SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X review: Is this headset a must-have for PC gamers?

It's hard to find gaming gear that's a great fit for everyone, but the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X might be a serious contender.

This over-ear gaming headset mixes a comfortable, customizable, minimalistic design with rich audio quality that handles everything from pop to orchestral game soundtracks with excellent balance and detail. While it has a few minor drawbacks, the Arctis Nova 7X has a lot going for it, as well, including all the basics gamers need for a great audio experience.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X might not be perfect, but it's a strong competitor for our best gaming headsets rankings. I used the Arctis Nova 7X as my main headset for a week — here's a few things you should know before buying.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Price and availability

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 is available in black and white with models for PC, PlayStation (Arctis Nova 7P), and Xbox (Arctis Nova 7X). All three versions cost $179. Each includes the headset, a USB Type-C charging cable, a detachable AUX cord, and a 2.4GHz USB Type-C dongle.

If you're playing on PC, any of the three versions will work for you, but if you're playing on console it does make a difference which version you get. The Nova 7X (the Xbox edition) is compatible with PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Meta Quest headsets. In contrast, the Nova 7P (the PlayStation version) is not compatible with Xbox.

Our review unit is the Arctis Nova 7X in black.

SteelSeries also offers "booster packs" for the Nova 7 with replacement headbands and magnetic accent pieces for customizing your headset. These are available in a plethora of designs for $35 for solid colors or $39 for special editions.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Design

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The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X keeps things streamlined with a matte, monochrome design. The black and white versions both look clean and sleek without feeling cheap thanks to a metallic headband, cushy earcups, and sturdy plastic throughout.

This design isn't quite as simplistic as it looks, though. The suspension headband and the metallic earcup accents are interchangeable so you can swap them out to personalize the headset. The "booster packs" for the Arctis Nova 7X come in a range of colors along with limited-edition designs, like my personal favorite, the Titik Noda edition. It's a nice touch that brings some color to your gaming gear without going over-the-top.

The Arctis Nova 7X features a nice variety of on-board controls, as well. On the back of the right earcup there's a power button, Bluetooth power button, and a ChatMix dial for balancing game and voice chat audio. On the left earcup is a volume dial and a mic mute switch. The built-in mic is also cleverly hidden in the left earcup. It retracts in and out, rather than folding or detaching entirely, which gives the Arctis Nova 7X a much cleaner look than many other gaming headsets.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Comfort

Headset comfort varies from person to person, but I found the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X pretty comfy. The ear cushions are a soft fabric rather than leather, which is a relief for anyone who gets sweaty wearing headphones for hours at a time. They're cushy yet supportive, and the extra bit of friction from the fabric keeps the headset from sliding around.

The Arctis Nova 7X features a suspension headband, which means the solid plastic headband isn't actually sitting directly on your head. Instead, an interchangeable fabric strap supports the headset. There are a couple configurations for the headband so you can adjust the tension to your liking, which also tweaks how the headset fits (i.e. having the strap more taunt makes the earcups sit slightly higher up on your head). The earcups extend up and down like on any other headset for size adjustment, as well.

I found the fabric strap on the Arctis Nova 7X generally comfortable, although some people might prefer more rigid headbands. One of the drawbacks of suspension headbands like this is that they tend to flatten your hair down more and may make some people's scalps itchy. While this headset did flatten my hair down quite a bit, it surprisingly didn't bother my scalp at all.

The one comfort pain point, literally, was my glasses. The Arctis Nova 7X squeezed my head a bit more than I'd like, causing an uncomfortable amount of pressure against the arms of my glasses.

Over short periods, this wasn't much of a problem, but I had to take breaks during long gaming sessions. Of course, if you wear contacts or don't wear glasses, that won't be an issue, but if you do wear glasses, you might find something like the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds more comfortable.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Audio quality

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X shines when it comes to audio quality. They handle everything from slick pop music to orchestral game soundtracks with fantastic clarity and balance, but there are also options to customize your audio experience for your specific taste or games. I used the Arctis Nova 7X as my main headphones for a week and listened to a wide range of music on them, along with a few of my favorite games.

"Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez sounded especially good with the Arctis Nova 7X. The rich folk guitar had really well-accentuated bass while Perez's haunting vocals sounded smooth and detailed.

Similarly, the Arctis Nova 7X captured all the texture and complexity of "Hunger of the Pine" by alt-J phenomenally well. The bass was deep enough to feel without getting muddy or overwhelming, and the highs really popped. There are a lot of details to balance in this song and the Arctis Nova 7X didn't miss a beat (literally).

Game soundtracks and ambiance sound fantastic, as well. "By the River" from A Plague Tale: Innocence was immersive and enchanting, with a strings melody that resonated especially vibrantly on the Arctis Nova 7X.

I played several hours of Avowed with the Arctis Nova 7X and experienced great audio all around. This headset offers a solid balance of low background noise, clear dialogue, and immersive music. Nothing sounded tinny or drowned out. Every line of Kai's dialogue came off smooth and perfectly audible. Everything from birds and distant xaurips to the crackle of a pistol and magic sound effects was rendered with crisp detail.

If the default audio profile on the Arctis Nova 7X isn't to your liking, you can customize it in the SteelSeries GG app. There are a few pre-made audio profiles like "Bass Boost" or "Focus," but you can create a custom profile for your specific tastes, as well. Conveniently, you can also change those settings in the SteelSeries mobile app, which is nice if you plan to travel or work out with the Arctis Nova 7X.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Microphone

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The Arctis Nova 7X sports a built-in mic that cleverly retracts into the left earcup. A button on the back of that earcup also mutes and unmutes the mic. I prefer this design over a removable plug-in mic since those are a lot easier to lose. Plus, the retractable design looks cleaner than a folding mic.

The sound quality on the Arctis Nova 7X's built-in mic is alright. It's not as clean as my external USB mic, a Razer Seiren V3 Chroma, but it's significantly better than many other headset microphones. It's plenty clear for typical in-game voice chats.

The only minor issue I noticed was a bit of crackling around the edges of my voice during volume spikes. I spoke at a normal level with no background noise in my mic tests, but it seemed to pick up my voice at quite a loud default level. That lead to some volume spikes even at a normal speaking volume.

If you tend to yell or raise your voice in VC, others in the call might need to turn down your volume on their end (although they may have been doing that anyway). They might also have more difficulty understanding you when your volume spikes due to the mic sensitivity.

That's a relatively small issue, though. My voice was otherwise perfectly audible in my test recordings and ambient background noise, like the neighbor's dog barking, didn't get picked up. The output from this mic is a bit fuzzy, though. Compared to my normal mic, my voice sounded a little more tinny and processed, while the recording from my USB mic sounded crisp and lifelike.

Unless you're planning to use the built-in mic on the Arctis Nova 7X for something like streaming or recording YouTube videos, you probably won't mind the slightly subpar mic quality. However, it isn't ideal for professional audio recording or streaming.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: Battery life

The Arctis Nova 7X features a standard wireless battery life of about 25 to 30 hours, which is on par with most other wireless gaming headsets I've used. I had to recharge it roughly once per week while using it for several hours on a daily basis. It took about 1 to 2 hours to recharge from empty to full battery.

It's worth noting you can use the Arctis Nova 7X while it's charging. So if the battery gets low right before a gaming session, you can just plug it in and keep using it. The detachable AUX cable is always an option, too. There’s a warning tone that alerts you when the battery is getting low, but you can also tell from the color of the power button’s LED indicator.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X: App

You can customize the Arctis Nova 7X's settings and audio profile through the SteelSeries GG app, available on Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. I found SteelSeries GG easy to navigate without noticeable lag or frustrating crashes.

The "Engine" tab is the main one you'll want to pay attention to. This is where you can find all your connected SteelSeries devices and customize device settings. It also shows the battery life for wireless devices. In the same tab, you can go over to the "Apps" menu to configure audio settings for specific supported apps and games, like Discord or League of Legends.

There's also the optional Sonar feature, which is available only on PC at the time of writing. This feature fine-tunes audio to accentuate important sounds in-game, like an enemy's footsteps, while minimizing distracting sounds like background noise. It's ideal for highly-competitive titles, but unnecessary for casual gaming.

Bottom line

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X is a well-rounded gaming headset that deftly balances comfort and performance for a stellar listening experience. The ability to customize how the headset sounds and looks is a bonus that makes it a no-brainer for PC gamers.

The only real downsides to the Arctis Nova 7X are minor things that may come down to personal preference. For instance, if you wear glasses like I do, you might find the fit of the over-ear design uncomfortable since it will squeeze the arms of your glasses against your head. Likewise, the fabric suspension headband does feel a bit different from a typical rigid headband, which some may not like. Lastly, the mic quality on the Arctis Nova 7X is fine for game chats, but could be a bit cleaner.

If you're looking for a minimalistic yet feature-rich gaming headset that delivers on audio quality, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7X is worth checking out. Alternatively, I highly recommend taking a look at the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds if you're looking for something more lightweight and portable.