They call it their “Airweave” ear cushion. Rather than go for the standard leather/pleather, or velour fabric…they use a blend of a moisture-wicking athletic fabric and polyurethane. What you can’t see is that Steelseries made a smart change here too. You can also get leatherette ear pads if you want more isolation, but I’d stick with the defaults.Īs you can see, the ear cups are thick and plush. It comes in both black and white, and you can order several replacement headbands with different art on the Steelseries web site.

This is the first headphone I’ve been able to wear on the default size since I was about 12 years old. Incredibly…I was able to wear it on the default setting. You can adjust the tension of it with two little velcro bits along the sides, and it takes just a few seconds. It will never ever cause you any pain, and it is easily replaceable and machine washable. You just stick it on your head and it stretches to the perfect size. I’ve tried a number of headphones that have “mixed up” the design language of the headband. Steelseries looked to the world of athletics, and decided to replace the old standard headband concept with a stretchy piece of ski goggle strap.

Other headphones have used suspension headband systems, but none of them are quite as cushy as the one on the Arctis. I like the way the headphones look like they float gently above your head.

The hovering plastic piece over the suspension system has a little bit of padding, in case your head ever bumps into it.

Arctis 5