SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless Headphones Review

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 are very similar in design to other SteelSeries headphones. They feature the brand's distinctive ski goggle-like headband, cloth-lined ear cup padding, and retractable boom microphone.

These headphones are comfortable. While the headphones themselves are somewhat heavy, their elastic headband does a good job of distributing its weight. The ear cups offer a pretty broad range of adjustability, and the cloth-lined padding feels soft. Unfortunately, like other SteelSeries headphones, their elastic headband can feel tight for people with larger heads and can't be expanded very far.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have a very good control scheme. There are dedicated buttons for power on/off, microphone muting, and Bluetooth playback functions. A single tap of the Bluetooth button answers and ends incoming calls and pauses or plays media. A double and triple tap skips tracks forward and backward, respectively. There are also separate wheels for volume adjustment and chat mixing on either ear cup, though it can be hard to tell which is which as they both feel the same.

Update 03/25/2021: We have tested these headphones for breathability.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless have sub-par breathability. While the material covering the ear cups feel similar to that of the SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless, these headphones seem to trap in a bit more heat, and don't allow for much airflow. If you wear them during sports or physical activity, they can cause you to sweat more. However, it shouldn't be too much of a problem if you're sitting down to game.

These headphones aren't especially portable. The ear cups swivel to fold flat, but their headband doesn't fold inwards to reduce their footprint. Thankfully, since they're Bluetooth-compatible, you won't need to carry their USB transmitter wherever you go. They also have a retractable boom mic, so you shouldn't have to worry about it snagging on something in your bag.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 don't have a case or pouch.

These headphones have impressive build quality. They feel better built than the SteelSeries Arctis Prime and are mostly made of dense, high-grade plastic. They also have cloth-lined ear cup padding as well as an elasticized headband. Overall, they feel like they should survive a couple of minor impacts without serious damage, though their yokes and hinges do feel a little fragile.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 are quite stable. Their ski-band headband and relatively tight fit help keep them on your ears during low-intensity head movements, but they're very likely to fall off if you plan on using them for intense workouts. Their wireless design eliminates the risk of having an audio cable snag on something and pulling them from your head.

• SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless headphones
• USB transmitter dongle
• USB-A to micro-USB charging cable
• User Guide

Update 03/25/2021: We have clarified the results of the mismatch between the L/R driver. While we experienced a difference in frequency response between both drivers, it could be due to a quality issue unique to our model.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have a somewhat imbalanced sound profile out-of-the-box. They're missing a bit of low bass, so some sound effects and bass-heavy music genres may lack thump and rumble. While their mids are mostly flat and neutral, they have an uneven treble response that results in a lack of detail and clarity. This isn't helped by the mismatch between the L/R drivers of our unit, which is most noticeable in the low-bass, high-mid, and low-treble ranges. We could also hear the difference in bass between ears. However, this may be an issue with our unit and if you have experienced this issue, please let us know in the discussion section below. If you prefer to tweak their sound to your liking, it can be customized in-depth via a graphic EQ or presets in their companion app.

The frequency response consistency of the SteelSeries Arctis 9 is poor. Their audio delivery is heavily dependent on their fit, seal, and positioning, so you may have trouble achieving a consistent listening experience, especially if you have long hair or wear glasses.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have alright bass accuracy. The low-bass range is slightly underemphasized to different degrees in the left and right drivers, resulting in an overall lack of thump and rumble, but this mismatch could be unique to our test unit. Conversely, they have an overemphasized high-bass response that adds a bit of muddiness to some tracks. That said, since their audio delivery is heavily dependent on their fit and positioning, your experience may vary.

The mid accuracy of these headphones is great. While there is some mismatch between both drivers, the range itself is mostly flat, resulting in full-bodied and present dialogue, vocals, and lead instruments. A slight dip in the high-mid range does make them sound a little distant.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9's treble accuracy is disappointing. There's significant mismatch between the L/R drivers in this range, so vocals and lead instruments may sound alternatively dull and lispy, though this may only be an issue for our test unit. Since their audio reproduction is heavily dependent on their fit and positioning, your experience may vary in the real world.

The peaks and dips performance of the SteelSeries Arctis 9 is satisfactory. The left driver has an underemphasized low-bass response, resulting in a lack of thump and rumble, followed by a bump in the high-bass range that muddies some mixes. The overemphasized mid-mids and high-mids generates some harshness while the sharp dip and following peak in the treble range makes some notes alternatively dull and piercing. The right driver has a slightly recessed mid through high-mid range as well as a slightly harsh low-treble range.

The stereo imaging performance of the SteelSeries Arctis 9 is mediocre. Their weighted group delay falls beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. While the L/R drivers are well-matched in regards to phase response, some amplitude and frequency mismatch is present. This has an impact on the headphones' ability to accurately place objects in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our test unit, and yours may perform differently.

These headphones have a passable passive soundstage. It may be perceived as quite spacious, but also somewhat unnatural. Their soundstage won't feel quite as open as that of open-back alternatives like the Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2019.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have support for DTS virtual surround and a simple speaker modeling feature.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have a satisfactory weighted harmonic distortion performance. Some distortion is present throughout the mid-range and low-treble range, but the rest of the frequency spectrum falls within good limits. This results in mostly clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless. Our results are only valid when they're used in this configuration.

These headphones have bad noise isolation capability. They filter out almost no ambient noise throughout the bass range and do a poor job of dealing with mid-range background noise, so you may hear sounds like the rumble of bus engines or the chatter of people nearby quite easily. Thankfully, they're quite effective at cutting down higher-pitched sound, like the hum of a nearby AC unit.

The leakage performance of these headphones is decent. If you listen to your music at a high volume in a normal office environment, it may be audible to nearby coworkers.

These headphones have a retractable boom microphone.

The microphone's recording quality is great. Your voice should sound clear, natural, and mostly free of distortion.

The microphone's noise handling performance is impressive. People that you're speaking to should be able to understand you clearly, even if you're in a loud environment.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9's battery performance is great. They supply over 20 hours of continuous playback time and have an auto-off timer to help conserve charge, which can be adjusted in their companion app. However, they take over five and a half hours to recharge, which is longer than alternatives like the SteelSeries Arctis 7 2019 Edition.

These headphones are compatible with the SteelSeries Engine companion software. It's easy to use and offers support for functions like a graphic EQ, audio presets, mic volume adjustment, changing the length of their auto-off timer, and enabling surround sound.

Update 09/22/2021: We've changed Multi-Device Pairing from 'No' to 'Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless' as these headphones can connect to a PS4 console and a Bluetooth device at the same time. You first connect the headphones' dongle to your PS4. Next, you press the headphones' 'Bluetooth' button to pair them with a phone. Once paired to both devices, you can hear audio from both devices simultaneously. As a result, we have updated our review, and the scoring of this box has changed.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9's Bluetooth connectivity is great. They don't offer multi-device pairing solely via Bluetooth, but you can connect to your PC with their USB dongle and stream media via Bluetooth from your phone at the same time, unlike non-Bluetooth-compatible alternatives like the ROCCAT Elo 7.1 Air Wireless. Their latency on iOS and Android mobile devices is low enough to make them suitable for watching videos without significant audio delay. Since apps and devices compensate differently for latency, your real-world experience may vary.

These headphones deliver good non-Bluetooth wireless connectivity. When using their USB transmitter, their latency is low enough to use them for gaming without experiencing significant audio delay.

Update 03/25/2021: We originally listed the Analog Audio as 'No', which caused some confusion. Although these headphones have a 3.5 mm jack, they don't come with a 1/8" TRS or TRRS cable, so you need to purchase this accessory separately. Due to user feedback, we have changed the result of this test to 'Yes (Not Included)'. The scoring of this box has changed.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless don't come with an audio cable, but they do have a 3.5 mm jack that should allow you to use them with a 1/8" TRS or TRRS audio cable for passive audio playback or sharing audio with another pair of headphones. That said, if you're looking for a wireless gaming headset that also comes with a 1/8" TRRS cable, consider the Sony PULSE 3D Wireless.

Update 03/25/2021: We have tested these headphones' Xbox Series X compatibility. Due to user feedback, we have also clarified the Xbox One Analog test results.

The SteelSeries Arctis 9 are only partially compatible with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles when using a 1/8" TRS or TRRS cable and plugging them into your Xbox's controller. However, this cable isn't included in-the-box and can only receive audio, so you won't be able to use their mic.

These headphones come with a USB wireless transmitter. It's only compatible with PC and PS4 systems.