Danish company Steelseries has long been delivering decent headphones that offer both sound quality and comfort. During the spring, they launched their new Arctis Nova 7 series, including versions P (optimized for PlayStation), X (optimized for Xbox), and the standard variant.
The Arctis Nova 7 utilizes a robust plastic construction and features the same design as Steelseries’ other headphones. It’s a tried and true design that fits my head very well, but if you don’t like their latest headphones, there are no major design changes here. I find that the included mesh cushions don’t feel as comfortable on my ears as a pair of nice leather cushions, but that’s one of the trade-offs you have to make if you’re not interested in paying for Steelseries’ luxury variants. However, most parts can be replaced in the future if you want to upgrade the headset a bit or simply keep it fresh.
The microphone is retractable from the left ear cup, which is a nice design detail. This means you don’t have to detach it when using the headphones on the go, reducing the risk of misplacing it when you need it again. It’s worth mentioning, though, that the microphone remains active even when retracted, so you’ll need to mute it either through a button on the headset or via the software if you don’t want people to hear what you’re saying. The headphones connect easily through a small dongle that plugs into USB-C, allowing you to easily connect it to a Switch or smartphones as well. If your computer doesn’t have USB-C, a USB-A cable is also included.
Arctis Nova 7 also supports the ability to connect to your phone via Bluetooth while getting audio from your computer. This means you can take calls while gaming or listen to a podcast while playing. It’s a really practical feature that I hope becomes standard in all wireless headsets in this price range.
As usual with Steelseries, the sound quality for gaming and movies is really high, even at high volumes. However, to experience 360-degree Spatial Audio, you need to use the Steelseries Sonar software. If you want to get this surround sound on consoles, you’ll need to purchase the console-specific models. If you want to fine-tune the sound, you can do so using Steelseries’ own GG software, which offers a lot of settings to play with. However, music doesn’t sound as fantastic and generally feels a bit flat compared to dedicated headphones in the same price range. The microphone sound is nothing special either, but it works fine if you’re just hanging out on voice chat and playing some Dota.
Speaking of sound, some external sound leaks into the Arctis Nova 7 compared to, for example, the Arctic Nova Pro. It also doesn’t have active noise cancellation, but it’s also cheaper, so you’ll have to decide what you prioritize here.
Battery life is rarely a problem nowadays for wireless headsets, and that’s also the case for these headphones. Steelseries claims that a fully charged battery lasts for 38 hours, which sounds about right. I never felt the need to charge them frequently, so it wasn’t something I really thought about during the testing period. But if you’re in a pinch during a Fortnite session, you can also connect the headset via the regular 3.5mm cable, and the headphones offer fast charging, which gives six hours of battery life after 15 minutes of charging.
In summary, Steelseries continues to deliver good stuff this time as well, and it’s hard to be dissatisfied.
