At first we would like to thank SteelSeries for offering the Arctis 9 Wireless Gaming Headset for testing and reviewing.

 

About SteelSeries:

"From day one, SteelSeries has been focused on making high performance gaming gear used by the most demanding, top professional gamers worldwide and peripherals that provide superior quality and a competitive edge to gamers of all skill levels. We believe, as most gamers do, in winning, not trying!

 

What originally began with two people who recognized the need for superior, high-quality/performance gaming gear that would give gamers a competitive edge, has grown into a global leader in gaming and entertainment gear sought after for their high performance capabilities.

 

Fast-forward to today, and we’ve come a long way since our first glass mousepad. We have global offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, providing an integrated portfolio of products designed specifically for gaming. Fueling our growth is you, the gamer!

 

While we are proud of our technology and product innovation, we are even more excited about how these products are developed to meet the needs of gamers. Many companies may claim to develop superior gaming products but few actually do. Instead, they spend countless hours with lab engineers trying to force fit a new technology with bells and whistles and mediocre functionality for the end-user.

 

At SteelSeries, we develop our products with a small internal team and a vast network of technology partners, channel partners, game publishers, and gaming communities around the globe. We aren’t afraid of being challenged and implementing new ideas. Our main goal is to always to listen to the collective feedback of our professional gaming community.

 

We won’t bore you with cheeky slogans, trying to underline our authenticity as gamers. We fully acknowledge that the best professional gamers in the world know more about what they want and what will make them better, than we do. We are proud to be working with our partners, but we can’t take credit for their invaluable input and feedback. Instead we tell it like it is: they help us. We want to know what works and what doesn’t. For this reason, SteelSeries creates innovative solutions that provide a competitive advantage for all gamers.

 

Critical to our company’s success is also our reinvestment in the gaming communities and the individuals who support them. As a result, our corporate philosophy is to take a substantial portion of our revenue and put it back into the gaming community to help spur industry growth. We support our community in numerous ways, ranging from co-hosting tournaments like Iron Lady and King of the Hill, and supporting gaming competitions of all sizes, to promoting the top and up-and-coming gaming teams/organizations.

 

Put simply, SteelSeries does not claim to invent or reinvent the gaming industry. Nor do we focus on one specific product, copy other companies or follow the crowd.

 

Instead we leave it to you, the gamer, our customer/partner/inspiration, to decide if we are deserving of such declarations and accolades. What we do promise, however, is to remain committed to you. We will continue to work with you and the gaming community to make the best products possible and give you that competitive edge. We will continue to do our best to support the growth of the professional gaming industry and give back to the gaming communities. By doing so, we don’t just talk a good game, we win!"

High Performance Wireless + Bluetooth

The Arctis 9 dual wireless headset combines high performance 2.4 GHz wireless for premium gaming audio on PC and PlayStation, with the convenience of simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity for everything else.

2.4GHz Wireless

Features ultra-low latency 2.4GHz lossless wireless for high fidelity audio, so you can enjoy an immersive lag-free wireless gaming experience on both PC and PlayStation.

Bluetooth

Go wireless on any Bluetooth-enabled device, and even use both wireless types at the same time so you can easily take calls, listen to music, or VoIP chat while gaming or on the go.

Arctis ClearCast microphone

The Discord-certified mic uses a bidirectional design, the same used by aircraft carrier deck crews, for superior noise cancellation so your voice sounds clear and natural.

On-ear ChatMix control

Dial in your perfect balance of game and chat audio using on-ear headphone controls on the fly without pausing your game.

Signature Arctis sound

The signature Arctis soundscape emphasizes both subtle and critical in-game sounds, allowing you to hear every detail for an audio advantage.

Industry-leading battery life

An optimized battery provides up to 20+ hours of nonstop wireless usage, so you can game all day and night on a single charge.

DTS Surround Sound

DTS Headphone:X v2.0 provides incredibly accurate surround sound positional cues for PC.

 

Speaker Drivers

 

Neodymium Drivers 40 mm

Headphone Frequency Response 20–20000 Hz

Headphone Sensitivity 98 dBSPL

Headphone Impedance 32 Ohm

Headphone Total Harmonic Distortion < 3%

Headphone Volume Control On Ear Cup

Headphone Chat Mix On Ear Cup

 

Microphone

 

Microphone Frequency Response 100–6,500 Hz

Microphone Pattern Bidirectional

Microphone Sensitivity -38 dBV/Pa

Microphone Impedance 2200 Ohm

Microphone Location Retractable

 

Wireless

 

Range 40 ft / 12 m

Battery life 20 hours

Bluetooth version 4.1

Bluetooth profiles A2DP, HFP, HSP

 

SteelSeries has just launched the Arctis 9 headset, coming from the same series as the Arctis 7 we have reviewed back in 2017. This particular model does share quite a bit of features with the Arctis Pro Wireless high-end, but with less connectivity options, without the OLED break-out box, no Hi-Res capabilities but also no replaceable batteries. The wireless Arctis line has always impressed us with the range, comfort and overall sound quality…let’s see if this model does pack some new interesting features!

 

The product does ship in a pretty compact cardboard packaging, featuring the well-known SteelSeries theme; on the top cover we will notice the main product highlights, including the outstanding 20-hour battery life!

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, the manufacturer has listed some of the awards it has received from various publications:

 

 

 

The opposite area does show the list of included cables, but also how to perform connection to various devices; the technical specifications are listed here as well:

 

 

 

On the back we will learn of the PC/Playstation compatibility, the dual wireless capability, the DTS HeadphoneX V2 option for virtual 7.1 surround but also the inclusion of the Discord-certified microphone:

 

 

 

After unsealing the box and lifting the top cover, we will get some instructions right away on how to operate the retractable microphone:

 

 

 

By removing the top packaging layer, we will reveal an additional cardboard protection, with the “For Glory” SteelSeries printed on an orange background:

 

 

 

The Arctis 9 headset is well secured inside a black plastic mold underneath:

 

 

 

 

Besides the main product, we will also receive the wireless transmitter, compatible with both PC and Playstation:

 

 

 

The documentation is present in a separate transparent plastic envelope:

 

 

 

 

Some links to online resources are available on a separate leaflet:

 

 

 

The installation guide is helpful for learning the operating modes and how to connect the unit to different sound sources:

 

 

 

The Arctis 9 overall design is like other models from the same line, such as the Arctis 7 or the more recently reviewed Arctis Pro Wireless; these offer a durable construction thanks to the steel headband and are very comfortable thanks to the suspension headband and the ear cushions:

 

 

 

On the exterior of the right earcup, we do have a plastic cover with a matte rubber finish; a subtle SteelSeries logo can be also spotted here:

 

 

 

Quite a bit of interfaces are available here, beginning with a Volume wheel but also a microphone Mute button:

 

 

 

Moving on, we do have the Bluetooth button, a Status LED but also a Power button:

 

 

 

The microUSB port is available for charging the unit but also for performing firmware updates, while the jack port is for using the “Headphone Share Jack” function. This basically will enable connecting a pair of analog headphones to it so one of your friends can be listening to the same audio content you are currently playing:

 

 

 

The same design is present on the exterior of the left cup:

 

 

 

Here we do have the ChatMix dial, for balancing the voice and game audio seamlessly, without the need of adjusting it separately via software; this is also done by having two audio devices listed as sources in Windows sound options:

 

 

 

The retractable microphone is Discord certified and features a frequency response between 100 and 6500Hz; it also features a bidirectional pick-up pattern, the sensitivity is -38 dBV/Pa and impedance 2200 Ohm:

 

 

 

 

SteelSeries still uses the athletics inspired Airweave ear cushions, which we have learned to love from the beginning of the Arctis line:

 

 

 

Another shared element from the previous versions is the Mute LED, which is a part of the microphone chassis:

 

 

 

Depending on the current status, the included RGB LED will display the charging level of the internal battery but also the current operating mode (wireless/Bluetooth):

 

 

 

 

 

Coming back to the premium woven ski google headband area, this is self-adjustable, but can be also tightened manually or replaced with another design:

 

 

 

 

 

As noted, the Arctis 9 headset is compatible with both PC and Playstation consoles; this is possible thanks to the multifunctional wireless transmitter:

 

 

 

On the back of the transmitter we will find two small rubber feet but also a small switch for jumping between PC and PS modes; for PS4 consoles, we also need to adjust in PS4 Setting -> Devices -> Audio Devices to All Audio in order to be able to use the feature. A Connect/Pair button is also available nearby:

 

 

 

The USB connector of the transmitter does feature a 90-degree design for better cable management on some configurations:

 

 

 

The charging/firmware update cable does also feature the SteelSeries branding:

 

 

 

When connected to a PC, the transmitter frontal activity LED will blink white when the headset is not connected and stay completely lit when the Arctis 9 is powered on; in PS4 mode, the LED will turn blue:

 

 

 

In the back of the transmitter we do have two additional jacks, a Game In jack for connecting sound sources but also a Line Out jack for outputting to a set of speakers:

 

 

 

After connecting the transmitter to a spare USB port of our test PC and pairing it with the Arctis 9 headset, the setup was immediately detected by SteelSeries Engine software; a firmware update was prompted as well, together with some extra library installs:

 

 

 

The GUI related to Arctis 9 is split into two tabs (Audio and Settings), the Audio one containing most important options we can fine-tune. Here we can choose if we should enable DTS HeadphoneX V2 surround feature, choose a Stereo profile, enable Bass/Dialogue enhancements, work with the 10-band EQ, choose from one of the available presets, customize the microphone volume or enable/tune microphone sidetone:

 

 

 

We have multiple Surround profiles we can choose from:

 

 

 

Same goes for the Stereo profiles:

 

 

 

The EQ section has some predefined profiles which we have seen with other Arctis models as well:

 

 

 

The Settings area takes care of the Power Management options and if the headset should have Bluetooth option turned on at startup. This options particularly helps if we are using two sound sources at the same time (wireless from the transmitter and Bluetooth from a mobile device, for example):

 

 

 

After being quite familiar with the Arctis Pro Wireless, we were right at home while trying the newer Arctis 9 which can be thought as more cost-effective solution. The up to 20 hour battery life is quite interesting versus the swappable battery solution in case of the Arctis Pro Wireless (which comes with two 10-hour ones) and while the 40mm neodymium drivers are lower-specced in terms of frequency response, sensitivity and THD, the real difference when listening to various audio content will be minimal to non-existent for most individuals.

 

We have tried the headset while watching to multiple video blogs on YouTube, a lot of different music videos but also played quite a bit of Serious Sam 4, Gears 4, Gears 5 and No Man’s Sky; the drivers do deliver quite a bit of bass, while the voices are well represented as well in case you are in conference with someone. While having multiple Discord chats, the people on the other side did not notice any changes in quality versus high-end Arctis Pro Wireless, the sound delivered by the microphone being loud and clear, as advertised.

 

The simultaneous Bluetooth feature is an interesting option, because you can play your favorite game, watch a movie or other multimedia content and at the same time take a phone call or stream audio content from another portable device.

 

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 has already dropped in price since its launch at different retailers, so it can be found online for as low as 174 Euros!

SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless Gaming Headset is Recommended for:

 

 

 

We would like to thank again to SteelSeries for making this review possible!