Steelseries Arctis 7

Reviewed by Flurdy (Ivar Abrahamsen) on 24th September 2020.

TL;DR

Wireless, great sound, good microphone, good fit, dual channel, large, warm. Highly recommended.

Product details

Brand	SteelSeries
Product	Arctis 7
Type	Black
Version	2019 (2nd gen)
Link	steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/arctis-7

Purchase details

Price	£159.99
Shop	Amazon.co.uk
Date	12th September 2020

Order & delivery

Was out of stock everywhere (pandemic). On Scan it was cheaper but never in stock. Once in stock at Amazon it was ordered and delivered the next day.

Unboxing

Box content
Headset
USB dongle
Micro USB charging cable
3.5mm jack to proprietary analog audio cable
Small leaflet & feedback form

Features

Wireless via USB dongle
Can also be wired analog via a 3.5mm cable
Dongle includes line in to daisy chain another audio source
Dongle also includes line out to enable analog line out when headset is turned off
“Ski google” strap for better fit
Retractable microphone
Volume control scroll wheel (left ear)
Dual channel. So you can have e.g. chat and general audio as different audio channels
Adjustable dual channel volume balance scroll wheel (right ear)
Mute microphone button
3.5mm line out jack on headset to share audio with 2nd headset
24 hour battery

My setup

Using it with a 2014 Macbook Pro 13". Having chats in Zoom, Slack or Facetime. Listen to music via Spotify, Youtube etc

Will later on connect it to a Linux desktop and test with some games. Will update this review if anything is different.

One of the reasons I bought this one is that this is a well supported usb headset for Linux.

First impression

Fits really well. I do not have big ear, nor are they wind-catchers so others may have other views but for me it is a nice snug fit.

They do get quite warm after a while. It is summer but I think as this seals well it will be a small issue all year.

It is quite large. Much bigger than my old over hear headset. But also wireless and much better headset than my old one.

Even then it is quite comfortable to wear for longer periods as the ski google strap and fit is very good.

The audio is great. I am not an audiophile so for my basic sound appreciation the headset sounds great.

The microphone is as good as it gets for a headset mic. They can never be as good as a proper microphone but for a tiny microphone on a headset they are good. Very useful in a more noisier environment.

The dual channel feature is brilliant. I set my Zoom and Slack to use the Arctis 7 chat output and my general audo to use Arctis 7 game output. And combining the two works well.

It is supposed to be designed for online multi player games and Twitch streamers etc but I don’t do that so no opinion on it.

The battery life seems ok. It is meant to last 24 hours. I have not entirely depleted it yet. But it goes from green to yellow battery level quite quickly so I have charged it quite often.

I have not tested the dongle line in.

I tested the dongle line out switch over when the headset is off. It did not work on my macOS setup.

I have not tested the headset based 3.5mm line out jack to daisy chain to another headset.

I have tested the 3.5mm to a proprietary plug on the headset and it seems to work fine. It is a nice alternative, but obviously not as rich sound. The microphone then in my set up does not work but that might dependant on where you plug in the 3.5mm jack. I really wish this plug was just a 3.5mm or 2.5mm jack.

The light on the dongle blinks white if the headset is not on. Which is handy but after a while quite annoying. I wish it would just be steady light in another colour.

The range of the wireless connection is good. I can nip out of my room and still listen clearly. Only when I go to the end of my house there is enough distance and brick walls in between to drop the signal.

Pros & cons

Pros
Wireless
Nice fit
Great audio
Good microphone
Dual channel
Linux support

Cons
Warm
Heavy
3.5mm line out didn’t work
Blinking dongle light
Proprietary plug for headset line in

Verdict

The cons are minor. This is a great headset. I am very pleased. Highly recommended.