As someone who is a fan of premium audio, I’m always striving to get the best quality when listening to music, watching movies, and of course, while gaming.
Generally, I love using surround sound for watching movies, but I find that a headset is superior when gaming. There are so many little sounds that your ears don’t pick up on when using surround sound, and the immersion with a gaming headset is second to none.
That’s why I’m excited our friends over at SteelSeries were kind enough to send out the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless for review. I’ve been using it to play games with the PS5 over the past few weeks and here are my thoughts.
Features
The Arctis Nova 7P Wireless has an extensive set of features making it one of the best gaming headsets SteelSeries has to offer. Starting with a 2.4GHz wireless connection for high-quality and lag-free audio, along with Bluetooth that can be used simultaneously with your phone for listening to music or making calls while gaming.
Like many other wireless gaming headsets, the Arctis Nova 7P uses a USB dongle to connect to your console or PC. That makes it compatible with PlayStation consoles, the Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest 2, PC, Mac, and more.
This is the first gaming headset I’ve used that opts for a USB Type-C dongle over USB Type-A, and it’s also one of the smallest dongles I’ve seen using a slim horizontal design.
This really stood out to me because I’m always worried someone will bump into the long dongles that stick out of the console, or get their clothes hung up on it. It’s a small way you can tell that SteelSeries products are designed by gamers for gamers.
It also means that you’ll have to install it on the front of the PlayStation 5, or you can use the handy included USB Type-A to Type-C cable, which has the added benefit of acting as an extension cable or an adapter for devices that lack a USB Type-C port.
Outside of connectivity, the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless also puts you in full control of sound quality with an app for Windows and Mac, as well as with physical controls on the ear cups to adjust volume, mute the mic, and more. Plus, the mic can easily be retracted or pulled out and adjusted freely when needed.
On the topic of the app, I do wish SteelSeries provided an Android app like other headset makers. It makes it much easier to adjust the equalizer and change settings on the fly from my phone, instead of having to connect the dongle to a PC to access these settings – especially because it utilizes Bluetooth and I often have the headset connected to my phone already.
Furthermore, I had issues updating the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless because it requires plugging the dongle into your PC and refuses to update over a USB cable. This was counterintuitive to what I expected, and it frustrated me that I had to unplug the dongle from my console and will have to do that every time there is an update for the headset.
Comfort
I love the simple lightweight design of the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless from SteelSeries. It’s the type of headset you could easily wear outside of the house without people taking notice and doesn’t feel bulky or heavy in the slightest.
The steel headband gives it a sturdy premium feel, while the stretchy overhead band rests gently on your head and prevents fatigue from setting in, even after wearing it for several hours. Additionally, the breathable AirWeave memory foam cushions feel fantastic around your ears and prevent the dreaded hot ear effect many closed-back headphones suffer from.
The only minor issue is that the breathable ear cushions are leaky allowing some ambient noise in. It’s not bad enough to be a major gripe, but it does lack the isolation that some other headsets provide. Although, the comfort and cooling effect on your ears more than makes up for it.
Audio quality
Sound quality is another area the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless shines. This gaming headset sounds outstanding whether you’re gaming or just listening to music. Out of the box, the flat EQ has a pleasing neutral sound with a nice spacious soundstage. The highs, mids, and lows are all well-balanced adding a nice sense of clarity.
The Arctis Nova 7P Wireless also supports immersive 360-degree Spatial Audio and is fully compatible with PlayStation’s 3D audio. It goes a long way in making you feel like you’re right in the middle of all of the action and helps pick up on sounds all around you while giving life to the soundtrack.
However, if you want to take it to the next level, then you can use the six-band equalizer or Sonar inside of the SteelSeries GG app. This allows you to fine-tune the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless to your preferences, including amplifying certain sounds such as gunshots or footsteps.
Mic quality
The mic on the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless is powered by ClearCast AI algorithms that SteelSeries claims will provide broadcast-quality audio. However, that was not quite my experience. While I thought I sounded clear via the sidetone controls—besides a little low-level static—people on the other end of the mic described my voice as muffled.
No one said that it sounded bad per se, but that other headsets I’ve used sound clearer
Battery life
SteelSeries rates the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless for 38 hours of battery life. After using the wireless headset over the past few weeks, I can say that it lives up to those claims. I’ve put at least 30 hours of gameplay in while wearing the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless and it’s still going strong. I only wish there was an Android app so I could easily check the battery level at any given time.
Additionally, the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless supports fast charging and will get you 6 hours of use off of a 15-minute charge. So, just plug it in while a game is updating and you’ll be good to go by the time it’s installed.
Final thoughts
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P Wireless ticks every box for what it takes to be a magnificent gaming headset. It sounds amazing, it’s lightweight and comfortable, it provides 38 hours of battery life, the mic is decent, and it even looks good.
If only there was an Android app, the mic was a bit clearer, and it offered better sound isolation—then it would be perfect. However, those are all minor gripes considering just how comfortable and excellent the sound quality is.
You can pick up the Arctis Nova 7P Wireless for $180 from Amazon or the SteelSeries website.
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