SteelSeries - Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Gen 2

Hello! You get diminishing returns very quickly, so it depends what you value. At the $200 range, Nova 7 Gen 2 and Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 are the best picks for FPS. The Blackshark V3 Pro (newest version) has some improvements at the $250 range like ANC and simultaneous BT which is nice. It can also save multiple on board EQ profiles. For $300 and FPS, I still think the Astro A50 Gen 5 is an amazing option, and still my go to. The stock pads are a little small, but I made my own called the StealthZ pad, sold by WickedCushions. The A50 Gen 5 takes full parametric EQ and has a class-leading mic and bass response. It handles EQ really well. The Nova Pro Wirless is still a great option to this day, but the mic performance is just okay, and as you said, EQ is more limited but still very capable. Overall I think you'd be performing at a very similar level with any of these. It comes down to preference on design and features. Nova Pro has leatherette pads and ANC with more isolation, whereas the A50 is very open sounding (does not block external noise).

Get the Steelseries Nova 7. Cannot recommend them enough. Excellent mic, noice cancelling and they are comfortable. Bonus points if you take the wireless. They can last up to 3 days of constant use

I went from gaming headset to a DT770 about 10 years ago, went through all sorts of different headphones, amp stacks and went down the rabbit hole for a bit. A couple years ago I sold my DT1770 and Schiit stack in favor of the Audeze Maxwell. great headset but it has some issues. Not at all as good as the hype wants you to believe.(Music is amazing, gaming is OK, Durability of those drivers is shit, software is even shittier) Started using that at work for music listening and calls instead and got a basic Steel Series Arctis Nova 7 at home. Also decent, especially for the price. Recently I got an audio interface to fuck around with my guitars and amp plugins. And I tried my old DT770s again through that. The sound is so much clearer so I’m back to using studio headphones again. Thinking I’m gonna get the DT700 and throw those old DT770’s back into my drawer, always nice with a backup I guess.

Not good Do the maxwells use planar magnetic drivers which are designed to be inherently flat and play audio in its purists form with little to no enhancements. You’ll get bass but not the rumbling/thumping bass you are probably use to hearing in standard dynamic drivers which 99.% if headsets use If you want bass I’d recommend the Astro A50x, Arctis nova pro wireless ore the Arctis nova 7ps. The turtle beach stealth 700 gen 3s are also a good choice The above will give you balanced audio with both bass and clarity/detail. The a50x and turtle beach headset are a smige more bass heavy but not overbearing though

Get the Arctis nova 7ps or the Arctis nova pro wireless headset if you want balanced audio that has clarity/detail as well as rumbling bass If you value extreme clarity/detail and don’t really care for rumbling bass or treble get the audeze maxwells

Steel series nova arctic 7’s is the only answer you need

I have worn mine for 8 hours straight so many times and never had this issue. Definitely not normal, if it’s still under warranty I would try to get a replacement.

I have those, amazing headset.

Just got these and they are indeed amazing. Glad I was finally able to upgrade to a wireless headset

As a nova 7 owner, no. The software will drive you nuts. Every driver update resets your sound settings and you have to reset your standard mic settings. Been trying to find an option outside of Steel Series for a while now

# 1. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (or 7X / 7P) * price: often around $140–$150 on sale * pros: excellent soundstage for positional awareness, comfortable ski-band design, multi-platform (pc, ps, xbox depending on model), dual wireless + bluetooth. * cons: battery life is good but not best-in-class (\~38 hours). # 2. hyperx cloud alpha wireless * price: \~$130 * pros: outstanding battery life (up to 300 hours), clear directional audio, strong build, comfortable memory foam padding. * cons: no bluetooth, mostly pc/ps compatible. # 3. logitech g pro x 2 lightspeed (if you found on sale) * price: normally $250, but sales can drop it to $150 \~$170. * pros: fantastic positional sound with dts headphone:x, swappable earpads, low-latency lightspeed dongle. * cons: might stretch your budget unless discounted. # 4. corsair hs80 rgb wireless * price: \~$120 * pros: dolby atmos support, very good mic quality, comfortable floating headband, works on pc and ps5. * cons: battery life is shorter (\~20 hours). # 5. razer blackshark v2 pro (2023 ed) * price: \~$150 * pros: clear positional audio, lightweight, improved mic quality, 70-hour battery life. * cons: sound signature leans toward bass heavy if unadjusted. requirements: * under $150 * wireless/ a dongle not a headphone jack * good positional sounds * noise cancellation (not a MUST) let me break down your requirements real quick wireless will always have some latency even with low latency dongles so if you are aiming for competitive gaming you are already putting yourself at a disadvantage good positional sound usually comes from open back headphones but those do not block outside noise if by noise cancellation you mean active noise cancellation (ANC) it actually hurts positional accuracy because it alters the sound cues and is more useful for airplanes or travel closed back headphones already block some outside noise but not in a way that ruins positional sound for casual gaming you can spend less and still get solid wireless options for competitive gaming wired open back headphones are still the best since they give you a wider soundstage and make it feel like you have wall hacks.

I have the artis nova 7 from an older gen and have been the best so far. Super light and comfy but sturdy. Had razer kraken before that and were decent hut prefer the steelseries