SteelSeries - Arctis 7 Series

I've used the SteelSeries Arctis 7 for my own gaming sessions, and it worked pretty well for me.

I've used the SteelSeries Arctis 7X for a while now, and it really impressed me with its clear audio and solid battery life during long gaming sessions on my PS5.

I switched to the SteelSeries Arctis 7 for my sessions, and it's been a solid fit. The headset is comfortable enough for long hours, and the volume controls on the ear cup let me tweak levels without fuss.

I got a SteelSeries Arctis 7P+ for my PS5 and appreciated how comfortable it felt during long sessions.

I eventually went with the SteelSeries Arctis 7X for my streaming and gaming sessions. It’s wireless, has a handy volume control on the earcup, and stays comfortable during long hours.

SteelSeries Arctis 7P is specifically designed for the PS5, has fantastic sound quality, and the microphone is great for streaming. The wireless connection is rock-solid, and it’s comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions. The audio is clear with a good balance of bass and treble, making it great for both games and chatting with friends.

I’ve used a few different wireless headsets with my PS5, and the one that stands out for streaming and gaming is the SteelSeries Arctis 7P. The sound quality is great, especially for directional audio in games, and the microphone is clear for streaming. The wireless connection is strong, and the battery lasts a long time, which is crucial for long gaming sessions.

Redownloaded Reddit just to offer a different perspective here. I’m back in these threads bc I bought the arctic series. It’s one of the cheapest feeling headsets I’ve ever had. Mic doesn’t extend far enough and sounds like shit. Overall build quality is poor. My favorite headsets have been the original Astro a40s and the Beyerdynamic Tygr 300r (what I use at my pc). Also, I think that is some weird affiliate link too?

(I know we’re having 2 different conversations on 2 different threads, I just appreciate the real person feedback that I’ve missed from uninstalling reddit) My arctis 7p does work functionally, it’s just the quality I have issues with. Build feels pretty cheap especially the headset controls and microphone, the sound isn’t great, and my friends don’t like the mic (which I think is due to the mic being so short/away from my mouth)

I had the arctis 7P for 5 years and they finally just pooped out on me. Great headset. Will last.

I've been on the lookout for a solid wireless headset for my PS5, and after trying a few, I ended up going with the SteelSeries Arctis 7P Wireless. The audio quality really stands out during both gaming and streaming sessions, and the mic clarity is good enough for clear communication.

My arctis 7p says hello, going strong, bought in 2020.

The Arctis 7P steel series is probably one of the best headsets available

I am going to second this now, as my brother lent me his Steel series Arctis 7P. Immediately big comfort for me, and I realized why, just two words....adjustable straps.... Really any of the pos PS headsets lack this for some no brain reason, all I have had always cracked somewhere around in it's cheap plastic. Those were $100, the pulse elite has no excuse for matching the price range of the Steelseries. I hope this post stays to help other big heads like me.

I’ve used a couple of wireless headsets for my PS5, and the SteelSeries Arctis 7P+ has been a solid pick for both audio quality and comfort. The sound is great, and it connects easily with the PS5. I really like the clear mic for streaming too.

https://a.co/d/bHCnLov https://a.co/d/a8q1oBq https://a.co/d/7kez3uz What I'm using. Haven't had any complaints yet and sounds better than my buddy's $200 headset. If you're hard set on a headset, my recommendation: https://a.co/d/dp7O8HL

Any 3.5 mm wired headset with a TRRS plug should work with Chat Link Pro - just note that it only splits audio coming from the console, not the headset mic (because of the voltage differences and the fact the headset mics aren't amplified) - headset mic will only go to the console. It'll take pretty much any standard 3.5mm wired headset that uses a single TRRS plug, or can be adapted to a single plug - I've used my own with the Xbox wired headset and an Arctis 7P+ in wired mode before. You can use an USB-A to 3.5mm adapter with the Xbox, if you can find one that's actually Xbox compatible - Xbox does not work with USB or wireless audio products that have not been authorized and have the appropriate security chip - it also doesn't have a USB-C port so you'd be looking for a USB-A adapter generally. I am not currently sure if any Xbox authorized 3.5 mm adapter exists, beyond something like SteelSeries GameDAC Gen 2 or an Astro MixAmp Pro TR, which are likely well beyond what you're looking for. (The analog 3.5mm wired connection doesn't have that limit with the security chip, so you can use any analog wired headset with it). As an additional note though, as mentioned, Chat Link Pro doesn't copy the headset mic audio - so generally you should make plans to have a dedicated PC mic like Wave Neo or Wave:3. You'll get the audio from your party chat and other people in voice chat (all audio that would go to your headset basically), but generally not your own so you'd mix the two audio feeds (Chat Link, and your dedicated PC mic) together on the PC (Xbox does have mic monitoring that will play your own audio back but this generally doesn't get loud enough to be useful for recordings). You should also note that some, though not all Game Chats will have options similar to what folks have mentioned where you can send audio to both a headset and speakers (HDMI) feed at the same time. It might be worth checking if the games you're planning to play do this.

Got the SteelSeries Arctis 7P+ for a few years and really like it

Yea my ss 7p+ are super comfortable with long hair and glasses

I avoided them for years bc I thought they would be useless for me. I gave in and bought the wireless xbox headset for my series x out of curiosity and I loved it so much that I ended up buying the 3d pulse for ps5. Thought they were pretty cheap sounding/feeling, so I went with steelseries p7+ and they've been great. Xbox cans are my favorite bc they have a good amount of low end and the dials are so easy to use. I also bought the starfield variant as a backup. I have a fully discreet atmos setup that set me back a few grand, but sometimes the closeness of the cans are better bc they can be more immersive.

Sorry sorry for rezzing an old post, lol, did you find anything worthwhile? I have actis 7p + wireless while they are nice, the left ear kinda broke and is dangling a little out of its socket, anyways I'm looking for one's that are comfy and have good audio quality as well as wireless for the gaming and convenience aspect. Thanks!

I use a Steelseries Arctis 7p+ headset for my PS5. I love that thing. Mine uses a dongle as it's made for PS5 but they have Bluetooth capable sets.

I paid like $120 for mine on sale at Target. I would have probably paid $200 for how comfortable they are.

i have a pair of steel series arctis 7p+ that seems to work fine/well i had it before i made them jump so idk if you'd need the software to set it up , i know i did it when we first got it but it connected in linux without any tinkering. it has its own dongel i use wih it and swap between pc and ps5 , sound quality is good imo

Steelseries Arctis 7+ is the best headset I’ve ever had.

Game changer for me. Love them.

I have glasses and not a big head but this headset hurts after 2-3 hours.. But the headband is reallly comfortable!

These are the best se I've ever had (I've had many over 21+ years) SteelSeries Arctis 7+ Wireless Gaming on csgo/cs2 I can virtually pinpoint every step on a full charge they easily last me a week and I'm on my pc sometimes 8+ hours a day, The charging wire is a decent length and thickness, Only thing to make sure is you use the dingle attached to the wire that's supplied...... Just using the dongle can cut out as it seems something is interfering with the signal but with the dongle attached to the wire I can easily stand 15-20 foot away without problems any further than that and it starts cutting out.

I think this is a problem when amd updates the drivers (literally had it happen to me today) so had to go into sonar change all things back to arctis 7+ exit Steel series engine then reboot fixes it...... I'm assuming it's because sound can run through the gfx card so sound reverts to the monitor on a driver update.

Arctis 7+. I'm at my 2nd pair and still love the heck out of them (1st one I broke because they are too comfortable and I kept sleeping with them and one of the hinges collapsed under the weight of my dumb head, lmao)

Had the clouds at work, they were okay. saw the astros but I didn't care much to try them.also had the logi G733 and they are ASS. So I haven't had enough exposure with the ones you mentioned to come up with a pertinent "review" or opinions, but I can confidently say the SteelSeries Arctis 7+ are BANGIN! <3

Not audiophile quality but I like the Steelseries Artis 7+. They seem to get a fair amount of hate, but I liked the mic quality and the fact that it is wireless. Most bluetooth may not sound great but if you want wireless, try to go for one with a usb transmitter. I think it can avoid some severe bluetooth compression and audio lag. Best quality would be wired for sure tho.

I own the Steelseries Arctis 7+ so not quite the same model as you but going wireless was such an upgrade for me, personally. I have a rather small apartment so my connection never drops and I can keep them on literally all the time. The additional features like the EQs, chat mix wheel and 3.5mm pass-through are very useful occasionally. I also have an external mic from my time using the DT990s which I can switch in Discord with a hot key which is also super nice. Can only recommend going wireless to anyone who is willing to sacrifice audio quality for features and freedom.

I use this headset as well and can also recommend them as fantastic, battery life for me is once weekly, MAYBE twice if I am heavy using. The sound quality is excellent the directional awareness this set offers is very noticeable. The only issue I have had is that sometimes (very rarely) I have had to reset my sound options in a game and reassert a default. I have no other complaints.

i been using a steelseries arctis 7+ for a few years now, only need to recharge it once every 3 days (im at my pc with them on for nearly 12 hours every day) . its been great

They have awful, fatiguing sound, super uncomfortable earcup design, buggy software/transmitter and overall cheaply made. Their only redeeming quality is that they have so many features for multiple device types but in the end not worth the cons at all

i agree I had the same headset for years I stopped gaming my brother took the headset so now I'm searching on a new headset for me I loved the 7 plus man was comfortable battery lasted so long I was just comparing the 7plus vs the pro wireless and while reviews say they sound better but build quality is compromised but I do take care of everything I've owned so I can get another pair of the 7 pluses for 115 on Amazon I remember when I paid like 179 for them before

I use my Arctis 7x at night with my wife sleeping on the couch sometimes. On those situations, the boom mic close to my mouth makes it easier to speak on discord really quietly. I'm afraid of the lack of a mic close to my mouth. How is the mic, really?

Thanks! That helps a lot.

For a Logitech headset look at the: - G435 - G535 - G Pro X wired or wireless (version 1, not 2) Other gaming headsets include: - JBL Quantum One - Sennheiser Game One - HyperX Cloud III - Razer Barracuda - SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X or 7X - Turtle Beach Atlas Air. The tradeoff on all of this are the same: buggy apps, poor audio/mic quality and/or poor longevity. If you want a better experience I suggest getting a USB mic like the JLab Talk and pair it with audiophile headphones like: - Philips Fidelio X2HR - Sennheiser HD 560S - Philips SHP9500 - Sennheiser HD 599

I have a simple yet effective pair of SteelSeries Arctis 7X they work great

For anyone coming back late, I've had 3 pairs of these: Arctis 7x, Arctis Pro Wireless, and Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. If you're looking between the two pros I really recommend the Nova, even with the price bump. I loved the Arctis 7x and had them for over 5 years. I tried replacing them with the Arctis Pro Wireless but after three weeks I ended up returning them. Issues included constant white noise, poor bluetooth range, crackling noises on every connection, and an uncomfortably tight fit. The Arctis Nova Pro was $120 more but so much better in every way, it feels totally worth it. It's super comfortable, has a smaller profile than the Arctis, and has a better bluetooth range. Most importantly it's completely silent: for the Arctis Pro I was part of the minority who heard the white noise and it drove me crazy, but the Nova is as silent as a pair of Airpods. Other improvements like the mic, build material, and replaceable batteries were all great too.

Anything Turtle Beach. Those are fucking garbage. Buy SteelSeries!

I have the Arctis 7x and it’s the best headset ever. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Replace the pads, they aren’t magically going to manufacture a headphone with pads that never wear down. Other factors like weak points are fair game. Arctis headphones are known to break at the cup arm.

My arctis 7 from like 2018 still works perfectly...

My last Steelseries Arctis 7 lasted me 4 years before being replaced

I still have my refurbished arctis 7’s after 6 years and they’re still fantastic.

I have my arctis 7 still after 6 years, I modded them to have a hotswappable battery, changed ear pads and headband a couple times as well. Won't be changing before they give up

I modded mine to take 18350 batteries, can just hotswap them and the battery lasts around 50-60h i'd guess before needing to swap. I can highly recommend it

Thank you for clarifying the clamping force is much tighter. I just bought my friend nova 1's for his birthday and noticed how tight they were. I was wondering if this was the same on the pros. I have the arctis 7 and love how much looser it is. I was deciding between the nova 5's 7's and arctis pro wireless's. this may have helped me choose.

I disagree I think there build quality is solid. Their made out of plastic to be light. I have the arctis 7 right now and the only times they broke is when the happens to "accidently" hit a wall at speed. And when I spilled a drink on them. They can still work just fine but they don't hold a charge unless they are plugged in but that's not because of normal wear and tear these were abused yet lasted me currently over 3 years.

Where does it commonly snap? My arctic 7’s have a metal headband so that may be ma point of failure but I wouldn’t know. I heard something about the hinges but my hinges work great after 3+ years of use

I just realized the part that supposed to stop the range of motion in my hinge just isn’t there or doesn’t work on one of the ears .

I had the very first 7s. They were good, though the headband eventually broke. That's when I got the Arctis Pros. That's when I learned that the headband fragility was something a lot of people expereinced, because the Pros had the same thing happen.

Hi there, I literally JUST changed out my Steelseries Arctis 7 this week, so this post caught my eye. I am assuming by your budget, that you are using the wired version. I am using the wireless version. But I loved my Arctis 7's, they had just gotten aged with wear and tear so it was time to replace. I stayed with Steelseries (since I also have an Apex Pro keyboard and am used to the driver software now), and I went with the Arctis Novo Pro. I couldn't be happier, I love them. I instantly heard a difference in them over my Arctis 7s. Like, instantly, I heard differences in the surround field that I had not been hearing in the 7s, and in the first game I brought up I was hearing ambient sounds that I have never heard before, same game, no changes other than switching from the 7 to the Novo Pro. Just thought I'd let you know my experience since I had steelseries also.

I effing love my Steelseries Arctis 7 headset. The two separate audio streams for chat and game are amazing.

I replaced my ear pads long ago. And randomly, my battery finally totally died after 5 years or so a few weeks ago. Got a new one online, soldered it in, good to go again. Pro set will be mine someday lol. Cheers : )

Best feature ever

You fancy bastard. Lol Mine get plugged in whenever I'm not using them. Aside from when they fully died, I don't think they ever quit on me during a session.

Arctis 7 has been working for me since Dec 2022

I decided to go with the SteelSeries Arctis 7 when I needed a headset that could handle both game audio and chat.

I’ve tried the SteelSeries Arctis 7 for long gaming sessions, and they check most of the boxes. They’re wireless, comfortable for extended play, and include audio controls on the ear cup.

I've tried a few wireless models over the years and found that the SteelSeries Arctis 7 fits my needs really well.

SteelSeries Arctis 7. Love the quality and comfort. I wear glasses and the fit is still super comfy

Steelseries artics 7, artics 9 if you care about bluetooth and dungle connection at the same time. My general tip is always wireless headset, once you go wireless you don't turn back

Steelseries all the way but their APP sure has..issues.

I can't speak for Beyerdynamic as I've not had a pair, I'd say go with your gut after checking reviews and comparison sites if there are any. Steelseries headsets are great if you treat them nice but their app sometimes bugs out a bunch and can be a hazzle to setup properly and deal with. Sonar settings are real nice but setup can be tricky. I mainly went steelseries for battery life and range, like 90% of my gaming buddies also have them. All from 7s to 9s and Pro's but mostly 7s.

I currently have the Apex Pros and previously had the 7s and no hinge issues on any of them, as far as distorted sound I doubt it, sometimes when you use the chatmix it can get distorted but easily fixed with just adjusting it slightly on the scroll wheel. I looked into the beyerdynamic pair and they look great and i'd definitely want to try those aswell, they might be more bang for the buck.

A slight necro, but I have the Arctis 7, Arctis Pro Wireless, and Arctis Nova Pro Wireless - They're all (except the 7's) complete and utter GARBAGE. The Arctis pro broke twice in 6 months, (mic mute button, frequent disconnects, and occasional issues where it refused to connect to the DAC at all.) The Nova pro is no better, with the first one's 6-pole mic button dying in less than 6 months with VERY minimal use of the button itself, and the new headset they sent as a replacement under warranty does 3 beeps when toggling the mic on/off, has "digital compression lag" from interference, picks up my G502x+ if the USB receiver is on the same HUB, constantly disconnects from the DAC, and reconnects, occasionally refuses to perceive a newly swapped battery as charged, occasionally won't turn on...and more. I honestly can't believe that their "high end line" is worse quality than their mid-range, but it DEFINITELY is. My experience with these headsets has turned me off steelseries COMPLETELY, and I doubt I'll ever purchase another product of theirs.

So I actually just got these a few days ago. I found a few things with them that I just cant stand. While I'm not saying they're bad, but from my experience, I can't justify paying so much for them and getting such a lackluster experience. Also, I'm upgrading from a Steel Series Arctis 7 (I loved them so much! It's a shame that they started to die. They lasted several years though!) 1.) I use a Logitech G815 Keyboard, I REALLY don't like that the headset/software takes the ability to use the volume scroll wheel away and forces me to use the knob on the receiver/doc or headset. [https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/vm93w3/arctis\_nova\_pro\_wireless\_cant\_adjust\_volume\_it/](https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/vm93w3/arctis_nova_pro_wireless_cant_adjust_volume_it/) 2.) The ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) is absolute trash compared to my Sony XM4s. I totally understand that it was built as a gaming headset first. But the ANC feels like it was just a marketing thing, my PC isnt loud by an means, but when I activate it, it makes no difference. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong/thought it wasnt working. No, my opinion is that the ANC is just bad. [https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/13jcy85/is\_the\_anc\_of\_the\_arctis\_nova\_pro\_wireless\_good/](https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/13jcy85/is_the_anc_of_the_arctis_nova_pro_wireless_good/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/11x3s3y/arctis\_nova\_pro\_anc\_not\_working\_well/](https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/11x3s3y/arctis_nova_pro_anc_not_working_well/) 3.) The side tone is just a bit too strong, and I cant seem to find a way to either lower it or turn it off. 4.) I think this one is more on me. I really like a plug and play situation when it comes to headsets, but I feel like I was overwhelmed trying to figure out all the minute things about this headset which became frustrating after a while. 5.) Oh, I also ran into some issues with random popping sounds coming from my speakers and then my headset (when turned on) when my computer wakes up from sleep. I'm not too sure how to replicate the issue, but as of using yesterday, I didn't have the issue, but a few days ago I did encounter it. Others have reported this issue to. [https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/16hpmy8/arctis\_nova\_pro\_wireless\_audio\_popping\_issue\_on/](https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/16hpmy8/arctis_nova_pro_wireless_audio_popping_issue_on/) I don't see myself returning them, but damn, do I wish I would've known these thing before actually buying them. I'm still trying to get used to the cons, but overall, they're really comfortable. Some of the other features are really nice from some of the other comments on this thread, but I don't really use the other features. Also, I'm more than open to suggestions on how to fix these issues. I really want to like them but the issues I listed above make me not want to use them sometimes because I'm afraid I'm going to run into one of the issue. But as for pros of the headset, check some of the comments below, I would agree with just about all of them aside from the cons I mentioned above. Sorry for the long post, BTW, but I felt like I need to warn people about these potential issues. YMMV though! Happy gaming, GLHF! \*Edited #3- Figured out a few hours ago how to adjust the side tone, since then, the ANC has increased and is much more bearable. However still not as good as my XM4s, but again, to be expected from a gaming headset rather than an actual pair of headphones. I keep updating this for the next few days as I continue to play around with the settings some more. There's a lot of options with this headset, which in my case is a bad thing because I'm not a fan of playing around with settings, but can absolutely be a plus for people that know exactly what they want.

Great choice! I got them as a gift and loved them ever since. To be honest, I was looking at just buying another pair but thought I should try something new and hence here I am lol

I would it should primarily be used for gaming. If you are an audiophile, this is not the headset for you. While I'm not an audiophile myself, I'm sure plenty might agree with me when I say you can probably find a headset for music

I've tried the SteelSeries Arctis 7, and it's been a solid choice for long gaming sessions.

My steelseries Arctis headset is still going strong after 7 years. I had a hyper x one that didn’t even last a month.

Wireless the way to go. I have a wired Razer Kraken 3 which has good sound and comfort but not so much a quality build. Headband snapped, wire wore out, pleather wearing out. Good thing I got it as a gift. +1 for any Steel Series Arctis wireless as well. I ended up buying cheap $30 wireless from Amazon which works fine but not the same as a headset that has software to go with it. Even with Razer Kraken, the sound quality is better if you have a Dolby Atmos license (~$10?) for the virtual surround sound enhancements vs the Windows Sonic which is built into Windows.

> Artics 7 Pro Too bad they've been out of stock for years. The wireless ones, anyways. I got my last set on ebay refurbished and they've been totally fine though.

Yes! I have had nothing but issues with mine and am looking to replace it!

I have the Steel Series Arctis 7 for years now and it is the comfiest headset of all time.

Never heard a headset sound worse than the steelseries arctis

As a bald man, the parachute style the Arctic 7 has is clutch. Literally the thing I want most in a headset is to not hurt my head after a while. Doesn't matter if they're the best headphones in the world, I'm choosing the comfy one.

I can't recommend the Steelseries Nova Pro enough. Came from the Arctis 7 and the sound quality alone is night and day.

Idk what yall are doing to yalls headsets but I've had my Arctis 7s for around 4 years now and they haven't broken yet. Only issue is battery life has gone down

I have chronic migraines and work in music, so I have some variety to work with. if I have a real bad day, it's no sound. :D okay, but for real, I hate the steel series software with a passion but the arctis 7 have not failed me in terms of clamping pressure and weight they put on your head. I got extra fat ear cushions off of amazon so that they don't hurt my cartilages because my ears are weird with my glasses, my bf has the same and doesn't need that though. I have had sennheisers which have extremely great sound and microphone but the clamp pressure is horrid. only for smol heads. if you can splurge and want something nice with awesome sound, I can absolutely recommend bang+olufsen beoplay h4. they are lightweight and my go to for bad migraine days. I have a set of beoplay h9i 3rd gen and while the sound is amazing, I will get the meanest pressure headache from them because they are too heavy and not well padded. I'm pretty sure they have improved that with later models (hx). I'd generally check weight for headphone models. for in-ears I have made a great discovery - technically it's clip-ons that don't go in your ear at all. it's the soundcore c30i. the sound isn't comparable to proper in-ears or over-ears but for bad head days these are a life saver. battery life is amazing, too. microphone sound is awful though, at least on my phone. but you get to look like a cute cyborg so that's that.

Steelseries Arctis 7…great sound, great mic, excellent battery. Been using for several years and no issues or drops in audio quality.

Can’t really speak to that. I play in a closed office but I don’t have a problem with audio bleeding if there are other noises.

i used the arctis 7 for a while on my playstation, and it really just isn’t that great. i mean it works fine- mic is pretty good, sound isn’t absolutely horrendous and comfort is quite good. it just gets a bit hard to reccomend compared to a wired headphone, especially when you take price into consideration. if wireless is an absolute must, then the arctis will probably do fine, but you really should look into a wired headphone instead.

I absolutely hate headphones, they've always been very uncomfortable and I've tried many types and shapes. The only pair I could wear for a few hours were the Steelseries Arctis 7, the elastic band worked wonders and the cups are very soft. Sound quality was naturally not great but with some EQ it was passable. Don't know how they would work with a console, you'll have to shop for a version that specifies compatibility.

Hey man I just bought the Arctis 7 like a few days ago and they are just amazing, without even having to set up custom sound profiles, so glad to hear that they lasted long for you

mine are still going strong and great. the ONLY issue with this headset is that there is no option to turn off the annoying led light thats always visible to indicate connection status or battery level

To be fair, I've had my Arctis 7s for like 6 years now probably and the battery still lasts a couple days before I have to plug it in. And they're still in like-new condition except for the earcups which are easy to replace I just never have lol. And the only thing wrong with the earcups is their squishyness 😂 and I've put thousands of hours of gaming into them. However, they were like $130 on clearance and had I known back then what I was missing I probably would have made a different choice lol. Wirelessness really is a feature that's worth 20% more cost though. But it definitely affects the top end of the audio quality you can expect.

I eventually switched to the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless for my long gaming sessions. I liked that it offered easy on-headset volume controls and a mic that I could flip aside when I wasn't using it. The comfort was a big win for me during 10+ hour sessions, and the sound quality stayed balanced without overwhelming me during intense moments. It wasn't the cheapest, but I felt it was worth the investment for the overall experience.

Okay O have never ever used the software. What am I missing? I really like the headphones and never felt the need to use any software for it...

I love my arctis 7s. Comfy, great battery, incredible sound quality. Had them for about 2.5 years, and haven’t had any issues.

I shockingly still have my steelseries arctic 7 wireless which is like, 8 years old and I haven’t even really noticed that many issues with it even though it’s driver support is completely dead at this point. I have to say it was well worth the money. Only issue is the mic rubber coating is starting to degrade from being bent and pushed back in constantly

Arctis steel series. I can hear more than my teammates typically with incoming cars etc

This is the best answer. I went steel series arctis until i upgrad

My first piece of gaming equipment was a pair of Razer Kraken 7.1 V2 USB headphones (the sleek Mercury white color) and I thought it was the best headphones in the world, simply because the white color looked nice, the retractable microphone was cool, it was comfortable and you saw YouTubers (pewds) wearing them with the stupid cat ears and you just had to have them… Fast forward a few years and I’m realizing Razer headphones were more sizzle than steak. Sure they look cool (for the most part) but the sound is nothing special. It wasn’t until I bought another set of premium gaming headphones did I realize that Razer basically markets to the average gaming consumer and banks on them not realizing what a good solid set of headphones should sound like. I bought a SteelSeries Arctis 7 wireless PC headphones and they sound a lot better than anything Razer has made. I don’t want to sound like I’m just shilling for SteelSeries but it really is true. My keyboard is a Corsair K70 MK.2 SE and my mouse is still a wireless Razer Viper Ultimate (I really like white) so I don’t have a brand I’m dedicated too. I basically just go on RTINGS dot com and buy whatever has the best ratings. My Arctis 7 headphones are still running strong and the sound is 10 times better than a Razer headset. Honestly, if Razer brought back its “Mercury White” theme, I might consider trying out a new headset but I’m just gonna go with whatever Reddit thinks is good

Whichever steel series arctis is in the range. I've had mine for 4 years and still going strong

It's kinda meh for me. I can dodo like the built in eq for games. It's kinda makes me have superpowers in CoD. I can hear footsteps across the map.

Yea SS is kinda overpriced for what it is. But it's also plug and play and easy to hook up to a PS, Switch, PC, or phone. I've had no issues with the headphones, but the keyboard I got is absolute crap. They marketed it as mechanical, but it's a clicky button that hits a membrane. Only took one year to die because the mechanical part broke the membrane. I won't be buying any steel series only because of the false advertisement from that. I love these headphones but there are other options since I only use them on my PC 90% of the time.

Steel series arctis 7 or nova 7, I need a good chat mix that actually works so the steel series are the only headphones that I can 100% say do this properly

Same for me

I used Arctic 7's for like 4 years straight, daily use. Phenomenal in every aspect. Upgraded to the Pro's now. They have swappable batteries which is an incredible feature. Never have to plug in to recharge. Only downside is the faux leather ear foams are absolute garbage out the box. Had to get a cooling gel ones on Amazon for like $15, but they've been great the last year.

Cheers! I will say - the pros aren't like THAT big of an upgrade. They're great, but if your battery is still going strong after a swap there's really no reason to change it up. The 7's were phenomenal

Uninstall their software. Just get your os to recognize the audio input and output and get rid of their trash. Worked for me as their software was awful and causing issues like you described.

Sounds like solid advice! How's the software accompanying it? I like my steelseries Arctis 7, but I'm often struggling with the drivers and "steelseries GG" messing up the two audio channels (chat and game), the thing going mute, or auto-shutting off while playing audio... And getting sick of it.

Unfortunately If I don't run steelseries GG, it'll default to the setting that is shuts down after 30 minutes. The only way to circumvent that bullshit then, is to actively use the microphone, that registers as "being used". Not the fucking fact that there's audio playing through the headphone :( I sometimes manage to get the auto-shutdown to 'never' via a profile in steelseries GG, but it usually only works a limited time :( never buying anything from them again.

Yeah, no thanks. I'm never buying anything again from Steelseries, let alone another headset.

Steelseries arctis 9 is pretty good same as the 7s

Best headset i have ever had

these are pretty comfortable but note that the mic quality is absolute ass. for anyone who cares

mine lasted 3 months

I tried the SteelSeries Arctis 7 a while back, and it worked well for my long gaming sessions.

False. You're either literally saying something like HRTF which is already in the game itself, and mind you something that engineered headphones take into account for, or something like simulated 7.1, which 0 headphones can mimic an actual 7.1. Both "gaming" or "audiophile" headphones will only receive 2-channel stereo. Also an FYI, my HD800 can tell more in all directions than 99% of "gaming" headphones can. Source: HyperX Cloud 2 and Steelseries Arctis user before.

Personally, I stopped using "gaming headsets" a while ago. Over the years, I've tried various ones (Razer BlackShark V2, HyperX Cloud (can't remember the exact model), SteelSeries Arctis 7) and concluded that they all have terrible sound quality and are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Pretty much the only time I used them was when I needed the mic for voice communication. Outside of that, I've been using an AKG K7xx and Sennheiser HD6xx, both from Massdrop, with an external USB DAC and amplifier - in my case, an O2+ODAC and an SDAC - also both from Massdrop. Both of these work fine both in Linux and Windows. A year ago or so, I got a desk microphone (Elgato Wave:3) for voice communications so I wouldn't have to use the horrible gaming headsets at all anymore. Currently using the Elgato Wave:3 as well as a Fifine AM8 (in two different locations), and both work fine with Linux as well. If I was to personally recommend something, it would be to get a decent headphone, such as Sennheiser HD6xx (or HD650, which is almost the same but probably easier to get if Massdrop isn't currently selling HD6xx) and DAC+amplifier, and a desk microphone for voice communication if needed. It'll be a bit more expensive than a gaming headset, and not wireless, but the difference in comfort and audio quality is massive.

I love my Steelseries Arctis. It's a touch out of your price range but the features are top notch.

Steel Series Artics 7 Pro or Logitech G Pro X. The logitech is kind of expensive but the only headset I can use while walking around my house or even parts of my backyard, worth it off that alone.

I find I can't wear them for more than an hour without my ears hurting. The battery life isn't great either.

I've been daily driving the steelseries Arctis 7 since 2017 and they are still going as strong as the day I bought them

I love my Arctis Steel Series 7 Wireless

Good wireless headsets have the same latency as wired. I personally love steel series, you can’t go wrong with them. I personally use the arctis pro wireless, but I also own the arctis 7 for my PS5 both are great.

im having issues with steele series arctis 7 not working in game chat, mainly halo infinite. tried every combination of setting on my pc and on the gg software with no luck.

I have the Arctis 7 and I never use them. Not saying they are bad, but there is better value/$. Also SS software is trash IMO. Go look at r/headphones or [https://www.head-fi.org/articles/headphone-buying-guide.14163/](https://www.head-fi.org/articles/headphone-buying-guide.14163/) you will find MUCH better options. IMO most "gaming" headphones are overpriced for what they are. Edit: Added some clarification so it doesn't read like I'm straight bashing SS.

No PEBCAK here, more PU problems if anything. I hate having 6 different sound devices installed and software that changes all my damn settings everytime my headphones connect. It pigeon holes you into running your sound setup a certain way unless you remove the software. When you're running Discord + OBS + VM Banana + Game it gets frustrating. It adds unnecessary complexity for little to no gain for me. I've tried Sonar vs Sonic and I don't really not much of a difference. I run a K5 pro DAC/AMP, Sennheiser HD 660S, and an AT-2020 for my setup. It's massive overkill and I dont think thats what OP would want but the sound is fantastic.

Yeah exactly. I'm definitely more of an audiophile and like to choose my setup a la carte instead of an inclusive package. If you don't mind wired vs wireless then you can also get more bang for your buck. There is price premium for headphones being wireless, which is understandable as it requires more components and development. There is also a bunch of companies that hop on the "gaming" branded train and sell overpriced junk (Turtle Beach, Some Razer stuff).You can usually buy wired non-gaming branded headphones at the same price as wireless but at a higher quality. Also, with wireless you get what you get for power/amplification while wired leaves it more open to use what you would like. Personally, at OPs budget I'd go for something like Byerdynamic DT 770/990s, Sennheiser HD 558s, or Audiotechnica MX50s and spend the extra on a headphone AMP. From my experience and preferences having a good headphone AMP and a quality neutral sound profile headphone makes the biggest impact. You can always tweak the equalizer with software. If you spend $300 on headphones and plug it into your mobo soundcard good chances its underpowered and you're not gonna notice shit over a $150 set. But a $200-$220 headset and something like an e10k dac/amp would be a really solid balance at the same $300 price point. I have had my Arctis since 2018 and I think the construction quality is really solid TBH. I am very gentle with my stuff though. They still go strong and have just started to show some minimal battery decay. They have a very V shaped sound profile (loud highs and bass) which just isnt for me. They can get tin-y on the highs and pretty punchy bass. I prefer a Natural profile more with more rolled off bass. Mine don't have active noise cancelling but I don't really care. Closed ear super-aural headphones do good enough passive sound cancellation. For active noise cancelling even the best headphones can only cancel out consistent droning sounds (like a fan or ac) but not something like human speech very well. I have a pair of Sony WH-1000s for the plane with active noise cancelling and they do a great job. I have an old pair of Sennheiser PCX-550s as well and they are great but the Sonys are better. Both are better than the Bose QCs IMO. Ive spent way too much time/money on headphones over the years.... I sure know what I like though lmao. It's one of those things that you don't know what you're missing until you experience it though. It can also be off-putting because it's not forgiving. If you have poor audio sources, you will notice it. You'll pick up small artifacts in music like background noise , the singer breathing or even a guitarists fingers sliding up and down the strings the that you never noticed. But when you get a high quality audio source like some of the music off tidal, it's so much closer to giving you a "live music" experience.

Comfort wise I support this. But reliability of them is very hit or miss. I constantly have issues on pc and ps5 with my arctis 7’s and have basically had about a 6/10 experience with them.

can confirm, this is a steelseries issue in general. had the artic 7 pro that kept disconnecting, used warranty to get the artics 9 as a replacement. its no longer disconnecting but now the steelseries GG program is changing what my selection for audio output is when i turn my headset off while my pc is on. i have to go back in and change it back every time.

Well im super happy with my Arctis 7. I daily use them and have been with me for like 4 years plus. Headset is super light and is punchy. Lacks a little bit of bass but still a great purchase!

As someone who dabbled in the headphones recommendations with a DAC and a separate microphone and then just ended up going with Steelseries 7 and Nova pro. Each headphones is different Gaming headsets focus on noise isolation, comfort , a microphone and software features ( Steelseries has 2 outputs and buttons and knobs that allow you to manage them, i.e I have chat apps going through one output while games go through another with different EQ and a button to mute or lower volumes of one side or the other ) While headphones focus more on sound quality. Being honest I would recommend getting a gaming headset like I did, is not the best of both worlds but is perfect for gaming and long computer usage. But if you don't spend time in discord or don't mind tuning in an external mic etc go for the headphones.

Think I’m rocking the artic steel series 7 I believe the wireless ones and after about 5 yrs they’re still going strong and the battery holds a good charge still and they’re comfortable and the sound is great. Still think it might be time to upgrade to the next version and save these as backups. I’m on Xbox and not pc doubt that matters but they’re good headphones.

I used to be big on separate headphones plus mic setup. But I wanted to move away from wired, so I picked up a pair of XM3s and ended up having endless connectivity problems. They were the only bit of tech that I ever returned for a refund that wasn't an RMA issue. Ended up saying fuck it and going for a headset since I needed a mic for work as well and a headset was just the best wireless option. Ended up with the Arctis 7s from SteelSeries but later picked up Corsair HS80s and have never looked back.

Let me start by saying I love my wireless headset for gaming and the arctis line is great in terms of comfort and gaming headsets (I loved my arctis 7 wireless for years till it died on me). That being said they are NOT good headphones, even for the price. You can absolutely get better sound quality from other cans in the ~$75-$100 price range.

I've been looking into a buds option. I have the steelseries 7p. And own some jabra elite 8 active, and love them for comfort and sound quality. While researching found out jabra bought arctis in 2021 and there the similarity of designs. Read some reviews that on ps5 the audio is low. Has this been fixed, or not had the issue at all?

I used the original Playstation Pulse for the last couple years and they were awesome for Siege. Felt like I could hear footsteps and knew exactly where they were coming from. They were starting to breakdown a bit and decided it was time for a new pair. Curiosity got to me and I ended up buying the Steelseries Arctis 7p's which I heard were top notch. You have to download software to get these dialed in to be able to hear what you want to hear. Been a bit of a pain in the ass. Kind of wish I would have just gone with the Playstation Pulse Elites. Grass isn't always greener! If anyone else is using the 7p's and has a good EQ setting for Siege, please let me know!

They're comfortable. But my God I could not get consistent audio with them on any of my devices. Constant garbled sounds. Constant pops and crackles. I had them for a week but I'm returning them today for something else. I'll stick with my arctis 7p since despite being 4 years old they sound better and have way better consistency in quality.

I’ve had the arctis 7p’s since launch day of the ps5 so either you’re treating your equipment like garbage or you just have the worst luck possible

I have the articus 7p had them since they released what 4 years ago never had any problems with them

Havent tried them but use the arctis 7p+ and love them

My arctis 7P just up and stopped charging. Followed all their guides on the website and it didn't work. Probably gonna look at either the pulse elites or the explores for the portal and playstation link. I dunno if I'd like having the explores in my ears for extended gaming sessions because my other cheap ones make my ears itch.

i have them, quality is very bad for that price.

Dont recommend them if you have a big head like me, the metal bar of the arc is really uncomfortable pushing against my head

Nope!  Worse visually despite no compression, as seen below.  Plus, short wire, ringed controllers which are inferior, no speakers so have to plug your ears while being blind to the world.  No MR, no upper body tracking, no hand tracking, mega tiny sweetbspot, and ludicrous mura which completely wastes the oled. “Sony appears to be using some kind of diffusion filter to avoid that. The tradeoff of such a filter is that the image looks somewhat soft, not entirely crisp, so PSVR 2’s image appears slightly less sharp than even LCD headsets with lower resolution. The second, more problematic issue is that there is a non-uniform fixed pattern noise over the entire screen, called mura. It’s incredibly noticeable and distracting in loading and transition scenes, or when looking at a skybox or other low detail region. How much you care about this once you're in a game will vary from person to person, but for me it's always there, and it's arguably worse than the compression artefacts you see in standalone headsets streaming PC VR, negating PSVR 2's on-paper advantage of its lossless image… The fresnel lenses in PSVR 2 have a remarkably small eye box (also known as sweet spot), meaning you have to position your eyes almost perfectly in the center to get a clear image. Outside of this small area, you’ll see both blurring and color fringing (chromatic aberration). That means you'll often spend the first few minutes of using PSVR 2 getting your eye positioning just right, something you don't really have to think about anymore with pancake lenses.” https://www.uploadvr.com/playstation-vr2-pc-adapter-review/

I use the Steel Series Arctic 7+ Pro I think it’s called? The wireless one with a non-swappable battery, you don’t need no swapping, the battery life is amazing, upwards of 30 hours on a single charge. I haven’t owned a lot of headset but this one is by far the best I’ve tried. I hear a lot good stuff about Astros as well.

Nice, I guess mine must but around 5 years old as well, fingers crossed it keeps on working for a while

That’s odd, I have a big head as well but with the adjustable velcro band, it’s fine, I can wear it all night without issue. I know they have a few model with a similar name though, maybe I got it wrong and we aren’t talking about the exact same model, I’m not sure.

No complaints from my friends, they say it sounds clear. Again, I haven’t tried a lot of headsets/mics, I know it sounds better than the PlayStation Gold I used to own on console. Some people find the Steel Series app awful, personally I like it, you can play around with sliders and stuff to adjust the sound of both your mic and different inputs through a feature they call Sonar (media, game, voice, etc). I also use the app as a recording device sometimes to review some recent gameplay, set the buffer and review how I die in Tarkov as an example.

Steele Series Arctic wireless 7+ Hands down best bang for buck. Have a ton of my friends and family on it.

Arctis 7+ wireless if you don't have the budget for this one.

I have the steelseries 7x+ they've been great no issues. I accidentally bent my USB C cable for the dongle tho and now been having a few issues I might try these out and give my 7x+ to my son

Thanks for that review I'm tempted to buy now probably will jus get these and give my steel series 7x+ to my son

Does chatmix work properly for you without using GG/Sonar? I have GG but Sonar is disabled, chatmix doesn’t work and it’s the only thing I miss from my Arctis 7s

Stupid. I’m running PEACE equalizer which makes them sound way better but it conflicts with sonar so I guess I’m never using chatmix again. Not sure why it’s not just all done in hardware like before

I listen to music frequently on my PC and value the higher quality over the annoyances of sonar. I had many times where sonar audio devices flat out wouldn’t work properly and required a restart or reinstall to fix, and I got tired of it. I don’t find sonar provides any benefit over peace other than chatmix, and I don’t care about being able to hear footsteps 2.5% more clearly

Interesting. Everything I read from Steelseries basically said the knob just changes the chatmix within sonar, so idk how it’d work without it. Might need to give it a try

I’ve been rocking the Steelseries Arctis wireless headphones since XSX launch day and they are still going strong after 4 years of heavy daily use. https://preview.redd.it/cu27k04b3ewd1.png?width=1722&format=png&auto=webp&s=7ccc4a2d0e5b776a9a1314b937ed58560f805fe4

I just bought an arctis 7x Wireless Whenever I use discord, everyone says my voice sounds awful. I basically love the headset, hate the mic. Did you ever have any mic quality issues?

Steelseries arctis pro 7 x has been amazing i thought thatl the standard xbox headset was good until I bought this and how wrong was in

Yep 100% no issues with connection great on all games 360 spacial sound is amazing. I have set up dolby atmos on my series x and that's made them even better

I love my Nova Artics 7

I was a big fan of the 7 pros build quality was great, expensive, but really comfortable and I couldn't go back to any other branded headphones. After 2 years of using them they gave out on me so I got the nova pro wireless bc it was new at the time. I've always had problems with these fucking headphones man XD it constantly re routs my shit even with the setting turned off and everything else, besides the headphones, disabled thru my device manager still did it, ive run into problems with the doc constantly getting stuck in the screen "dragon is spawning in 30 seconds" reminder for league, sometimes it randomly disconnects and i need to factory reset it in order to get it re-paired, recently ive had this problem where my audio will bug out get really loud then just start dog whistling my ass and it also gets picked up with my mic so anyone unfortunate enough to be in disc with me also suffers the same fate, and as of yesterday GG wont even pick up my headset or recognize it despite everything else being able to half recognize the headset so now its (until further notice) all being routed thru the xbox funtion thru the doc -\_- 1 year. edit-figured out the last one just now tehee

I had these and they were very comforatable and light. Lost sound on one ear tho and recently replaced with newest logitech lightspeed and they are superb with the cloth pad that come with. Also better battery. Can’t go much wrong with either.

I hated mine personally. Terrible software as well

I paid a restocking fee to return them after I kept getting sound blasted while playing BG3. I'm talking about high volume static noise that was only fixed by unplugging and replugging them in. They caused me physical ear pain, and this is after they were already uncomfortable to wear. I felt misled by reviews claiming premium comfort. Let's also talk about how the software doubled my boot times and how I would often have to restart my pc for the software to even function properly. I now have Audio Technica and they are so much nicer in every way for the same price

I had a steel series arctis 7 so was wondering how the nova compares to that

I agree fully with this. It’s the ease of comfort having the plug and okay benefit with gaming headsets even though I know they aren’t the best sounding headsets out there. I’d love to get the Sony XM4’s if I was purely getting a good headset. I rather not go and buy separate components either like a mic either. I’m not into streaming either just playing games and chatting. How’s the battery life on the nova 7?