Customer Ratings & Reviews

I am very pleased with this headset! It encapsulates much of what I love about my SteelSeries peripherals, which includes versatility and excellent build quality. There are, however, a few features lacking in this headset that I would expect to find in this price range. The first thing is the lack of active noise canceling or a transparency audio setting. This is up there high enough in price range where these features would have been appreciated by me. The next thing that I find to be a bit of an annoyance is how close the power button and the Bluetooth pairing button are together. It is something that I am sure I will get used to as my muscle memory improves, but I find myself smashing both together with annoying and mixed results when all I am trying to do is power down my headset after a gaming session. I do not find the Standard audio mix to be anything to write home about. There is not enough bass present to make my shooters, such as Doom: The Dark Ages, feel punchy the way I prefer. Finally, the side tone for the microphone honestly could be a lot better. I really like to be able to monitor my vocal tones accurately when I am gaming and streaming and this leaves something to be desired. However, at its core when you ignore those small annoyances, it is still an EXCELLENT headset and I want to leave no doubts about that! Altogether, I would give this headset 4 out of 5 stars. I think we are just moving into an era where top-tier headsets should not be missing features like ANC and accurate side tone. Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps give some perspective on it!

First, I’ve had the Arctis Nova 7 since 2022 and have been loving it as I use it to play my PS5 while listening to music/podcasts (via Bluetooth) from my phone. The 7X Gen 2 version is an updated version which is now a single model for Xbox/PS5/PC, whereas my first version is PS5 specific. In addition to having 1 model cover all devices, it also now has a companion app for iPhone/Android that allows you to not only see the battery % on the headset (noticeably absent from the pervious version), but you can also set/create custom EQ profiles! And you can set per connection – so for my PS5, I’m using the preset for the game I usually play, and for the Bluetooth – I use “Movie: Immersion” which takes the sound from flat to seemingly surround sound, including making the dialogue clearer. That’s a HUGE upgrade! They also have profiles for music, separated by genres. Once you connect to the SteelSeries Arctis Companion app, it tells you to upgrade the firmware. Here is the tricky part – to do that, you need a computer and must connect the headset to the computer in 2 ways! You must cable it via USB-C AND have the dongle in the PC in USB mode, via the included USB-C to USB-A cable, AND through the SteelSeries GG PC app. If you’re using a laptop like me that *ONLY* has 2 USB-C ports, that gets a little tricky. Should be fine on a regular PC though. *Important note! The new dongle is much wider than the Gen 1 version, and there is a small toggle switch that goes from Xbox to USB mode. If you have a PS4/5, you need to switch it to USB mode! To upgrade the firmware, you ALSO need to set it to USB mode. By default, it is set to Xbox. Reminder: when you’re using the headset to connect to a Bluetooth device, by default the EQ setting is flat. Use the companion app to set your genre – it greatly improves the dialogue and sounds. If you have the Gen1 version like me, this version is well worth the upgrade If you never had a headset that connects to your PS/Xbox AND phone to hear sounds from 2 sources simultaneously – YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!

When it comes to gaming, the audio is VERY important to me. Whether the sound is coming from a soundbar or a headset, I need to hear every detail that impacts the game. I have heard of the SteelSeries brand, and until now, I have never owned any of their headsets. And I am sorry to say that it will probably be a long time before I take a chance owning any of their future headsets because I was disappointed with their their Arctis Nova 7x. I mean, REALLY disappointed. Setup: Setting up the Arctis was relatively easy. It’s technically ready out of the box. You plug in the wireless dongle and pair it with the headset. But if you want the true audio experience then you will need to download the SteelSeries app that has an impressive list of games that have pre-calibrated game audio. From Fortnite to Battlefield 6. However, the app will let you know that there is a software update that is needed for the headset that can only be applied via your PC. This means that you will need to go to the SteelSeries site and navigate your way to the update, plug in your headset and the wireless receiver and then download. How Does It Sound? I have to be honest, I wasn’t really impressed with either the default or the pre-calibrated game options. There wasn’t that WHOA factor that I have experienced with other headsets right out of the box. Even with the Battlefield 6 setting, the bass sounded flat while the treble seemed hollow. I would expect this from a headset that that was bought as a last minute gift from Dollar General, not from a brand that I had heard so much about. I will give the Arctis credit for having simultaneous wireless and Bluetooth, allowing for phone calls or conversations via Discord. Comfort: This disappointment was literally painful for me. This headset is uncomfortable. I haven’t endured gaming headset discomfort in at least five years. The headband dug into the top of my head despite me adjusting it several times. And then there were the earcups that felt like they were squeezing the circulation off from my ears. Again, I tried adjusting the size, but nothing worked. I don’t have a abnormal sized head, so there isn’t a justified reason for this to happen. I even thought that maybe the headset needed to “adjust” or needed to be “stretched” out to allow it to form around my head. Nope. The irritation and discomfort was actually so distracting that I wasn’t able to concentrate during the several matches I played in Battlefield 6. Closing: I will praise the concealed microphone that slides in and out of the headset. When it’s retracted, it’s flush with the left earcup which means you don’t have to contend with moving the microphone when placing the headset around your neck. And I will say that the microphone audio picked up on my voice without catching background noises. I really wanted to like this headset. I was eager to own a pair of SteelSeries gaming headphones. It’s the shame that my expectations became torturous gaming sessions.

Great headset, but the chat mixer only works on Xbox, and my other consoles it does not. That’s why it only gets 4 stars, my Razer headset I previously owned, the chat mixer worked on all consoles.

Actually very happy i pulled the trigger on these!

Not easy to connect for dual connectivity. Too many different channels and mic connecting to PC always made a screeching sound. Wouldn’t recommend for anyone