I just bought my first pair of headphones for gaming, SteelSeries Arctis 7, and I have mixed feelings about them. [BTW, keep in mind that I am 47 and have been gaming since the days of Pong.] I've also avoided playing multiplayer games in which it is necessary to talk to others these past few years because of lack of money to buy headphones. Plus the fact that I suffer from vertigo. So being able to take a break when I need to, which is impossible with multiplayer games, keeps me from playing… See More
multiplayer games that often. [It also keeps me from being able to work, or even drive, these past 10 years.]
My biggest gripe straight off the bat is that the surround sound quality completely sucks compared to my Logitech Z506 5.1 surround sound speakers combined with an Asus Xonar DX sound card. The lack of 5.1 surround sound when it comes to which direction sounds are coming from is so apparent that I almost decided to return these headphones within 5 minutes of playing with them. Hell, I even switched back to my speakers after a few minutes, but decided to give my new headphones another chance.
While the sound quality of these PC Gamer Wireless Headphones of the Year is actually pretty good, the 2.0 surround sound is very apparent (in which I mean bad compared to 5.1). But I gave them another chance, and after a while, I did get used to them. Granted, being able to pinpoint which direction a sound (usually you getting attacked) is coming from, isn't nearly as good as 5.1 system, with time, it does become a lot easier... and also doesn't wake the rest of the house up.
It's only my first night with them, so I've yet to play a multiplayer game in which being able to talk with others is necessary, so no clue how well the mic works. Reviews say these Arctis 7 are some of the best... but no clue yet, I'll leave a review when I get around to testing them.
On the plus side, I will say that they are comfortable as hell. I've honestly never worn another headphone that felt as comfortable, and I have 3 others in the same room with me right now, granted, none of them are for gaming. But even my ones for NASCAR, in which you spend an entire day wearing, aren't nearly as comfortable. So I do give them serious credit for that.
BtW, one big caveat that pissed me off is that SteelSeries advertise that just turning the headphones on turns your speakers off. After several hours of trying to figure this out, which pissed me off because of a serious lack of info on SteelSeries' website, it turns out that it only works if you are able to use a single line-out headphone jack from their wireless transmitter for your speakers. Which means that if you have anything other than the cheapest 2 speaker setup, their "Auto-Speaker Switching" doesn't work. My 5.1 system uses 3 different wires, just like several other setups I've had in the past. So this "feature" is a complete fallacy for most people, especially those willing to pay $150 for headphones when their 5.1 speakers only cost $99.
TBH, the only reason I am even keeping these headphones is the fact that in most FPSs these days, you need to be able to talk to others. So unless it turns out that the mic sucks, which reviews say it is one of the best, I'll be keeping these just to be able to play AAA games these days.
The free Razer Surround software might be the thing to make your headset sound more 7.1 ..m
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