It's hard to see what's different about the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing

I'll support pretty much any headset that tries to stand out solely off the back of simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity. A few years ago, being able to connect to two devices at once was a breakthrough novelty in the gaming headset world, but today it's still only reserved for the priciest flagship products. The original SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 made dual connectivity the hill it was willing to die on when it launched in 2022, but oftentimes, it ended up looking like a martyr against the other members of its family.

I used the original SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 for over a year before taking on the refreshed Gen 2 model. In many ways, I now feel like I'm in a long-term, slightly dysfunctional relationship with it, because even though I think it's an excellent, long-lasting gaming headset for the money, I'm a little disappointed. A refreshed "Gen 2" model had the promise of improving small comfort and design woes I've always thought were a problem. But I'm now feeling like I'm the only one still trying to fight for the marriage, because what's really here is the same old device with barely any really meaningful changes.

Maybe it's me? Maybe it's unfair of me to ask this headset to change when other gamers clearly love a lot about it. I just can't help but feel this new version plays things a little bit too safe and doesn't help the new Nova 7 stand out amongst its siblings. Thankfully, SteelSeries has clung to the same $179.99 / £179.99 price tag, which means you do get better mic and audio quality without needing to spend more.

Key specs

Design

Realistically, SteelSeries was always going to play it somewhat safe with this version of the headset. The Arctis Nova family is very popular, appearing all over our best PS5 headset and best Xbox Series X headset buying guides. The great thing about them is that they all share the same design frame and swappable parts, and the majority of consumers seem to like that about them. But a lack of any physical changes at all makes this "Gen 2" model feel like more of the same, rather than a refreshed product that offers anything truly new.

You may disagree with me, but it's the design of this headset where I personally feel, as someone who's been using one for well over a year, that there were easy improvements that could have been made.

The ear cushion quality of this headset, and the other Arctis Nova products, is really good. The foldaway mic is genius, giving it a disguise if you want to wear it out on a walk and not look like "a gamer". And, as I found when SteelSeries sent me a care package of cosmetic parts, the swappable aesthetics are probably one of its most underappreciated traits.

But I have to be honest, since the first time I put one of these headsets on, I felt like the fit was all over the place. As a glasses wearer, I felt like there was mounting pressure on the sides of my head, which meant I was limited to very thin-legged specs while using them. That elasticated headband might be a nice touch in making all of the Arctis Nova products feel consistent, but on a mid-range or higher-end product, it doesn't supply the comfort and secure fit I want. The ear cushions often leave a big old bleeding space in the back corner of my ears after I've been wearing them for a while or talking to someone, so overall, the design feels like it's leaving audio quality on the table - especially since there's no noise cancellation.

While the cups can pull out from the headband to give you more size, you're limited to just two headband fit adjustments, one that is far too tight for me, and one that feels more comfortable, but exacerbates the bleeding gap in the ear cushions. If there was any one department that needed a bit of a rework for a refreshed Arctis Nova 7, for me, it was the finer aspects of the design. It wouldn't have taken much, even just punching an extra hole in the removable headband or allowing more clicky adjusting parts to the headset's body might have solved the problem.

As it stands, the Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 looks exactly the same as my original, and if you put them in a lineup, besides a new magenta colorway, there's nothing really distinct you can use to tell them apart.

The same goes for the design of the USB-C wireless dongles that come with the headset. It's nice that they're USB-C, but having a wider dongle as opposed to one that extends out like literally any other wireless USB connector means that for 100% of the devices that I've connected it to, I end up blocking out other connection ports that sit next to the USB-C bay. The Xbox version I'm testing is the epitome of this, with an even wider dongle that's a massive inconvenience when connecting to a laptop, Asus ROG Ally X, or any gaming PC's front or rear IO.

I can't fathom (beyond manufacturing costs) why SteelSeries didn't change this with the Gen 2 version, but it's another reason why I really feel like this is a slightly underwhelming half-step as opposed to a sequel worth buying.

What I do want to applaud the Arctis Nova 7's design for is its onboard controls. I've always felt these are easy to find, simple to use, and placed really well. All the vital things you'll need to control at a moment's notice are here. Connectivity is really strong too, and I'm so glad the Gen 2 model held onto both the USB-C and 3.5mm wired connections on the bottom of the left can. So many gaming headsets forget the 3.5mm connection these days, but as someone who uses one plugged into a RodeCaster Duo, that's a vital way of mixing down my entire PC and content creation audio.

Features

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7's main draw is that it offers simultaneous Bluetooth connection at a more affordable price tag than the Nova Pro. Besides that, you're not getting much of a difference from the Nova 5, but you do miss out on the premium mixing potential, leather ear cushions, and active noise cancellation from the Nova Pro.

The Nova headset that's right for you will really come down to how much you want to be able to feed in audio from your phone at the same time as your gaming platform of choice. I really love that feature, but I'm not up for spending more than $180 on a headset, so personally, I'd prefer the 7, but you might be different.

All in all, the Nova 7 has always felt like a really well-rounded mid-range headset that, actually, doesn't need the SteelSeries software, 200+ game audio profile bloat that many people flock to this product range for. The 7 is a great headset in its own right, and as someone who's played around with the SteelSeries software but ultimately deleted it every time, I feel like you don't need it to get your money's worth here.

But again, there's a lack of changes here. The Gen 2 model of the Arctis Nova 7 opts for seemingly identical 40mm Neodymium magnetic drivers to the original Nova 7's. The frequency response is still 20-22,000Hz, and the headphone impedance is still the same at 36Ohm. What is different is that the headphone sensitivity on the older model was 93dBSPL, whereas this newer Gen 2 set comes in at 105 dBSPL @ 1kHz/1mW. Unless you're an audio engineer, that all probably sounds like nonsense.

In essence, the newer version of this headset has nearly identical specs, but it's able to blast louder volume at your ears while using less power to do so. It seems like instead of necessarily opting for newer drivers, SteelSeries has just made its current inner parts a bit more efficient, which, in fairness, has resulted in a more balanced and powerful audio experience.

The same goes for the microphone, which is still the fully retractable boom mic that folds into the headset, but the sensitivity on the Gen 2 version is higher, meaning it'll combine with AI noise cancelling to make you sound clearer and better quality.

Battery life is another under-the-hood improvement. This new version has a quoted battery life of 54 hours using 2.4GHz wireless connection, 42 hours using a Bluetooth connection, and 38 hours using a simultaneous connection of both. That's up from the original model, which had a quoted battery life of 38 hours.

Performance

For all my marital trouble complaints that this headset won't change for me, I do really like the sound quality on the Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2. I especially like that there's more power in the drivers because I've found that I hear more detail in quieter soundscapes. With the original, I had to crank it up to full when using a wired connection to really feel like I was getting the best out of it. With the Gen 2 model, cranking the onboard control wheel up to full had some serious ear-harming oomph, but I felt the all-round balance of sounds was richer at about 75% volume.

And that's without the SteelSeries Sonar software in play. You may think differently, but I'm really not a big believer in any software that claims to enhance gaming audio through custom-built audio profiles for certain games. Thanks to the rise of immersive 3D audio support in games, most of them will now ship with their own audio software baked in at an engine level, or include optional integrations with Dolby, CrySpatial, or some other proprietary software in their settings. So I've found that when you then overlay another audio profile (like SteelSeries game profiles) over the top of that, the two bits of software can often compete with one another, and actually make your audio experience worse.

I also think most of the profiles in the SteelSeries library are marketing placeholders more than settings that will actually make a big difference to your gameplay, but that's a spicy take for another day. The point is, the SteelSeries Sonar app is there, I just did most of my testing without it.

With either a USB-C connection or a 3.5mm wired connection, I felt the detail and balance of sounds were strong. As someone who plays a lot of Hunt: Showdown (a game that's heavily based around sound design), I rely on good gaming headsets to make sure I'm picking up on important cues from other players. In that game, the smallest details within the soundscape can decide a fight, and compared to the Fractal Scape I'm also using these days, I didn't feel I was missing a massive amount of detail. I do think overall, Fractal Design has better sound quality at this price range, but you miss out on simultaneous Bluetooth connection there, gaining active noise cancellation and a more comfortable fit.

As mentioned, this is what I really wish was improved with the Nova 7 Gen 2. The problem mainly arises when I'm talking to teammates, but I find that over a longer session, I have to adjust the position of the Nova 7 on my head regularly. The more I talk to teammates or friends on a Discord call, the more the headband will move with my jaw and head, putting more pressure on my ears or sliding forward on the top of my head. It's not that the headset is uncomfortable, but the fit doesn't feel as secure as I'd like, and if I tighten it down, it does then get uncomfortable.

Where improvements have been made is with the microphone on this headset. I've supplied some audio samples down below of the Gen 2's mic, and the original Nova 7's mic. I haven't put these audio samples through any processing or editing, but you may be able to pick up on some of the subtle differences between them. I've also talked a bit about the differences in sidetone in these mic tests, so if that's a feature you're interested in, have a listen to find out what's changed.

In a more general sense, the Nova 7 Gen 2 did a great job of immersing me in my games. Replaying Dishonored 2, I felt I got a solid mix of Karnaca's ambient sounds along with the atmospheric music. Using that game's genius heart mechanic, I felt like Empress Jesamine's voice really was emanating from the void, speaking from within my own mind.

With more power, I felt like action-packed games with crunchy soundtracks like TowerFall Ascension had so much vitality. It's great in a scarier soundscape as well. The throbbing sound effects of Hell is Us filled me with unease while using this headset, really showing the bassy potential of the Nova 7 Gen 2. That said, using a wired connection did seem to make audio a little cheaper-sounding, presumably because whatever software SteelSeries is touting within the cans isn't firing on all cylinders. In Hades, slashes of a sword or spear sounded a bit more tinny and lacked the clarity they have when using a 2.4GHz connection. Thankfully, this difference is definitely less noticeable in the Gen 2 version of the headset.

What was really nice was being able to take a call or occasionally take a breather from gaming action with a Bluetooth connection to my phone. If you don't have one of the best streaming mixers to help you manage your PC's audio, this feature can go a long way if you want to listen to music while playing, talk to someone on your phone, or just take five by doomscrolling.

Should you buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2?

Available at the same price as the original it's replacing, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 provides some nice quality of life upgrades without demanding a larger investment. There's a better mix of audio at lower volumes, and a better mic will no doubt be something your friends and teammates thank you for. A clearer mic is also welcome. What's more, if you're like me and you want simultaneous Bluetooth connectivity without having to pay for a premium headset, this is an excellent pick.

I just wish some bolder design changes had been made to show where the Arctis Nova family can go in the future, especially when it comes to comfort and fit. Improvements in the comfort department could have been the thing to put this headset on the map as an alternative to the flagship options, especially now that the Nova Elite is hitting the shelves and putting yet more pressure on the mid-range options.

Overall though, this is the same great gaming headset I already would have recommended to you before the Gen 2 refresh. Despite my slightly dysfunctional relationship, this is a headset I'm still married to.

How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2

I adopted the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 into my gaming setup for around a month before this review was written. I used it for all sorts of gaming, and connected it to multiple gaming PCs, the Asus ROG Ally X, laptops, my phone, and the PS5. I tested various gaming genres with it, dabbled in the Sonar software, and used it wired and wirelessly.

For more on how we test gaming headsets, check out the full GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

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