SteelSeries Arctis 9X – Built-in Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth Connectivity – 20+ Hour Battery Life – Black
ARCTIS 9X
The New King of Wireless Gaming Headsets for Xbox*
The Arctis 9X combines the convenience of integrated Xbox Wireless with simultaneous Bluetooth audio for true wireless everywhere. With the noise-cancelling ClearCast bidirectional microphone and stunningly detailed Arctis sound.
-
Arctis Sound
The soundscape of Arctis emphasizes subtle, critical sounds to give you an advantage.
-
ClearCast Noise Cancelling Microphone
The Arctis ClearCast bidirectional microphone has superior noise cancellation and clarity.
-
Immersive Windows Sonic Spatial Audio
Lose yourself in the game as every ricochet, shuffling zombie, and engine roar comes to life.
More Battery Means More Gaming
Using the latest power efficiency technology, Arctis 9X is optimized to provide 20+ hours of battery life, double that of other wireless Xbox headsets.
-
Premium Woven Ski Goggle Fabric
The elastic fabric perfectly contours across your entire head, comfortably distributing the weight and eliminating pressure points.
-
AirWeave Ear Cushions
Athletics-inspired performance fabric AirWeave ear cushions keep your ears cool and dry.
-
Durable Steel Headband
Premium lightweight steel headband construction for build quality you can feel.
Specifications
| Compatibility | Xbox One & Xbox Series X: Xbox Wireless |
| + | PC: Wireless via Xbox Wireless Controller Adapter (sold separately by Xbox) |
| + | Mobile: Bluetooth |
| Speaker Drivers | Frequency Response: 20–22000 Hz |
| + | Sensitivity / Impedance: 98 dBSPL / 32 Ohm |
| + | Total Harmonic Distortion: < 3% |
| + | Volume Control: On Ear Cup |
| Microphone | Frequency Response: 100–10000 Hz |
| + | Pattern: Bidirectional |
| + | Sensitivity: -38 dBV/Pa |
| + | Impedance: 2200 Ohm |
| + | Type: Retractable |
| Wireless | Xbox Wireless & Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP / HFP / HSP) |
| + | Range: 20 ft / 6 m |
| + | Battery life: 20 hours |
| Box Contents | Arctis 9X Headset, Product Information Guide, USB charging cable |
| Weight: | 370 g |
| Size: | Arctis 9X |
| Dimensions: | 21 x 9.2 x 20.5 cm; 370 Grams |
| Model: | 61481 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included) |
| Colour: | Black |
| Size: | Arctis 9X |
Honestly the best and most comfortable headset I’ve ever used with the “gaming” label. These are very very high end in every way. For example they make the Sony PlayStation Gold headset feel horrible.
I have larger ears and this headset is honestly the most comfortable one I’ve ever worn. The cups are a good size for a man’s head and also have soft material rather than plastic feeling leather or faux leather. The adjustable strap makes it possible to fit all heads and hairstyles or hats.
Honestly if you need a gaming headset this is up there. I have also used this with my gaming laptop and the audio works perfectly.
Haven’t tried the paid Xbox audio yet as the included software/profile works great but for audio files there is an extra paid service for true 7.1 but I haven’t felt it was needed even slightly.
Don’t bother with the official Xbox one’s. Get these and don’t have buyers remorse. Also being able to use with pc and Xbox with Bluetooth without a dongle makes them 10/10 🙂
in my opinion these are great headphones but im in no way a person who knows much about audio but i think theyre really comfy sound great and have a great battery life. only gets 4 stars due to the scare i had of them breaking but i think it was just user fault but i dont know. i had to hard reset them and they “work” again but they might not have even been broken to start with. personally i love them, just maybe watch them for the first month for refund if needed, i have 5 days left before i cant and im gonna be watching them and see how they do.
It was the microphone being live – these headphones play back the mic through the head set (so you can hear yourself and its more natural) but when just listening to music this means you just get a little background hiss all the time. But press the handy microphone button on the left ear and its gone!
They then sounds great and fit very comfortably. I wear glasses and have had other headsets that I just couldn’t keep on as they squeezed the glasses into my head, but these are really comfy.
Another review I forgot to do for an item I bought over a year ago!.
If you get a chance to pick these up now for around 100 they are still absolutely worth every penny. Sound quality is the best sound quality on any headphones I have ever owned.
The main thing about it is I hate white noise and unless you turn the volume right up to full which you are never going to do there is no hissing or white noise at all.
It has only ever lost connection a couple of times which has anybody knows anything software run can always come into problems now and then.
It’s got great base levels but sometimes you have to turn the graphic equaliser down in the steel series software otherwise you can get a little bit of crackling on base levels that are heavy.
Overall a year later they are still working perfectly.
This is my second pair the original set still working after years of use and no complaints so treated myself to another set for a backup and to use on my pc .
Would highly recommend.
I bought these so I could have a headset for my Xbox. I bought a series 7 for the PS4 and got along with them. When I saw these on sale for 100 I knew it would be a wise buy as these are a significant set up from my 7’s. I was not wrong. I like that the headset doesn’t need a receiver to be plugged in for the wireless. The mixer actually works on these where with the 7’s the mixed just turns volume up or down on the PS4. Sound quality is crisper and the microphone is clearer as one would expect. They’re comfortable and can go pretty loud. These do everything I want very well. If I had anything to say preventing it from being perfect is that that on/off button has to be held for an excessive amount of time to function. Seems odd but apart from that really insignificant flaw I would highly recommend these to anyone.
This headset is an excellent addition to any aspiring gamer, with a want to make things wireless, streamlined and integrated with the console. I have used this headset, with my PlayStation 5 and I was surprised at how easy it was to set up. All I did was plug-in the USB C dongle and the headset instantly connected to my console, and began out putting the audio from the game I was playing. I have since tried this headset with friends on a group chat on the recently added discord, and although it required some adjustment of the microphone volume in the settings of the console, it now works perfectly well, and the audio quality is good. I would say though, this isn’t the headset for someone expecting exceptional levels of audio and microphone quality but for the price, this really is probably one of the best choices for the casual to the relatively active gamer. The adjustment of the headset, is also good, however, as a lot of other reviews will also state, it can feel a tad tight, but this can be remedied with adjustment. Overall, with the use I have had I would recommend this product, as it is good value for the amount charged.
Have had a couple pairs of headphones before these. First sounded rubbish second just didn’t last. Got these on offer but honestly would have Brought them full price. The sound fantastic and are so simple to setup on the xbox. They just work. And not needing the dongle keeps all your usb ports free. Thr build quality is good and they are very comfortable. Very happy with this purchase.
Really comfy(could wear it all day with no headaches) , long battery life, sound pretty decent and good for the price. Would recommend.
Connected to my Xbox Series S easily, sound, mic and battery life are all very good and they’re easily the most comfortable headphones I’ve owned. So far (after a week) I’ve experienced no connection issues as mentioned in some reviews. I had made sure my firmware was up to date. All in all I’m happy with my purchase.
First pair I got kept disconnecting but second pair i got have been brilliant, got my replaced the very next day
I have not experienced any issues of disconnecting with the Xbox, it pairs perfectly as a controller so if you shut down the Xbox it turns the headphones off.
It also pairs to Bluetooth devices whilst still connected to the xbox so you can listen to music whilst playing a game for example.
The Microphone sits hidden in the left earphone and this cant be twisted so it sits on your right, you can then extend it to the correct position for use. The right headphone features most of the controls including the mute button, which is an on/off mechanical button and not a software mute, so you can turn it off and back on, and it will stay muted.
I would highly recommend this item
First of all, the sound quality is excellent at this price point. Sounds a crisp, the 3d audio on ps5 works very well. Next, the battery life is superb. It will last multiple days without needing a charge.
The headset is very comfortable with soft ear cups and a ski band head support. I’ve worn this for many 6hr gaming sessions and get no pain at all on my ears.
The microphone is exceptionally clear. I’ve heard my voice recording compared to my old headset and the difference is night and day. The only slight negative is that if you’re in a loud environment (people talking, TV on etc) the mic picks up a lot of background because its so sensitive. You can balance this out with the software supplied by SteelSeries to lower the mic sensitivity.
Other than that small negative, this is a fantastic headset at a reasonable price that should meet the needs of most ps5 gamers
Pros:
– comfort. I also own a pair of Bose Qc35’s and in terms of comfort these are on another level altogether. The only headphones I’ve found to date that I can wear all day long.
– Connection reliability. No messing about with Bluetooth. You turn them on, they just work. No random disconnects.
– Playback and recording quality is superb.
– Button placement. I love having physical power / play / mute buttons. They are perfectly placed and work really well.
Cons:
– Buggy Software. My only con would be that the software is buggy (on mac anyhow). Running latest firmware and software versions when I click ‘save’, the headphones go crazy and keep stuttering. I have to power cycle them to get things back working. Pretty annoying, but for how often I make any configuration settings I can live with it.
I bought this as a treat to myself as the wife wasn’t getting the hint!
These as with any steel series headset I find are unreal. The sound qualit my is amazing absolutely crystal clear with a good bass balance making it easy to get the directional audio down. From my friends I have been advised the microphone is absolutely crystal clear and very easy to hear and understand.
The battery life on the headset is excellent also lasting me more than the 20hrs stated.
If you are looking for a wireless gaming headset I wouldn’t look any further as these are simply brilliant I can’t recommend them enough.
Pros:
– Microphone. Nice and clear, dedicated mute button, and easy to deploy/retract. Never had an issue of friends being unable to hear me in Discord.
– Sound. It’s a gaming headset, and it makes games sound good. It’s not the highest audio tier because that’s not what you’re paying for.
– Audio mixing. The ability to mix between “chat” and “game” is a amazing feature and I wish more headsets had this! I can very easily balance the audio from discord and the game I’m playing on the fly, which has become such an integral part of how I play games now I’m not going to go back to a single audio channel solution anytime soon. I thought it would be a bit of a gimmick but turns out the be the best feature.
Battery. Lasts in my experience 20 hours without a charge, which for someone like myself that is online for maybe 4 hours an evening is perfect as I can charge it pretty much once a week. Not had it die on me yet!
Cons:
– Not for big heads. My head is apparently a little larger than most, and therefore I have the adjustment strap adjusted all the way to the end, in fact I’ve only got half of the velcro attached! I haven’t noticed this to be uncomfortable, however if I knew this in advance I wouldn’t have purchased this.
Verdict – It’s a great headset and the audio mixing isn’t just a gimmick but a major plus point, however sadly I can only recommend this to people with smaller or “normal” sized heads 🙁
I’ve had this headset for around 2 and a half years, its my first ever pair of wireless headphones and very comfortable. It made working from home easy as well as gaming, I’m a very competitive player especially in shooters, this was perfect for hearing every single minimal sound you need to.
I will say that out of everything the one thing that really flawed the entire design is the charger/ charging port. I dont think its the wire itself, but since I’m using it a bunch for work/gaming the battery life can get drained pretty quick and I tend to use the device whilst charging. When charging the flimsy charger port keeps making the wire loose and eventually just keeps going on and off disconnected whilst hearing the annoying windows sound connected/unconnected the device. A more stable wire or port to really lock the wire in would have made it the perfect headset but otherwise its very good except for this one area.
These headphones are fantastic, when they’re working properly, many times the sound will start crackling, they will randomly disconnect and if you don’t update the firmware they will force lock your xbox series console (you wont be able to turn it fully off even though it appears off, in turn, you wont be able to turn the xbox back on however I believe all headsets are sent out updated now so shouldn’t be a problem any more) for the price I would expect these to be a non issue plus they stopped charging about 10 months after purchase however SteelSeries did send out a replacement (albeit they took 3 weeks of faffing about before they did) other than all these problems the sound is great, again, when they’re fully working.
* One reason I chose this headset over others on the market is partly down to the metal work in the headband, it’s reassuring to have a solid core on a headset for durability peace of mind.
* I had a few days off and spent it online with friends almost all the time, and after three days if almost continue use the headset showed no sign of dying.
* The headset itself is generally comfortable however I have noticed it rubbing on the top of my ear giving me some minor discomfort.
* The sound quality is amazing and extremely detailed and clear, even compared to my wireless headphones.
* I am having quite a lot of trouble balancing the XBox party volume alongside the game volume, no matter how much I try I’m still not getting anywhere in finding the right balance.
* I also noticed it’s ability to block out ambient sounds is not too good, it picks up my phone playing videos in the background and plays it over the mic louder than I can hear it through the headset.
* the Bluetooth adaptor that came with it is a little strange, it would have been a lot better if it used a standard USB instead of needing an adapter cable. Makes cable management for my console tiresome.
* for some reason the headset resets it’s XBox setting all the time meaning every time I start it up I have to go into settings to readjust it.
With all being said I highly recommend this headset, it’s served me well over the last week and I look forward to using it in the future. I only hope I can find the right balance soon.
Really nice build quality. Plenty of connection choices and no dongle for the Xbox is appreciated. Sound is clear, might lack a bit of bass and volume for some but that can be helped in the EQ with the SteelSeries app. Overall very happy. Comes charged too which some skimp on (looking at you Corsair).
Originally bought these in November 2019 and now 3 years later I’m finally looking to replace (they are currently still working fine, but showing wear and tear). Have really loved having them and couldn’t recommend them more highly. I use them for Xbox/PC gaming and for working from home. They are the best headphones that I have owned.
A few things I wish I had known before buying (these may not apply for everyone):
– I needed to buy an Xbox wireless adapter in order to connect them to my PC.
– There is a slight delay in sound when watching videos on Phone (android).
– Switching between Xbox and PC can be difficult to figure out first time (hold power button until noise and then white light flashes, then connect)
When those arrive I did have the “iPhone” effect. Packaging does feel premium, you open the box and everything is nicely presented.
Headphones are easy to set up, simple plug and play. Sound is really clear and good, if you play FPS games, you can easily hear footprints with spatial awareness. (Depending on game).
On top of that the microphone is doing good job filtering background noise. When used with noise suppression from discord or something similar, your fellows cant hear background noises, which is a bonus since I’ve got 2 French bulldogs who just snore most of the time.
One little thing is that I’m using gaming laptop with merged headphones and microphone channel so I only have 1x 3.5 mm jack. Which is okay, however it means I have to use only half of the cable as the extension separates this to two channels, which results for the cable being just ok length.
The headphones connect well to everything PS5, MacBook phone etc. The sound quality is really good. I wish there was a phone app to tweak the sound settings like turtle beach have. You have to connect to a computer to alter the settings.
As already mentioned, the big downside is the comfort of the ear pads. The material is scratchy and itchy, on the skin on the side of your face. I noticed that after a wearing them for a little while 15-20 mins they started to feel uncomfortable. I don’t suffer with any allergies or skin sensitivity whatsoever. The ear pads are actually slight too small for me. I don’t have big ears but after a few hours these begin to become painful/achy. I reached out to steelseries via twitter and had no reply at all.
I’m probably going to end up having to spend 20 on a better set of ear pads, which isn’t great when I’ve only just bought them. They are not the most expensive headset around but they aren’t exactly cheap either. I’ll probably opt for cooling gel ear pads if I’m forced to upgrade.
I’m confident these will be more comfortable once I have some third party ear pads but I wish I’d known beforehand and could have factored the extra cost into my decision to buy. If you’re going to buy these, see if you try them on somewhere first.
Overall good headset, well thought through, comfortable and visually appealing. The mic is nicely loud even when its stored in the retracted position, extended its actually slightly loud which is unusual for a headset. The signal tones indicate audibly that the device has turned on or off and even indicates things like the device being on but not yet connected to the machine so its easy enough to understand why they aren’t playing if that does happen. The chat mix, when working properly is very well done.
When I read about these headphones before buying them I found very little info about the chat mix feature so I will explain it in detail here as it really is the reason to buy this headset over similarly priced sets. The headphones function as 3 separate audio devices at the same time (rather than just output and input which would be 2). In the windows sound menus you get 2 output devices, a device for chat and a device for game. The advantage of this is that the headset has a volume dial on the back left ear piece which rolls from (chat) –> (both together) –> (game) and the centre point with both together has a nice click to it to make it easy to get the headset back to that default both position. The normal volume dial is on the right ear piece which works exactly like it does on other headsets with a high to low volume range which affects both outputs the same way.
Unfortunately I’ve had a problem with the chat mix and because it is such an unusual feature it was very difficult to determine this was the problem, hopefully if you have it this will prepare you. The issue I had was that when plugged into a USB hub (which I use to conveniently move all my peripherals between my work laptop and desktop together) the dual audio completely breaks, you can use one or the other but as soon as the system tries to use both at the same time neither of them will work at all and it seems like something has broken until you convince the computer to stop using one and magically it is fixed.
Ps5 must have best head phones ever sound good out of box
Straight out of the box into the computer no need to tweak any settings for gaming, overall quality is great. Sound quality is crisp and mic sounds grea
It’s perfect product. My son love it. Noice cancellation, wireless, just great. Thank u.
I purchased these headphones for gaming, the sound quality is great and the noise cancellation option is wond
They were recommended to me – was looking forward to upgrading from my existing.
They are ok. Nothing special – not great sound – but nothing wrong with them – well built – good controls etc – just nothing special.
They do work wired and wireless with a USB-C dongle.
The sound quality is great, the option to adjust the volume chat/game is great.
Software is a bit rubbish but the beta equaliser is great thing. I’ve played COD, Borderlands 3 and Tomb Raider and other games and the spatial sound was grea
These headphones are amazing. My friend had recommended this to me. So glad they told me about these, Sound quality is great in general and for gaming. Not a waste of money, will definitely recommend this to people who are looking for good headphones.
These headphones are amazing. I use them for work, where the switch to cut off the mic is super convenient and the mic quality is great, or so I’m told. The amazing audio quality is also great for gaming and music. Getting this was an excellent bit of consumerism.
I’ll keep this review short by saying that I rate this amongst the best headsets I have ever purchased. They easily last my usual 12 hours+ of using them, between work and gaming, and they can connect to multiple devices at once which lets me hear the audio from my home PC and work laptop at the same time.
The one issue I have with the headsets is that the mic is sensitive to blowing, which includes any word with the letter P in it and it blasts down the mic into my friend’s ears. Luckily I managed to fix this by pinching a pop filter from my old mic and covering the new mic with it, but other people might not have one around, so I’d recommend buying one (there isn’t one included) that would fit over the top of the end of the headset mic.
Bought these for my son. He absolutely raves about them. Nice and comfortable to wear, Very light ,expandable band ,clear sound quality foldable mic. What’s not to like ?
Confortable and decent headset. This is not the best sound or mic quality I ever had but it’s quite good. And I never realised how much I needed wireless headphones!
Also works for music with my phone and pretty good.
Very comfortable and easy to use only downside is the dongle blocked the USB port on ps5 so had to use USB adapter but that is included .
Plastic feels a little cheap and software is still in beta, but they’re super comfy and have great sound in my opinion. I like that I can use them with nearly all my devices and the surround sound works really well with my PS5 and with Halo Infinite on PC.
The dongle that came with the earphones was not the same one featured in the instructions and was not synced as indicated which took time to set up. Apart from this, the sound was excellent and very easy to use with its own volume control. Interference is almost eliminated making the earphones very personal.
Perfect, can be on Discord and xbox at the same time. Sound is great, has a real rich sound you would expect from a high end set.
Decided to spend too much (160), but these are excellent. Brilliant sound and mic quality, no buzzing on wired or wireless on SX. Work with my IPad perfectly for pubg mobile, wired and wireless. Completely comfortable (although every so often they hurt my left ear if they’re in a certain position Edit: they no longer hurt at all a couple of months later).
There’s no sound cancellation (it does block out background sound a little), but I see that as a positive because I couldn’t get used to not being able to hear my own voice when talking online with sound cancellation sets.
Brilliant headphones.
Footsteps are clear as day
Far away collectibles that jingle sound like they’re right next to you
Music is loud and clear, as are movies etc
Mic is perfect, picks up your voice but barely any background noise if positioned correctly
Battery lasts 4/5 days or an entire weekend which is convenie
So far they have been nothing but a joy to use. The quality is second to none and they are further enhanced by pairing them with Dolby Atmos and DTS-X Sound apps available to purchase. You really are missing out if you haven’t already got them.
They usually cost around 200 but are currently available at a discounted price and are worth every penny. These are the best headphones available for Xbox and if you’re serious about your gaming look no further.
I can’t get any clearer than this. Don’t waste your money on anything else at this price range of between 150 and 200. If you are someone with over 300 plus to spend good luck with that but you’ll be hard pressed to match these.
Connect to xbox via wireless and pc or phone on Bluetooth at same time.
Important call in ya ear whilst gaming..
Perfec
Neutral: Can edit equaliser settings, though it has to be done through the PC app.
Bad: Sometimes pics up my breathing, even when mic isn’t close to mouth. Having to plug into PC and modifying equaliser with Steelseries Engine, Micro-USB.
I am pretty fussy about gaming headsets, and got these after sending back the premium turtle beach ones, as they were too tight and uncomfortable.
These Arctis 9x are excellent. Very lightweight, comfortable and sound great.
I use them with an Xbox series X, and bought the DTS Headphone-X app which gives you better surround sound than the windows sonic that comes included with the Xbox. You can configure it especially for the Arctis 9x and they work really well with FPS games like rainbow six & battlefield when you need to hear enemies approaching.
Highly recommended
Logitech G Pro X Wireless
Hyper X Cloud 2
Steel Series Arctris Pro and dac (wired)
After using all these headsets I always found something that I didn’t like from the sound to the comfort.
This headset for me has everything, the sound quality in game is very nice and seems very balanced.
This headset also comes with a USB C charging port and beta access to Sonar which is the new EQ software which is very good in my opinion although it can bug out sometimes.
If you are looking for a headset I would suggest trying out this one.
Positives
– Sound quality is very good
– Very comfy compared to others I’ve tried
– Sonar software is very good (comes with the headset and works with the Arctis Engine)
– Better wireless length then others (I can go in the kitchen and still hear)
– I don’t charge this headset as much as I did the g pro x wireless which is nice
– USB C Charging port
Cons
– The Mic doesn’t sound the best but it’s passable (I don’t use the mic anyway)
– Sonar software at first was buggy but it seems to have settled down for me
I admit these are not exactly ‘cheap’ headphones, but I wanted a set of headphones that I could use on my XBOX as well as PC, and to be honest, 99% PC use is how it is.
Previously I owned a pair of TB Stealth 600’s which were good but unfortunately decided one day to just not power on ever again, and so thinking the Stealth 700’s would be a good upgrade, I got those – but they were too ‘tight’ on the head if that makes sense!
This review is about 3 months after purchase, so it’s given a bit of time to get used to them.
I went with these along with a Microsoft Windows dongle so I can bluetooth it to the PC, and have been impressed ever since! I haven’t tinkered with any settings, just tend to use it for COD:MW online custom games with friends, and the sound is fantastic, I keep looking over my shoulder to see if my partner is in the room, as the sounds just come from all angles!
Battery life has been fine, stability fine, I can’t say I use these constantly, they are used 2 or 3 times a week for a couple of hours at a time, but they have been solid.
Would recommend!
No regrets, this has been the most comfortable headset I have had. Many hours go by and my ears don’t hurt.
THE combo of headphones plus dolby app on my xbox means I get the best sound experience. The mic comes through quite clear and adjust between audio levels is easy
Connection to the Xbox is fast and assigns to your profile.
When you turn them on it turns your Xbox on automatically if you set it up. But it does not turn the Xbox off if you turn them off and this would be a great feature to include.
Using this on an Xbox console for about 2+ months and honestly, I’ve had better for a third of the price.
Sound quality is overall good, no issue with game or party sound, pretty easy to control which and what you’d like more using the scroll wheels.
The issue arises with the connectivity, and oh dear is it bad many times mid game the headset turns off the audio from both party and game? Not sure as to why since the headset is still on and should be working, leading me to believing it has a difficult time at certain moments keeping its connection with the Xbox. Once you turn the headset off and on again it works again since it reconnects with the Xbox, a very frustrating thing since yeah whilst it is a Bluetooth device, it seems to have greater connection with my phone Bluetooth (iphone) compared to the Xbox (haven’t had the headset disconnect from my phone randomly like it does with the Xbox yet). This actually links to a positive of the headset which is that it can connect to both the Xbox and your phone at the same time, allowing you to watch a video on your phone whilst playing both your game and speaking to your friends on party chat. Other than that I think that I’ve honestly had a better experience with a wired connection purely due to connection sake. The ear cups are comfortably same goes with the stretchy belt, was skeptical at first but it was definitely an improvement from my older headset which put a lot of pressure on my head over long gaming sessions.
Also the Battery is very strange it would seem that the battery depletes at a really fast pace from full charge but then it has really efficient battery towards the orange marker (30% left) strange as I find the last 30% to last the same if not slightly longer than the starting 70% of battery.
Overall I would really consider if the price is good for you honestly it was a little disappointing for me since at the price since I thought I was getting very good quality headphones at a pretty high price when comparing to other headphones however like I mentioned above it has its nuisances.
If you don’t mind the connectivity issues I recommend, however I am also unsure about other brands since this is the first Bluetooth headset I’ve owned so maybe this is a general thing about Bluetooth headsets especially for gaming.
So, I’ll start with the connectivity. The Bluetooth connection works completed fine before and after you update the software on your headphones. But here’s a catch, if your headset isn’t showing up on any of your Bluetooth devices, just hold down the Bluetooth connection more than 6s (10s I would say) untill the blue light starts blinking faster and check again as this unpairs your headset.
Yea it doesn’t tell you this on any instructions and had to physically find it out myself.
Charging: currently I don’t know myself as it arrived with 70+ battery life and only used 30% in a week so I’m currently testing it right now.
I can see how these headset earpieces can break but they’re quite reasonably strong ( I haven’t tried bending them bc high value item but in my eyes they do look a little more sturdy then what people are talking about)
Dongle: I love the dongle idea because they say Bluetooth has some lag and not the best for gaming. So they designed the dongle for pc and PS just need to flick the switch (after it’s plugged in (u may want to download the software on pc for pc) and press connect after you chose either pc or ps)
Dual connectivity: I love the idea of these, I could be playing I don’t know, warzone for example and my phone recieves a phone call, you wouldn’t be looking at your phone or even hear it if you are playing. However this headset once connected to your phone and pc/PS4 it’ll let you know when someone is calling you or receiving a notification that’s important.
The microphone: ok Im not a massive fan with sidetone as I personally hate my own voice but I can see why it’s a feature, some people would check if their voice is being heard before streaming or gaming and you can always turn it off in the software too. The microphone is really clear and picks up the slightest sound you make (as I tested it with side tone)
Overall I love these headset because when I’m outside, I can hide the mic because having a massive microphone can be a bit weird when your walking around with them and they’re nice and easily tucked away. Would I pay this price? Hmm well with some of the Bluetooth problem I would say probably not but I’m happy that I did because it has everything I love about this product and hopefully it’ll last years
Pros:
* Great for playstation 5, had no issues so far
* really really comfortable in every way possible
* connectivity (Bluetooth and dongle)
* battery life.
* easy adjustment
* good mic
* good dual connectivity
* connectivity with dongle is good
* reasonably sturdy but can see how you can get cracks within them
Cons:
* can get an annoying constant beeping noise (headset low on charge or to far away from your dongle if connected)
* clearer instructions for example the Bluetooth unpair and repair problem that I faced.
* not a type c charger as I was kinda expecting it to have due to the “high end product”
* not much bass but can be toggled
Brilliant headset, so comfy on your head and doesnt give you sore ears like some headsets after prolonged use. The mic pulls out of the cup sort of like a wheel based mechanism which is just so cool. And the mic glows red when muted so you are aware, which is also pretty cool
The sound is that sharp I have had a few hacking accusations due to hearing one faint footstep, suddenly turning round and chasing the kill (honest!) Worth it.
The only 2 complaints I have however – The main one is if there is too much wifi interference your headset will keep connecting and disconnecting which is really frustrating.
Example being visiting my parents and my room has the house CCTV in, as well as my xbox, the headset kept periodically disconnecting due to all the wifi interference.
No issue in my living room however.
So not ideal if there is a lot of that or if you have a box room
2nd the volume wheels are located on the back of the headset. If you are leaning back and playing the wheel will move which can result in a nasty loud (or quiet) shock, having to re adjust the wheel mid game is also not ideal.
However after a few adaptations no problems whatsoever. Fantastic headphones for sound and comfort. Totally recommend them from a gamer myself. The bluetooth feature is also.cool as you can hook.your.phone up simultaneously and play music or take a phone call.
But yeah I’m happy
The only drawback is the shallow earcups: the material is too soft and your ear will press against the receiver which is painful for extended play sessions. Expect to fork out for some deeper replacements unless you possess the ears of a field mouse.
+5 for prowess and features, -1 for shallow earcups. 4 stars
Mic: Not too good but not too bad neither. Literally sounds average lol.
Pros:
– Is decent for casual use
-Great for adjustment and comfort, it stays in place.
Cons: – When you breath it can be loud/definitely noticeable,just try not to breathe heavy lol.
– Idk if this is a con but when the mic is close it becomes loud and basically inaudible (great for toxic players lmao)
– Bending the mic it felt like there was a creak idk
Headset:
Pros:
– Really comfortable, you’ll never ache wearing these
– Buttons on the side for mic options are placed greatly
Cons:
– Headset material is plastic, feels kinda cheap but not too cheap.
– Inside of the headphones is like some sort of silky material. Idk if all gaming headsets are like this but it just feels cheap lol
Audio:
Pros:
– Pretty balanced, bass is there for music
– Can hear people well through headset
Cons:
– Cant find anything, I guess if you like music with hard bass then youd find the bass 3/5
Overall: 4/5 Stars because it’s only 40 and the headset comfort is great + mic is decent. However, the headset felt kinda cheap in some parts and the mic is abit sensitive. The audio is balanced (as some people may like) but I like abit more pound to the bass although it ain’t bad so I cant complain. Maybe I’m picky but I’d pay about 30 for these not 40.
Anyway, after reading a few reviews and recommendations, I opted to try the Steelseries Arctis range, I’ve gone with the Arctis 9’s over the 7P’s for a few reasons that I won’t go into at this point, but for me they deliver the whole package. Connecting? They’re straight forwards plug ‘n’ play on the PS5 and immediately I could feel the comfort, I felt like my ears were being kissed by angels , rather than being gripped by trolls. There’s no discomfort, sweating, or ear fatigue from wearing them for long periods of time. This said, anything over 6-8 hours then I can get a little discomfort where my glasses are behind my ears with these.
As regards the sound; brilliant, approaching audiophile region when it comes to sound quality. I found that turning off the 3D option on games that have it and letting the Arctis 9’s take over was a better option, the sound was actually a lot better.
As regards the controls; all very easily navigated whilst wearing the headphones, something that cannot be said for the Sony Pulse 3D’s which left me fumbling about to adjust.
On the Arctis 9’s, the left ear-cup contains the Chat-Mix control wheel and the retractable mic – which I must say has amazing background noise cancellation and also lights up red when muted, a feature that I do find very useful. The right ear-cup holds the power button, Bluetooth pairing button, mic mute and a volume control wheel, all of a decent size. There are also the ports for charging and an analogue connection.
One thing I would have preferred, if the charging port to have been ‘C’ type to make things slightly easier, rather than the one that’s on them which can be a little awkward to plug in. Also, there’s no stand/hanger with them, which for the price I would have thought they could have included one.
Battery life is exceptional, around 20 hours from a single charge.
Price; Ok, so the price tag is in the upper reaches of the gaming headset market. What is quality worth to you? You decide.
If you can afford it though, I would go for the Astros for the maximum comfort.
UPDATE: 2 extremely important things to be aware of that are not specified in the listing;
The Chat-Mix feature only works on PC – It is NOT available on PlayStation or Switch.
Also: The Arctis 9 will only work on Nintendo Switch while in docked mode.
Avid gamer said they are amazing cant hear me nagging at all now so winner winner for him!
Best headphones ever I’ve been told think he would like to marry them!
No option for a wired connection, not important but sometimes nice, especially if you forget to charge them and/or they go flat. Still using USB micro B!
I’ve tried a pair of Razer Nari Ultimate (RNU) prior to these and overall the Arctis 9x are far superior.
Stand out feature of the Arctis 9x?
Being able to connect a 2nd device via Bluetooth like your phone and use it simultaneously whilst gaming. So you can listen to music or take a phone whilst you enjoy the sound coming through from your game. The buttons work well and they are comfortable. Battery life is good too.
The ear pads could be thicker for those of us with bigger ears – although these are easily replaced, the RNU was better here and the RNU has this immersive vibration option to make things feel more intense – most of the time this was good. But RNU has a terrible microphone which made talking to people in game/party chat an extremely frustrating experience. And it’s a know problem with the RNU so stay away from them. They also have connectivity issues with regular sound distortion affecting gameplay.
After much deliberation on spending so much money on a gaming headset for the Xbox, reading and watching countless reviews the Arctis 9x proved the winner and I wasn’t disappointed. The connectivity with the Xbox is easy to set up and stable.
Sound: This is clear and well balanced. You also have 4 EQ presets you can switch between or you can go further and customise these on a computer. This is a cool feature. You have the chat mix / game volume dial, master volume dial and mute switch. The dials are a little sensitive but are ok.
It’s easy to forget how good they sound until I go back to trying my friends 200 Bose headphones or JBL’s.
Comfort: The ski band is comfortable, no sweaty ears, the ear pads are comfortable, but with my big ears I do find I’m just touching the drivers with the tips of my ears. I’d prefer a little more space around my ears but this isn’t a big issue – and I can always get replacement pads that are bigger and thicker.
If you’re willing to pay this price for a gaming headset for your Xbox One / Series S/X then get these. They win awards for a reason and that reason is they are superb.
Headset itself is really comfy and fits well. Although I’m personally not the biggest fan of how you tighten and loosen it.
I’m glad I did. They have some weight to them, which given the batteries is understandable but are not too heavy. On my head the grip is not entirely good enough to keep them on if I lean my head more than 45 degrees but I don’t do that very often and it’s worth it for the comfort.
They certainly are comfortable. I’ve done over ten hours with them on and while you do feel them they don’t irritate in the slightest. The headband balances the pressure evenly on the top of the head and the cups surround the ear without pinning it back. Said cups have a soft cloth feel and the plastic body isn’t a fingerprint magnet.
Charging is quick and a charge lasts around the time advertised, I generally leave them plugged in at my desk and the cable isn’t annoying at all as it’s long enough so that sometimes I’ll forget I’m plugged in.
I’m no audiophile so all I say about the sound is that, to my ears, they’re fantastic. Music is great, movies are epic and the stereo works well. I play a good amount of FPS’s were audio positioning is important and these help a lot with that.
Microphone quality is good. It tucks away inside while not in use and muting it is easy with the button on that side. If you need to silence a sneeze in a hurry these headphones provide.
Battery life is great. I use them a lot so I need to recharge every two days or so but with lighter use you could probably stretch it to a week.
Another nice touch was the inclusion of a cable to plug into a 3.5mm jack. This means I can plug them into my phone and use them as passively powered cans. I don’t use that a lot as I have earbuds for travelling but a nice option to have.
It’s been a good few months since I bought them and they still look pretty new, they still work great and I’m very happy I bought them.
Pros
Slick design
Fantastic sound
Comfortable fit
Wireless Xbox compatibility
Good button layout
Bluetooth connection
20 hours of battery life
Cons
Fragile hinges
Not much customization options
Expensive
No xbox app to fine tune EQ have to connect to pc
I’ve tried several different manufacturers/models and for me, this is the best combination of price, features and general quality out there.
Unlike several competitors, these are the only XBox certified wireless I’ve found that work seamlessly with both the Xbox One and X Box Series X (obviously on that last one I’m taking SteelSeries and XBox word for it, as today is Halloween, and I’ve got 10 days to wait for shiny new Series X, though you tubers vids look promising).
Many that claim to be wireless still require you to run a 3.5mm cable to your controller for mic usage in games, this model does not – it pairs to the Xbox in exactly the same way as your controller – press button on headset, press ‘pair’ button on front of X console, ‘et voila!’ (you even receive an official message on screen at this point ‘ ‘headset assigned’).
Further features –
– Discord certified mic (very clear)
– Dolby Atmos (just download the XBox Dolby Atmos app and set up for brilliant sound)
– Allows Bluetooth connection, so you can listen to music / take phone calls at the same time as a gaming session)
– ‘Ski Goggle’ style headband, which I’ve found very comfortable in long gaming sessions
– Windows PC can be connected by purchasing a XBox wireless adaptor for your PC (similar to that used to connect an XBox controller to a W10 PC)
All in all, I highly recommend this product! – Happy gaming
I perosonally like the sound quality good balance between bass,treble and clarity. The headset is very comfortable
The headset is extreme comfortable no issues with the headband and earcups. The earcups i believe are breathable so it doesn’t leave your ears too toasty after long hours for gaming.
No complaints from me it’s been a perfect product so far.
At first I thought they kinda looked cheap, but I like the simple look now.
Best thing is you can have them connected to your xbox and phone at the same time, so you can listen to music or even awsner a call if need be.
Only con for me,it would have been nice if they came with a case.
Purchased these so I would have a dedicated pair of wireless headphones for my XBOX X. Previously used Sennheiser Game One (wired). But time and time again the jack port on the controller would end up cutting out the sound. So wireless it was. I looked at numerous products, bought a set of Plantronics RIG 800LX, they were DOA so returned them. Then I looked at gaming DACS to use with my Sennheiser. No dice as feedback was they were great but didn’t work with XBOX chat (unless using on your phone?) So naturally ended up looking at top of the range solutions. So AS50’s were my next port of call. Numerous reviews with people trashing them and others saying they were interstellar sound. My finger must have hovered over the purchase button numerous times. I thought no, 300 quid for some headphones just not paying it.
BUILD QUALITY & AESTHETICS
So I looked at Steelseries. Various products and many reviews later I opted for the 9x. For my first steel series headset must say very impressed with it. Build quality is excellent, A metal headband frame, with a velcro adjusted elastic support band (this comes into contact directly with your head). Almost like a ski goggle band. I think these can be swapped out for other designs if you like to change things up.
The ear cups are closed cup design (I’m used to the soundstage of open back) I prefer open back but these are great at reducing sound bleed so if playing in a room with other people it prevents others hearing them. The microweave cushion is very very soft and so comfortable long gaming sessions and no ear-ache from headphones pressing on your ears (you can buy velour or pleather replacements) . I imagine that depends on the size of your ears. But as a whole my ears fit within the ear cups. As per the headband you can change up the design on the outer part of the cups (purchased separately). Closed cup also prevent external sound getting in, not completely but enough. The earcups swivel so they can be laid flat on a table/shelf when packed away, which is a nice design feature.
The battery life states 20 hours which is pretty accurate. I do have quite long gaming sessions at weekends, 3-4 hours during the day and possibly another 5/6 in the evening. So a single charge will hold. However you will need to keep on top of it. The XBXOX dash has an icon on battery along with the controller.
SOUND
The sound itself, at least to me is very good. I’m no audiophile but for gaming they work well. I use DOLBY ATMOS (sonic works just as well) with them and no complaints. There are 4 presets; Flat, Bass Boost, Smiley, Performance. I tweaked these to my liking, as we all look for something different in sound. A lot of people say the sound is poor on these until they tweak the profiles. In all honesty the ‘Smiley setting’ is a happy medium. You will however need to plug these into a Laptop or a Computer to adjust EQ within the ‘Steelseries Engine software’. If you don’t have a computer to do so the smiley setting is the all round setting. Nice clarity and not too muddy bass. I have sensitive ears from years of diving so keep the bass quite neutral. Which is also why I prefer open back headphones.
MICROPHONE & EAR CUP CONTROLS
The Microphone has an adjustable wire neck which coils up into the ear cups. Unlike other gaming sets where you flip the MIC boom up to mute the mic you have a button on this set. The mic has a red LED which illuminates once muted. If I am totally honest the MIC works and is very sensitive. However I think it could do with a foam microphone cover as it can be a little too sensitive. You can adjust this in the Software as well as the side tone. The sidetone allows you to hear yourself through the MIC, this is great so you don’t end up shouting whilst using the MIC. As mentioned close cup headphones reduce the sound around you this includes your own voice.
The Headphone volume is a small dial on the right earcup. The layout of the dials is clear and after a few uses you will navigate to them with ease. It is functional and works but from a design point of view, the actual dials could be bigger and less sensitive. More like click on each volume level would be better. Every time I take off the headset it is always at a different volume. So it is easy to move it by accident. A minor gripe but a gripe none the less. The EQ presets are on the right ear cup these are a single click of a button. You get a clear beep in the ear ranging from one to four to indicate the appropriate profile.
The headsets works on the same tech as the XBOX X controller and pairs the same. It also powers the XBOX X on when the headset is powered up. The bluetooth works parallel to it so you can receive calls or listen to music via phone or ipad. This is a feature I didn’t think I would use much but have actually really started to use it more with Lockdown. I stream music from my phone whilst training. Works really well, connection wise it is seamless and have no issues at all.
The Chat volume/Game volume ratio is on the left earcup and this is a great feature. You can adjust the balance of the two on the fly. So if you have someone in your chat who is really quiet you can increase the chat bias or vice versa.
Overall I would say this is a really good headset, now and then when powering on the connection can be a little funny. But nothing a headset restart doesn’t fix. This isn’t all the time maybe one every ten times I use it. The sound quality has a fair bit of depth and can be adjusted to your liking, coupled with Windows sonic or if you wish to buy ATMOS. There isn’t much between them really. But they do make a difference and some games specifically support ATMOS. The price point, hmm I would say yeah maybe a little steep but they do have some decent features and wireless is great coupled with bluetooth. If you can pick them up for 150 even bette
These headphones use the same method to connect to the console as the controllers, they are independent of the controller.
Say you wanted to watch TV (either through the consoles HDMI passthrough or Netflix etc.) with wired headphones you need to have them plugged into a controller, which drains your controller battery as well as risking the annoying possibility of knocking the controller and stopping your viewing by mistake.
With wireless headphones you don’t even need to have the contoller turned on.
Turning to gaming (it is a games console), there is a volume mixer on the left ear cuff to balance between chat and game volume and an overally volume control on the right cuff.
You can also have your phone bluetoothed to the headphones at the same time.
These are the second pair I have (they are for my son as I got sick of him using mine).
I own several pairs of superb headphones for music, and reference – and every time I don a set of “gaming” headphones they tend to feel like a toy – that said, I felt these warrant a review.
The build quality on the Arctis 9X are great – the sound quality is also very nice, but at this price point – you expect that. Different pre-sets subtly change the sound from more natural, through to some that are more bassy which are good for movies – but on the whole, they don’t have any gimmicky features like my old turtle beach set, which branded “saturated midtones that make my ears bleed, as a trade off for hearing footsteps louder” as “Superhuman hearing” or something similar.
Connectivity:
On my Xbox One X – I don’t think these have ever dropped out other than one time I forgot to charge them.
Whilst my One. was being repaired, I temporarily re-used my old regular Xbox one. I noticed a fair few dropouts, needing me to turn the headset off and on again.
– This was an issue I had read in some reviews after buying the headset, and I was concerned – I was never able to recreate the issue until I used an OG Xbox One, so in my personal experience. Perfect on the OneX – frustrating on a standard Xbox One.
Volume: 10/10
They are not deafeningly loud, (except in COD – which has the worst sound mix of a game ever.) but they definitely dont suffer with being too quiet. If they don’t go loud enough for you, then you’ve probably already done some damage to your hearing.
Sound Quality: 8/10
Comparing them to a set of high end reference headphones is unfair, they don’t reproduce a huge wide soundstage, with intricate highs mids and lows, however… after burn in – ive found that they perform better than most closed back headphones I own, the mids are far clearer on these for example, than on HD25s, HD280Pros, or aiaiai DJ headphones.
Overall – I was surprised at how good these sound.
Comfort: 10/10
Aside from a pair of AKG702s i own – which is like wearing a pair of pillows on your head – these are the most comfortable headphones I own. I can play games in them for hours on end, and then settle into a movie before taking them off. Being over ear they are comfortable as they dont put pressure on you, the elasticated headband makes a clever snug fit to your head, without being tight – and they are heavy enough that you trust them not to fall apart, but not so heavy that they induce fatigue.
Sound isolation: 8/10
No complaints here, the isolation is really good, so if someone is sleeping next to you, and you are watching tv – you probably wont disturb them unless you have it cranked right up, or take them off to break the seal to your head.
Battery Life: 10/10
Incredibly long battery life. Since covid kicked in and we’ve all been working from home, ive had these on all day every day almost – as they pair to your phone to be a bluetooth headset too. There is an indicator light that changes colour depending on how much battery you have left.
Connectivity: 9/10
Being able to play games and listen to music off your phone, or take phone calls whilst gaming is almost seamless (with 1 caveat ill address in the downsides).
Microphone: 10/10
I’ve had several people join parties and query what mic I have because its so clear, they assume im using a dedicated mic like streamers use. It’s also very easy to mute the mic with the button just behind your right ear, and the mic has a light on it so you can see in your peripheral vision if you are muted.
Price: 6/10
I paid 130ish for these on Amazon in the sale. There are better “headphones” available for that pricerange, but in terms of gaming headsets, I dont know. they are feature rich, with a long battery life, and great reliability, but for 190 that they are currnetly listed at, Id rather they were more than just a gaming headset, which they could have done with some aesthetic changes – which would have pushed this score up to a 9 or 10.
Ergonomics: 7/10
On either headset cup at the back,there is a jogwheel, the left one changes chat+game mix (very useful when your super loud friend crashes the party) and the overall volume on the right one. The chat mix also has a marker point for the mix at 50:50 that you can feel without looking. The power button is convex, and the bluetooth/answer call buttons is convex. Without looking, you can easily feel exactly what is what.
In principle – everything about the design is perfect.. Until you lean back against the sofa/pillow, and the jogwheel catches the seat/pillow behind you, and either turns the sound off, or cranks the volume to the max.
Placing these controls under the earpieces, or on top of them instead of at the back would have made them perfect.
Aesthetics: 6/10
They nearly got this perfect, the earcups are minimally styled, and the matte black looks sleek – however they have a truly gharish green pattern to the headbands that makes them look a bit childish. It is also a real shame that the microphone doesnt sit flush when it retracts into the headset. This would be the difference between them being a set of headphones that never leave the house, and being a set of headphones that never leave my side… I just dont want to be on the tube in a set of headphones with a boom mic, and a gharish pattern on the headband.
Charging: 7/10
The problem I have with the charging isnt that it takes long, they seem to charge really fast! The issue is that if you are using them and put them on charge without turning them off, I dont really understand what they do.. but it doesnt seem to charge. Ive found that once i finish using them I either have to turn them off, then plug them in, or plug them in, and immediately remove the charger, and plug them in again. This could be by design so that when you first plug a usb in it works to connect to a PC or something, but it does mean that occasionally if you forget, you can plug your headset in – but it doesnt charge. Once you realise you need to see the slow pulsing light to know its charging, then you’ll probably be ok.
Overall: 9/10
My first headset from this company, due to the build quality I cant see myself replaceing them any time soon, and if in the same position again I wouldnt hesitate to get these. If you are looking for a great gaming headset thats comfortable to wear, these are my shout.
If you want a set that doubles up as something you would use as wireless headphones out and about – the non-detachable/hidden mic might put you off, as it did me. If you are less vain than I am, then youll have a nice sounding set of headphones for your travels too. 🙂
Highly recommended.
After owning a pair of wireless turtle beaches which packed up within a month I was a bit skeptic although of how well these would perform, but I’m not disappointed.
Sound quality is good, I’m no sound engineer but these work great and I was able to tell roughly what direction an enemy was coming from just from footstep sound on CoD, I can also hear friends clearly in chat and have yet to have anyone complain about my mic quality so I think it’s safe to say the mic is good too. You can buy Dolby Atmos through an app on Xbox store too if you want a change of sound which I have tried out on a free trial and it made a minor difference to the ‘out of the box sound’. Work really well with music too.
The pads are comfy and I can play for a long time without needing to remove the headset. Buttons are easy enough to use but do take some getting used to to make sure you don’t knock the volume rocker switches when taking the headset off etc. Battery life isn’t too bad either.
On to the bad bit..
Since owning the headset (approx 2 months at time of review) I’ve experienced a few cut outs of audio, I only sit about 2 1/2 metres away from my Xbox so I don’t think it’s a distance issue or a WiFi overlap issue. The only thing I have noticed is it usually happens when the battery gets below around 50%. But it’s that inconsistent that I don’t believe it’s a fault with the headset (yet).
Overall I would recommend these for anyone looking for a wireless gaming headset that’s actually pretty decent, gives you a slight advantage, couples up well with music, comfy and has good battery life and connects quickly with your Xbox.
Also check the reviews and which model people review, so many are on the Arctis 7 giving it bad reviews even though they’re listed under the Arctis 9x.
If you want a deep bass sound then these aren’t for you. You can use a custom preset to give extra bass if you wish but there not deep bassy headphones.
Ergonomics are pretty good with all the buttons where you want them to be, but the process for changing between sound presets isnt great and as far as i can tell the headset won’t turn itself off when you shut down the xbox
Build quality = good, mostly plastic though. Not as nice as my previous pair of headphones – Hyper X Cloud Alphas which used metal and lots more padding.
Battery life = excellent, 24 hours is accurate
Connectivity = superb, very stable and not noticible lag
Only reason these do not get 5 stars is because I had to replace the ear cups with some deeper ones as after 3-4 hours the headphones started to hurt my ears as they rubbed slightly on the inside of the earcup on the hard plastic. I have average size ears. And the fit is not particularly snug, move your head quickly and the headset will move on your head.
I purchased my SteelSeries Arctis 9X for 120 and so far really like them. They are really comfortable, even with my glasses which is how I mainly be using them. You can wear them for a few hours and still not get to hot around the ears.
To pair them just use the sync button on the console like a controller. Once that’s done they will always connect as long as you have them on when your Xbox boots up.
For me they sound fine, very pleased that I can connect to the Xbox one and have music play from my phone at the same time. Saves me having to put music on my console.
They do have their quirks which why I didn’t give 5 stars. I assumed I would be able to use them separately with just my phone through bluetooth but so far haven’t been able to.
I’ve also noticed that while they are connected to the Xbox one they can’t be turned off by the power button. You have to turn the console off and then turn them off by the power button. Not a big issue just seems strange.
They also won’t connect to your Windows PC computer without official wireless xbox adapter. (Found out after buying them).
I haven’t really tested the microphone but I’m sure it’s serviceable. Microsoft have already said that these headphones will be compatible with the Xbox Series X (So they are future proof).
All in all if you want headphones that are noise cancelling and comfortable with glasses on I’d recommend these. Maybe try and find them there’s a deal on though.