SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless PC Gaming Headset

These are the first pair of gaming headphones Ive tried outside of the PS earphone provided. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly pleased. The Arctics Nova 7X wireless comes with a wireless dongle to switch between working with X-box or choosing the USB option for all other devices. Along with a USB- A adapter and charging cable. Tick x 3 for providing these alongside the 3.5mm audio jack (tick 4) Setting up using the dongle was straightforward, I have a PS5 and switched it to USB and had no issues. The instructions helpfully explain what settings to use on my PS5. You can also connect with Bluetooth to devices. Worked great with my Pixel 6. The headphones themselves are comfortable thanks to the ear padding. The sound was great and felt like I was more ... MoreThese are the first pair of gaming headphones Ive tried outside of the PS earphone provided. I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly pleased. The Arctics Nova 7X wireless comes with a wireless dongle to switch between working with X-box or choosing the USB option for all other devices. Along with a USB- A adapter and charging cable. Tick x 3 for providing these alongside the 3.5mm audio jack (tick 4) Setting up using the dongle was straightforward, I have a PS5 and switched it to USB and had no issues. The instructions helpfully explain what settings to use on my PS5. You can also connect with Bluetooth to devices. Worked great with my Pixel 6. The headphones themselves are comfortable thanks to the ear padding. The sound was great and felt like I was more immersed in the games I played. The audio wheel helping to increase or decrease the volume. My proper geek moment - loved the retractable microphone, where has this been all my life? My 80s/90s self would've loved this for my MegaDrive. Microphone worked okay I don't do many co-op games but trying it my friends could hear me loud and clear and vice versa. The sound, if i haven't mentioned already, on these is excellent. There'll be better gamers than me but would recommend them. I've given a 4 star because I've no others to compare them to just yet.

Best of both worlds! Game and phone use together!

Let’s start with COMFORT! These headphones are GREAT for extended use! The call it a “ComfortMAX” system with an adjustable fit, and it just works. It doesn’t matter how good headphones reproduce sound or what features are included if you don’t want to wear them…and I WANT to wear these.The headphones have a stated 38-hour battery life. I generally don’t run any product until the battery is depleted, but I had over a 35% charge after about 25 hours so that seems realistic. And there’s a quick charge feature that gives you about a 20% charge in 15 minutes with USB-C fast charging.The headphone has a USB-C dongle that will work with PC’s, Mac’s, PS4/PS5, Switch and Oculus Quest 2. And it connects to a phone via Bluetooth so you can game and talk/listen at the same ... MoreLet’s start with COMFORT! These headphones are GREAT for extended use! The call it a “ComfortMAX” system with an adjustable fit, and it just works. It doesn’t matter how good headphones reproduce sound or what features are included if you don’t want to wear them…and I WANT to wear these.The headphones have a stated 38-hour battery life. I generally don’t run any product until the battery is depleted, but I had over a 35% charge after about 25 hours so that seems realistic. And there’s a quick charge feature that gives you about a 20% charge in 15 minutes with USB-C fast charging.The headphone has a USB-C dongle that will work with PC’s, Mac’s, PS4/PS5, Switch and Oculus Quest 2. And it connects to a phone via Bluetooth so you can game and talk/listen at the same time. The acoustics are phenomenal and includes spatial audio to allow you to identify the direction of sounds, a “pro-grade Parametric EQ” and their Sonar Audio Software Suite that allow you to identify sounds in a game base on presets.The retractable microphone is noise cancelling and includes baked in software to filter noise from team chats either next to you or online. The controls on the unit include volume, a control to increase/decrease the volume of your team members while keeping the game volume the same, mute, and the ability to answer phone calls.Overall this is the best sounding, most comfortable and certainly the most versatile headset I’ve ever used.

Easy to connect, great sound, comfortable

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.

Everything you can ask for

Some of these reviews on this headset are a bit misleading so I want to try and clear up some stuff. There are three different versions of this headset; The Nova 7P is the PlayStation version, (This one), then there is the 7X Which is comaptible with Xbox along with everything else, and then there’s the regular 7, which is made for PC. All of them are quite literally the exact same headset with the only difference being the 7P and 7X being compatible with their respective systems. The only other difference is that the 7P does not have a ChatMix dial since that’s controlled through the PS5 itself. So instead they opt for a sidetone dial, allowing you to change your mic sidetone on the fly without using software. Anyways, I just wanted to clear up a bit of confusion ... MoreSome of these reviews on this headset are a bit misleading so I want to try and clear up some stuff. There are three different versions of this headset; The Nova 7P is the PlayStation version, (This one), then there is the 7X Which is comaptible with Xbox along with everything else, and then there’s the regular 7, which is made for PC. All of them are quite literally the exact same headset with the only difference being the 7P and 7X being compatible with their respective systems. The only other difference is that the 7P does not have a ChatMix dial since that’s controlled through the PS5 itself. So instead they opt for a sidetone dial, allowing you to change your mic sidetone on the fly without using software. Anyways, I just wanted to clear up a bit of confusion surrounding these headsets. Regardless of which version you get, you will still have the same experience. These are a fantastic pair of gaming headphones. Theyre not audiophile quality, but in the bigger picture of things, you don’t exactly need that kind of quality. The comfort is good enough to accommodate my massive head, and the earfups are breathable to the point where I can wear these for hours without worrying about them. If youre in the market for a new headset. I highly recommend this one, it gives you everything and more while still keeping it at a reasonable price point. Just remember to keep in mind on what platform you plan on using it on, and buy the right version.

If the Nova PRO Wireless is out of reach, GET 7X!!

This headset is a great value, and for some, could be a great option. For the sake of full disclosure though, I will state the fact that I myself returned the Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Headset for XBOX, in order to see what better audio and features might be available to me, if I were to move up a few more steps, to the flagship Arctis Nova PRO Wireless for XBOX Headset by SteelSeries. And SteelSeries did not disappoint! While that move no doubt cost me an additional $170, and I was skeptical as to whether or not it might actually buy me any actual audio improvement to speak of, let alone any other feature which might prove to make all that scratch I'd spent worth while. The move up to the Arctis Nova PRO Wireless for XBOX, did indeed turn out to be worth it for me ... MoreThis headset is a great value, and for some, could be a great option. For the sake of full disclosure though, I will state the fact that I myself returned the Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Headset for XBOX, in order to see what better audio and features might be available to me, if I were to move up a few more steps, to the flagship Arctis Nova PRO Wireless for XBOX Headset by SteelSeries. And SteelSeries did not disappoint! While that move no doubt cost me an additional $170, and I was skeptical as to whether or not it might actually buy me any actual audio improvement to speak of, let alone any other feature which might prove to make all that scratch I'd spent worth while. The move up to the Arctis Nova PRO Wireless for XBOX, did indeed turn out to be worth it for me personally, and I will go on to say further that while I have never spent that much on a headset in the past, and never would've even taken the idea into consideration before now. It was my short-lived experience with the Arctis Nova 7X which changed my mind. I figured at that point, that if the Nova 7X was such a large improvement over anything from the previous generation of SteelSeries headsets, and everyone was singing such high praises about the Nova PRO headsets, and their "custom drivers", then maybe it could actually be true, and the PROs might just live up to the hype.... Well, they lived up to the hype, and then some... And then some more!!So while I returned the Nova 7X headset that I had purchased, in order to move up to the Nova PRO Wireless Headset for XBOX... I can say for a certainty, that the Nova 7X Wireless Headset, was still indeed, a HUGE improvement over any of the headsets that SteelSeries may have released prior to the introduction of the Nova line of headsets. They are amazing compared to my Arctis 9X Wireless Headset. And up until I tried the Nova 7X, I felt that in spite of it's shortcomings, the Arctis 9X Wireless Headset was still by far, the best headset available for XBOX. At least as far as wireless options were concerned. And I am only ever interested in wireless options, as they provide me and the freedom of movement, as well as the obvious clear game audio, albeit, certainly on the borderline of near too quiet to be used. I felt that was the Arctis 9X Wireless Headset's greatest drawback, was the fact that it just barely got loud enough to be considered useable. It WAS useable, if you cranked them all the way up as high as they could go. But some games are more quiet than others, and if you began to play a more quiet game, there just was no way to get that extra volume boost that you would sometimes come to feel you would need.The Nova 7X Wireless Headset has a "volume limiter" within the SteelSeries Engine Software... So the very FIRST thing EVERYONE needs to do when they purchase the 7X, is connect to their PC and navigate to the Engine, and DIS-ENGAGE this "volume limiter", and with that one power move, you will have obtained yourself new possibilities in regard to volume level that just was not ever possible in SteelSeries headsets before now.I would easily recommend this headset to anyone who has the money to purchase it, but is short of being able to get ahold of a set of PROs for themselves. And if I was in that same situation, I would purchase the Nova 7X again myself, before I would even consider trying any other headsets from any other companies. And that is just the truth of it, straight up and down, point blank period. SteelSeries has got the official headsets, and everyone else is just trying to figure out how to copy the formula without it being too obvious that's what they are doing... Take Corsair for example, and Logitec. Suddenly they are manufacturing headsets with ski-goggle headbands. You can't knock em for trying, as the ski-goggle headband IS the most comfortable means of mounting a headset to ones head. Other means of comfort options just don't compare to the ski-goggle headband. It's not even close. Not even near close. But SteelSeries is the company doing it the best, and they are the company who I will continue to trust with my Headset audio for gaming, until they give me a reason not to, which I just don't see happening.

Nice headset / Frustrating buttons

I like this headset well enough, but I wish the power button and Bluetooth button were a little less finicky.The headset is well constructed and fits quite snuggly on my head. Even with the strap adjustments, it's perhaps a bit tight for my taste.I love the fact that the microphone can be retracted into the ear cup. Not having it dangle in from of my face when I'm not using it is nice. l also like that there is a physical mute button for the microphone as I'm notorious for forgetting to mute my mic.I'm told that the mic was nice and clear when I used this for chatting in game.Once I got into Bluetooth mode, pairing it with my Switch Lite was a breeze. I also used it with the dongle on my gaming PC.My only real complaints about this headset are the power ... MoreI like this headset well enough, but I wish the power button and Bluetooth button were a little less finicky.The headset is well constructed and fits quite snuggly on my head. Even with the strap adjustments, it's perhaps a bit tight for my taste.I love the fact that the microphone can be retracted into the ear cup. Not having it dangle in from of my face when I'm not using it is nice. l also like that there is a physical mute button for the microphone as I'm notorious for forgetting to mute my mic.I'm told that the mic was nice and clear when I used this for chatting in game.Once I got into Bluetooth mode, pairing it with my Switch Lite was a breeze. I also used it with the dongle on my gaming PC.My only real complaints about this headset are the power and Bluetooth buttons.I'm not keen on the current "trend" in tech to have one button perform multiple operations.The whole notion of "press once for this, double tap for that, long press + short press + chew gum at the same time for this other thing" doesn't really appeal to me. I get that they're trying to avoid loading up their device with tons of buttons, but it causes some frustrating headaches.I spent a solid five minutes, and had to consult the instructions, just to turn this headset off. Pressing the power button, I kept getting a quickly flashing green LED, a slow flashing LED, or a solid green LED. Trying to switch in and out of Bluetooth was equally frustrating with an infuriating blue LED right above the power button. I struggled to get it to switch out of Bluetooth mode, and I inadvertently kicked it back into pairing mode multiple times before getting it to work.Aside from this, this headset is great. The sound quality is awesome, and I absolutely love the mic on this.

Pretty solid gaming/phone headset

The charging colors are vague, when I first plugged in the cable, it was just green. Looking at the manual that means it can be anywhere from 50-100% charged. That seems very unhelpful. When connect to iPhone, it also does not show battery level, which is very annoying.The "Power" button only covers the wireless dongle connector, not the Bluetooth, so if you want to turn off the Bluetooth, you have to press the Bluetooth button. So you have to turn it on and off twice!The noise cancellation is not great, when the mic is out and not muted, it picks up way too much outside noise. This might be "normal" but I also have another headset which really eliminates surrounding sound as it has 8 mics built in to block it out. Of course, that headset is 3x the price, so ... MoreThe charging colors are vague, when I first plugged in the cable, it was just green. Looking at the manual that means it can be anywhere from 50-100% charged. That seems very unhelpful. When connect to iPhone, it also does not show battery level, which is very annoying.The "Power" button only covers the wireless dongle connector, not the Bluetooth, so if you want to turn off the Bluetooth, you have to press the Bluetooth button. So you have to turn it on and off twice!The noise cancellation is not great, when the mic is out and not muted, it picks up way too much outside noise. This might be "normal" but I also have another headset which really eliminates surrounding sound as it has 8 mics built in to block it out. Of course, that headset is 3x the price, so it's understandable that it is not as good.I've been gaming and using a lot of different headsets trying to figure out which one works best for gaming and for also listening to music/podcasts as I play. My favorite headset for the last 2 years was able to connect to my PS4/PS5 and cell at the same time, so it was perfect. Then I got a Bluetooth only headset w/really good noise cancellation and 3D sound, perfect for gaming - unfortunately - only 1 connection, so I could only hear the game itself.This one is far better than my other dual headset though, mostly because of the power usage on Bluetooth 5.0 - my other headset's Bluetooth range is cut short if I'm connected to both dongle/Bluetooth. This is not the issue with the Nova 7 - even connected to both Bluetooth and dongle, I can walk all over the house and not have the issue my other dual headset has, which makes things so much easier. I used to have to put my phone in my pocket if I was walking out of range.Pros:Connects to 2 devicesBluetooth range works better when also wirelessly connected to dongleRetractable mic that makes the headset seem like a non-mic headsetComfortable to wear for a couple of hoursCons:Noise cancellation isn't great, but I think that's normal/averageTwo power buttons to turn on and offBattery power levels are not shown and very vague

Sounds amazing! Bought specifically for the 3D Audio and PS5 integration

This is my first gaming headset, i usually use home theatre but really wanted to try out the PS5s 3D audio tech and since it only works with headphones i needed a pair. I did my research and came to two conclusions, there werent many options for built for the ps5 headsests and two i didnt like the pulse 3d headset design. I didnt want to spend a ridiculous amount for my first headset as i may not like it or use it that much. Well ever since getting the artis nova 7p ive been pleasantly surprised. The included dongle is plug and play with the ps5 and after the initial pairing the headphones connect instantly. The overall sound quality is really good but you get to mostly appreciate it when playing games with 3D audio tech, like Astros playroom, Ghosts of Tsushima and ... MoreThis is my first gaming headset, i usually use home theatre but really wanted to try out the PS5s 3D audio tech and since it only works with headphones i needed a pair. I did my research and came to two conclusions, there werent many options for built for the ps5 headsests and two i didnt like the pulse 3d headset design. I didnt want to spend a ridiculous amount for my first headset as i may not like it or use it that much. Well ever since getting the artis nova 7p ive been pleasantly surprised. The included dongle is plug and play with the ps5 and after the initial pairing the headphones connect instantly. The overall sound quality is really good but you get to mostly appreciate it when playing games with 3D audio tech, like Astros playroom, Ghosts of Tsushima and even Resident Evil 4, specifically re4, the headphones are so useful for detecting nearby enemies and especially hidden treasures hanging from the ceiling in very dark environments but you hear them and with the 3d audio tech you always know where to look. Its brilliant. The overall comfort is good the ear cup material is very soft, the headband is a little tight at first, but you can always adjust the headband and ear cup lengths and theyre also fine to use with glasses.Only downside so far is probably the microphone, ive tried playing with friends online several times now and they all say the mic isnt great . However i didnt get these headphones for the social features, but for the immersion factor and for that alone i would highly recommend these to anyone. I did consider getting the artis pro insteads, but the £200 increase in price threw me off. Maybe in the future, but so far steel series has delivered. The packaging is premium, the unboxing feels premium and it also includes a little origami monster which is very cute. Overall adds up to a premium experience

What a Love/Hate Relationship!!!

The headset itself isnt quite as comfy to me as astro a50 but theyre ok. The support across the top really distributes the weight well which is great because theyre a tad bit heavy. The foam heats a bit more than astros making them slughtly less comfy. The feel is quality you wont question that all but mute button placement and chatmix wheel are both too difficult and poorly thought out. The mute light however is fire and the extendable mic boom is nothing short of amazing.The battery life too is nothing short of amazing. 4 days of fairly frequent use on a single charge, but im excellent ablut battery maintaince and care. (Charging from about 5-10% all the way to 100%, with no opportunistic charging or simultaneous use while doing so- if you follow this meta your ... MoreThe headset itself isnt quite as comfy to me as astro a50 but theyre ok. The support across the top really distributes the weight well which is great because theyre a tad bit heavy. The foam heats a bit more than astros making them slughtly less comfy. The feel is quality you wont question that all but mute button placement and chatmix wheel are both too difficult and poorly thought out. The mute light however is fire and the extendable mic boom is nothing short of amazing.The battery life too is nothing short of amazing. 4 days of fairly frequent use on a single charge, but im excellent ablut battery maintaince and care. (Charging from about 5-10% all the way to 100%, with no opportunistic charging or simultaneous use while doing so- if you follow this meta your batteries will last longer)The sound suffers because of the foam cushions and 40mm drivers and bass is the most heavily impacted seemingly. It doesnt punch hard at all so sound experience is flat and really lacking. Treble gets lost too one minute it will feel like your friends are wispering then certain frequencies of their voices will blast your head off like a 12 guage.The software is an absolute catastrophy. Everything from the drivers onward. Alot of this could have been avoided if they mentioned more details in the requirements for the software. I purchased a cheap little $200 laptop to use with this headset and software and IT DOESNT WORK! I keep getting a message, "The app is not compatible with your pc." Its a very irritating loss of $400 and after spending 15 hours of trying to troubleshoot I finally gave up. Its frustrating. I feel defeated and duped, and their customer service almost seemed like they were trying to make me furious. It was such a nightmare I gave up after the second or third response. Very tiring and mentally exhausting.I really had high asprirations for this headset coming from astros which arguably have the worst battery life for the last decade. If you add up all the good, it WOULD be an excellent headset, but no ability to update the firmware or change the sound profile on a $200 pc is a game breaker, especially when they fail to clearly list the rewquirements. The sound profile thats stock is awful, flat, tinny af, and anyone who considers themselves close to audiophile level will LTFAO. You can however hear the potential and I really think if i could tweak these I could make them sound less 1980ish.

Zachary's review of STEELSERIES Arctis Nova 7X 7.1 Gaming Headset - Black

Pros: Having upgraded from a cheap set of 6 year old headphones with a dodgy volume wheel these really don't compare. They are excellent. Firstly the headphones are very comforatble and light. The cups cover nicely and the noise isolation is good without the headphones being too tight. The design of the headstrap is sturdy and allows them to sit on your head well and there is plenty of adjustment. They have a pared back "gamer" aesthetic which is just enough if you like that kind of look (I do) while being muted enough to sit in any professional meeting.The sound quality is very good and the design of the mic is great and gives good voice, and allowing it to be tucked away is a great feature. They have a nice posisitive on off button and and led indictor to show if ... MorePros: Having upgraded from a cheap set of 6 year old headphones with a dodgy volume wheel these really don't compare. They are excellent. Firstly the headphones are very comforatble and light. The cups cover nicely and the noise isolation is good without the headphones being too tight. The design of the headstrap is sturdy and allows them to sit on your head well and there is plenty of adjustment. They have a pared back "gamer" aesthetic which is just enough if you like that kind of look (I do) while being muted enough to sit in any professional meeting.The sound quality is very good and the design of the mic is great and gives good voice, and allowing it to be tucked away is a great feature. They have a nice posisitive on off button and and led indictor to show if the mic is on and a quality feeling slidewheel for volume. The bluetooth connection is instant and very stable and the steelseries software is good enough. I had a few problems with a firmware update but nothing a hard restart didn't fix. The headphones charge quickly and work while charging via USB-C and 3.5 mm jack as well as bluetooth to phone though I haven't used this so can't comment. The versatility here is fantastic.Overall a top quality set of headphones and well worth it if you prefer wireless headphones as I do.Cons: Like everything these are not perfect but overall I'd recommend them.My only gripe is that while the sound is good, the low end is a little lacking. So if you really enjoy a base feel then perhaps look into another headphone with a different driver. As I say they needed a firmware update which failed to install a couple of times - not sure why. But a hard restart of phones and PC fixed the issue so cannot really complain.They are certainly worth the below 120 quid sale price I paid but perhaps not the full RRP. I paid a slight premium to get these from curries and collect in person rather than risk chance of fakes or postage problems.