SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gen 2 gaming headset review: good listener, bad talker

So overmuch of what the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X Wireless Gen 2 does, it does right. Its physique prime is outstanding, having a thickness and solidity that astir wireless headsets lack. Its stretchy headband, arsenic connected beauteous overmuch each SteelSeries headsets, successfully tricked my full skull into reasoning it was lighter than it is. It’s flexible, moving implicit Bluetooth oregon a 2.4GHz dongle, the latter’s USB-C transportation besides making it a plusher Steam Deck alternate to the Arctis GameBuds. And it sounds, some successful games and music, fabulous: audio is almighty but detailed, similar you could peel isolated the stacked-up layers of a opus premix oregon shooter soundscape into its idiosyncratic tracks.

When it gets thing wrong, though, oof. The biggest culprit is that retractable microphone, which connected default settings – and careless of each the instantly disposable EQ and slider options successful the companion bundle – sounds rubbish. One chap Discord dweller complained that I sounded similar I was trapped successful a tin can; listening backmost to recordings, the presumption of my imprisonment whitethorn person been exaggerated, though it inactive sounded acold excessively fuzzy and phone-like. Dig heavy capable and the bundle does yet connection immoderate preset effects that marque it dependable cleaner, but these are locked down a nakedly data-grabbing relationship requirement, and if anything, the thought that I request to springiness SteelSeries my email code to hole the mic connected a £180 headset lone makes maine much annoyed astatine it.

Even if you’re not overmuch of a talker, 7X Wireless Gen 2 inactive disappoints with its barely-big capable earcups – these are comfy astatine first, but tightness takes a toll aft an hr oregon truthful – and that unappetisingly precocious price. For little than fractional the wealth you could get the Arctis Nova 3X Wireless, which sounds fine, weighs less, and has a much, overmuch better-sounding talk-stick retired of the box.

Quick Kits is simply a hardware reappraisal bid astir pouring arsenic overmuch fully-tested PC cogwheel cognition down your eyes arsenic we tin – wrong 2 oregon 3 paragraphs.