The foam pads on the earcups are comfortable and light to the touch, and the only issue we’ve had with them is that they swivel a little too easily for our liking – we had to put them back in their original position a few times while testing these out, which is thankfully just a minor annoyance. The oblong shape works well, and they look impressive even before you hear how impressive the sound that comes out of them is. This is a significant improvement over previous models, where the plastic speaker driver had a habit of digging into your ear, so it is a welcome change. Another change is that the microphone is now detachable and comes in a separate box when you first get it. This is another improvement because you don’t want to be stuck with a mic when you’re just listening to music, and being able to remove it entirely is far superior to the retractable mic that was previously included with Steelseries headsets. The metal inside the headband is strong enough to withstand our attempts to bend it more than normal, and while the fake leather used feels nice, it would not be our first choice for the material they could have used because it tends to wear away easily over time. It is also here that you will have the most difficulty getting these to sit comfortably – they are comfortable, but the design of the headband makes it a little difficult to get it to sit properly on occasion. The controls for the Steelseries Arctis 1 are located on the left earcup, as shown in the above image, and all of the features you would expect to find are neatly positioned on it. You’ll also find volume controls, the ability to turn on and off the microphone, and a connection port here. It’s worth noting that the extra 3.5mm port for sharing audio with a second headset is missing from this set, which may be an annoyance for some, but it’s likely one of the things that keeps the price of this so low – so it’s understandable. The headset connects via a single 3.5 mm audio jack, and you also get a second wire that is an audio/mic splitter for gaming PCs, though keep in mind that this wire is much longer than it needs to be, which will be a pain to use. Another thing to keep in mind is that, while the Arctis 1 works with mobile phones, the wired version will only work with phones that have the correct port, which the newer models frustratingly tend to lack.
