its own DAC. The only differences are in the slightly smoother midrange and microdynamics. And this, I think, is good!

Still, hardly anyone will buy a headset for nine thousand in order to create a serious musical and aesthetic path on its basis. Rather, the opposite is true. Considering the Arctis 1 as a purchase, most likely want to get something ready and not needing an upgrade. The Danes did an excellent job with this, offering just such a product.

Games

But in games, disadvantages in the presentation of musical material also turn into advantages. The accentuated top draws attention to the slightest rustle on the map, and in games this is very useful! IN Quake Champions, famous for its frankly poor sound engine, because of which even serious hi-fi systems do not always give you an idea of ​​where the enemy is, everything is clear in a Steelseries headset. Play is as comfortable as possible.

IN Overwatch also no comments. Specially played for D.Va, never ceasing to fire her ‘Mechs from the cannons, and everything is fine. The shots did not turn into a rumble and cannonade, and footsteps, rustles and other audio events remained readable.

CS: GO and Valorant with its primitive sound, too, naturally, did not raise any questions. Opponent on the parapet, you stand at length Dust ii and confidently give information to your teammates: how much, where and where they are going.

The only title in which I could find fault with the headset is Call of Duty: Warzone… No, you can hear everything. However, due to the scene, which in Arctis 1 is very narrow and always focuses sounds somewhere in the center of the head, there is a kind of claustrophobic audio presentation. On maps as small as Shipment and Shoot House, you start to feel like you’re in a box. I want air and space, separation of sounds. But this, of course, is a matter of habit.

So, what about the microphone? Yes, everything is standard. It bends in all directions, there is no pop filter, it does not interfere with the review. Sounds like everyone else: with strong compression and with a noticeable cut on the low and high frequencies. I wouldn’t stream using it, but to communicate with teammates and friends in Discord or Teamspeak it’s more than enough. You will be clearly and audibly heard – this is the main thing.

And finally, a little about sound insulation. Do not expect miracles in this area, all the same ear pads are made of fabric. And, nevertheless, a neighbor knocking with a hammer, the work of a mechanical keyboard and mouse clicks – the headset dampens all these distracting noises quite well.

Yes, it could be even better if the Arctis 1 had leather ear pads. But leather is a completely different price niche, and therefore, the maximum that could be counted on at the current price is leatherette. And with it, using a headset in the summer would be very, very problematic. So I think Steelseries has found a sensible compromise here.

conclusions

Steelseries Arctis 1 is a success in our opinion. This is not to say that she grabs stars from the sky in any category. However, there is not a single point where the headset would show itself frankly bad. Whatever you touch – sound, comfort, microphone, performance, equipment or versatility – there is a strong four everywhere. And, of course, the price plays an important role in making the final decision on evaluating any devices, and in this case it is very pleasant. So our final verdict is good. And that’s all for today, friends! As always, we are waiting for your comments and see you again on Igromania!