SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless Multi-Platform Gaming Headset — Neodymium Magnetic Drivers — 2.4GHz + Mixable Bluetooth — 38Hr USB-C Battery — ClearCast Gen2 AI Mic — PC, PS5, Switch, VR, Mobile

After a lot of research I chose this as a multipurpose gaming/music/travel friendly headset. So far I’ve been very satisfied with the Nova 7. I’ll start with my only small complaint: they almost slip off my head sometimes. I might need to buy bigger ear pads to make them more secure on my small head but so far it hasn’t been too much of an issue. I like the pads it comes with but I have them on the tightest setting and they just don’t have quite enough clamping pressure for me. But I love everything else about them. They hold a charge very well, they sound great once you play with the settings (they were only ok right out of the box), and the mic hides away completely which is neat. I use them mostly on Bluetooth to listen to audiobooks or music from my phone, but also for gaming and even some online meetings. Everyone on the other side says the mic is crisp. I like that you can independently turn on the Bluetooth or wifi or both. Makes it easy to control what it is connected to. A few key points: -range is plenty for me to walk a few rooms away before it starts to cut out -mic feeds in outside sounds so you can hear your surroundings if needed. This can be turned off completely or you can mute your mic which disables it temporarily. -sound quality is not going to sound fantastic until you play with the equalizer. You have to download their software to set it on the headphones directly, and/or you can set the equalizer on each of your audio sources. -you can use them while charging but they also charge pretty quickly -mic retracts. This is cool and convenient for me but probably best for people who don’t use the mic all the time because I’m not sure how well it will hold up to frequent handling. I am switching to these from the Sennheiser game one, which I actually really liked. Very different headsets but just in case anyone could use a comparison, here are my thoughts. The sound quality on the Nova 7 is comparable but required some set up, while the Sennheiser was great for music and general use right out of the box. The Nova 7 has a huge advantage for being Bluetooth and WiFi capable and still allowing wired connection. The Sennheiser was more secure on my head and overall slightly lighter and more comfortable. The mic on the Nova 7 is slightly better but both are fine for gaming. The Sennheiser has an open back which I prefer for airflow and being able to hear things around me. The Nova 7 background noise feed is not as good as actual open back imo since it can get a little annoying if you turn the volume up (because it can sound like loud static noise). But you can mute it or increase volume at the source instead of the headphones. There’s also a setting in the software to lower the volume on this. Basically, there are so many features you can make it work just the way you want, it just requires more fiddling than the Sennheisers.

First, the good: +Sounds good +Battery lasts relatively long time +The retractable mic makes the headset feel less cumbersome +Comfortable to wear for a long time +Being able to use both bluetooth and 2.4ghz is amazin +/- Customizeable with swappable side plates and head strap Now the (HUGE) Negative: --SteelSeries GG is awful. The app itself is fine, but it automatically switches your output depending on what it detects. It's great when it works, but it is constantly disconnecting. When switching from one game to another, you will hear a beep. This means your headset has disconnected and you will have to disconnect and reconnect the dongle. This will sometimes happen while playing the same game. This can be avoided by not using the GG software. I uninstalled it after much frustration, and used the headset with the basic drivers. This worked great for a while. You have to manually select the output device, but this saves you the frustration of the GG software, which is very worth it. After a month of no issues, the headset refused to output any sound from the 2.4ghz connection. The bluetooth worked just fine. In the end, I had to reinstall the GG software. I will try to uninstall again once I am done writing this review. I love this headset, but the disconnection issue is such a big problem that I would recommend shopping around before deciding to purchase this. EDIT: I contacted SteelSeries support and they were able to send me a new headset. Their customer service is amazing, and was able to get me a replacement super fast. Unfortunately I am experiencing all of the same issues as before on the new headset, and even reinstalled Windows to see if that would fix anything. Still disappointed, but happy with how great their customer service was. EDIT 2: I installed Windows 11 and now the headset works flawlessly. I reinstalled Windows 10 twice only to have the same issue so I'm a bit confused as to why it works now, but I am going to change my rating to reflect my new experience. I have had no issues with connectivity at all since installing Windows 11 so now I get to enjoy this headset to the fullest.

This is, hands down, the worst headset I've ever owned in my life. I owned the Arctis 3 for multiple years, but they were starting to have issues (especially with battery life as I used it every day for meetings), and I was looking for a replacement. Decided to go with an upgraded model of what I owned, the Arctis 7, but that was a huge mistake. For starters, the wireless receiver if you don't want to use Bluetooth is elongated horizontally in a way that it blocks other USB-C ports on my devices. Then, by default, the headset has on hearing your own voice while talking, which I cannot use as it is too distracting for me. The only way to turn off this feature is to install the specialized software, which is impossible on my work computer. I did this on my personal machine, then tried to connect the device back up to my work computer, and the end result was that the wireless connection no longer worked on my work computer at all. The device would be connected on the computer, but no audio input nor output was received. I switched to Bluetooth connectivity. This resolved the above problem, with no voice-playback, but the Bluetooth is horribly built. Sometimes the headset won't connect to Bluetooth at all and needs to be power cycled to work. Sometimes it will connect, but receive no audio input nor output and had to be power cycled OR disconnected and reconnected to work, there's no guarantee on either method and it was complete trial and error. When you're trying to connect these to start a meeting, this is insanely frustrating. The killer for me, above all the rest, is that eventually the device stopped working on Bluetooth at all, and I had to un-pair the headset from my work computer and re-pair to get it to work. This an annoying process because you cannot do it while the device is already on for Bluetooth, you have to turn it off, then back on, and hold the Bluetooth power button to initiate a pairing event. Which may or may not succeed. Sometimes the work computer couldn't see the headset, other times it could, despite no other conditions changing. Sometimes, it would pair only to continue the earlier issue. After this happened to me three times in a day, I threw them away. I couldn't take it anymore. In addition to the rest of this review, the headset has a distinct Bluetooth power and Wireless power, which work distinctly from each other but are also reliant on each other, it makes no sense. Every part of user-interfacing hardware on this device is infuriating in its functionality and design. In terms of sound quality, at least it had that. Audio was crisp and clean, and I received reports from peers that the microphone quality was significantly improved over the Arctis 3. I just wish everything else wasn't completely awful.

I purchased these to use with my newly built pc so I didn't have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting my SS Arctis 9X between that and my Xbox Series X. And also because my 9X cannot use wireless and Bluetooth simultaneously on PC. I will start by saying that these sound excellent. And my friends have told me the mic sounds great. I was already a fan of Steel Series because of my 9X's, and these have lived up to my expectations easily. Pros: 1. Wireless and BT! I love being able to hear my game/chat and also listen to something on my phone at the same time. Or answer a call while playing. 2. Lightweight/Comfort. I can wear them all day and it doesn't bother me at all. And the headband is super comfortable. 3. USB C charging. I have a lot of USB C cables for all my other devices and my 9X is the only thing that uses Micro USB so I'm glad they updated these 4. Build quality feels solid. Some people complain about them breaking or feeling cheap, but mine feel great. Though I do take very good care of them. 5. Battery life/charging. The battery lasts pretty long and they charge pretty quick. Cons: 1. They aren't quit as comfortable as my 9X are. Though they are still pretty comfortable so I don't even like counting this as a con. 2. The buttons (power, BT, mute) and volume control/chat mix wheels aren't as easy to find or control while I'm wearing them as my 9X. 3. The mic isn't as flexible as I'd like. It always pulls out into the same position and doesn't adjust as easily as the 9X. Conclusion: Overall I am extremely happy with these. I couldn't afford the go with the Nova Pro Wireless or even the Arctis 9 which would have been my first two choices. And I got these for $130 which is $50 cheaper than you can get them most other places. So far, they have been worth every penny and all of the cons I listed are just me nitpicking and none of them are even close to a big enough deal for me to rate them any less than 5 stars. I have only had them a week so far, but I am currently going through a pretty aggressive treatment for cancer and can't work so I am home all the time and use these almost all day everyday. But if I do run into any issues, I will update this review. I would highly recommend these if you are in the market for a mid-high range wireless headset for PC. My only other non-SS headset in the last few years is the RIG 800 PRO HX, which was also an excellent headset, but I would take the Nova 7 anyday over those.

=========== UPDATE 5 ============ After the problem was finally fixed (see below), these are a great pair of headphones and do exactly what I need by allowing both Bluetooth and a PC audio feed simultaneously. I use them to watch content or take calls on my IPhone while gaming on the PC. They are comfortable, have great sound and function correctly now that the power save issues were fixed by updated firmware. =========== UPDATE 4 ============ It is a month after the firmware update, and I have not had to do a manual reset once. This completely proves that the original issue, the one they wanted me to return the headset over, was a software problem and not a defective headset. Think of it this way: if I had done what they had asked, returned it to Amazon for a replacement, I would have had EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE because it would have been using the same buggy firmware. This should be a lesson to the product manager and service manager at SteelSeries: 1) don't be lazy 2) don't treat customers like they are stupid - in this case I knew more about your headset than you did 3) don't antagonize customers and make them do useless work unless you are OK getting bad reviews =========== UPDATE 3 ============ I attempted to follow their RMA instructions, but they changed their mind and suggested I return it to Amazon instead. Meanwhile, I had come to understand what was triggering the headset firmware crashes, and I am able to avoid them by carefully ensuring that both bluetooth and native sides of the headset are off before connecting it to USB for charging. By following this procedure, I was able to reduce the resets to one or two per week. THEN THEY PUSHED A FIRMWARE UPDATE THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM. Around Dec 20, SteelSeries pushed a firmware update (Tsmit version 0.1.11.0, Headset version 1.13, BT version 1.8) AND IT COMPLETELY FIXED THE PROBLEM. So I was correct, their FW was the problem the whole time, and their support was too rigid and inflexible to deal with this issue the correct way. Good headset, lousy software / support team. =========== UPDATE 2 ============ After living with the "headset goes unresponsive after 12 hours of idle, reset with paperclip" for a couple of weeks, it was happening every 2-3 days. Support email indicated early on they'd like to RMA the unit for a replacement, though they didn't do any troubleshooting (2 day turnaround?!) so they seem to think every problem is faulty hardware. I'm doing the RMA with faint hope this is a faulty unit, rather than just buggy firmware. =========== UPDATE ============= As I was packing this up for return, I tried using a much longer paperclip in the opposite earpiece as described in the support video. Instead of the earpiece with the mic, I used the opposite one - and with the longer paperclip, I was able to get a reset. Now the headset is working again. This appears to be a problem with the software's auto power save - it won't wake up. Now, because the company has no support communication - they don't know about this bug, so it will simply keep happening. What a terrible experience this is. ============================== I had a prior generation, bought this to replace it after the USB charging port broke. After normal use after opening, charging and performing the required "critical update" from within the comical and trashy desktop app, the next morning the headset just stopped working. The mic light went red and no amount of button pushing or connecting/disconnecting would get a response. Also - the online instructions for how to power reset other models DID NOT WORK for these, leaving me no further troubleshooting options. Normally, I'd call support and get their help - but SteelSeries has no chat or voice options, just a TWO BUSINESS DAY RESPONSE EMAIL FORM. I would NEVER AGAIN buy anything made by this company - they do not know how to make decent software, and go deaf and dumb when the product fails. How can they charge for this?

Great headset. Sounds is crystal clear. Very load. Voice comes out great on recording apps and my friends on discord have never complained about the quality. Closest thing to an issue is that its a VERY snug fit. It can become uncomfortable to borderline painful at times and im not known for having a particularly large head. I game almost every night and the battery usually last over a week at 2-3 hours a night. Haven't had any connectivity issues, its worked with my pc and my phone so far. My biggest gripe is actually the software. It's kind of overkill for most people as is but for me if I have it running then I will actually get kicked out of games like rocket league as it triggers their anti cheat for some reason. So caution there

Doing this review after a year of use: On the good side: These headsets have pretty good sound. The bluetooth / dongle dual connection is also very convenient. On the bad side: - The headset started having issues where it lagged and froze completely, so I had to do a factory reset by pressing the hidden pin in one of the ears. This was fixed eventually somehow and its not happening anymore. - The steelseries GG software causes more trouble than help. Sometimes the computer switches the output from the headphones to the speakers. And it creates some extra output devices on the system that for the life of me I've never managed to make it work. -The quality of the hardware itself is not really that good. The volume wheel has been defective for 3-4 months already where sometimes you need to push or play with it so the sound plays through both ears. The mute/unmute button is also starting to malfunction. I use them for work and gaming and haven't really had any falls or hits. I expected a bit better from the brand but these don't last too long. Edit: Edited to add the other issues I've forgotten about. It's been useful but these headphones have given me more issues than I expected.

Only one persistent downside: head band size is a little large. Other than that, these are probably the best headphones I've ever used. My previous Sennheiser pair was pretty decent, but these knock those ones out of the park in pretty much every way. Overall ("+" for Pro, "-" for Con): + comfortable - head band could be a bit smaller, but otherwise are really good + adjustable inner band for the head band is nice enough and prevents pain on top of my head + adjustable mic that works well enough for calls and has on-board mute toggle + bluetooth and wireless 2.4GHz can be used simultaneously + nice when calling from my phone while using my PC + USB-C charging is quite fast, and battery life long enough to last me a few days worth of my regular usage + standard 3.5mm audio jack for stereo input over a cable so I can use them even when they haven't been charged in a while - some times in a call on my PC (e.g via Discord), the headphones won't register the audio going through them properly, so even though I'm in the middle of a call, the headphones might turn off unexpectedly as if I wasn't using them i. solved by playing some white noise in the background at a very low volume, but it would be better if this wasn't an issue. ii. I should note that I use Linux, so this may be a driver compatibility issue with the 2.4GHz USB dongle, but I'm unsure, ymmv + volume adjust independent of source device + if I'm unsure what my volume might be at, or what the volume of some inputs might be, then I can set the headphones themselves very low to prevent any really loud noises going into my ears + great audio fidelity and bass response (at least to my untrained ears) Probably my most valued purchase of anything less than $200. Very much worth the money imo.

Súper recomendado fue reacondicionado y me funciona asta hoy súper bien y el audio excelente me encantó

Make sure to download GG software to control Sonar it will take you to next level

O fone é muito bom, escolhi ele depois que o meu corsair virtuoso rasgou as espumas pela 3x e o suporte devolveu meu dinheiro. O Arctis é leve, simples e confortável. A headband dele é ajustável e não aperta a cabeça, infelizmente tambem não se segura muito se voce gostar de fazer headbang. A plataforma da Steelseries para equalizar e adicionar filtros ao seu som é muito boa, intuitiva, com varias formas de salvar presets para quem gosta de configurar o som. O som dele não é tão alto, principalmente os graves, mas dá conta do recado na categoria dele. As almofadas dele são de espuma sem o risco de rasgar como as de courino e acho que combinam mais com o clima litoral da minha cidade. O fone dele é fraco, é aceitável para jogar e conversar numa reunião, mas não sugiro para gravar videos ou transmissões. A melhor parte do fone é conectar ele em dois dispositivos ao mesmo tempo por Bluetooth e pelo dongle, uma mão na roda para quem quer jogar e entrar numa call pelo celular. Essa função é excelente e vale muito a pena se tenha te interessado. Super recomendo.

Not gonna lie, the headset is kinda overhyped. But it's actually a rather decent headset with quite a lot of features. However, as an amateur user myself, sonar is really hard to get around and i end up just using the default settings. However, i wouldn't say i regret buying this and the price is well worth the justification. A really great product.

I had this head set for over a year. Mainly use it to play games that requires very tight timing (FPS games and fighting games). I haven't notice any delay with it when using the dongle it provided. The mic is also quite decent, my friends can all hear me pretty clearly and I can even use it for my video recordings (tutorials, game clips, etc). The battery last very long. I charge it only once a week or so, and the headset is still usable while charging so you don't have a down time. The cable mode is descent. I hook it to my AMP so I can practice guitar without annoying my neighbors, and it works great too, sounds great and clean. The only down side I have so far is the mic. It sounds good, but the storing mechanism is a bit worrying. When you push it back it sometimes have a tiny little bit that doesn't want to go in (1-2mm), even if I push it in, it still pops out. This doesn't affect any usage but it just looks a bit off and annoys me. The quality is pretty good. I dropped it multiple times on the floor, my cat have throw it on the ground a lot of times too, and it never too a scratch. It's also extremely easy to set up. All you need to do is connect it to your computer with the dongle and you are pretty much all set. This one also supports a bluetooth mode. That mode has a slight delay, noticeable when gaming but not when normal uses like watching video or listen to music.