Sound Quality

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless is equipped with a pair of 40-millimeter dynamic drivers with a specified frequency response of 20-22,000 Hz in wireless mode. The headset can work with 24-bit/96 kHz PCM audio files. As for the built-in amplification, I found it sufficient for all types of usage, especially with the volume limiter, found in the Engine part of the SteelSeries GG software suite, turned off. The limiter adheres to the 85 dB (SPL) volume limit set by European Union regulations, which many users will find too quiet for their liking. Thankfully, SteelSeries doesn't try to do any kind of geolocating through its software suite, so you have the liberty to decide if you want the volume limited or not. Furthermore, you can add up to +12 dB of output gain by activating Sonar in the SteelSeries GG suite and scrolling all the way to the bottom of the Game, Media, or Aux tabs, where you'll find a Gain slider. Increasing gain this way doesn't introduce any audible distortion.

Recently, I've been thoroughly testing and experimenting with the miniDSP EARS headphone test fixture, probably the least expensive such device on the market. I got to a point where I feel comfortable using it for frequency response measurements to present the results publicly. The miniDSP EARS consists of two miniDSP UMIK-1 microphones placed inside a pair of silicone ears and affixed to a steel headphone stand. It's a USB-powered device, perfectly integrated with the fantasticRoom EQ Wizard (REW) software, which is used for headphone and microphone calibration, as well as doing the measurements themselves. Every single miniDSP EARS unit comes with its own microphone calibration files, which are loaded into REW before doing the measurements. The miniDSP EARS certainly has its quirks. The artificial ear canals aren't particularly deep, so I wouldn't necessarily consider it a viable option for IEM testing. The integrated microphones are exceptionally sensitive to headphone positioning, partially because of the screws affixing the silicone ears to the stand, which aren't perfectly flush with the silicone surface. Some users also claim that the fixture is too narrow for very large hi-fi headphones, so they have to use rubber bands to tighten the clamping force. The latter isn't something I had an issue with, though; all my headsets and headphones fitted perfectly.

Because of all that, the miniDSP EARS is prone to user error. Whoever is using it has to know how to interpret the results and, even more importantly, how to spot those that are clearly flawed. After getting rid of the bad data, assuming the initial configuration and calibration were done properly, the resulting frequency response measurements are usable and in line with what one would hear from the headphones (or headset) in question. Once I got to where the frequency response plots corresponded to what I heard from the headphones and headsets I measured, I knew it was time to bring the results into my reviews. My testing methodology mostly follows the best practices of using the miniDSP EARS as covered in great detail in this article on Headphonesty. The most significant difference is that I'm using the updated HEQ compensation, where a subjectively neutral headphone would measure approximately flat. The audio source for my analog headphone and headset tests is the fantastic EVGA NU Audio Pro PCI Express sound card. For the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, I used the supplied GameDAC Gen 2 as the source, as that best represents the experience the future owners of the headset are going to have when listening to it. To compensate for minor seal variances, I'm measuring each ear until I get 10 usable results and reseat the headphones, or headset, between runs. After I have my results for one ear, I apply a 1/12 octave smoothing and average the measured responses. I then repeat the process for the other ear for an idea of whether any channel imbalance exists. It's important to keep in mind that my results cannot be directly compared to anyone else's, as only an identical methodology conducted on my exact sample of the miniDSP EARS would yield directly comparable results. Still, we now have a relevant visual representation of the sound characteristics of the headphones or headset under review, so I hope you find it useful.

You can explore my gaming headset frequency measurement database and follow its progress on my personal Squiglink. Let's take a look at the frequency response measurement of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless.




The frequency response you're looking at was recorded at default settings without any equalization applied. The measured frequency response looks extremely similar to that of the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, with a notable difference in the low bass region, where the Nova 7 Wireless has an obvious bump in the 40-50 Hz range, while the Nova Pro Wireless is actually subdued in the same range. I find this interesting, primarily because you'd expect cloth ear pads to have less bass rumble and impact than vegan leather ones, but the graph tells a different story. Could this difference be caused by the somewhat finicky seal of the Arctis Nova 7 Wireless and the quirkiness of the miniDSP EARS testing rig? To some extent, yes, but the fact is, I had the urge to boost the bass region of the Nova Pro Wireless when I was testing it, while that wasn't the case with the Nova 7 Wireless. It's hard to compare audio equipment from memory, but that leads me to believe that the Nova 7 Wireless does, in fact, offer a stronger low bass emphasis than the Nova Pro Wireless out-of-the-box.

The rest of the frequency spectrum looks more or less the same, so I can only rehash what I already wrote in the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review. The Arctis Nova 7 Wireless has a reasonably neutral midrange tuning, although with a noticeable dip in the 3-4 kHz region, and a boosted treble, with a substantial 8 kHz peak. To my ears, the aforementioned dip doesn't translate into a lack of vocal presence or general dullness of the sound. However, if your ears are treble-sensitive, you could have an issue with the 8 kHz peak, as it does introduce some sibilance to certain vocals (particularly female ones) and makes high-pitched sounds, such as cymbals or gunfire, somewhat piercing. At the same time, you get a strong sense of hearing subtle details that you've missed before, both when listening to music and playing games. This can be hugely beneficial in multiplayer shooters, especially when you combine it with the great stereo imaging prowess of the Arctis Nova 7 Wireless.

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless offers a powerful parametric equalizer, and the built-in speaker drivers respond to all kinds of tuning exceptionally well. This allows you to play around in the Engine section of the SteelSeries GG suite, where you can try out some simple sound presets, or to dive into the Sonar section of the suite, where you have more elaborate sound profiles, including game-specific ones, and all the freedom in the world to tune the sound of the headset any way you like.

Virtual Surround Sound

On the virtual surround sound front, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless offers a Spatial Audio section with a ton of ways to tune the experience to your liking. First of all, you can pick between the headphone and speaker modes, with each offering a slightly different tonality of the surround sound effect. Then you can play around with individual virtual speaker placement and distance and adjust a slider that has Performance (better sound localization) and Immersion (more ambiance) on its ends. While I didn't find a spatial audio setting that would offer me a more accurate in-game target retrieval or a more engaging music-listening or movie-watching experience than traditional stereo mode, your mileage may vary. The sheer number of possibilities is staggering, and experimentation is highly advised.