SteelSeries Arctis Nova 1x Gaming Headset

I had the Steelseries Arctis 7 for a long time before deciding to try out this new Arctis Nova 7. This is definitely the successor to that older headset that made me a Steelseries fan. Compared to the old 7 the Nova is substantially more comfortable, sounds better, and has nice improvements such as USB-C for charging and Bluetooth capability that allows simultaneous use with game sound. It really is a very nice upgrade in nearly every way. My biggest complaint is the microphone has a different shape that makes it a bit harder to push back into its space within the left ear cup and no longer has the red LED that would indicate it was muted. Otherwise, the controls are mostly intuitive with volume wheel and the mute button on the left side and Chat/Audio mix wheel and ... MoreI had the Steelseries Arctis 7 for a long time before deciding to try out this new Arctis Nova 7. This is definitely the successor to that older headset that made me a Steelseries fan. Compared to the old 7 the Nova is substantially more comfortable, sounds better, and has nice improvements such as USB-C for charging and Bluetooth capability that allows simultaneous use with game sound. It really is a very nice upgrade in nearly every way. My biggest complaint is the microphone has a different shape that makes it a bit harder to push back into its space within the left ear cup and no longer has the red LED that would indicate it was muted. Otherwise, the controls are mostly intuitive with volume wheel and the mute button on the left side and Chat/Audio mix wheel and combo power/Bluetooth on the other. That combo button is frustrating to use, it is not immediately evident how to even turn off the headset because holding it down like I do with most other devices of the like just turns on Bluetooth pairing instead. You can run the included cable to make it a wired headset if you choose or use the 2.4Ghz USB-C based dongle for wireless play on PC, PS4/5, Switch, or mobile. Thankfully the dongle can also be used with the USB-C to USB-A extension cable to avoid covering up the USB-A port on the front of the PS5 with the dongle itself which is another unfortunate negative. Lastly it includes a USB-C charging cable rounding out the accessories in the box. The old gen headset used their “ski headband” which I found very comfortable although I had to use it on its largest possible adjustment for my big dome. The Nova has evolved that design with a stretchy inner band that hooks onto a few different points and the earcups can also be adjusted in or out of the headband independently. This makes it even easier to get a proper fit for us large headed individuals and is extraordinarily comfortable. I can wear it for many hours and barely notice it’s there and that is perhaps the most important aspect of a headset for me outside of pure sound quality. I like being able to sync up my iPhone to it to be able to hear any important notifications or take a call, and the mic is more than up to the task for both calls and game chat. I am told it sounds clear and crisp. Sound quality is very good, I can hear everything around me and 3D audio on PS5 is in full effect. I’ve heard both better and worse in headsets but again compared to the older Arctis 7 it is an improvement. Cap it all off with all day battery life and it’s a very solid and compelling choice. I am happy with it and recommend it.

I know these are meant to primarily be gaming headphones, so maybe my experiences with them have been different than others as I don't do a lot of online gaming. While I have tried these out, my 13 year old son (who always has headphones attached to his head) has mostly used them. The only real complaint I had with these was getting them connected to devices. He had difficulty at first getting them to connect to devices even when following the instructions. He tried using them on the Nintendo Switch and couldn't ever really get them connected. Now that he has them connected to his laptop, he wears them all the time. He likes that they have a sound cancelling button that you can turn on or off. When it's on (which is most of the time), he rarely hears me. It does ... MoreI know these are meant to primarily be gaming headphones, so maybe my experiences with them have been different than others as I don't do a lot of online gaming. While I have tried these out, my 13 year old son (who always has headphones attached to his head) has mostly used them. The only real complaint I had with these was getting them connected to devices. He had difficulty at first getting them to connect to devices even when following the instructions. He tried using them on the Nintendo Switch and couldn't ever really get them connected. Now that he has them connected to his laptop, he wears them all the time. He likes that they have a sound cancelling button that you can turn on or off. When it's on (which is most of the time), he rarely hears me. It does have a microphone that pulls out if he wants to use them as a gaming headset. He mostly plays Roblox with friends or his brother and sister, so it doesn't get used much, but it works well when he does use it. The sound quality of the headphones is excellent. He tells me that they are way better than the previous wireless headphones he was using. They are very comfortable over the ears and don't cause pain after extended use. They are comfortable enough that he falls asleep with them on sometimes. When they run down, he is good about plugging them in. They seem to last forever without needing to be charged as I know he has used them all day for multiple days before needing to be plugged in. While these may be more expensive than other brands, they are much more durable and better quality than the cheaper brands. Even with my son wearing them all the time (including while he sleeps sometimes) they are sturdy and should last for a long time while I've had to replace his other ones about every 3 months with how tough he is on them. I would highly recommend them to gamers, teenagers who wear them all the time, or anyone who wants comfortable headphones that help drown out the background noises.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 wireless headset is, in a word, outstanding. First, for comfort level, I’ve never had on a set of over-the-ear headphones as comfortable as these. They are so light that you barely know they’re on your head. The sound quality is superb, with deep basses and great highs. Extraneous sounds are not audible. I could wear these all day.Connectivity could not be simpler. There are several ways to do it, but the easiest is what I did, which is to connect the USB-C wireless dongle to a USB-C port on the computer, turn it on, and turn the headphones on. No pairing necessary as these come paired from the factory. I was listening within 10 seconds of getting these out of the box, and having no wire connection to get tangled is a great plus.The ... MoreThe SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 wireless headset is, in a word, outstanding. First, for comfort level, I’ve never had on a set of over-the-ear headphones as comfortable as these. They are so light that you barely know they’re on your head. The sound quality is superb, with deep basses and great highs. Extraneous sounds are not audible. I could wear these all day.Connectivity could not be simpler. There are several ways to do it, but the easiest is what I did, which is to connect the USB-C wireless dongle to a USB-C port on the computer, turn it on, and turn the headphones on. No pairing necessary as these come paired from the factory. I was listening within 10 seconds of getting these out of the box, and having no wire connection to get tangled is a great plus.The charge-status LED has four colors, but the highest-charge color indicates only that the state of charge is between 50 and 100%. This was the state of charge out of the box, so the headphones were usable immediately with no initial charging necessary.Also included in the box is a USB-C/USB-2 charging cable allowing charging from any USB charging port or wall adapter. There is also a USB-C/USB-2 adapter cable which has a female USB-C port on one end to allow connecting the dongle to a computer that has only USB-2 ports. Finally, there is an audio cable for direct connection to an audio jack.In addition to the above, the headphones can be paired with any Bluetooth source. A button on the headphones accomplishes this. In addition to this, other controls on the headphones are a power button, a volume control, a “chatmix” control to vary the relative volume of game audio versus in-game chat from teammates, a slide-out microphone (a great feature allowing it to be completely stowed away when not in use), and a microphone mute button.Overall, if you need or want a pair of over-the-ear, noise-eliminating, great-sounding headphones, you can’t do better than the Arctis Nova 7. Highly recommended.