SteelSeries has revealed the Arctis Pro range, a new line-up of headsets with a flagship model that promises some seriously smart sound.
The top-end headset is the Arctis Pro + GameDAC, which employs an ESS Sabre DAC and amp to pipe high quality sound straight into your lucky ears. SteelSeries notes that this is the first certified Hi-Res Audio system to grace the gaming world, delivering high-fidelity 96kHz/24-bit audio without any need for down-sampling.
The firm also boasts that the GameDAC is specifically tuned for gaming, and can transform your PC’s (or your PS4’s) sound by bypassing the hardware’s lesser-quality DAC to produce tighter bass and impressive volume, while still maintaining a clean sound with no danger of distortion.
Furthermore, gamers will benefit from more accurate audio positioning – i.e. the location of sounds will be better pinpointed, which can be crucial in the likes of shooters – with support for DTS Headphone:X 2.0.
Another neat benefit of the GameDAC is that it has a built-in OLED screen to make adjusting settings a snap, whether you’re toggling surround sound or playing with the graphic equalizer. In other words, there’s no need to delve into software and menus on a PC (which is obviously a major boon for those using the headset with a console).
Wireless wonder
As mentioned, the GameDAC is the centerpiece of the flagship model, but there’s also an Arctis Pro Wireless headset which, as you might guess, dispenses with the connecting cable.
The Arctis Pro Wireless comes with a USB transmitter and a dual-wireless system that supports both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth, with the ability to use both those connections simultaneously (so you can have sound from a game coming through, while listening to music via your phone and the Bluetooth connection).
What’s also neat is that the USB transmitter has an OLED screen just like the GameDAC, allowing you to easily adjust settings with no need to fiddle around with software.
The Pro Wireless comes with two swappable batteries each of which last for 10 hours, so you’ve got 20 hours of longevity on tap.
The entry-level offering is the Arctis Pro, which simply consists of the base headset and relevant cables. However, all of these products come with the same high quality speaker drivers that are built around high-density neodymium magnets.
Furthermore, they all benefit from a lightweight build and good comfort levels, featuring a self-adjusting ski goggle-style headband, with Airweave ear cushions suitable for long sessions of gaming without being a pain in the ear (as seen in previous Arctis models).
You also get a retractable ClearCast microphone that has background noise cancellation technology to ensure that you come through crystal-clear when talking to your teammates.
These headsets are available now direct from SteelSeries, with the Arctis Pro + GameDAC priced at $249.99 or €279.99 (around £250, AU$445), and the Arctis Pro Wireless costing $329.99 or €349.99 (around £310, AU$555). Pricing is still to be confirmed on the entry-level Arctis Pro.
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