The easiest way to describe the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Omni gaming headset is that it’s the middle child between the Nova Pro and the Nova Elite. It mixes elements from both, namely the plastic and steel build of the Pro and the newer tuning, ANC, microphones, and USB hub of the Elite to create something fresh.

Does SteelSeries really need three different “Pro” gaming headsets above $300? I’m not so sure, but the Omni makes a convincing case as a great option for multisystem, multimedia power users. Like its siblings, the two standout features here are battery swapping and multisystem mixing.

You’re paying a premium for both, and if you don't need them, there are plenty of other great headsets that cost half as much (like the brand's own Arctis Nova 5, for example). But if you truly need three or even four different audio sources, the Omni can handle it much more seamlessly than the Pro (and for much less than the Elite).

The Best of Both Worlds: The Nova Pro Omni may have the same 40 millimeter drivers as the Pro model, but changes to the tuning and processing have made a big difference in the audio quality. The Steelseries software does a lot of heavy lifting here, with game-specific profiles that help pull the right sounds to the surface.

Turning on the profile built for Marathon, the heady screeching and chirping sound effects and environmental noise was appropriately scalding, but I could still easily hear the crunching of enemies approaching from outside buildings. Combined with improved active noise-canceling that's similar to the Elite model, the audio experience is truly excellent.