Reviews

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Gavyne – October 27, 2018

   This wireless gaming headset is amazing! Initially when I first put them on, it felt really weird. I was like, wt.. there’s no way this is going to feel comfortable. Then 10mins later, I totally forgot they were even on my head. I was walking around the house, taking bathroom breaks, getting food/drinks, all the while still be on comms and able to hear what’s going on in the game. I played CS:GO and Guild Wars 2 with them, two very different games. The sound is precise, I could hear footsteps very well in CS:GO without any delays. And for the MMO the sound is deep and rich.The headset is very comfortable. I was able to play for 3 and half hours before my ears felt a bit sore. That’s when I took the headset off for a few. To be able to play for nearly 4 hours straight without feeling a thing on your head is very nice. And honestly if you play for that long, it probably is time for a lil break anyway. But really, this headset is very lightweight and comfortable. Don’t judge it based on your initial try.I don’t know why others have some issues with them. I was almost scared off by negative reviews, I’m glad I gave this a try. If you play games, you should get this.
2. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Jim Joe – January 1, 2019

   Okay, these SHOULD be pretty nice headphones for $150, BUT there are quite a few caveats that put me off of these. I noticed a few other reviews mention these issues. These issues bothered me so much I returned them. Simply NOT worth the price!First off, I wear headphones 12-18 hours a day, 7 days a week. For work, recreation, and to help me fall asleep. I know headphones, and have a decent collection of a dozen or so.1) HOLY DISTORTION, BATMAN! Listening to music at volumes any of my other headphones can handle (including the cheap-o $30 bluetooth units), these units produce massive amounts of distortion. I cannot believe how bad these are at volumes over 50%! Give it one tonal range to cover, and it seems to do okay, but toss in two or three (like bass guitar and a high-hat at the same time…. or, ya know, almost all music) and suddenly you can’t make out what you’re listening to anymore.2) The volume roller is EXTREMELY easy to accidentally adjust. I mean, unbelievably easy. I am CONSTANTLY messing with the volume when adjusting the headphones or mic, and since it’s so loose it’s almost impossible to dial in “just the right” volume. Very very annoying!3) There’s no media controls on these. Why? A push-button volume button combination would easily solve the “too easy to adjust” volume, and allow media controls through long presses.4) The ear pieces are EXTREMELY hot. I wear headphones quite a bit, but these burn my ears up in a matter of minutes, which makes me adjust or remove them temporarily. This also reiterates point #2 in that the volume knob is ALWAYS being adjusted by accident.5) These block absolutely no out-side sound, and people often can hear what I am listening to or playing. This doesn’t make sense since the ear-pads don’t seem to allow ANY airflow.6) The mic disable button turns ON a light…….. What? So when your mic is on, there’s no light. When you mic is OFF, such as when listening to music, hanging out, whatever, there’s BRIGHT RED LED on 100% of the time……. Huh???? How does this make sense?7) the audio volume is easily 1/3 of every other headphone I own. I crank every setting up to 100% just to be equal to 30% on any other headset… Why?8) mic is garbage!!!! I can’t imagine anyone with any sense of intelligence thinking this mic is anything other than painfully sub par. Everything either sounds tinny, or incredibly digital (like using one of those $5 voice oscillators that make you sound like a robot.9) while the ear pads do go around your ears, the speaker mesh is too shallow and will contact your ears. This makes it unbearable by itself, but combined with every other issue…..10) FINALLY the surround sound effect is negligable. Playing the same surround sound tests, I cannot tell a difference between regular 2.0 phones and these. At all. There’s also a VERY VERY VERY specific place you HAVE to position these, or you’ll only hear about 70% of what it’s putting out. Unfortunately the VERY SPECIFIC spot these must be placed is absolutely HORRIBLE. You must bend and fold your ears to position them even remotely correctly.11) I know I said 10 was the final number, but it brings me to another point. These are so uncomfortable in almost every way. After a short session your jaw will hurt, as the bottoms press right into the hinge of your jaw, your ears will hurt and be sweaty from the complete lack of ventilation (it’s like putting your ears in a wool coat in July in Florida — a swamp!)From a company that specializes in headphones, these are full of awfully poor design choices! One of the worst overall headsets I’ve ever owned.Do not recommend to anyone for any purpose!
3. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Anonymous89 – January 17, 2019

   Yeah, you read the headline correct; a cable that if lost/damaged/broken will send you on a witch hunt through realms you thought not yet existed in your mind. Steelseries decided it was a ethical business idea to create some strange usb cable offspring of a USB-Micro & USB-Mini… The result is something you will not find anywhere, not even on Steelseries’ website; as it is SOLD OUT. ($10 for cable, $10 more for shipping of said cable) The only reasonable conclusion I have come to is that the company Steelseries wanted to make an extra buck and design their own cable. Without this thin, easily breakable cable; the headset is rendered useless. Good luck finding a replacement anywhere, I found my own way but I dare not reveal that here lol. Other than that, the headset is amazing; 9/10.
4. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   JC Vindigni – January 17, 2019

   The package I received had definitely been opened and used. The box had the original sticker peeled off and replaced with a different shaped sticker to seal the box. The headset had already been put together and was not paired. The instructions walked you through assembling the band and clearly states that the headset WILL be paired upon arrival. There were fingerprints on the earcups (which COULD have been from packaging, but i highly doubt it) and the volume button seemed grainy, as if some dirt has gotten into it. If i pay full price for new, than I expect new, simple as that. If i wanted used or refurbished, those are also for sale on Amazon MUCH cheaper. Buyer beware. I like to give the benefit of the doubt and assume that this was an oversight, but that would be a hell of a stretch. Check your packages and record your unboxing for this exact reason.Update: Got a hold of Amazon and they sent a replacement set. New set arrived and the packaging was noticeably different. It is %100 clear that the seller originally attempted to send a Return/Refurb. NOT OK. If you pay the price for new, then you should get new. Original box came unprotected, the wires were done up with twist ties, smudges on the headset, no plastic protector on the headset, the headset was unpaired from the receiver, stray hair in the sleeve with the manual, and the tape holding the manual in the box was different. New package came in a sealed plastic bag, all the wires were in plastic sleeves (not twist ties), the headset itself has protective plastic on the earcups, the manual was squared and taped with different tape, and the headset is paired to the receiver. As far as the headset goes, the volume wheel is a bit grainy, which i thought was dirt in the first set, but its clearly just how its build. The guys on Discord say this set sounds much more crisp. They are comfortable and easy to hook up. the headset themselves I’d give 4/5 stars as of now, but will be leaving the 1 star rating for visibility so other people don’t get ripped off.

   

5. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   David J. – March 16, 2019

   So I purchased this just weeks ago and I was so excited because this was my first foray into wireless headsets. Furthermore, I did my research and was deciding between Razer, Steelseries and Logitech. Most review websites were raving about the superior sound quality of the Steelseries Arctis 7.Well guess what? The sound is crap. Fresh out the box, I updated the Steelseries Engine 3 software and patched the headset, but the soundstage in my ears was skewed around 30 degrees to the left. That means that everything I hear in my ears seems to be coming from the left. Sometimes, there was nothing to the right. Whether I was listening to music or playing games, the sound was skewed to the left. I tried tweaking different settings in the Engine 3 but to no avail.So I did what any logical person would do — I contacted the Steelseris customer service on 30 September 2018. Every reply from them takes around 2 – 3 working days. Slow responses notwithstanding, the customer service representative did not seem to know why the issue was happening. He only suggested 2 options.Firstly, he told me to reset the hardware via a magical button hidden in the left earcup. I had to peel off the cushioning, find one of those iPhone pins, and then hold the button for a certain amount of time, at which point the headset should reset. There is no indication anywhere so I had to just hope it worked. (It works when you realise you have to re-pair the headset to the USB receiver that came with it.) After re-pairing with the receiver, the issue was improved by maybe 5 degrees but the soundstage was still skewed to the left. The issue becomes more apparent at lower volumes.The customer service rep’s next solution was to go straight to the RMA process. After asking me to send in my receipt, they agreed to RMA the product conditionally if I send in evidence (screenshot) of the destroyed product – i.e. breaking off the left earcup and showing the serial number.Which I did on 14 October.It’s 16 October and my reply from them was that my RMA is declined — with NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER WHY.So basically, let’s recap — Steelseries sold me a product that has some weird issue, took 2 weeks to correspond with me, agreed to RMA my purchase, and then after I had destroyed it, proceeded to screw me over and tell me the RMA is rejected.Take this as a lesson learnt — DO NOT BUY THEIR PRODUCTS. WONKY. FAULTY. PATHETIC CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND WILL ABSOLUTELY SCREW YOU OVER FOR NO REASON AT ALL.
6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Ben – March 16, 2019

   I bought the Arctis 1 for my son who is getting into gaming and I didn’t want to go overboard with his headset (I am a gamer and have more expensive equipment but not about to have him start on that!). I was really surprised with the Arctis 1. It is very comfortable and light weight. The head strap padding is pretty good and the fit works both on my head and my sons head (12 years old). He really likes the detachable mic (personally I don’t care as I just use it for gaming, but he likes that he can connect it to different devices that don’t use the mic and therefore doesn’t have a large mic in his face). I was a little skeptical as SteelSeries makes great products, but hasn’t done that well at this price point. However, after using it and seeing my son’s response as well, would highly recommend.
7. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Ryan – April 29, 2019

   This headset will hurt your ears and head after a few hours of useThis headset mic is not noise canceling, it in-fact picks up the sound from the headset speakers itself! So, you get reverb through voip which makes it a requirement to use push to talk.For almost $60 and a brand name you would expect some better padding on the ears, would fix the issue of noise going to mic as well.Overall this headset fails in comfort and functionality with a premium price.
8. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Vedgehammer – May 24, 2019

   So from a technical perspective, this headset does what it’s supposed to do: Play sound, wirelessly. The range is decent. The buttons are fine. The mute indicator on the mic is nice. But heaven forbid something goes wrong with your headset like something did to mine, and nothing matters anymore.My headset stopped charging abruptly one day, so I filed a service ticket through their purposely obtuse service system. Heaven forbid I actually want to speak to a human. After a few back and forth exchanges, they decided my headset was indeed defective and worthy of RMA.HOO BOY THIS IS WHERE THE FUN STARTS. You want to know what it’s like filing an RMA with the Vogons? This is what it’s like:SS: “File this paperwork, include your receipt, picture of headset, serial number, PICTURE of serial number, and mail a blood sample.”ME: “DONE”SS: “OK, now PHYSICALLY DESTROY YOUR HEADSET, but you have to do it EXACTLY THIS WAY or we void your RMA.”ME: “DONE”SS: “OK, now you have to take EXACTLY THESE PICTURES of the front, back, left, and right side of the headset, the serial number must be showing in EVERY PICTURE and you have to also print out this QR code and also have that visible in EVERY PICTURE or we void your RMA.”ME: “That’s….almost not physically possible due to the location of the serial number but I’ll do my best, here you go.”SS: “WARNING WARNING WARNING THERE IS A DISCREPANCY IN YOUR RMA. WE CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT KIND OF DISCREPANCY BECAUSE IT IS A ‘SECURITY RISK’ BUT NOW YOU CAN MAIL US ALL THE CUT UP PARTS OF THE HEADSET. ALSO SHIPPING IS AT YOUR EXPENSE BECAUSE WE ARE IDIOTS.”ME: “Security risk…for an RMA? Now I have to fish this thing out of the trash. Here you go. Sent.”SS: “Thank you, also we don’t actually track shipments or have any accountability in our receivables department, so it’s UP TO YOU to let us know when the item has been delivered, failure to EMAIL US TELLING WE RECEIVED YOUR ITEM will delay your request.”ME: “JFC. Okay, done.”SS:”We received your item, and verified everything but will still inexplicably take another 3 days to email you a coupon code for a new headset, and by the way here’s another 30 rules to follow which, if violated, void your coupon and RMA.”Look guys – I understand you want to reduce the risk of people abusing your RMA process, but I really, really can’t get behind a company that automatically treats every one of their clients like a criminal. I’ve had better luck helping someone file for social security disability through the court system.If Steelseries was less insane about their warranty process, I’d give this 5 stars. But as it stands, it COST ME MONEY to replace something under warranty and I’ve been without a working headset for 3 weeks, so sorry you get to stick with 1-star.
9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   David S. – May 24, 2019

   For a headset under $100 I couldn’t believe what I heard out of this little guy! The sound is beautiful for all genres a little bass heavy in music unless you like that kind of thing. The ear pads are like memory foam and ridiculously comfortable. I was a big fan of the hyper X cloud II and I would say this is pretty much the same headset in most aspects but the air flow is better. The quality feels kind of cheap like a $20 headset but you can’t have it perfect. If this had a solid premium feeling construction it would be perfect! Definitely buy it.

   

10. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    Destinys Chyld – May 27, 2019

    I was excited to get another headset from Steel Series, My old one I have had forever and I loved it so much… I had the SteelSeries Siberia v2 and broke my heart when it started to act up and not work anymore. To be fair though I had that headset for almost 3 years and I took very good care of it.This one? Well I was super happy to find a headset that had the air weave cushions for the ears… Leather is SOO SOO hot… these are super comfortable, and I love wearing them… but theres a catch… The strap on the top to “adjust” it so it fits everyone? well it doesnt… The headset constantly slips off my head since its too large for me, the velcro isnt really adjustable. If I tip my head back even an inch it just falls off. Ive tried to adjust it and it just cant be fixed..Now for the mic, it is not clear my old one was super clear and I sounded like myself. Now? This is not clear at all, its tinny and I sound distorted.. I am so very disappointed but I have no choice but to stick with them since I cant get my hands on another set of Siberia for cheap ( ish )Next thing I absolutely HATE about this headset, its the wire… Its split into three parts, two if you are using it with PC like I am. You have a wire that goes from the headset to the middle of the full length of the wire.. You connect it there to a button that is so sensitive that if you bump it even a little, it messes with the sounds. Lowering the sounds of some things and making other things louder. I get thats its function, but its soo so so so sensitive. That is my third point of what I hate about this headset… The button in the middle of the wire. Its fine that its there, but why is it so easy to move? Just bumping it with my elbow? or it brushing on my arm? come on…I wouldnt recommend these to anyone. I would shop around… This is a bad headest imo… and rather expensive ( which I dont mind because I pay for quality I would be fine with the price if the product wasnt so badly designed.