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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (Base)Recommended1 / 9
SteelSeries

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (Base)

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless brings the first visual update to the Arctis 7 line in years, but is there more to it than that?

Current price · Amazon US
$194.53
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Price last checked 23h ago

Key specs

Battery Life Wireless
38 hBelow average
38 h
8 h90 h

below average for gaming headsets — based on 83 of 149 we've cataloged.

Bluetooth Codec
SBCMost common
Sbc46%Aac28%LC38%Others18%

Sbc is the most common — on 46% of the 72 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 149).

Bluetooth Version
5.0
5.342%5.230%5.018%5.17%

5.0 appears on 18% of the 60 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 149).

Connection Type
Most common
Wired-3.5mm32%Bluetooth29%2.4GHZ25%Wired-usb-c10%

2.4GHZ is the most common — on 25% of the 182 gaming headsets we've cataloged (of 149).

Battery

Battery Life Wireless
38 h
Charging Method
USB-C
Full Charge Minutes
15 min
Battery
Yes
Fast Charging
Yes

Connectivity

Bluetooth Codec
SBC
Bluetooth Version
5.0
Connection Type
2.4GHz dongle, Bluetooth wireless, 3.5mm wired
Dongle Connector
USB-C
Headphone Jack
Yes
Platform Compatibility
PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
Wireless Protocol
2.4GHz + Bluetooth
Cable Type
3.5mm single-ended
Multipoint Devices
2 devices

Build

Material Ear Cups
Airweave memory foam
Material Headband
Metal with ski goggle headband inserts

Design

Headband Type
Adjustable over-head
Clamping Force
Light g
Foldable
Yes
Weight
332 g

Features

Companion App
IOS + Android
Control Type
Physical buttons, touch-sensitive dials
Eq Customization
Full parametric EQ
Chat Mix
Yes

Microphone

Boom Style
Retractable boom
Count
1
Microphone
Yes
Is Retractable
Yes

Sound

Acoustic Design
Closed-back
Frequency Response Signature
Neutral
Passive Isolation
36 dB
Surround Sound Format
Windows Sonic, Tempest 3D AudioTech

SoundGuys review

Read the full review ›
SOUNDGUYS rating
8.0/ 10
Recommended
Sam Moore
Reviewed bySam MooreReviewed August 2022
Isolation4.1
Battery life9.8
Comfort & fit8.5
Connectivity7.5
Design7.5
Portability6.5
The verdict

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 gives one of the company's most popular headsets a refresh, maintaining the comfort and ease of use. The headset sounds better than the Arctis 7's last outing, but still not perfect, but overall this is a nice option at a relatively reasonable price that works just about everywhere.

✓What we like
✓Comfortable
✓Fast charging
✓Cross-platform compatibility
✓Good software
✕What could be better
✕Strange sound profile
Read the full SoundGuys review →

Lab data

How we test ›

Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.

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0 of 4 overlay slots used
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (Base)SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (Base) frequency responseMeasured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.-30-20-100+10+20201001k10k20k

Measured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.

Frequency response — measurement data
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 (Base): frequency response, as measured in the SoundGuys lab. Frequency in hertz.
Frequency (Hz)Response (dB)
205.7
256.8
327.0
407.7
506.6
635.6
806.2
1005.7
1254.3
1602.0
200-0.5
250-3.4
315-5.8
400-5.7
500-2.1
6300.9
8000.4
10000.2
12500.8
16003.0
20005.3
25007.1
31507.1
40003.5
5000-4.0
630010.3
800012.0
100008.2
12500-3.4
16000-7.3
20000-25.6

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