The Engine software can elevate the Nova 3’s sound from “good” to “great” without much effort on your part. Even if you just stick with standard stereo sound, you can boost the bass or make your own EQ profile. Sonar supports individualized profiles for games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Elden Ring. You can activate SteelSeries Sonar, which emphasizes footsteps and other FPS sounds, and you can do so with or without surround sound. In fact, the Arctis Nova 3 can sound especially good with different genres of games thanks to the customizable SteelSeries Engine software.

Whether I was building a medieval village with chill string arrangements in the background or listening to the trials and tribulations of a team of squabbling superheroes, the Arctis Nova 3 did an excellent job of balancing music, sound effects and voicework. I tested the device with Age of Empires IV, Doom Eternal, Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Final Fantasy XIV on PC, and came away impressed with the performance across the board. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 excels when it comes to gaming sound. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 review: Performance Even with my glasses on, I was able to wear the Nova 3 for long stretches easily. Furthermore, “tight” never translated to “uncomfortable,” at least in my experience. While it’s a bit tighter than the old Arctis models, the headband seems less prone to wear and tear over time, which seems like a fair tradeoff. However, once you maneuver everything into place, the Nova 3 feels good to wear, even for hours on end. Since the arms don’t have any notches or numbers, this can be a trial-and-error process.

Once you maneuver everything into place, the Nova 3 feels good to wear, even for hours on end.Īs such, you can’t just throw the headset on your head and get a perfect fit you’ll need to adjust the height of the arms, too.

Steelseries 3 headset