We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-17 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a lighter, more adjustable headset that plays nicely with basically every platform you own, choose SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1; if you need a USB-A wired PC/PlayStation headset with a suspension headband and a certified boom mic, choose ASUS TUF Gaming H1.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 — biggest strength: the most flexible fit-and-connectivity package here. 236g (0.52lbs), a 3.5mm jack that covers PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and mobile, plus a retractable noise-cancelling mic.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 — biggest trade-off: it's a wired analog headset, so "surround" depends on your platform's spatial audio or SteelSeries Sonar rather than a built-in USB sound card.
• ASUS TUF Gaming H1 — biggest strength: a plug-and-play USB-A headset with virtual 7.1 surround, 40mm ASUS Essence drivers, a TeamSpeak-certified cardioid mic and washable, removable ear cushions.
• ASUS TUF Gaming H1 — biggest trade-off: USB-A only. That locks it to PC and PlayStation, and at 297g it's the heavier of the two.
• Pick the Arctis Nova 1 if you game across multiple devices, want the lightest possible fit, and like the idea of a parametric EQ.
• Pick the TUF Gaming H1 if you're a PC or PS5 player who wants one USB cable, virtual 7.1 and a mic built for voice chat.
The Arctis Nova 1 is built around SteelSeries' Nova Acoustic System and custom high-fidelity drivers, with a frequency range of 20Hz–22,000Hz and 36-ohm impedance. That impedance figure matters more than it sounds: at 36 ohms this is an easy load, so it behaves well on a controller jack, a phone or a laptop headphone port without needing extra amplification. In practice that's the whole pitch — it's a headset that goes wherever your 3.5mm jack goes.
The headset weighs 236g (0.52lbs), which is genuinely light for an over-ear gaming headset, and the ComfortMAX system backs it up with height-adjustable, rotating earcups, AirWeave memory foam cushions and a stretchy suspension-style band that spreads weight across your head. If you wear glasses or you're prone to that hot-spot ache after a couple of hours, the combination of low weight and four points of adjustment is the reason to look here.
Buy it if you split your time between a console, a PC and a phone and want one headset that just works everywhere. Skip it if you specifically want a virtual 7.1 USB sound card baked in, or you'd rather have a mic you can detach completely rather than retract.
ASUS TUF Gaming H1: Who It's For
The TUF Gaming H1 Gen II takes the opposite approach: one cable, one job. It connects over USB-A, which points it squarely at desktop PC and PlayStation 5/PS4 setups, and it handles its own audio processing with virtual 7.1 surround sound. You plug it in, and the surround processing is already there — no software stack required to get positional audio, though you do lose the ability to use it on an Xbox controller or a phone.
The drivers are 40mm ASUS Essence units with a 20Hz–20,000Hz range and 32-ohm impedance. Those are sensible, well-established specs for a wired gaming headset; the top end stops at 20kHz rather than the Nova 1's 22kHz, which is above what most people hear anyway, so don't read too much into that gap. The bigger practical difference is the driver size and the built-in surround: for cinematic single-player games and positional audio in shooters, the 7.1 processing does a lot of the work.
The mic is unidirectional and TeamSpeak-certified, which is a meaningful detail — TeamSpeak certification is about intelligibility in voice chat, the thing that actually gets you muted by your squad. There's no boom to retract, so it's always there, but it's tuned for clear speech rather than broad pickup.
Two design details stand out. First, the metal suspension headband: it's a self-adjusting strap design that many people find more comfortable than a sliding plastic band, though at 297g the headset is noticeably heavier than the Nova 1 — the suspension band is doing real work to make that weight tolerable. Second, the ear cushions are removable and resistant to alcohol and hypochlorous acid, so you can wipe them down regularly without wrecking them. That's a genuinely useful feature if you share a setup, game in a warm room, or just like keeping your gear clean. There's also TUF Gaming white lighting for the aesthetic side of your desk.
Buy it if you play on PC or PlayStation, want virtual 7.1 without configuring anything, and value a mic that's built for voice chat plus cushions you can actually clean. Skip it if you need Xbox, Switch or mobile support, or you're chasing the lowest weight possible.
• Best for multiple platforms → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1. The 3.5mm jack covers PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and mobile. The H1's USB-A connection covers PC and PlayStation only.
• Best for PC-only virtual surround → ASUS TUF Gaming H1. Virtual 7.1 is built into the headset. On the Nova 1 you rely on Tempest 3D, Microsoft Spatial Sound or Sonar.
• Best for long sessions → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1. 236g versus 297g, plus rotating earcups and a stretchy band with four points of adjustment.
• Best for sound tweaking → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1. The 10-band parametric EQ in Sonar lets you shape the response rather than accept a fixed tuning.
• Best for voice chat clarity → ASUS TUF Gaming H1. A TeamSpeak-certified unidirectional mic is purpose-built for comms, and there's no retract mechanism to fiddle with.
• Best for hygiene and upkeep → ASUS TUF Gaming H1. Removable cushions that resist alcohol and hypochlorous acid cleaning are a real long-term advantage.
• Best for quiet-room mic isolation → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1. The ClearCast Gen 2's bidirectional design cuts background noise by up to 25dB.
• Best for desk aesthetics → ASUS TUF Gaming H1. TUF Gaming white lighting is a deliberate style feature the Nova 1 doesn't offer.
In my opinion, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1 is the safer buy for most people, and it's the one I'd pick. The reason isn't a single spec — it's the combination of 236g of weight, four points of fit adjustment, a retractable noise-cancelling mic and a 3.5mm jack that works on every platform I'd realistically own. If you're a PC or PS5 player who wants a single USB-A cable, built-in virtual 7.1 and a mic that's made for voice chat, the ASUS TUF Gaming H1 is the better fit and I'd recommend it without hesitation for that setup. Just check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable that can flip this decision.
FAQ
No. It connects over USB-A, and the listed platform support is PC, PS5 and PS4. If you need Xbox, Switch or mobile support, the Arctis Nova 1's 3.5mm connection is the one that covers those.
They're aimed at different things. The Arctis Nova 1 uses a bidirectional ClearCast Gen 2 mic that reduces background noise by up to 25dB and retracts into the earcup. The H1 uses a unidirectional TeamSpeak-certified mic built for clear in-game voice chat. For noisy rooms, the Nova 1's noise reduction is the more useful spec; for straight chat intelligibility, the H1's certification is the relevant one.
For the H1, no — virtual 7.1 is processed by the headset itself. For the Nova 1, surround depends on your platform: Tempest 3D Audio on PS5, Microsoft Spatial Sound on PC, or SteelSeries Sonar if you want to go further with a parametric EQ.
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