Luckily, it’s not that hard to get surround sound these days – although it’ll still cost you a ton. The $550 Arena 9 connects via USB so you don’t have to worry about a specialized sound card, and they have wireless rear satellites that only need to be plugged into power and each other. You don’t need to connect anything to the front speakers. This solves a huge pain point and makes the Arena 9 a much more viable option for the cable averse. But is it worth installing a surround sound system when gaming headsets are cheaper, more immersive and kinder to your neighbors? You’ll have to decide that for yourself.
Advantages
Excellent two-way speaker design Fantastic sound quality for games and movies Convenient wireless rear parts Bluetooth support
Disadvantages
Built-in speaker cables can be difficult to repair The subwoofer is small for a system of this size There is no built-in surround sound processing No 5.1 surround for PS5 Average build quality
Assuming you want to fill your room with speakers, the Arena 9 is notable for being there. There aren’t many PC alternatives out there today, and they’re mostly quite old, like Logitech’s Z906 (released in 2011). You could, of course, set up an amp and hook up whatever speakers you want, but anyone who does that probably isn’t in the market for a stand-alone kit. SteelSeries strikes a fine balance between complexity and convenience – for the most part, I think the Arena 9 is a success. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget In the box, you’ll find two front-facing speakers (both equipped with RGB lighting along their base and rear), two wireless rear satellites, a center channel, a control unit, and a 6.5-inch subwoofer with a function towards below. The two-way speakers don’t exactly feel high-end, but their matte plastic casing should blend in with your keyboards and other computer components. They’re also much lighter than I expected, which is rarely a good sign with audio gear. My biggest complaint, though, is the wiring. The front and center speakers are hardwired to the rear of the subwoofer. As far as I can tell, there’s no easy way to replace these wires, so you’re stuck pulling the whole speaker out if something goes wrong (or get very familiar with soldering). I’d rather have removable cables instead of unnecessary RGB lighting. SteelSeries I can understand why SteelSeries chose to include all the audio inputs behind the subwoofer. It removes more cables from your desk and is a smart place to house your amplifier and power components. But this is also the only place with an aux connection, so you’ll need to plug in a long 3.5mm cable if you want to connect other devices. Fortunately, there’s also Bluetooth support, giving you an easy way to wirelessly stream tunes when your computer is off. For devices with digital audio, such as the PlayStation 5, you can connect them via an optical cable (there’s also an optical output port for transmitting audio to other equipment). Unfortunately, the PS5 can only output 2.1 audio (two front speakers and the subwoofer) via optical or USB. You could mix that sound to all your speakers through the control unit, but that would just be surround simulation. That’s a shame for anyone who wants a system that can work seamlessly on their gaming systems and PCs. It’s also doubly disappointing since the Logitech Z-680 handled Dolby Digital and DTS surround processing from consoles and other devices back in 2003 for just $400. For the price, I’m surprised the Arena 9 can’t handle its own decoding. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget At least SteelSeries isn’t trying to market the Arena 9 as an ideal surround sound system for your home theater. What’s notable is that they’re the first 5.1 gaming speakers to work over a single USB connection. Typically, computer speakers are either based on three 3.5mm jacks or a digital connection such as optical or coaxial. Since it’s USB-based, setup is simple – even for laptop users, who would normally need to get some sort of external sound card to use a 5.1 system. It only took a few minutes to connect the Arena 9’s front and center speakers to the subwoofer, while the rears found homes on shelves behind my office chair. These took a bit more effort as I had to find a nearby outlet to power the right rear speaker as well as connect a floor wire to the left. (If you have a lot of space, you can also use a very long RCA cable to connect these speakers.) In my office, the Arena 9 looks cleaner than the huge KEF Q150 racks I usually use. Devindra Hardawar/Engadget I’ll be honest though, I care a lot more about sound quality than aesthetics when it comes to speakers. Despite its relatively small size and average build quality, the Arena 9 sounds fantastic in games and movies. The opening monster attack in Netflix’s The Sea Beast rocked my desk with explosions, the sounds of giant waves, and the noise of a pissed off monster. While playing Halo Infinite, I felt fully immersed in every firefight, so much so that I could clearly hear enemies creeping up behind me in the rear speakers. A Halo Infinite match, equipping everyone with rocket launchers and skewers, sounded like I was in the front row for a 15-minute fireworks display. The Arena 9s are at their best when you can turn up the volume as much as possible – making them unsuitable for apartments and smaller homes. (Do as I say, not as I did.) They’re lively and energetic enough for games and movies with big soundscapes. I would like to see a bigger subwoofer though. A 6.5-inch portable drive for such an expensive system is just limiting. I had to push the subwoofer’s volume dial almost all the way to get a satisfactory low-end volume. A bigger sub wouldn’t have to work as hard.
