Balanced Audio Workhorse

Steelseries arctis prime

- Kenneth Ang

AT A GLANCE

DRIVERS 40mm, Hi-Res, 10Hz - 40kHz

MIC Bi-directional noise canceling, 100Hz-10kHz

CONNECTIVITY Wired, 3.5mm

WEIGHT 384 G

PRICE $179

With a whizz, a clap, and an affordably-priced bang, the SteelSeries Arctis Prime Gaming Headset makes its way onto the scene, as well as my to-do list for the week.

Compared to many other gaming headphones on the market right now, which tend to feature a wealth of RGB lighting and customizable add-ons by the dozen, the Arctis Prime, with its distinct lack of any of the above certainly doesn’t appear to be as impressive as it actually is. Yet, if you’re looking for a pair of affordable, high-performance headphones that won’t nuke your bank account to smithereens, I can hardly think of a better candidate.

Let’s take a look at the outside first. Externally, as mentioned above, the Arctis Prime doesn’t appear to be packing much firepower. Sporting a black plastic frame with soft leatherette earcups, with a removable ski-goggle style elastic headband held in place by a velcro strap on the left end, there’s honestly nothing about it that really screams “premium”. However, it’s also worth noting that unlike the bulk of other headphones I’ve tried, the Arctis Prime’s earcups offer surprisingly good breathability, while still maintaining a gentle but firm grip around my head. So, not only did I not feel like tearing them off immediately after putting them on, but there were in fact times where I even forgot they were there.