Hi everyone. Today my headset start making issues, so I’ve decided to buy a new one. I bought the SteelSeries Arctis 5. I a USB headset rather than Bluetooth, not to worry about battery, and from my experience, tethered one produce slightly better audio as well.
Nonetheless, I bought them and used them both on my PlayStation 5 console and my PC.
The audio quality is great, not as punchy as my Sony 3D Pulse but still very good. The reason I don’t use the 3D Pulse headset is that it has bad microphone voice recording quality—yes, it’s that bad. when I record voice, it sounds muffled, even worse via Bluetooth, slightly improved if I use the 3.5mm cable connected to the DualSense controller.
Steelseries Arctis 5 Mic Quality
The mic quality of the Steelseries Arctis 5 is very good. Especially after you install the Steelseries GG app that allows for a further audio adjustment that significantly improves the voice quality (make it more bassy using an equalizer).
If you want to make a voiceover when recording YouTube videos, streaming, or talking in Discord or PlayStation party chat, this mic will be a great option for you. Just keep in mind that the GG app is just for PC, not for PS5, obviously.
Steelseries Arctis 5 Ergonomics
In my opinion, the 3D Pulse ergonomics is a disaster. The rubber is made with hard material and it’s not comfortable wearing for a long time, at least not if you don’t have long hair, let alone bald. It’s amazing what a little strap can do to make the headset more comfortable.
The Steelseries Arctis 5 however is super comfy. It’s amazing that it feels like it’s floating on your head, I don’t even feel the top part as it’s so soft and comfortable. That’s how it should be, especially if you plan on gaming for a long duration (e.g. streaming on Twitch/YouTube).
Is Steelseries Arctis 5 Compatible with PS5?
The Arctis 5 is compatible with the PlayStation 5 gaming console. It’s also mentioned on steelseries.com‘s official website.
All of these Steelseries headsets are compatible with the PS5: Arctis 7P, Arctis 1 (wired/wireless), Arctis 3, Arctis 5, Arctis 7, Arctis 9, Arctis Pro (also + GameDAC), Arctis Pro Wireless.
The Arctis 5 also supports 3D Audio but from what I’ve heard, the 3D audio works on any stereo headset—correct me if I am wrong.
Other Features
The Steelseries Arctis 5 supports custom RGB lights (using the GG app), 7.1 surround sound, has a retractable microphone, and it’s a DTS certified headphone.
Keep in mind that it can be connected using the USB or 3.5mm, so you can use it on mobile as well. It comes with a chat/game balance knob that only works if you use the USB, as the knob has an undetectable USB cable.
In terms of build quality, it doesn’t feel premium, to be honest, quite plasticky and flimsy. My previous headset which was 3 times cheaper had much better build quality. Probably this was done to make the headset very lightweight.
Conclusion
Overall, I am happy with this tethered gaming headset. The Steelseries Arctis 5 is a great overall headset the has great audio quality, which lacks bass but still produces very good audio quality. The mic also has noise-reduction which can be reduced or enhanced using the app if you are using it for PC.
It’s comfortable, lightweight and works great for PC and the PlayStation 5.
I haven’t compared it to other slightly more expensive ones like the Steelseries 1 Wireless.
Overall, The Steelseries Arctis 5 is recommended for PlayStation 5.