SteelSeries Arena 9 review: Bringing 5.1 surround sound back to gaming PCs

As soon as upon a time, desktop pc audio system truly mattered. That was greater than a decade in the past, lengthy earlier than gaming headsets crammed the land and wi-fi Bluetooth headphones have been any good. Within the early 2000’s, extra individuals additionally had precise desktops computer systems chained to desks, so it was price investing a bit in first rate audio. SteelSeries’ new Enviornment 9 encompass sound PC audio system jogs my memory of that period, a time once I eagerly strung cables all through my dorm room to attach Logitech’s legendary Z-680 encompass sound audio system. (Apologies for anybody who lived close to me. I attempted to maintain issues civil, I swear!)

Fortunately, it isn’t as powerful to go encompass sound at the moment – although it would nonetheless value you a ton. The $550 Arena 9 join over USB, so you do not have to fret a couple of specialised sound card, and so they characteristic wi-fi rear satellites, which solely should be related to energy and one another. There isn’t any have to string something to the entrance audio system. That solves an enormous ache level, and it makes the Enviornment 9 a much more viable choice for the cable-averse. However is establishing a encompass sound system price it when gaming headphones are cheaper, extra immersive and kinder to your neighbors? You will need to determine that for your self.

Assuming you do need to fill your room with audio system, the Enviornment 9 are notable for present in any respect. There aren’t many PC alternate options at the moment, and so they’re principally a number of years outdated, like Logitech’s Z906 (launched in 2011). You can, in fact, arrange an amplifier and join no matter audio system you need, however anybody doing that most likely is not out there for a self-contained package. SteelSeries is putting a fragile stability between complexity and comfort – for essentially the most half, I believe the Enviornment 9 is a hit.

Within the field, you may discover two entrance audio system (each geared up with RGB lighting alongside their base and rears), two wi-fi rear satellites, a middle channel, a management module, and a 6.5-inch downward-firing subwoofer. The 2-way audio system do not precisely really feel high-end, however their matte plastic casing ought to mix in along with your keyboards and different PC elements. They’re additionally far lighter than I anticipated, which is never a very good signal with audio gear. My greatest gripe, although, comes right down to the cabling. The entrance and heart audio system have hard-wired cables, which connect with the rear of the subwoofer. From what I can inform, there isn’t any straightforward solution to substitute these cables, so that you’re caught chucking your complete speaker if one thing goes incorrect (or getting very accustomed to soldering). I would a lot reasonably have detachable cables as an alternative of superfluous RGB lighting.

I can perceive why SteelSeries selected to incorporate all of its audio inputs behind the subwoofer. It will get extra cables away out of your desk, and it is a good place to deal with the amplifier and energy elements. However that is additionally the one place with an aux connection, so you may have to string an extended 3.5mm cable if you wish to plug in every other gadgets. Fortunately, there’s additionally Bluetooth help, which provides you a straightforward solution to wirelessly stream tunes when your pc is off. For gadgets with digital audio, just like the PlayStation 5, you’ll be able to join them by way of an optical cable (there’s additionally optical output port to go sound to different gear).

Sadly, the PS5 can solely output 2.1 sound (two entrance audio system and the subwoofer) over optical or USB. You can upmix that audio throughout your whole audio system by way of the management pod, however that may nonetheless simply be simulated encompass. That is a disgrace for anybody who desires a system that may seamlessly work throughout their gaming methods and computer systems. It is also doubly disappointing for the reason that Logitech Z-680 dealt with Dolby Digital and DTS encompass processing from consoles and different gadgets all the way back in 2003 for simply $400. For the value, I am shocked the Enviornment 9 cannot deal with their very own decoding.

At the least SteelSeries is not making an attempt to push the Enviornment 9 as an excellent encompass sound system on your residence theater. What’s notable is that it is the first 5.1 gaming audio system that work over a single USB connection. Usually, PC audio system both depend on three 3.5mm jacks or a digital connection like optical or coaxial. Because it’s counting on USB, setup is straightforward – even for laptop computer customers, who would sometimes need to get some kind of exterior sound card to make use of a 5.1 system.

It solely took a couple of minutes to get the Enviornment 9’s entrance and heart audio system hooked as much as the subwoofer, whereas the rears discovered houses on bookshelves behind my desk chair. These took a bit extra effort, since I needed to discover a close by outlet to energy the proper rear speaker, in addition to string a cable throughout the ground to the left one. (For those who’ve bought a big area, you can too use an additional lengthy RCA cable to attach these audio system.) On my desk, the Enviornment 9 seems to be cleaner than the massive KEF Q150 bookshelves I sometimes use.

I will be sincere, although, I care way more about sound high quality than aesthetics in terms of audio system. Regardless of their comparatively small measurement and common construct high quality, the Enviornment 9 sounds improbable throughout video games and flicks. The opening monster assault in Netflix’s The Sea Beast rocked my workplace with explosions, the sounds of big waves and the rumble of a pissed off monster. Whereas enjoying Halo Infinite, I felt totally immersed in each firefight, a lot in order that I may clearly hear enemies creeping up behind me on the rear audio system. One Halo Infinite match, which geared up everybody with rocket launchers and skewers, gave the impression of I used to be entrance row in a 15-minute lengthy fireworks present.

The Enviornment 9s are finest when you’ll be able to crank the amount as a lot as doable – making them ill-suited for residences and smaller houses. (Do as I say, not as I did.) They’re peppy and energetic sufficient for video games and movies with massive soundscapes. I’d have appreciated to see a bigger subwoofer, although. A 6.5-inch ported unit for a system this costly simply feels limiting. I needed to push the subwoofer’s quantity dial nearly to its most to get a satisfying quantity of low-end punch. A bigger sub would not have to work so onerous.