But the one feature we really do miss is a ChatMix scroll wheel for varying vocal and other audio volume.

There's a volume wheel and mic mute switch, but no mic wheel. Black is very much the new black in gaming headsets this year. There’s no RGB, and the headset isn't available in any other colors. Visually these looks just the same as SteelSeries' other Arctis headsets, except for the headband has a matte black finish and a restrained splash of SteelSeries branding in matte silver at the bottom of each earcup. There’s also an extension cable with split audio and mic inputs bundled in the box. The cable’s not braided and ends in a 4-pole jack. The Arctis 1 can be rotated to lay out flat for easy packing and transporting and feature a silver, polygonal design on the cloth covering each driver. We’ve yet to lose a detachable mic, which is the major primary downside of such a design. Unlike the headband though, we’re fine with this deviation from the line's tried-and-tested formula. On the front is a detachable mic, a first for the Arctis series. There’s a lot of noise leak if you turn these all the way up, which has more to do with the breathable fabrics used than any inefficiency in the earcups' shape.Īt the rear of the left cup are volume and mic mute controls. The shape and size of these earcups is perfectly suited for sitting comfortably for long periods and creating an effective chamber for the lower frequencies to resonate in.

Things get a bit more familiar lower down, as around each earcup is the same super-comfortable, cloth-finished memory foam padding found on pricier Arctis models. The headband packs in plenty of soft cushioning on the underside, but it's not quite as comfortable as the Arctis 3. It won't budge, even if you make sudden headbanging movements. It’s adjustable, just like any other headset on the market in 2019, and the level of clamping force around your ears feel just about right. The biggest and most obvious difference is the headband, which uses a more traditional aluminum chassis design and covers it in lightweight black plastic.

Despite those fractional margins in pricing, the Arctis 1 feels like a very different set of cans than the Arctis 3.

Steelseries headset arctis 1