The headphones work just as well for music and movies, which is where I heard the biggest upgrade from the older Pro model. There’s a nice richness, particularly with the EQ presets for music applied, that you don’t get on most wireless gaming headsets. Like the fancier Elite, the Omni support hi-res audio wirelessly, another upgrade from the older Pro model. I still have doubts about whether it’s actually useful for gaming, but I usually listen to music while I play games, so the benefits are there regardless.

Switching back and forth between the Omni and the much pricier Elite, I can definitely hear the difference, but it’s subtle. The Omni don’t have the same spacious soundstage or delicate details as the Elite. This stands out more listening to music than it does gaming. But when I have two or three sources running at once, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything using the Omni over the more expensive Elite.

Feature Packed

Photograph: Brad Bourque

Multisystem mixing is the key selling point with the Omni. Like the other Nova Pro headsets, it comes with a dedicated USB hub for inputs. You can mix up to four inputs, up from two on the Pro model, but I struggle to come up with scenarios where it’s truly needed. The most complex common situation I can think of would be a console for gameplay, a PC for Discord voice chat, and a phone or tablet for music over Bluetooth. The Pro can’t handle that setup, but the Omni can, so if that sounds like you, it’s worth the cost of the upgrade. The microphone will also output to multiple destinations at once, so if you need to pop into proximity chat while on a Discord call, you can do that.

SteelSeries also made a point to emphasize that this microphone, now omni-directional, is a big improvement from the old models, but that’s more of a gift for your friends and fellow raid members who have to hear you. The Omni, like the Nova Pro and Elite, sound significantly cleaner and crisper than most gaming headset mics, although I still think the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro is a bit sharper. Both do an excellent job of filtering out coughing, chair scooting, and the occasional dog bark.