As somebody who’s a fan of premium audio, I’m at all times striving to get the highest quality when listening to music, watching motion pictures, and naturally, whereas gaming.
Usually, I really like utilizing encompass sound for watching motion pictures, however I discover {that a} headset is superior when gaming. There are such a lot of little sounds that your ears don’t choose up on when utilizing encompass sound, and the immersion with a gaming headset is second to none.
That’s why I’m excited our buddies over at SteelSeries have been variety sufficient to ship out the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi for evaluation. I’ve been utilizing it to play video games with the PS5 over the previous few weeks and listed here are my ideas.
Options
The Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi has an intensive set of options making it the most effective gaming headsets SteelSeries has to supply. Beginning with a 2.4GHz wi-fi connection for high-quality and lag-free audio, together with Bluetooth that can be utilized concurrently along with your telephone for listening to music or making calls whereas gaming.
Like many different wi-fi gaming headsets, the Arctis Nova 7P makes use of a USB dongle to hook up with your console or PC. That makes it appropriate with PlayStation consoles, the Nintendo Swap, Meta Quest 2, PC, Mac, and extra.
That is the primary gaming headset I’ve used that opts for a USB Sort-C dongle over USB Sort-A, and it’s additionally one of many smallest dongles I’ve seen utilizing a slim horizontal design.
This actually stood out to me as a result of I’m at all times nervous somebody will stumble upon the lengthy dongles that stick out of the console, or get their garments hung up on it. It’s a small means you’ll be able to inform that SteelSeries merchandise are designed by avid gamers for avid gamers.
It additionally implies that you’ll have to put in it on the entrance of the PlayStation 5, or you need to use the helpful included USB Sort-A to Sort-C cable, which has the additional advantage of performing as an extension cable or an adapter for gadgets that lack a USB Sort-C port.
Outdoors of connectivity, the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi additionally places you in full management of sound high quality with an app for Home windows and Mac, in addition to with bodily controls on the ear cups to regulate quantity, mute the mic, and extra. Plus, the mic can simply be retracted or pulled out and adjusted freely when wanted.
On the subject of the app, I do want SteelSeries supplied an Android app like different headset makers. It makes it a lot simpler to regulate the equalizer and alter settings on the fly from my telephone, as a substitute of getting to attach the dongle to a PC to entry these settings – particularly as a result of it makes use of Bluetooth and I usually have the headset linked to my telephone already.
Moreover, I had points updating the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi as a result of it requires plugging the dongle into your PC and refuses to replace over a USB cable. This was counterintuitive to what I anticipated, and it annoyed me that I needed to unplug the dongle from my console and must do that each time there’s an replace for the headset.
Consolation
I really like the straightforward light-weight design of the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi from SteelSeries. It’s the kind of headset you would simply put on exterior of the home with out folks taking discover and doesn’t really feel cumbersome or heavy within the slightest.
The metal headband provides it a sturdy premium really feel, whereas the stretchy overhead band rests gently in your head and prevents fatigue from setting in, even after sporting it for a number of hours. Moreover, the breathable AirWeave reminiscence foam cushions really feel improbable round your ears and stop the dreaded sizzling ear impact many closed-back headphones undergo from.
The one minor difficulty is that the breathable ear cushions are leaky permitting some ambient noise in. It’s not dangerous sufficient to be a significant gripe, but it surely does lack the isolation that another headsets present. Though, the consolation and cooling impact in your ears greater than makes up for it.
Audio high quality
Sound high quality is one other space the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi shines. This gaming headset sounds excellent whether or not you’re gaming or simply listening to music. Out of the field, the flat EQ has a delightful impartial sound with a pleasant spacious soundstage. The highs, mids, and lows are all well-balanced including a pleasant sense of readability.
The Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi additionally helps immersive 360-degree Spatial Audio and is absolutely appropriate with PlayStation’s 3D audio. It goes a good distance in making you are feeling such as you’re proper in the midst of the entire motion and helps choose up on sounds throughout you whereas giving life to the soundtrack.
Nonetheless, if you wish to take it to the following stage, then you need to use the six-band equalizer or Sonar within the SteelSeries GG app. This lets you fine-tune the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi to your preferences, together with amplifying sure sounds reminiscent of gunshots or footsteps.
Mic high quality
The mic on the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi is powered by ClearCast AI algorithms that SteelSeries claims will present broadcast-quality audio. Nonetheless, that was not fairly my expertise. Whereas I believed I sounded clear through the sidetone controls—moreover just a little low-level static—folks on the opposite finish of the mic described my voice as muffled.
Nobody mentioned that it sounded dangerous per se, however that different headsets I’ve used sound clearer
Battery life
SteelSeries charges the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi for 38 hours of battery life. After utilizing the wi-fi headset over the previous few weeks, I can say that it lives as much as these claims. I’ve put a minimum of 30 hours of gameplay in whereas sporting the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi and it’s nonetheless going sturdy. I solely want there was an Android app so I may simply examine the battery stage at any given time.
Moreover, the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi helps quick charging and can get you 6 hours of use off of a 15-minute cost. So, simply plug it in whereas a recreation is updating and also you’ll be good to go by the point it’s put in.
Editor’s Alternative
This award is reserved for merchandise, apps, and providers which have an total common rating of 4.25 or increased. Graded on a scale of 1-5, our critiques have a look at a wide range of elements to find out a complete score. Components which assist to create the composite rating will usually embrace design, options, value, guarantee, audio, battery, normal and efficiency.
Last ideas
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi ticks each field for what it takes to be an impressive gaming headset. It sounds wonderful, it’s light-weight and cozy, it offers 38 hours of battery life, the mic is respectable, and it even appears to be like good.
If solely there was an Android app, the mic was a bit clearer, and it provided higher sound isolation—then it could be excellent. Nonetheless, these are all minor gripes contemplating simply how snug and wonderful the sound high quality is.
You possibly can choose up the Arctis Nova 7P Wi-fi for $180 from Amazon or the SteelSeries web site.
