The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4X Wireless is the latest addition to the company’s high-quality line of gaming headsets. It’s the successor to the Arctis 1 Wireless, and remains one of the cheapest wireless headsets in SteelSeries’ lineup, but its build quality and features make it punch well above its weight.
Even without things like Bluetooth that you’ll see in the Arctis Nova 7 and higher, the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless blows away the competition in its price range with excellent sound and a nice microphone to boot.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4X Wireless – Design and Features
The design of the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless is largely similar to the rest of SteelSeries’ offerings, like the Arctis Nova 7 and Nova Pro wireless, but there are a few changes that let it hit a lower price.
SteelSeries has opted for more plastic with the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless, although it hasn’t lowered the quality of the headset at all, luckily. The headset still feels solid, and doesn’t creak or groan as you handle it.
SteelSeries has changed the ski-goggle style headband a little bit as well, providing a slightly cheaper-feeling, but stretchier, more comfortable fit compared to the stiffer option on the Nova Pro. The Arctis Nova 4X is Xbox certified, and the headband has green accents all the way across it. It offers 2.4GHz wireless and USB-C connections for use, and comes with the cables needed to do both effortlessly.
The Nova 4X Wireless is extremely lightweight, coming in at 0.59 lbs. This makes it a fair bit lighter than the Arctis Nova 7X Wireless and HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless, which are roughly 0.72 lbs.
Its headband can be adjusted up and down quite easily, with three holes that molded pegs fit into, giving you the option to move the band as needed. The ear cups adjust by going in and out of the headband on both sides just like your typical headset. They click into place perfectly, and don’t slide up and down when in use. As someone with a bigger head, I appreciated that I was able to adjust the headset to accommodate my large noggin.
The ear cups on the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless are the same design as other Arctis Nova headsets, with the company’s logo on the outside of both. The AirWeave cushions are extremely comfortable during long gaming sessions, and I have had zero issues with sweat thanks to how breathable they are.
On the right side of the headset you’ll find the power button, ChatMix dial, and USB-C charge port. All the buttons are quite easy to reach for, and powering the headset on/off only requires a quick one-second press of the power button. There’s an indicator light right above it, which I’ve found to be quite useful for telling whether or not the headset is powered on.
SteelSeries has placed the microphone mute button and volume control on the left side of the Arctis Nova 4X wireless. They’re just as easy to reach for as the rest of the buttons, and I’ve had no issue reaching for the buttons in the middle of playing a game or chatting with friends in Discord.
The microphone on the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless is fantastic, thanks to its unique hidden design that allows you to keep it tucked out of the way. The company has improved this design from the Arctis lineup by making it blend in with the rest of the earcup much better. I much prefer this to detachable microphones as it prevents any wear and tear at the connection port. Not to mention, it's extremely easy to lose a mic when you have to disconnect it completely.
My biggest complaint about the Arctis Nova 4X is the short and wide dongle makes it quite awkward to plug into the back of my PC without using the included cable extension.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4X Wireless – Software
When using the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless on the PC, the SteelSeries GG software opens up a whole new set of customization options for users to enjoy, including in-depth EQ presets, Mic volume controls, sleep time, and more.
Built into SteelSeries GG is Sonar, the company’s fairly new audio software that gives users the ability to customize headsets more than they ever could before. Similar to Elgato’s Wave Link, it opens up the ability to customize the volume levels of every app you have open across your PC.
This is by far my favorite part about using the Arctis Nova 4X on the PC, although it can take a bit to figure out. That said, Sonar does give you plenty of guidance along the way, which is always a plus.
For those looking to dig further into customizing the Arctis Nova 4X, Sonar offers an equalizer, spatial audio, and volume boost for game, chat, media, and aux inputs. For the microphone on the headset, Sonar offers an EQ, ClearCast AI Noise Cancelation, Noise Reduction, Noise Gate, and a Smart Voice compressor.
All of Sonar’s options can be used for any headset or microphone – not just SteelSeries’ options – and they’ve made it very accessible for users.
Unfortunately, the SteelSeries GG software doesn’t work with Xbox or any other device outside of the PC, so any customizations you make through GG or Sonar on your computer are lost as soon as you connect to another device.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4X Wireless – Performance
SteelSeries has been known for its high-end audio quality over the last few years, and the Arctis Nova 4X Wireless is no exception.
The headset absolutely blew me away straight out of the box. When listening to music, the Arctis Nova 4X delivered crisp highs and punchy bass on every song I threw at it. There is no distortion during heavier bass drops in songs, allowing you to continue enjoying the lyrics as the bass booms.
Gaming with the Arctis Nova 4X is very nice as well. While playing Need for Speed Unbound, the police scanner wasn’t distorted by the sound of the v8 muscle car I was racing around in. It was obvious where nearby cars were on the road, and I could feel the sound of traffic moving around me as I made my way to the next meetup.
SteelSeries’ industry-leading noise-canceling microphone knocked it out of the park yet again. I tested it in recordings through OBS as well as Discord, and each time it did a fantastic job at removing the sounds of my mechanical keyboard and office air conditioner.
Battery life on the Arctis Nova 4x is absolutely phenomenal. SteelSeries says it’ll get 35 hours of life on a single charge, and I managed to get every bit of that during my testing.
I firmly believe that the Nova 4X microphone is the best you’ll get in a wireless headset in this price range, and the added customization with Sonar on the PC only makes it better.
The Verdict
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 4X Wireless headset is among the top headsets I've ever used in this price range. Even before adjusting the audio with SteelSeries GG on the PC, the Arctis Nova 4X offers out-of-this-world sound no matter what you throw at it. It’s built to withstand years of use, and definitely worth the purchase at $119.99.
