How much would you spend on a gaming headset? Most people don't think of a number over a few hundred dollars.
For $600, I don’t feel like the SteelSeries Nova Elite even really qualify as just gaming headphones anymore. Instead, they’re competing for space with high-end audiophile headphones, the kind you’d don while sitting in a plush leather chair to actively listen to your favorite albums, and they have an increased bit rate and redesigned custom driver to match.
They’re a truly impressive piece of gaming kit, but at twice the price of anything else in the category, they’re really meant for people with a discerning ear who also want a premium music experience, or who have many consoles and use them all often.
Elevated Sound
Photograph: Brad Bourque
The Nova Elite look like normal gaming headphones, but they sound incredible for music, with a really deep and rich tone, and a truly impressive level of detail. Particularly with the ANC turned on, I found myself getting lost, hearing little sounds I’d never heard before. With excellent sound isolation and big, beautiful drivers, it almost sounds like the sound is coming from further out than is physically possible, giving these a spacious vibe that most other gaming headsets can’t come close to replicating.