Review on SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC Black Wired Gaming Headset - Certified Hi-Res Audio - Dedicated DAC and Amp - for PS5, PS4, and PC by Charles Quinones

I got my Arctis Pro Wireless a day ago and tested it with my Siberia 800/840/H wireless network. Here are my few quick impressions after testing mostly on my PS4. I will try to provide an update after further testing. Look and build: I prefer the look of the Arctis Pro Wireless. It looks a bit more modern and sleek than the Siberia 800. In terms of build quality, I find the Siberia 800 to be more durable and abrasion resistant. The Arctis Pro Wireless has an open metal headband and a matte finish that feels thinner. I have to be careful with it compared to the Siberia 800, which I can carry almost anywhere. Comfort: The Arctis Pro Wireless cups are more comfortable. They have a natural shape around the ears, as opposed to the Siberia 800's cylindrical shape. I'm not a fan of the ski strap above, though. I had to adjust it by undoing the velcro which is prone to lint. Also, it tends to pull the headphones up, causing a bit of discomfort at the bottom of the ears. I prefer the Siberia 800's headband with its soft memory foam and traditional way of sizing. Connectivity: Pretty much the same. I had no signal issues when I went downstairs with both headsets to get something from the kitchen. Also, there are no lags while playing. The Bluetooth range is also great and there is no noticeable lag when watching videos from your phone. Ease of use: The base stations are almost identical, apart from a few settings. The 3.5mm chat-out and analog-in on the back of the Siberia 800 base station have now been replaced with line-in and line-out, simplifying routing to speakers. The volume control on the Arctis Pro Wireless base station is a little more grippy and concave, but it works the same way. Batteries are exactly the same. I swapped them out and they work great. There are a few more options in the Arctis Pro Wireless menu. Now you can have a sidetone and adjust its sensitivity. However, your voice tends to sound distorted when you speak a little louder or shout. Luckily you can set it to 0 to turn it off, which unfortunately I had to do. You can now set the screen to timeout or use the home screen, which is just the SteelSeries logo. I've had screen burn-in issues (due to OLED) on my Siberia 800 base station, so this is a welcome preventative option. There's also a volume limit option that you can disable if you need a louder volume. Arctis Pro Wireless can also connect to the SteelSeries Engine for more advanced options, but this is not currently available. On the Arctis Pro Wireless, the volume and mute controls are on the left side of the headset and the power buttons are on. Right side. I didn't like this change. With the Siberia 800, all controls are on the right side and you only need to use one hand to do everything. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you're using a Siberia 800. The battery is now on the right Arctis Pro Wireless and you simply remove the magnetic plate to swap it out. With the Siberia 800, simply unscrew the plate to change the batteries. Both methods are almost the same. When the Siberia 800 is turned on and off, it will beep to indicate it is on or off. He is clearly audible. Arctis Pro Wireless beeps when turned on. A small beep sounds when the power is turned off. It's almost inaudible unless you're listening. The weird thing is that there is a loud beep when you turn off the device while connected via Bluetooth. This looks like an accident. Microphone: The quality of the microphone is on the same level on both. Both will glow red when you turn them off and can be adjusted and broken in. However, the Arctis Pro Wireless Microphone is slightly larger and bulkier. I like the look of the microphone better on the Siberia 800, but there's nothing wrong with that. The biggest issue I had with the Arctis Pro Wireless was the very low microphone volume when I tested it on my PS4. My friends hardly heard me. Also, at the moment there is no way to adjust the sensitivity of the microphone. This is strange since Arctis Pro with GameDAC has the ability to control microphone volume. The only way for my group to hear me a little better is to crank the microphone sensitivity all the way up in the PS4's system settings. However, it was lower than the Siberia 800, which I always set the default sensitivity to PS4. When I switched to Siberia 800, my side could hear me comfortably. I hope SteelSeries can fix this with a firmware update. Sound: My Siberia 800s are completely silent when there is no sound. The Arctis Pro Wireless emits a very subtle amount of hissing, but not enough to be annoying. When a sound is played, it's almost inaudible, if at all. I was concerned about this, but it's definitely not a deal breaker. The audio signatures are slightly different. I wouldn't say the Arctis Pro Wireless sounds any better than the Siberia 800 and that's disappointing. I tested both with my own EQ settings and with surround sound turned on and off. Arctis Pro Wireless sounds a bit more airy. The highs are a bit more detailed but stiffer. The bass response of the Arctis Pro Wireless sounds dull and a little less full. The emphasis is more on clarity and separation, but it feels a bit synthetic. This makes it sound harder and thinner than the Siberia 800 overall. The high frequencies of the Siberia 800 are warmer and more comfortable on the ears, but still have more clarity. In addition, the bass is clearer and deeper. I feel the Siberia 800's sound signature is more natural and accurate. Overall, both sound good and definitely give you a competitive edge. For now though, I prefer the Siberia 800's sound, but I'll need to spend more time tweaking the EQ settings to get the full Arctis Pro Wireless experience. Verdict: These two wireless headsets are great for gaming. I've had the Siberia 800 for about three years now and I really like it. If you are looking to switch from Siberia 800/840/H Wireless to Arctis Pro Wireless, I would wait for now. The sound hasn't gotten any better and microphone volume is definitely a big issue. Also, it hasn't been fully integrated into the SteelSeries engine, making it feel rushed and half-baked. However, these impressions are based on just one day of use. I will try to update later after heavy use. Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like me to check something else. Thank you for your attention! UPDATE (4/29/18): SteelSeries Engine 3.12.3 has been released to allow customization of Arctis Pro Wireless. This included a firmware update for the Arctis Pro Wireless. Update fixes microphone volume on PS4! Now I don't have to set the maximum microphone sensitivity in the PS4 system settings. My side hears me loud and clear without adjustment. Also, they fixed the power off sound that is now loud. It was nice to fix those issues, especially the mic volume, which was a big issue for me. Thank you SteelSeries for listening to the feedback.