Steelseries Arctis 7

8.5
8.5 score
[Editors rating (8.5)] = (TheGearHunt) score (8.5)/10


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Editor rating: 8.5 / 10
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Steelseries Arctis 7 Review Facts

When you are shopping for a good headset there are a few things you really need to consider. One, you need to decide what exactly you plan to use them for most. This could be gaming, connecting with friends online, phone calls or just music.

Two, how active are you going to be when wearing them? Not every headset is built for taking out and jogging or riding your bike. Some are specifically built for when you are going to be sitting still like you would be listening to music while you read or write and when you are gaming. Others are truly not that great when you are going to be wearing them for hours of leisurely activity- they are designed to stay put for heavier activities.

And lastly, are you needing them just for audio, or do you need them to have a mic? Once you have answered all of these questions, what we have to say about each pair can aid you in the deeper aspects. We like to take a few steps beyond the basics, which is why we bring you so many to look at. This pair is a gaming set, so if that’s what you want, let’s head in to see if what they have to offer is going to be what you need.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Amazing sound quality
  • Price
  • Wireless
  • Comfortable
  • Great design
  • Good battery life
Cons
  • Microphone is not strong
  • Complicated sound adjustment
  • Complicated phone set up

Activities for Use

Intended for gaming, this set definitely accomplishes its main goal. With a little leg work to set it up, you can get the perfect sound for any game type you may enjoy playing, and as for its versatility- it works with PC, PS4, and Xbox1!

You can enjoy this headset wirelessly or by plugging it in and it is up to you just how much work you want to put in to assure you have a pre-set sound setup for each game type. Most of the users do suggest taking that little bit of extra time, however. It’s decent for phone calls, better for online use on Skype or other voice messengers, but really is intended for gaming over mobile devices. It has a great sound quality and is not overly bulky for wearing out in public, just sleek enough to pass off if listening to music while walking, but it isn’t the best pair if your intending major activities. This set does best what it was meant to do- make hours of gameplay comfortable and enjoyable.

Basic Features

Wireless headphones, at their most basic, are an audio feed device, but with a gaming set, you also have the attached microphone. This pair has both great audio and a decent mic that can be rotated up away from your mouth if all you need is the sound. They come in black and white for colors and have a mesh cloth cover over the entire set to give comfort to the player for hours of gaming. This set also features volume control on one of the ear cuffs to allow for quickly raising and lowering your game or music for those moments when the natural volume drastically changes. It also has a USB dongle to allow wired connection when needed to hold stead connection with an Xbox or PS4.

Advanced Features

This set does have a few really good extra features, for instance, the fact it has a program for setting the volume and sounds perfect for each game or music type. It does require a little footwork and learning exactly what each thing does, but it is well worth it according to owners. The mic itself also is retractable on this set, so you can pull it back entirely if you are planning to go out and don’t want it to be overtly obvious that you are wearing a gaming headset while listening to your tunes. With a 12-meter wireless distance, you can easily connect to your devices and remain at a comfortable distance without losing out on the connection.

The addition of the memory foam beneath the cloth allows for this set to give you that advanced comfort so that your head doesn’t feel the dig of plastic or aluminum as well, which we feel is a great addition to the pair. You will get quality comfort and use out of these which is incredible when considering that they are actually affordable.

Sound Quality

This set has good quality sound right out of the packaging, even before you really get started with tinkering the settings on its adjustment program. This means no matter what you choose to use them with, you won’t be disappointed. However, the program it comes with allows for much finer tweaking.

Make sure every part of your music, sound effects and or voices come through at perfect levels for your hearing. With the ability to set up profiles based on the type of games, you need only set each once, and you can just select that profile when you are going into the games best designed for it. Never have to deal with constantly resetting your volume control every time you switch and get exactly what you need for the best experience!

Connectivity

The wireless in this set is actually rather impressive according to most users. As long as you stay within the 12-meter range, they don’t tend to lose connectivity, and for those like us out there- if you need to be more than 40 feet from your device, you may need to rethink your set up! This set is impressive in that they are able to connect to the three main gaming devices currently in the industry: Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Most times we hear that there were at least some hiccups when wireless, but all those that have tried them have said as long as you are in a range they stay connected and hold quality sound. They can also be plugged using their USB adapter and splitter cords if needed. No matter how you like to play this set seems to accommodate you.

Comfort

Completely innovative with this pair, the set has memory foam for padding on every place where it presses to your head. It has a protective and comfortable mesh style cloth covering to allow your skin to breath as well which can be replaced easily when it wears out. The Arctic also utilizes newer and better style to keep the wearer comfortable and safe by having the cuff style where the earpieces don’t actually rest on your ear, but rather are held slightly off while your ears are surrounded by that comfortable ovular piece around the outside of your ear.

This keeps heat from building up too much and causing problems with headaches and ear infections. This means you can sit comfortably and not have a migraine an hour into gamine and can truly enjoy the experience.

Style

The design style for this was to give off the impression of professional gaming while also holding that look of something comfortable that didn’t look ‘off’ when worn outside. This was pulled off wonderfully well and even had a lot of extra work put in to keep them a little more comfortable than some of the top line pro pairs. They can hide the mic and aren’t overly bulky while remaining secure over your ears for easy listening. The ability to adapt between wired and wireless also means you can switch them from one role to another without having to sacrifice their quality. So, if what you want is a headset that works, doesn’t draw incredulous looks, and still leaves you with reliable sound and communication, you have that with this pair! We dare to even say the style truly sets these apart from others competing in the same level of gaming sets.

Durability

If you want a pair that lasts, looks good and even has the ability to maintain after months of use, you may find yourself continuing to head for this one. This product is durable and doesn’t lose its quality of sound or communication after only a few weeks of use like others in its price range tend to do. These also have you covered for when your material might become worn out, with replacements available through the company to keep them good looking and comfortable even after months of constant use- and trust us, you will be using them a lot once you get them- they are a great buy. Often the sound quality or time you can use a wireless set diminishes as you use them, but all of the users have stated that with this set, as long as they are used as intended, neither gets any less reliable.

Ease of Use

The basics of this set are actually quite easy to use, volume control on one of the ear cuffs and wireless set up so that you can use it. It has a very simple recharge port which connects through USB, and even the ability to become wired what you want to use it on does not support the wireless aspects of the headset. Once you go into the actual gaming profile setups for sound quality to match a particular type, the set up can take a moment to understand. However, it isn’t overly complicated to figure out, and most have said that once you make one profile, making another is quick. You can make several profiles so that once you have everything done the first time you can just select the one you need the next time you sit down to play.

Power Source

This pair has internal rechargeable batteries, and for the most part, is wireless. Though it can be connected through a normal headset jack, they continue to run on the batteries even then. This is not a detriment, surprisingly, as most wireless pairs prove to be. The battery life is actually very good, and you don’t end up with what most pairs will- a battery that holds less and less charge over time. Even after a year, most users say their set continues to hold the same praiseworthy charge they did when they were first purchased.

The base time that this pair can run without updates is an impressive 15 hours on a single charge and holds at that length at least, but you can extend the battery life with a firmware update that brings it to 24 hours of use. Players do state that over time you will lose a little of that extra time, but not enough to have your set die on you during a health long play.

Price

We were definitely pleasantly surprised by the price for this headset given all the praise it got. This product works at near to if not equal quality of some of the beginning professional grade gaming sets that are available at a lot less of a cost to your wallet. At $123 USD, this pair costs less than half of the Arctic’s pro version even which is decidedly something to consider when you decide to purchase your next gaming set.

In some regards, the professional lines are a step or two better than this one, but in most cases, you’ll find that these actually outperform a few. They for sure outperform others of the same price and are considered one of the best at its level. You may still have to save up, but they are worth it with how long they last and at the quality, they sit at.

Key Features

-Up to 24 hour battery life
-Quality sound
-Sleek design
-Versatility
-Sound profiles
-Comfort
-Durability

Bottom Line

If you want a reliable headset that is comfortable, lasts an entire run, and won’t make you flinch at the tag, this set is probably the answer you are looking for. It has great quality and it will hold up for a long time before needing anything to replace it. The fact that it has a good program to set up individual gaming profiles makes it compete with a step above its ranks, giving you closer to professional grad while at the same time its sleek appearance won’t embarrass you in public. This is definitely next gen set to get you ready to go to the top of your game.