A lot of companies struggle to make wireless gaming headsets that can compete with their wired counterparts. Luckily, it seems that SteelSeries has cracked the code with their Arctis 7 headphones.
SteelSeries Arctis 7 Review Summary
This headset is a real gem: it is reasonably priced, is pretty-well built, the sound quality is excellent and is very comfortable.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7 is not your average headset… it is truly beautiful! The aesthetics of this product are top of the line, due to the elegant and minimalistic style. You can get it in black or white, and both of them are equally gorgeous.
If you are tired of headsets that feel uncomfortable and make your ears sweat, then you are going to love the Arctis 7 because they’ve been engineered for optimal comfort, so you can use them non-stop for as long as you want.
A great feature is that the suspension headband allows you to regulate the tightness, so you can customize it according to your needs.
In terms of build quality, it is outstanding. And well, SteelSeries is known for putting plenty of work and detail in their products.
But what about sound quality? You get surround and stereo sound, so you can select the mode that better fits your needs. But it doesn’t stop there: you get several customization options, so you can tweak it as much as you want.
All in all the sound quality is excellent. It may not be as good as the Astro A40 TR + MixAmp Pro TR combo, but for the price, you cannot really complain, especially considering the fact that it’s wireless.
The sound is rich in details, therefore, it is excellent for FPS games. You can hear everything with an excellent degree of precision, which as you can easily guess, will bring you a great advantage.
The microphone works well. It is not the best in the market, but it works well. Your teammates will hear you loud and clear.
And as you know it is wireless, and the range is quite generous. Also, don’t worry too much about lags, because SteelSeries has done an amazing job with this headset, so they won’t be a problem. This is what makes it arguably the best wireless headset on the market, certainly for the price at least. It has all the advantages of being wireless but left most of the cons behind.
Although, there are certain cons: it lacks Bluetooth support and doesn’t come with music-specific features. It is a shame it doesn’t support Bluetooth and believe this to be a huge mistake because if it had been otherwise, the headset would be even better.
My verdict: The Arctis 7 by SteelSeries is an outstanding product. It does everything very well, from comfort to sound quality, and that’s why I can recommend it to you with total confidence.
Build Quality and Comfort: An In-depth Revision
You already know it is comfortable and suitable for long gaming sessions… but why exactly? Let’s find out!
This headset is one of the very few that uses an elastic headband, and I cannot understand why other manufacturers haven’t started using it! Thanks to this incredible feature you will find the perfect fit in no time, and as you know very well, it is a crucial factor in terms of comfort.
Another factor that comes into play is that it is very light-weight: 376 grams. And here is another aspect that makes it such a good headset: the adjustable fabric distributes the weight evenly. And yes, this is something that makes it even more comfortable than your average headset.
Now it is time to talk about the ear cups. You will be glad to know that SteelSeries used AirWeave for the ear cushions, with the purpose of keeping your ears fresh, comfortable and dry even after many hours.
The shape and size of the ear cups are alright, it won’t bother you, but it’d have been better if they used a similar design to HyperX’s, which are more spacious and therefore better for people with larger ears. But anyway, it is still a good solid choice.
Now it’s time to review the sound quality and its performance.
Sound Quality and Performance Reviewed in Detail
Even though I know that some of you, especially professional gamers prefer wired headsets, I have to say that the wireless performance of the Arctis 7 is quite impressing. Its range is generous and it is truly lag-free. Props for that. That being said, we can only test it for so long, I cannot claim that there won’t be minor lag issues after a thousand hours of use. For the time we tested it however, it showed a flawless wireless connection.
The sound quality, as you have seen before, is quite good. But let’s dig a bit deeper in order to understand why it scores so high.
If you decide to use it with its default settings, then you will notice that the sound is detailed, clear and a good performer in the bass, mids, and highs. But the real potential of this headset resides in its customization. If you want the Arctis 7 to shine, then be ready to use the SteelSeries Engine 3 software. That will help you to take the sound quality to the next level.
You can set up specific sound profiles for each game. For example, you can play around with the equalization settings, hit that sweet spot and create the profile and then link it to the game you desire. As simple as that.
Just a note: for FPS games the surround sound feature is the best. You will get more detail and be more oriented during the game. If you want a tactical advantage, then take this into account.
And in case you want to listen to music, surround sound is the way to go as well. You can also play around with the SteelSeries Engine 3 software, so you can create profiles for each genre: rock, pop, blues, jazz, metal, etc. But in all honesty, for some very picky audiophiles, this one may not be an ideal pick, because it lacks key music features.
And worry not, because the software is fairly easy to use. It is very intuitive, so in no time you will be creating your audio profiles. It is very easy!
Battery Life
Now we can’t really discuss wireless connection or the overall performance of a wireless peripheral without mentioning its battery. No matter how good a headset is, it can quickly turn sour with poor life time. Luckily this is not an issue you will ever experience with Arctis 7. Not only is the battery life time on the good side of the scale, it also comes with a USB plug. This basically means that should you run out of battery, you still have a phenomenal wired headset. And it will work the second you plug it in, even if it was depleted entirely.
Conclusion and Final Verdict:
SteelSeries really did an amazing job with the Arctis 7. This headset offers pretty much everything to any gamer out there. Therefore, if you are looking for an outstanding wireless headset, then this one may be perfect for you.
There is money to be saved if you decide to go with the wired version, the Arctis 5. Which is equally impressive for a considerably lower price. However, if you want wireless, the Arctis 7 is as good as it gets.
You already know all about it, so take a bit of time to evaluate it all and take a decision. If you decide to buy it, trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
