You’ll end up spending a lot of money trying to get different headsets that perform all the roles that the Arctis Nova 7 can do on its own.
About the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7
Here are the specs of the headset we tested:
- Cost: $179
- Style: Over the ear, closed back
- colors: Black, PC specific, PlayStation specific, Xbox specific
- Drivers: 40mm Aangepaste Custom Hi-Fi Drivers
- Connections: 2.4GHz via USB-C dongle, Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm
- Battery life: 38 hours (2.4 GHz), 26 hours (dual wireless)
- Device Compatibility: PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Mac, Android, USB-C iPads (2.4GHz wireless); other iPad models via Bluetooth or 3.5mm analog; Xbox support only on Nova 7X model
- Microphone: ClearCast Gen 2 with retractable arm
- Virtual surround sound: 360° Spatial Audio, Tempest 3D Audio, Microsoft Spatial Sound
- Noise Reduction: Bi-directional noise cancellation on microphone only
- Weight: 11.46 grams
There are several versions of the Arctis Nova 7, including the Arctis Nova 7P for PlayStation consoles and the Arctis Nova 7X for Xbox consoles. Each version changes the colors of the headband, but there are only two significant differences.
The Arctis 7P does not have a ChatMix dial (choose a Sidetone dial instead) because the PlayStation does not support ChatMix. The Arctis Nova 7X is the only version that works wirelessly with Xbox, but doesn’t lose support for other platforms. That broader support comes at no extra cost.
What do we like?
The Swiss Army Knife approach to connectivity
Credit: Reviewed / Mark Knapp
Connectivity options.
A gaming headset can do so much more for you when it can go wherever you want. That’s what SteelSeries’ Arctis Nova 7 can offer by having such wide compatibility with different devices. The 2.4GHz wireless USB-C dongle delivers high-quality, latency-free audio on a wide variety of platforms.
For those who don’t support the USB-C dongle, you’re almost guaranteed to find another way to connect via a 3.5mm cable or Bluetooth. Unfortunately, the USB-C port on the headset doesn’t have audio-in as a fourth option.
The ability to connect to Bluetooth at the same time as another – a trick SteelSeries came up with in the previous Arctis generation – also works great for scenarios where you want the audio from one device (e.g. a Nintendo Switch or Meta Quest 2) but voice chat via your phone, computer or tablet.
The design also continues the style established with the original Arctis series and refined by the updated Arctis Nova line. It is a quality construction that is adaptable to different head sizes and shapes, while also being elegant yet understated.
With all these connectivity options and a design that can take on the world without turning too many heads, it’s easy to get the most value out of these cans.
The sound quality
Sound quality can’t be missed on headphones that cost over $100, and it’s not for the Arctis Nova Pro 7. These cans kick out loud, impressive sound while retaining the desired nuance for both listening to music and gaming.
The headset has the same speaker drivers as those found in the much cheaper Arctis Nova 1 and Nova 3. It’s not so much a shame that this more expensive headset uses the same drivers, but it’s a perk for those cheaper headsets to get them too.
They do a great job of presenting the sound from the headset’s many sources. The Arctis Nova 7 doesn’t have a huge soundstage, but offers more than enough sense of space to pick up where sounds come from in games.
The microphone isn’t half bad either. Despite using the same ClearCast Gen 2 model in the Arctis Nova 7, the Arctis Nova 1 and 3 both have an extended frequency range (perhaps a wireless bandwidth limitation). My voice is still loud and clear over the mic, but it lacks the same fullness as the other headsets’ mics.
This microphone supports SteelSeries’ AI noise canceling feature in the SteelSeries GG app, which helps reduce background noise, but it’s a little shy for professional broadcast quality.
The long battery life
Credit: Reviewed / Mark Knapp
The headphone jack.
Wireless gaming headsets have one common curse: short battery life. That is not so much the case here. The Arctis Nova 7 headset has a battery life of 38 hours and runs on 2.4 GHz wireless.
SteelSeries doesn’t advertise battery life for using Bluetooth, but Bluetooth is usually a power-efficient option, so it can last even longer. The battery should last for 26 hours when both forms of wireless connection are combined at the same time.
A full work week or loads of playtime is great for a single charge. Should you ever get caught with a dead battery, the headphones will happily work over an analog connection or can hold up to six hours of run time on a 15-minute charge.
What we don’t like
The over-reliance on software
SteelSeries includes features in this headset, but half of it requires SteelSeries GG to work, then a sub-app called Sonar to operate.
That AI noise cancellation for the microphone is limited to Sonar, which is also only available on PCs running Windows 10 and 11. Virtual surround sound can come through Windows, Microsoft Spatial Sound, or Sony’s Tempest 3D, but SteelSeries’ own virtual surround also comes through. Sonar.
The ChatMix feature is useful for making on-the-fly adjustments between the audio levels coming from a game and from a chat app like Discord. But that is also difficult to set in Sonar.
ChatMix on previous headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis 9 wasn’t much easier to set up, but at least it didn’t require two layers of software to manage.
The wide USB dongle
The USB connector that enables the Arctis Nova 7’s low-latency 2.4GHz wireless connection is quite small, but the dongle housing itself is about four times as wide as a USB-C port and stretches. extends in both directions.
It’s not that obtrusive when used on a Nintendo Switch, Android phone, or sticking out of an extender on a desktop PC. But if you’re using it with a laptop, chances are the dongle is blocking adjacent ports.
In my case, the dongle covers the USB-C port that I need to use to charge my laptop. There are solutions, but we hope SteelSeries will shrink the USB dongles it uses in the future. The Razer Barracuda Pro isn’t a great alternative, but at least the USB-C dongle doesn’t block ports on either side.
Should you buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7?
Yes, if you want versatile headphones
Credit: Reviewed / Mark Knapp
open face
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 covers all your wireless audio needs, whether at home or on the road, it won’t run out of battery very often, and it can still operate on an analog connection when it does. It is portable yet a bit stylish. The sound is good enough for games, movies, music and video calls.
You might get better battery life from the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless (a whopping 300 hours), or you could get the much cheaper Logitech G435, but either way you’re missing out on wired and dual connectivity. Meanwhile, buying SteelSeries’ own cheaper Arctis Nova 3 will save you a ton of money, but it lacks wireless connectivity altogether.
You can save a lot of money if you’re looking for a pair of headphones that only serve one purpose, but you’d end up spending a lot of money on several headsets that can do everything the Arctis Nova 7 can.
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Prices were correct at the time this article was published, but may change over time.
Meet the tester
Mark Knapp
Contributor
Mark Knapp has covered technology for most of the past decade, keeping readers up to date on the latest developments and getting hands-on with everything from phones and computers to e-bikes and drones to separate marketing from reality. Catch him on Twitter at @Techn0Mark or on Reviewed, IGN, TechRadar, T3, PCMag and Business Insider.
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