The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are good gaming headphones that can be used both wired and wirelessly. They come with a wireless dongle that provides minimal latency to ensure a quality gaming experience without noticeable delay. They're decently comfortable, they have fairly well-balanced audio reproduction, and there's a 6-band EQ available in the companion app. Unfortunately, they feel a bit cheaply made and don't have the best consistency across different users, so your experience may vary. On the upside, they have a decent boom microphone and can last around 25 hours when using them wirelessly.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are good for neutral sound. The overall sound profile is fairly well-balanced and accurate, although they struggle to deliver a consistent audio reproduction across different users, which means that your experience may vary. On the upside, these headphones are pretty comfortable and perform well at max volume.
- Accurate audio reproduction.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Sub-par soundstage.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are sub-par for commuting. While they're designed for gaming, you can still use them wired, or wirelessly with a compatible Android phone with a USB-C port. However, they don't have a very good noise isolation performance and won't block out the noise from your commute. On the upside, they're decently comfortable for long periods and have very good battery life.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- USB-C dongle can be used with compatible Android devices.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless aren't designed for sports. They're bulky and hard to bring around with you to the gym. They're also not the most stable and move around with head movement.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Unstable and wobbles with head movement.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are okay for the office. They're comfortable to wear for hours, and their battery life should last you a few days without any issues. Unfortunately, they won't block out office environment noise like chatty coworkers very well.
- Decent boom microphone.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are decent wireless gaming headphones. They're comfortable and have very low latency thanks to their dongle, so you shouldn't notice any delay when playing. These very versatile headphones can be used on many gaming platforms. The microphone sounds decent if you play online, but it lacks some detail. On the upside, there are good customization options with the companion software, and the battery life is very good, with around 25 hours of playtime.
- Accurate audio reproduction.
- Decent boom microphone.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- Can be used with every gaming console.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are good wired gaming headphones. They're comfortable, have accurate audio reproduction, and have decent overall microphone performance. Unfortunately, they might not perform the same on your head as they do on others, so your experience may vary. When used wired, they're compatible with all gaming platforms, and they come with the needed cables.
- Accurate audio reproduction.
- Decent boom microphone.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- Can be used with every gaming console.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are somewhat alright for phone calls. The microphone is an upgrade over your cell phone's mic, although better options exist. The mic does a decent job of separating the background noise from your voice, but the other person on the line might find your voice to be a bit thin. On the upside, these headphones are comfortable and you can even detach the microphone for a more straightforward look whenever you aren't making calls.
- Decent boom microphone.
- Very good 25-hour battery life.
- USB-C dongle can be used with compatible Android devices.
- Plasticky build that feels a bit cheap.
- Inconsistent audio delivery across users.
Changelog
- Updated May 22, 2024: We've retested Charge Time and Audio While Charging in Battery and have updated our results.
- Updated Oct 20, 2022: We've updated this review with a comparison of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 in Build Quality.
- Updated Oct 25, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Jul 14, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are different models of this headset depending on which console you play on. We reviewed the PC/PS4 model. However, we expect our review to be valid for all of them, other than for the wireless compatibility tests.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless might seem very similar to other Arctis headphones in the same lineup, but they're quite versatile thanks to their wireless USB-C dongle. They can be used with a lot of different gaming platforms and are still set at an affordable price, which is nice. However, they do feel a bit cheaply built and don't feel like very premium headphones.
For more options, check out recommendations for the best SteelSeries headsets, the best gaming headsets, and the best wireless gaming headsets.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 performs very similarly to the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless. Both headphones have similar sound profiles, but the Turtle Beach packs a bit more bass and performs a bit more consistently across different users. Unfortunately, its app is pretty bare-bones and doesn't allow for much customization. The SteelSeries also feels a bit better made, although it still feels plasticky. Both headphones have a decent microphone, though the SteelSeries one performs better in noisy environments.
The Corsair HS70 Wireless are slightly better wireless gaming headphones than the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless. They're more comfortable and noticeably better-built than the SteelSeries. Also, they perform a lot more consistently across different users. On the other hand, the SteelSeries have lower wireless latency.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7 2019 Edition Wireless are slightly better headphones than the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless. The biggest difference between these two is that the 7 2019 Edition are much better built than the 1. They're also a bit more comfortable, and they have a much better performing microphone. On the other hand, the 1 have lower latency when used wireless, but unfortunately, they don't allow for channel mixing.
The SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless and the HyperX Cloud Flight are two good decent wireless gaming headphones, but for different reasons. If you care about accurate audio reproduction and customization, go for the SteelSeries, but if you prefer a more comfortable option that has a very good microphone, then the HyperX are the better option.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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