SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni Hits $359.99 at Amazon but Saves Its Hi-Res Audio for PC

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni Hits $359.99 at Amazon but Saves Its Hi-Res Audio for PC

Amazon has the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni in Graphite at $359.99, down from a $399.99 list price, and SteelSeries is asking the same $359.99 on its own store. The hi-res audio that carries that price is effectively a PC feature, because SteelSeries says PS5 and Xbox cap out at 48kHz/24-bit.

Overhead view of a gaming headset and audio base station with swappable batteries partly ejected
The headset and the GameHub with both numbered batteries partly ejected, showing the charging slot in the base station. Image: SteelSeries

What arrives in the box is the full kit: the headset, the GameHub base station with three USB-C inputs and a line-in, and the two hot-swappable batteries SteelSeries calls the Infinite Power System. That matters because the GameHub is also the 2.4GHz transmitter, so there is no small dongle to lose or to move between systems.

What the Omni actually connects to

SteelSeries lists compatibility with Chromebook, Mac, mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, VR and Xbox. All of it runs through the GameHub over 2.4GHz, or straight to the headset over Bluetooth 5.3.

OmniPlay mixes up to four sources at once, which the spec sheet defines as USB1, plus USB2 or USB3, plus Bluetooth, plus line-in. Xbox is the awkward one, since SteelSeries support says it has to use USB-3 in Xbox mode specifically.

Bluetooth volume is not part of the mix either. SteelSeries says that balance has to be set on the phone, not on the dial. The same device-juggling behaviour is covered in more depth in this full review of the Arctis Nova Pro Omni.

Wireless headset and base station connected to a smartphone, a PlayStation and an Xbox console
SteelSeries shows the GameHub wired to a phone, a PlayStation and an Xbox at the same time. Image: SteelSeries

Where the hi-res claim stops

The 96kHz/24-bit number is genuine. The Japan Audio Society has certified the Omni for both Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless, and SteelSeries puts a custom 40 mm neodymium driver behind it.

However, the manufacturer's own FAQ for the headset is blunt about the rest. PS5 and Xbox show 48kHz/24-bit because that is the ceiling those consoles output, which is the same figure a far cheaper headset reaches.

Two more features need software or money. ChatMix on PC requires the free Sonar suite and Windows 10 or later, and the spec page marks Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X as sold separately.

Bluetooth has a similar footnote. The only classic codec listed is SBC, with LC3 and LC3+ reserved for LE Audio devices.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni specifications

SpecificationSteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni
DriversCustom 40 mm neodymium magnetic, Hi-Res
Frequency response10-40,000 Hz
Impedance and sensitivity38 Ohms, 98 dBSPL at 1kHz/1mW
Wireless2.4GHz via GameHub, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio
Hi-Res audioCertified 96kHz/24-bit, 48kHz/24-bit on PS5 and Xbox
MicrophoneClearCast Pro retractable boom, omnidirectional, 50-16,000 Hz
Noise cancelling4-mic hybrid ANC with transparency mode
Battery2 hot-swappable cells, up to 60 hours, 30 hours per cell on 2.4GHz with ANC off
Fast charge15 minutes for up to 4 hours of play
Base stationGameHub with OLED display, 3x USB-C in, line-in, line-out, charging slot
Weight339 g headset, 169 g GameHub
Price$359.99 at Amazon, $399.99 list

The cheaper SteelSeries that covers most of it

SteelSeries still sells the older Arctis Nova Pro Wireless at $299.99 direct. Its listed compatibility covers Mac, mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC and PlayStation, with no Xbox at all.

So the extra $60 buys Xbox support, a third USB input, Bluetooth 5.3, the hi-res certification and the swappable batteries. Those batteries, and an OLED base station, also showed up on the cheaper SteelSeries Aeon Pro at $259.99.

HeadsetPriceListCoverage
Arctis Nova Pro Omni, Graphite$359.99$399.99PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile, VR
Arctis Nova Pro Omni, Midnight Blue$359.99$399.99Same headset, second color
Logitech G522 Lightspeed$129.99$159.99PC Lightspeed, Bluetooth, wired USB, 48kHz/24-bit
HyperX Cloud III S$119.99$179.99PC, PS5, Switch, mobile, no Xbox
RIG 800 PRO HX$88.72$164.99Xbox and PC, with a charging base station

The Midnight Blue Omni is the same $359.99, and the Logitech G522 Lightspeed and HyperX Cloud III S sit far below it. The RIG 800 PRO HX is the cheapest route to a base station, and it was $99 at Amazon earlier this month.

What the listing does not say

Neither retailer publishes an end date, and SteelSeries has moved this headset between $399.99 and $359.99 repeatedly since early September. Its store data shows $379.99 in the second week of September and $359.99 across most of October, so $399.99 has been charged mainly in the gaps.

Battery capacity, wireless range and the lab test behind the claimed 40 percent ANC advantage are all unpublished. Multi-platform rivals such as the Logitech G Astro A50 have swung by similar amounts, and prices here are accurate at the time of writing only.

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