Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Nova 7X Gen 2 hits that sweet spot between comfort, versatility, and performance. From the moment I picked it up, the build felt premium with sturdy plastic, a reinforced metal band, and a soft elastic strap that keeps the headset snug without creating pressure points. The earcups use a mix of fabric and leatherette that stays breathable even during long sessions, with the right amount of force (I sometimes use glasses, and they have a good give to avoid temple pressure). Every control, from the volume wheels to the mic mute toggle, feels well placed and tactile. It is the kind of headset that disappears on your head after a while, which is exactly what I want when gaming. Sound quality is clean and immersive rather than overly bass-heavy, but also a little distorted from a music standpoint. The spatial audio provides real directionality in games, and the EQ tuning options let me adjust the sound for whatever I am playing, whether I want tighter mids for shooters or warmer lows for cinematic games and music. The app is a nice touch and much easier to use than other brands’ apps as it’s simple with a lot of game presets to choose from. I really like the microphone design as it’s retractable, but I found that this is the Nova 7X’s biggest weakness. It’s perfectly fine for chatting, but out of the box performance is very lacking on any low-end, while I also found there to be noticeable white noise and hiss coming from the audio signal. You can adjust the EQ, which can help in the overall sound profile, but it’s still not great. The connection flexibility is good, though most brands have something similar and is par for the course. I can run a low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless connection through the USB-C dongle while staying paired to my phone over Bluetooth, making it easy to answer a call mid-game without interruption. The battery is improved over the previous 7X, and that’s good. There’s also a fast charging feature, which came in useful for me. This enables you to get around 4-6 hours of use on 15ish minutes of charging, so should your headset be dead, you won’t need to wait around 30+ minutes just to get into your gaming session again. SteelSeries’ app support rounds things out nicely, as previously mentioned. On desktop, Sonar software lets me fine-tune EQ settings, adjust mic noise gating, and create custom profiles for specific games. The mobile app mirrors that setup with quick access to EQ presets and easy profile switching. It is not as deep as the PC version, but it is practical and straightforward. At around $199, the Nova 7X Gen 2 is a good value proposition if you don’t need/want ANC and can live with a subpar mic, but it feels like money well spent. The combination of strong build quality, balanced sound, seamless connectivity, and long battery life makes it one of the most complete wireless headsets around for a reasonable price.

I have always kind of sought the perfect gaming headset for me, mainly because spending a lot of time gaming is like spending a lot of time listening to music, you want comfort, clarity, a rich and immersive experience, and something that will stay out of the way. Brand wise, I have tried many, but I believe this is my first set from SteelSeries that I have actually used for a time. In the past I wasn't super excited with the microphone sound of my voice and the sound was good, but didn't really impress me. The Arctis Nova 7X (7X for short) has surprised me. First, I would say the most important factor for comfort when wearing something on my head is weight, followed closely by clamping force. I have a larger sized head circumference, and clamping force tends to be an immediate thing for me. But weight is a long term issue sometimes. On both accounts, the 7X excels for me. I immediately noticed the very cushiony ear pads were enough to wrap around my ears, giving me great passive isolation, but also sunk enough that the clamp on the headset itself was not pushing on my temples. The band attached to the overland gives me enough of a shock cushion that I don't feel it pressing into the top of my head. The 7X is also incredibly light, so much so that I was worried about how good the sound would actually be (more on that later). This made the 7X a headset I was happy to put on, and have spent hours enjoying while playing games on my handheld PC and my laptop. You have three ways to connect the 7X, Bluetooth, a 2.4GHz radio connection, and wired. I found all three lag free for my uses and so I maintained the Bluetooth for convenience. The microphone is retractable style, neatly going away into the left ear cup when not being used, and the voice pickup is still a little too "machine" for my taste, but clear and people have no issues understanding me. The button controls on the sides are ok, I have had to remove them from my head a couple of times to see what I'm pressing, but the volume and mic volume are dials which is nice. Overall, not a dealbreaker, and muscle memory will win the day. The sound. The sound is where these shine the brightest. Again, I have tried many gaming focused headsets and many of them have been good. These surprised me. Again, they are light, fun to wear, so I was figuring a decent sound, but kind of mid. First thing I noticed out of the box was how immersive they are naturally. The app gives you many customizations for this, to help with whatever content you need, footstep locating, environmental sounds, etc. I tinkered a little with this, but overall I didn't need to do much. So, I have found a lightweight, great sounding, flexible headset that I can carry with my mobile gaming setup and have immersive gaming anywhere. I love this headset!

Super easy to pair, incredible range on the wireless, and pretty comfortable, especially if you have a big head and can’t fit into stuff like a JBL headphones for a long period of time

Honestly am super happy with the headsets switched from turtlebech and i hate they have connection issues but should of just chose these in the first place

Love them so far! I've only had them for a month or so but they've been exactly what I was looking for.

The Actic Nova 7X Gen 2 headphones have truly set a new standard with SteelSeries headphones in my opinion as this headphone has some really clear sound to them with the SteelSeries GG software while using the Sonar feature of the software your able to distinguish footsteps clearly more so that ever along with hearing other types of sound in games such as whispers from spirits among other that I honestly haven't heard in games before When I heard these sounds I had to try them with a YouTube video just to see how clear the sound was when someone was singing and omg the one video that the group Disturbed put out a few years ago with Sounds of Silence never sounded so crisp with before to me. That's just some of the pros that I personally really like, other than the fact that they are comfortable, fit snug, battery when charged fully last up to 51 hours,fast charging,very comforable ear cushions and the fact the mic is one that you can push into hide when not in use along with true noise canceling. Also from what friends have told me while playing some games with them the mic is very clear. The only con for me is the colorof the set I got being white and to me it means constantly cleaning them in the long run when they do start to get dirty if they do lol other than that Steel Series came out with anouther great set of wireless headphones. For any gamer that want clear sound to the point of hearing footsteps clearly or for just listening to music theis is a 100% get in my opinion

To start, I like the build. They are light, which I personally like. There is a lot of plastic, but the headband is metal and it all seems like it will hold up over time. The cushions also have some nice padding. I also like that the mic is retractable. That is a first for me. I typically like a removable option, but I found this works for me as well. I also found all of this comfortable, which really is a make-or-break thing for me. As for the styling, they are plain and black. This is really what I prefer, but nothing really stands out. Getting them connected was very simple. More or less just plug and play. I also found the connections to be solid in every way and on every device I tested. It is definitely worth it to grab the apps as you gain a good level of control over presets, EQ, and kind of everything. I also think it is worth it to spend some time dialing things in here, as you can really make things sound the way you want. As for the sound itself, I found it quite good. The low end is there, maybe a tick less than I would like, but the highs and mids were there and clean. It was all very clear. As was the performance of the mic. All in all, again, I think it was very good. I didn’t walk away thinking the sound was best I have ever heard, but it made everything quite immersive, and I really have zero real complaints. In the end, I think these are fantastic well-rounded headphones. They work with everything, are easy to use, should hold up to some heavy use, and perhaps most importantly are both comfortable and sound good.

I like the headphones a lot just know you’ll need a windows computer to fully use them how they should be

Awesome headphones. They are so clear and loud. No problems connecting to devices

Excellent headset. Had a great experience connecting it, using it, and never has lag.

Looks and feels good and very nice quality. Would definitely recommend

This is my upgrade form the last one i had but great sound and great quality

It's amazing for its sound quality features and all the optimization you can do but it get quiet annoying to wear it for long periods of time as hard headphones inside hurt your ear if you have medium to big ears

This is my first gaming headset from SteelSeries, and I’m really enjoying it a lot. The exterior of the unit is mostly plastic with a matte finish, save for the outer headband which is made of a thin band of steel with silicone on the underside. This gives it a high degree of durability and flexibility. The headphones are also lightweight and comfortable to wear thanks to a reasonable clamping force and soft inner elastic headband that rests on top of your head; I find that this design feels more secure and exerts less downward pressure than foam padding. The ear cups swivel slightly more than 90° and can be laid flat when not in use. You can adjust the length about an inch on either side by firmly pushing or pulling on the hangers which glide smoothly without set increments. It requires a good amount of force to get them moving but once set hold their positions well. The foam ear pads are around an inch thick with a sizable cavity, perfect for larger ears, and fabric mesh exterior. I found them to be soft and breathable, and they didn’t trap a lot of heat or make my ears sweaty during extended use. I like that the interior headband is adjustable as well, so you can alter its flex and tension. Both the elastic headband and the ear pads are removable for cleaning or replacement, which is important from a longevity standpoint. I also thought it was cool that the exterior plates on the cups are magnetic and can be swapped with other colors and designs, allowing you to customize and personalize your headset. On the right ear cup are a Bluetooth button, power button, game/chat mixer dial, and USB-C port, while the left has a mic mute button, volume control dial, extendable flexible boom mic, and 3.5mm jack. You can use the included 5-pole to 4-pole AUX cable for a wired connection, pair with any Bluetooth device, and connect to the 2.4 GHz WiFi USB-C dongle across platforms like Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch etc. Just be sure to change the toggle on the dongle to ‘Xbox’ if using with that console. Note that the USB-C port is used for charging only and will not transmit audio when plugged into a device like a laptop or computer. The WiFi dongle is a bit bulky and has a short connector, but thankfully a USB-A to USB-C extension cable is included. The Nova 7X support simultaneous 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connections, so you can mix game and mobile audio from your phone, for example, if you want to be able to take incoming calls while gaming, which I thought was pretty cool. The power button activates and controls playback (play/pause, skip track, and call answer/end) for the 2.4 GHz connection while the Bluetooth button does that same for BT connections. By default, sidetone is enabled, so you can hear yourself talking and any audio captured by the microphone in the headset’s audio. You can adjust sidetone volume or toggle it off in the Arctis Companion mobile app or using SteelSeries’s GG software on a computer. The sound quality on these is excellent. It’s clean, crisp, and well-rounded with a good amount of bass support. I was also impressed with the spatial audio (surround sound) performance as the directionality of sounds and their placement in a 3D space was accurate, creating a more immersive, realistic experience whether playing an FPS game, listening to music, or watching movies. You can use the software to set EQ presets for each input source independently with over 300 choices for specific game titles. To create custom EQ profiles, enable Sonar (mic-input AI noise canceling), or update the headset’s firmware, you will need to use the GG software on a computer as these features are not available in the mobile app. The mic also has a handful of EQs, but personally I think captured the audio sounds boxy and thin overall. However, I’m used to studio mic quality for content creation, so I wouldn’t expect that level of clarity from a gaming headset. For in-game chat and phone calls it works just fine. I like that the boom slides completely into the ear cup when retracted and the mic sits flush with the housing for a clean look. With Sonar AI noise cancelation enabled, the software was able to remove most background noise that is “non-voice,” especially when you’re not speaking which the other folks in your chat will likely appreciate. Overall, the Arctis Nova 7X Gen 2 is one of the best gaming headsets that I’ve tried. It sounds great, is comfortable over long sessions, and has excellent battery life rated to last over 50 hours on a full charge and around 6 hours with just a 15-minute fast charge. If you do run out of battery, you have to option to use a wired connection, though would lose access to dual-input audio mixing and changing the settings in the app as both Bluetooth and WiFi connections are disabled when the AUX cable is plugged in.

I love the Arctis Nova 7X headphones, and as someone who has owned the Gen 1 set for the last couple years, I have the extra perspective if you're considering upgrading. TL;DR: If you are coming from a lesser headset, highly, highly recommend. If you are a 7X Gen 1 owner, save your money. The Good: +Great sound. From booming bass, to crisp highs, these sound great. and if they don't, that brings me to the next point: +EQ: you can make these sound however you want. I will say I noticed turning up the bass too high causes some clipping, but it could be just the game I'm playing as well. +Comfort: feel the same as my gen 1 set, which is very comfortable. Can wear them for hours with zero fatigue. Love how breathable the cloth pads are vs the plastic/pleather of other sets. +Battery life: stated at 50 hours with fast charging. Enough to get hours after 15 min of charging. It's almost double the battery of Gen 1 +Design: minimal and clean. button icons are bolder on the new set so it's easier to see what each dial does. +Simultaneous bluetooth: take calls or listen to music while you game. Also can use them as bluetooth headphones for other devices. Helps the design is more minimal so wearing these in public won't have anyone looking at you funny. +Mic: mic sound good, curls up into earcup when not in use. +Customizable: you can swap the earcup covers for different colors, and use the ones from Gen 1. What's just ok: +/- App-based EQ: I thought I was going to love this because I hated that any EQ'ing on Gen 1 had to go through my PC. This says now you can use it on your app and on the fly. This is technically true, but there's a massive catch. You can only toggle through different pre-made EQs on the app. Meaning they have to be created and saved to the headset to be in the app. How do they get there? Through the PC app, of course. I guess once you have several done and saved, it's easy, so it's more of a high barrier and then easy, I guess, but I was hoping to be able to actually perform the EQ on my phone. +/- Value prop for Gen 1 owners: really you're getting the same headphones with a better battery and app connectivity. For all intents and purposes, they're largely the same. I think some materials and drivers have changed a touch, but it's really hard to tell. What's bad: -Nothing!: I really like these headphones and am a Steelseries convert. There's nothing I don't like about them. I just wouldn't tell someone with the Gen 1 version to go get these as they're very similar. I might even say to get Gen 1 if they're considerably cheaper. But overall I'd recommend these.

These were a gift for my grandson. He enjoys them and stated the volume isn't as good as the previous generation.

It's okay just a pair of headphones. I recommend making sure you have a USB C slot that is open on your PC before purchasing for PC use

I prefer headphones over IEM but because of a car accident years ago, headphones can cause a huge headache because of the extra weight. Corded headphones were usually fine, but with the switch to cordless, the batteries can add just enough weight to cause discomfort after just 30 minutes of use. Now, these Arctis Nova 7x's are only 20g less than my other main headphones, but man those 20g make a huge difference to my neck. I gamed for 2 hours without any discomfort and the battery was only down to 95% from a full charge. Going to a neodymium driver helps with the weight savings and give my neck the break it needs to keep on gaming. The sound is decent at default levels and they have tons of presets you can use, but I like to customize my sound so I tweaked and tweaked until I got it just right. And then I took the headphones to another computer and cursed myself for not taking a photo of the EQ before leaving. Good ol' SteelSeries had my back and baked those settings into the headphones! I never signed in with an account so the settings weren't synced, they were saved onboard and I didn't have to tweak again when I got home. When gaming, accurate sound isn't as important to me as immersive sound. These Nova 7x's deliver. Booming base, clear mids and highs without any muddy muffled sounds (after tweaking). They really put you in the game! While not as solid as the headphones they're replacing the build quality is excellent and you can customize the fit a bit. The head band has extra holes so you can lift or lower the main band for support. I'm still mainly playing Diablo 4 s10 and man the sound is crazy good! While location isn't important in this game you can tell where they're coming from. I prefer using windows built in positional audio over DTS-X. DTS adds a boxy sound. As for connections, this will fit any device you have. In at time where a thousand dollar phone won't include a cheap charger or cable this baby has everything you need. USB-C to C, USB C to A, 3.5mm jack, and a USB-C dongle for 2.4Ghz connectivity (what you should be using for wireless gaming). I'm a PC gamer so I'm popping the dongle in. So far these are my favorite headphones and the SteelSeries Buds are my favorite IEMS. SteelSeries is now my go-to company for anything related to gaming audio.

The Arctis Nova 7x are a really good sounding set of headphones, better than I expected on a gaming focused headset. Out of the box they are pretty low and mid range oriented which worked well for me for the majority of my gaming, but the beauty is that SteelSeries give you a full parametric EQ in the app so you can manipulate these to sound drastically different to whatever your liking is. Comfort is good with the ear pads are extremely soft, they feel slightly cool to the touch, and a suspension strap on the headband. I wear glasses and get fairly good isolation with these on, the headphones do not offer any sort of noise cancellation otherwise. Battery life has been really solid, getting in the range of 35-40 hours depending on exactly how I'm using them. They have dual connectivity feature, these can be connected to your console via the wireless dongle, and they can also have a simultaneous Bluetooth connection to your phone. The dongle is huge, but the connection is good without any instances of desync or disconnecting. The mic is retractable into the headset for when not in use making these more comfortable for other activities besides gaming. The mic overall is pretty mediocre. Your friends will hear you but it just sounds a little muffled, maybe too much noise suppression trying to happen, but its mid overall when compared to some of the headsets I've had in the past. SteelSeries made a banger with this one, if you are looking for a wireless headset the Arctis Nova 7x should be on your shortlist.

The Steel Series Arctis 7x is the second generation wireless headset and it is great! When listening to music, it produces wonderful sound with crisp, clear notes. The software-provided equalizer allows for customization and really makes a difference. Sound within game play is clear as well and there are even presets for some of the most popular games. The 40mm Neodymium magnetic drivers reproduce a full range (20-22,000 hz) and support 360 degree spatial audio. At 325 grams, they feel substantial, yet incredibly comfortable. The elastic headband is adjustable as well as the ear cups. The ear cups also rotate and are cushioned in mesh-covered breathable memory foam. Built into the headset is a retractable microphone that features AI controlled auto noise cancelling. The greatest feature of all is the ability to use them for gaming via the 2.4ghz connection, AND connect them via Bluetooth to your phone for audio, or phone calls - AT THE SAME TIME. A full charge lasts up to 50 hours, and if your battery starts to run low, a quick 15 minute charge can provide up to 6 hours of use. Although it has Bluetooth connectivity, I could only connect to my laptop via the (provided) 2.4ghz dongle. However, it connected via Bluetooth to my I-phone easily. Included in the package are the dongle for switching from X-Box to USB, and a USB-C to USB-A (female) for connecting the dongle. Although there are QR codes in the box to download the app, I could not get those to work. No worries though - you can find everything you need at www.steelseries.com. This is a great-looking headset that sounds terrific!