The clamping force is mild, and I was immediately happy with how they felt when I plopped them on my head. It has 10 clicks of adjustment on its headband sliders, and I only have to go to position 6 on my larger head, so that’s great. In spite of losing the ski goggle suspension headband, the Arctis 1 is still comfy. It’s no longer mind-blowing for a $50 headset to sound good, but the Arctis 1 is one of the better options out there. The Arctis 1 has a gentler, less clinical sound with a slightly warmer and smoother midrange, with I think makes it better for long sessions and music listening. Its bite and power will probably be more fun for most gamers to listen to. The HS50 is more punchy in both the bass and the treble, and I think it’ll serve most gaming applications better. The RIG has a very similar sound to the Arctis, but its build and materials leave a bit to be desired. The Cloud Stinger has a worse, more hollow-sounding midrange than the Arctis 1. In the sub $50 market, the Arctis 1’s closet competitors are the HyperX Cloud Stinger, the Plantronics Rig 400, and the Corsair HS50. But it’s close enough to neutral that I can say it has “good audio,” just like its predecessors. The Arctis 1 has to stand out on its particular sonic characteristics and quirks now, and you won’t know if you really prefer them over other choices until you go ears-on. These days however, HyperX, Logitech, Plantronics, and even Turtle Beach all make sub $100 headsets that have nicely balanced audio profiles. When the Arctis lineup first launched a few years ago, most gaming headsets were still going for bass bass bass all the time, and so its more relaxed, more neutral approach that also had good mids and treble was a revelation. The angled driver design gives these just a little space past your ears, and helps prevent any “in-head” listening fatigue. This is a balanced, relaxed, nice-sounding headset just like its predecessors, and also still a step down from the Arctis Pro, which has a more accurate and impressive sound than any of the numbered Arctis products. The extra bass punch still doesn’t make these fit for bassheads.
I’m not sure if this is a slight tweak to the tuning, or down to the differences in fit/seal from the new headband. I’m talking only a couple of decibels here. I was expecting to hear no differences at all after SteelSeries’ marketing claims, but I discovered a tiny bit of extra oomph in the lower bass regions on the Arctis 1 compared to the 3. There’s a little bit of thickness in the upper bass, the mids are warm but mostly accurate which gives vocals a nice gentle vibe, and the treble is crisp without stabbing you in the ears with every cymbal hit. It’s still a balanced, relatively neutral-sounding headset.
Compared side-by-side with my Arctis 3 Bluetooth, the Arctis 1 sounds nigh-identical.
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