The SteelSeries Arctis 9 have a somewhat imbalanced sound profile out-of-the-box. They’re missing a bit of low bass, so some sound effects and bass-heavy music genres may lack thump and rumble. While their mids are mostly flat and neutral, they have an uneven treble response that results in a lack of detail and clarity. This isn’t helped by the mismatch between the L/R drivers of our unit, which is most noticeable in the low-bass, high-mid, and low-treble ranges. That said, their sound profile can be customized in-depth via a graphic EQ or presets in their companion app.