SteelSeries Arctis 7 - Lossless Wireless Gaming Headset with DTS Headphone: X v2.0 Surround - for PC and PlayStation 4 - Black

So I purchased this just weeks ago and I was so excited because this was my first foray into wireless headsets. Furthermore, I did my research and was deciding between Razer, Steelseries and Logitech. Most review websites were raving about the superior sound quality of the Steelseries Arctis 7. Well guess what? The sound is crap. Fresh out the box, I updated the Steelseries Engine 3 software and patched the headset, but the soundstage in my ears was skewed around 30 degrees to the left. That means that everything I hear in my ears seems to be coming from the left. Sometimes, there was nothing to the right. Whether I was listening to music or playing games, the sound was skewed to the left. I tried tweaking different settings in the Engine 3 but to no avail. So I did what any logical person would do -- I contacted the Steelseris customer service on 30 September 2018. Every reply from them takes around 2 - 3 working days. Slow responses notwithstanding, the customer service representative did not seem to know why the issue was happening. He only suggested 2 options. Firstly, he told me to reset the hardware via a magical button hidden in the left earcup. I had to peel off the cushioning, find one of those iPhone pins, and then hold the button for a certain amount of time, at which point the headset should reset. There is no indication anywhere so I had to just hope it worked. (It works when you realise you have to re-pair the headset to the USB receiver that came with it.) After re-pairing with the receiver, the issue was improved by maybe 5 degrees but the soundstage was still skewed to the left. The issue becomes more apparent at lower volumes. The customer service reps next solution was to go straight to the RMA process. After asking me to send in my receipt, they agreed to RMA the product conditionally if I send in evidence (screenshot) of the destroyed product - i.e. breaking off the left earcup and showing the serial number. Which I did on 14 October. Its 16 October and my reply from them was that my RMA is declined -- with NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER WHY. So basically, lets recap -- Steelseries sold me a product that has some weird issue, took 2 weeks to correspond with me, agreed to RMA my purchase, and then after I had destroyed it, proceeded to screw me over and tell me the RMA is rejected. Take this as a lesson learnt -- DO NOT BUY THEIR PRODUCTS. WONKY. FAULTY. PATHETIC CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND WILL ABSOLUTELY SCREW YOU OVER FOR NO REASON AT ALL.

I have had this pair of headsets for 3 years and I have enjoyed them. when playing an FPS I can actually hear footsteps clearly which gives me a bit of an edge and helps me in games. I also use this to listen to music and play RPGMMOs like FFXIV, the sound quality is amazing. I have recommended these to my friends and family if they have the money for them. Yes they are a little pricey but you get what you pay for and they are definitely well worth the money. I bought a second pair for my gaming laptop. I will say after 3 years the ear pads are a little worn but I think I can replace them without replacing the headset itself. One thing I did have to get used to is the headset did feel a little tight on my head but after adjusting the head band it was perfect.

I purchased the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless headphones after a disappointing experience with a Logitech G903 and I have to say there is no comparison. For sound quality these are great at the 100-150 price-point these do well compared with other options. It is important to note that these are not noise canceling so if you are in a noisy environment they will not isolate you that much from your surroundings. The real selling point with these though is the battery life; I still get 15-16 hours out of a single charge after a year of constant use. This is dramatically better than any other wireless headset I have ever used and really makes this product for me. The only issues I have with this product are relatively minor. First the charging is done via a micro-usb cable and I would like to see this updated to use the more modern usb-c. Second the strap that sits between the top of the headset and the users head makes a relatively poor method for securing the device to your person and makes it unusable in anything more intense than a VR experience Seeing as micro-usb is still somewhat relevant and this is not marketed as a sports headset I do not see either of these as serious issues. TLDR: Great battery, good price and quality.

The best of the best

So it clearly states 24h battery, but Ive never gotten more than 14 out of mine. And while granted, 14 hours is enough for all day, Id like to have known that up front. Also the fact that SteelSeries has their own proprietary connection is still kind of annoying, especially with how much they charge for a replacement. Also, I personally hate the Game Chat dial feature. On more than one occasion I have not realized it was dialed all the way to Game and not realized I couldnt hear anyone talking. One time it even happened in a meeting, very embarrassing. There is no indication or alert or anything about it. There could be zero activity and Game and maxed volume sounds in Chat, but if the dial is set to Game, you would never know. I have no problems with clamping or the ski fabric that other users have. But there is one feature that the Arctis 7 has that I really like. The transceiver includes Line In and Line Out ports. This is really great for me if I want to use my computers audio, but also want audio from my PS4 or Switch or phone. Gone are the days of my wearing headphones over earbuds.

The SteelSeries Arctis 7 is a well-made, wireless, and aesthetically pleasing set of headphones. I originally bought this because (1) I needed a new set of headphones, and (2) it was recommended by a friend. I am writing this review after four (4) months of almost daily usage. AESTHETICS/PACKAGING The packaging of the product and the aesthetic of the product itself is great. I have zero complaints as I have received the package in brand-new condition. I absolutely love the white colour of the headphones -- it is sleek, matte, and clean. There is no RGB feature, so if you are an RGB junkie, this product is not for you. FUNCTIONALITY (1) PC: I use a Windows 10 system, and so far the functionality has been fine for me for the most part. At first, I didnt know why it just turned off after 30 minutes of being idle. It took me a while to figure out the fact that I can set up the headphones to automatically shut off, or just to leave it on (although thatd drain my battery). The nice thing about these headphones is that if you forget to power it off after shutting down your PC, itll automatically power down after a solid 10-15 minutes, which is great for power-saving. I also love how I can go back and forth with Game and Chat mode on my headphones. At first it was confusing, but with some time and usage, I got used to it and became handy when I utilise Discord and whatever game that I am playing. The fact that I can mute myself without using a mute function on my software has to be the best thing. Sometimes my friends find me suspicious or weird when I mute myself (I... dont know why), or sometimes if I have to sneeze/cough a lot because Im sick, this is a quick and easy way to excuse myself from others during a voice call. As for usage with gaming, it is very smooth and does not break or disrupt. The only time when it will is if you have a connectivity issue with your wireless hub thats provided (probably with your wire or USB), or your Internet connection (for any voice calls). (2) OTHER ELECTRONICS: I have tried using this for my phone, but the only issue is that your phone will not work with the wireless functionality, as it must be wired (wire for 3.5mm jack is provided in the package). Ive used it for my phone once, and never again. The headphones are kind of bulky for me to carry it around unless if I bring it for conference calls in business trips. COMFORT As a female, my head is smaller than an average male head and so sometimes I find my headphones slipping off here and there. The ear cushions are soft and comfortable -- Ive never found an issue with the cushions regarding comfort. CONNECTIVITY The fact that these are wireless are life-changing. If youve never used wireless anything, its really time to change. I can go from my room to the restroom (which usually causes disruption) to another room thats at least 15 feet away, and there is no disturbance or disruption. In fact, I went outside (right by my back door to the back yard) and I can still speak and listen to music/audio clearly. COMPATIBILITY I can only speak for Windows 10 (PC). It works perfectly with the system and Ive had no problems with it so far. BATTERY LIFE Obviously with any system, the battery life is pristine the first time you use it. The headphones have lasted me about 3 days of an average of 4-6 hours of usage/day. I would say thats pretty solid for a set of wireless headphones. The great thing about this headset is you can tell when the battery is going low by the power button light (will not be green) and the sound it makes when you power on/off the headset (will have a slower sound when power is low). Currently, I use the headphones for 4-6 hours a day, for about 3 days of usage, with just a single full charge. I charge my headphones when I do not use my PC (with my PC on since it is USB charge). NOISE-CANCELLING FEATURES This is the one feature I dislike about this product, which is why Im giving this product 4-stars. Ive noticed that the noise-cancelling feature is the weakest point of this product -- the sound leaks A LOT from the headset to the point where if I were to just leave my audio running with my headset off with medium volume, I can hear the music from about a 5-10 feet distance. Id say, thats not a good sign if you want noise-cancelling features. Luckily I do not care so much about this feature and my rooms door does that job, so Im okay with it. OVERALL 4/5 rating, mostly because of the noise-cancelling feature and my grip with these headphones. Otherwise, the general functionality, compatibility, and aesthetic features of the product is very satisfying. Its a great overall product, and Id recommend it to anyone who isnt sensitive about noise-cancelling features.

But I cant. In fact, I usually dont write 3 star reviews, but in some ways, I feel like Im being generous. I actually have two of these headsets. I personally found them so comfortable, that when I had to stop b/c of running out of power (and FYI, the 24 hour estimate is hogwash!) I wanted a second pair to put on, despite the annoyance of having to go into Windows to reset my audio every whatever. Heres the thing though. This set has a TON of quirks that Ive just never seen in another set. And, TL;DR - its enough for me to finally give up on the most comfortable headset ever. 1. Beeping. Go google it. Youll find TONS of people saying the thing beeps, and there are just as many solutions, but in my case, none of them work. Get this: even muting system sounds doesnt make it stop. Somehow, this has a receiver thats sitting not three feet from the headset itself, yet, it still makes disconnection sounds, sometimes, about ten in 5 seconds. Yes, that fast. Its insane. 2. As mentioned by others, distortion. Dropping $150 on a headset, you figure you can crank this puppy up, but nope. Particularly with voices (like watching 90% of youtube or twitch), when a person is talking, its very easy to pick up a lot of cracking and distortion. 3. The aforementioned time. Good grief, Im lucky if I get ten hours out of this thing after a year. Its certainly not 20+. 4. is related to 3 so...I did figure out this one issue - I had thought it wouldnt take a charge, but in actuality, theres a bug in the software where the green light on the power button (which is where you know its charged) turns red.. and STAYS RED. It was out of the warranty period, so I bought another headset, but turns out, that if you leave it plugged in while its charging, and then turn it on, while plugged in, the light turns back to green. ...? WTF! Yes, its a known bug, they havent fixed it (and face it, they wont now) but, if you have this headset - youre welcome. /eyeroll 5. Volume. As others have noted, at MAX setting there are times when I can barely hear whats being played, which is kind of insane. I have a Razer Synapse that performs WAY better. I just have to assume their governor in the Arctis 7 is set to protect the user, but in fact, its really disappointing. Im all for not blaring music, but this is ridiculous. 6. Did I mention the beeping? Ive tried so many things - moving the receiver (it comes with one that is already 3 feet long - it sits on my desk). I also learned that plugging a headset into a USB hub can cause issues (and it did seem to get a little better when I took out that thing from the loop) but it didnt fix the problem. And, when its fully charged, it seems like it works a bit better. Sometimes I can get a few hours without any beeps. But then, another time, Ill pull it off the shelf (I have three headsets hanging on the wall behind me) and BAM.. fresh off a charger, it beeps at me about 30 times in a minute, and I just give up and go back to a Razer I have. I definitely cannot recommend this headset to anyone else. I read on many websites a few years ago how this one went back and forth with a few other brands for being the best available at the time, but I just dont see it. When they have several common errors that they refuse to fix, one just has to assume its the company not willing to go the distance. Am now in search of another wireless headset that

Alright so this review will be a little bit lengthy as I try to detail as much as I can. Just to be clear, this review is based on my experience with PC ONLY. I dont use this for my PS4 but because it uses its own wireless connector, I would imagine the quality is almost no different than that of the PC. So for starters, the packaging was alright. Nothing extraordinary and it had everything you need for it. The software available for the headset is a MUST, in my opinion. Its not actually needed but its sure as heck a huge boost to audio quality since you can modify it to your hearts content. It has different presets to choose from or you can mess with the equalizer yourself. You also have a wheel on each cup. One is to control the volume and the other to adjust the audio between chat and the game, so the chat volume is louder than the game or vice versa. This has NO LED lights, so if you thought it did, for some reason, youd be dissapointed. I bought this on December 1st and at the time of typing this review, it is December 6th and I have only needed to charge the headset 1 time. I have used it quite extensively. Livestreamed 3 times for 6 hours each and listened to music for another couple more hours and while it still didnt need recharging, it had finally gotten to the lower side. So I recharged it and its quite high in battery life still. Second is the clasp and the ability to adjust the size. The cups are SO soft and are made of this really comfortable fabric; its like a cloud. The clasp isnt so hard and with soft cups, you wont even want to take them off anyway. Now to adjust the size of the headset, you use this ski goggle band...thing. Its basically a strap and im still not too sure how to feel about it since it is my first time using something like this. Im used to simply extending the cups down, but I think im liking the strap a bit since it feels a little more comfortable and its one less component that can break on the headset. Just dont be trying to take it off or youll lose it. Next is the microphone. The microphone extends and retracts into and out the headset, which I always felt is the coolest way to have a mic on the headset. You can press a button on the back of the cup to mute/unmute the mic and you can change its volume on the software. The mic quality is...audible. You can understand what a person is saying clearly, but its sounds closer to potato quality, kinda like a webcam mic but slightly better. Personally I use my Blue Snowball, enhanced with VB Audio software. Finally is the bass. In the software you can increase the amount of bass in the headset. I increased it to the max and you can indeed hear the bass very nicely. Some would say the bass is great. But if you are like me and you know that bass isnt so much about sound, but feeling, then this headset is lacking. You can hear the bass in the music but you cant FEEL it vibrate the cups nor your head. I have an old PlayStation Pulse headset and THAT has bass. I increase the slider to the max on the cup for the bass volume and the headset begins to massage my brain. This headset does not do that in the slightest. Dont get me wrong though, the overall sound quality is exquisite as I can hear things in games in such detail, I never even knew those sounds were ever in there to begin with. The directional audio is very good too as it gives a pretty good idea how far something is as well as the direction its coming from. Final verdict 4/5 stars. Just missing the brain massaging bass for a 5 stars. Oh also this thing uses micro usb as a charger, which we all know is a poop version of the usb, so be gentle when charging.

Have had about a week. Bought to replace my Hyperx Cloud Flights (which I bought to replace my Corsair HS70s!) As I review these I just finished a 5 hour gaming session, no usually my longest but the comfort is there. Still waiting to see if they give pain in my ears/face/jaw area like the two previous sets did but I think the outlook is well. You are required to install Engine 3 from SteelSeries to access battery meter and equalizer settings, no surprise there. Engine 3 uses a purely 3 bar battery for means of telling you how much charge is left.. % would have been better as 1 bar can mean anything from 5-30%! The ski band is kinda quirky but I can appreciate them trying something different. Despite it looking strange its actually quite comfortable to wear. The earphones also have a nice swivel that my previous headphones did not.. I think these two niches really set the headset apart from others on the market. Microphone is somewhat a mixed bag. You get a giant red led letting you know its off.. okay. While fully extended it doesnt seem to go right near your mouth so youre kind of talking out the side of your mouth to make sure its working. Sidetone users REJOICE! This headset has Sidetone from None, to Low, Medium and High; very good to include! I believe these are worth a try and if you like them definitely keep. The price is a bit high but I understand SteelSeries is a solid peripheral manufacturer.