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Nov 06, 2024

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review: Gaming buds that do it all - SoundGuys

All products featured are independently chosen by us. However, SoundGuys may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links. See our ethics statement. Published onNovember 4, 2024

All products featured are independently chosen by us. However, SoundGuys may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links. See our ethics statement.

Published onNovember 4, 2024

Gamers know all too well that leading consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X mean leaving your trusty Bluetooth earbuds behind — the consoles simply don’t support them. The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds aims to solve this with a 2.4GHz wireless dongle for gaming while keeping Bluetooth for everything else. At $159, they undercut other premium wireless earbuds, offering active noise cancelation and the usual array of features you’d expect. More than that, the app comes packed with over 150 EQ presets to make the most of your favorite games. Could these be the all-in-one solution that eliminates the need for separate gaming and everyday pairs?

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are, unsurprisingly, for those who want earbuds with active noise cancelation for gaming, whether that be at home or on the go with a handheld console. More than that, they are for those who want gaming earbuds that can suffice both in style an performance as everyday wireless earbuds for music listening or phone calls.

My first impression of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds is just how comfortable they are to wear. The style and shape of the earbuds remind me a lot of the Jabra Elite line, which is a good thing, with a smooth, triangular ergonomic shape that sits nicely in the ears. SteelSeries claims to have scanned over 62,000 ears to inform the design, and that research definitely seems to have paid off, at least for me. I could wear these earbuds for over two hours straight before feeling any discomfort.

The ear tips do sit a little deep inside the ear canals, which some people might not like, but it didn’t bother me. If you are used to wearing unsealed AirPods, this fit may feel a little invasive at first. On the bright side, if you can get used to it, it does help to ensure a good seal, and the earbuds come with multiple sizes of silicone tips to help get a secure fit. The GameBuds also have in-ear detection to automatically play or pause music when connected via Bluetooth, though this can be disabled if you prefer.

Normally, I prefer touch controls on my earbuds, but the tactile buttons here are well-implemented. The clicky buttons are shallow and don’t require a lot of force, which helps prevent the earbuds from being pushed further into your ear. Still, I found myself more often using the mobile app to adjust controls. Not only because of the potential to compromise the seal or cause discomfort, but because the audible chime and voice that tells you ANC is On and other status updates sound notably robotic and can be jarring.

The earbuds have a water resistance rating of IP55, which provides protection from dust, dirt, and water. This rating makes them suitable for long gaming sessions that break a sweat, light amounts of rain, or mild workouts, making them versatile enough for both gaming and general daily use.

The Arctis Gamebuds have physical buttons on the face of the earbuds to facilitate controls. There are the usual taps and double taps to issue commands, as well as to quickly switch between your wireless connection method. You can see the default controls in the table below, but you can also adjust the command via the mobile app if you wish.

The app is a big reason to get these earbuds. Previously reserved for the Arctis Nova 5 headphones, the app, and the 175+ EQ presets it comes with are now available to the renamed Arctis Companion app. Yes, you read that right; there are over 175 game-specific EQ presets for a multitude of video game titles, as well as music and movie-specific ones like bass boost and clear dialogue tuning. I strongly suggest checking them out as you are likely to find your recent favorite video game supported by an EQ preset that might very well have been tuned by SteelSeries according to the recommendations of the game developers themselves, though not always.

Unfortunately, the mobile app does not have a customer equalizer. That is reserved for the desktop app on PC. However, you can also control other aspects of the earbuds via the mobile app, such as the connection mode, ANC, Transparency mod levels, and volume. You can also check the battery life of the case and earbuds.

Because Bluetooth earbuds cannot connect to PS5 or Xbox, the Arctis Gamebuds include a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle in the charging case to connect to your console of choice wirelessly. In addition to PlayStation and Xbox, that includes the Switch, PC, Mobile, Meta Quest, and pretty much any other handheld/cloud gaming device.

The earbuds also use Bluetooth 5.3 with support for the SBC codec only. While you can’t use both connection methods simultaneously, you can switch between them with a triple tap of either earbud.

To put the Gamebuds in pairing mode:

In our testing, the Arctis Gamebuds lasted 8 hours and 32 minutes when connected to a PC using the 2.4 GHz connection. ANC was off, and the music was playing at medium volume.

That comes pretty close to SteelSeries’ claim of 10 hours, and you’d likely get more mileage when using the Bluetooth connection. The charging case provides three full charges for the earbuds, and I only had to charge the case once during my testing.

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The Arctis GameBuds do a great job of canceling noise. Our testing shows that with ANC on, they reduce low-frequency noise, such as the rumble of an airplane engine, by 25dB or more and high-frequency noise by over 40 dB. Overall, these gamebuds reduce the perceived loudness of external noise by around 78%, which is close to the 80% average we find in flagship noise canceling earbuds.

While gaming with these earbuds at the office, I couldn’t hear any noise from my coworkers’ keyboards, conversations, or the AC unit overhead. While riding the bus on my way to work, I could hear the occasional sounds of traffic but nothing so loud as to detract from my music listening.

The transparency mode here is good enough if you need to quickly hear someone talking to you without taking out your earbuds. I didn’t find any faults with it, but it didn’t do an amazing job of recreating the space around me. For that, it’s better to remove the earbuds altogether.

The Arctis GameBuds deliver detailed gaming audio with excellent spatial awareness, though they can struggle with dialogue clarity and lack some low-end impact for bass-heavy content.

The chart below shows how the sound of the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

The Arctis Gamebuds received favorable results from MDAQS. Immersiveness is quite good for gaming as you’ll be able to pinpoint sounds around you, while the high Timbre scores bode well for general music listening. Most people will likely enjoy how these earbuds sound.

See here for an explanation of MDAQS, how it works, and how it was developed.

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

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The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds’ frequency response has a tuning that’s similar to a lot of gaming headsets I’ve tried, even if it deviates from our preference curve in a few areas. There’s quite a sub-bass roll-off below 50Hz, but otherwise, bass frequencies are prominent. The mids are a little more underemphasized than I would like to hear, with the subdued ear-gain bump at 3kHz in particular. That’s followed by a pronounced treble peak at 6-8kHz, reaching about 10dB above neutral. While potentially beneficial for localizing sounds in three-dimensional space, this treble peak could lead to significant listener fatigue during longer sessions.

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Yes, as you can see in the chart above, when ANC is off (yellow), there is less bass emphasis in the low end. The treble peak is also about 3dB lower, making for a more neutral leaning sound overall.

The microphone quality on the Arctis Gamebuds is just okay – not exceptional, but not terrible, either. Voices are intelligible even if some background noise makes its way through. As you can hear in the samples below, the mics struggle with noise rejection in office conditions. However, in my experience, I tried aggressively typing on my mechanical keyboard while wearing the earbuds, and my friend reported not being able to hear any noise. Additionally, as you can hear in the Reverberant space sample, while the mics have some level of isolation, they aren’t fully immune to room reflections, which is common in smaller, embedded mics on earbuds.

Take a listen for yourself, and let us know what you think in our poll.

The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds make a compelling case at $159.99, especially for gamers seeking a versatile pair of earbuds that can handle both console gaming and daily use. Their strong ANC performance, comfortable fit, and extensive library of EQ presets make them a particularly attractive option for anyone tired of switching between gaming headsets and regular earbuds. The 2.4GHz wireless connection ensures compatibility with major consoles, while Bluetooth keeps you connected to your other devices.

However, they’re not without their compromises. The lack of bass impact and occasional dialogue clarity issues might give pause to trained listeners or story-focused gamers. Still, given their competitive price point, solid battery life, and impressive noise cancelation that rivals more expensive earbuds, the Arctis GameBuds are an easy recommendation for gamers seeking a do-it-all solution. Just be prepared to experiment with those EQ presets to find your perfect sound.

The Sony INZONE Buds ($198 at Amazon) deliver excellent sound quality and strong ANC but are significantly less versatile. While they offer better battery life at nearly 12 hours compared to the GameBuds’ 8.5 hours, their lack of standard Bluetooth makes them strictly a PS5/PC solution. Consider these only if you’re exclusively gaming on PlayStation or PC and don’t need the GameBuds’ everyday versatility.

The PlayStation Pulse Explore earbuds ($199 at Amazon) feature unique planar magnetic drivers and PlayStation’s proprietary wireless technology, but at a higher price point. While they offer impressive gaming audio clarity, they lack ANC (compared to the GameBuds’ strong noise cancelation) and have more limited EQ options that only work on PS5. The GameBuds are a better value unless you’re specifically looking for PlayStation-optimized audio.

The Razer Hammerhead Hyperspeed ($149.99 at Razer) is slightly lower priced and offers similar versatility with Bluetooth and USB-C dongle connectivity. While it provides decent ANC and a comfortable fit like the GameBuds, its sound quality and microphone performance aren’t quite as refined. However, it’s worth considering if you want to save a bit of money and don’t need the GameBuds’ extensive preset library.

Yes, with an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance plus a secure fit, the GameBuds can handle workouts. However, since the ear tips sit quite deep in the ear canal, vigorous movement might require frequent readjustment.

Yes, the GameBuds can connect to a PC either via the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle or Bluetooth. The PC app also gives you access to customizable EQ settings not available on other platforms.

Yes, each earbud has built-in microphones that can be quickly muted using the physical buttons. The mics can be used for both gaming chat and phone calls when connected via Bluetooth.