SteelSeries Arctis 7P+ Wireless Gaming Headset for PS5/PC - White & PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller - Galactic Purple - Perfect for PS5 Gaming, PC Gaming & Streaming

After my absolutely horrid experience with Razer during an RMA (Razer took SIX MONTHS to RMA the headset...), I was looking at contenders for my business, I ended up going for the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, after reviews for the Arctis 7's reviews highly suggested the headsets. I was NOT disappointed!The headset IMHO is probably THE BEST headset you could get with the feature-set it offers!If you're looking for a gaming-centric headset that checks the most boxes, this is it.The unboxing experience is nothing but premium, and you can proudly, if you wish, display the box.Everything is well-packed, and they use solid packing protection.The headset itself needs very little setup, simply either pair it via Bluetooth, or get the base station wired up, and connect it to your device respectively. DO NOTE, that the Optical In jack is labeled as PS4, as I guess they intend the optical to only be used for the PS4. You CANNOT rename the label, but obviously you can plug in nearly any Opt Output into that input, just know it's labeled PS4. I do wish SteelSeries would just label the inputs as the type of input it is rather than what they envision you using it for; however, this is just an insignificant gripe.You will find the base station to be rather light, but honestly, it stays in place on the desk rather well, I've never had an issue with it sliding around.Setting the base station up is as simple as plugging in your inputs, optionally plugging it into power (I believe it can pull power needed from USB, but I find the wall-based power to be the better solution), and then configuring preferences like EQ and things. I do suggest keeping Auto-Off on Off because it will shut off the headset after that time elapses, regardless of what is going on.Lastly, the base station includes a slot to charge one of the two included batteries for the headset, which last a solid 6ish hours without needing to be charged. (Which charging one of these batteries I swear only takes like 30mins to an hour, and you can swap 'em when one gets low. There is a warning when it reaches like super-low power) You can also charge the headset via MicroUSB directly if you need it.The headset itself matches the near-zero latency that they advertize with the 2.4g WiFi from the base station (which is probably the way you connect to your devices if you are using the base station anyways.)The headset itself sounds VERY GOOD, not quite Audiophile, but VERY good all the same, and unless you need that audiophile level of sound, you can't really do better IMHO. It handles everything rather well that I throw at it, even decently in the high-volume range where most headsets start to have some issues.They are not as noise-canceling as something like the Bose Quietcomfort II's, so if you absolutely need isolated sound, you might not find the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless to fit your needs; although it does block out most sub-ambient noise.I do have ONE semi-major complaint, and that is the "Game/Chat Balance" feature on my headset seems to drop out the secondary channel. To clarify, when I assign an app/game to that channel, it works fine for a while, but eventually, it fades the channel and cuts the audio entirely, unless I go into that app, and fiddle with the volume to fix it, only for it to fade again. This is likely a driver problem on my end, but also I am running on Linux on my PC, and I haven't yet found a driver that addresses that problem. If SteelSeries sees this, please reach out if you can!On the other side though, these truly are multi-purpose! I can effortlessly go from gaming on my PC, to watching a movie in bed with these and achieve a pretty cinematic sound (The Game of Thrones intro is BREATHTAKING with this headset!). You can reliably watch at full-volume and no-one is none the wiser, which really transports you away from the rest of the environment and isolates you in whatever you are watching. It's quite something!In another note, you only get Bluetooth 4.1, instead of the (at the time) new Bluetooth 5, but I hardly notice a major downside without it, although I hope they update the headset soon with things like BT5 and maybe stronger WiFi. To be clear, I can get great range from the headset, and it only cuts out after I get to the other side of my house, which is all I really need.The microphone stands pretty much toe-to-toe with my Blue Snowball, which is a relief, although for constant use I STRONGLY recommend using the popfilter attachment that they include with it, although you might run into issues when you go about retracting the mic boom into the headset when you are done using it. Also I believe it covers up the mute LED on the mic itself, but you can outright turn off the LED if you need.They are pretty comfy, and I don't really ever feel uncomfortable wearing them, or after taking them off, yet they are durable, and built to last. You get all the support of a metal skeleton, with none of the discomforts, and I find the "Airweave Fabric" band, which doubles as size adjust, to be suitable for even 10 to 12-hour gaming seshesOverall, I'd take these everywhere if my job wasn't so... Potentially abusive to the headset, with different oils and powders. I'd recommend them while traveling as well, although I am not particularly sure if the extra batteries are TSA-Compliant, but I think they are fine.Overall, there is VERY LITTLE this headset does wrong. I am very satisfied I got this headset, and probably will buy again!Edit:Over the years, the headset still preforms well.The issue I eluded to regarding the second chat channel fading, is NOT a driver problem but a hardware one. There is a capacitor on the internals that shuts off the channel if below the threshold, which is rather unfortunate. One other thing worth noting, where each side of the headset attaches to the frame, they are only secured via plastic, and are susceptible to fatigue if care isn't taken, they are pretty durable, but they would've done better by securing the headset modules via metal that isn't likely to break and effectively break the headset.I just received my Arctis Pro Wireless a day ago and have been testing it against my Siberia 800/840/H Wireless. Here are my few quick impressions after testing mostly on my PS4. I will try to provide an update after further testing.Look and build: I prefer the look of the Arctis Pro Wireless. It is a bit more modern and sleek looking than the Siberia 800. Build quality wise, I feel the Siberia 800 feels more sturdy and more durable to scuffs. The Arctis Pro Wireless has the exposed metal headband and and the matte finish which feel more delicate. I have to handle it with care compared to the Siberia 800 which I can pretty much toss around anywhere.Comfort: The earcups of the Arctis Pro Wireless are more comfortable. They are shaped naturally around your ears unlike the cylindrical shape of the Siberia 800. However, I'm not a fan of the ski band on top. I had to adjust it by loosening the velcro which is prone to lint. Also, it tends to pull the headphones up causing a little discomfort on the bottom of my ears. I much prefer the headband of the Siberia 800 with its plush memory foam and traditional way of size adjustment.Connectivity: This is pretty much the same. I had no trouble with the signal when walking downstairs with both headsets to get something from the kitchen. Also, there is no lag while playing games. The bluetooth range is also great and there is no noticeable lag when watching a video from my phone.Usability: The base stations are pretty much identical except for a few tweaks. The 3.5mm chat out and analog in from the back on the Siberia 800's base station are now replaced by line in and line out which is good for passthrough to speakers. The volume knob on the Arctis Pro Wireless base station is a little more grippy and concave, but they operate the same way. The batteries are exactly the same also. I interchanged them and they work perfectly. The menus have a few more options on the Arctis Pro Wireless. You can now have sidetone and adjust its sensitivity. However, your voice tends to sound distorted when speaking a little louder or yelling. Luckily, you can set it to 0 to turn it off which is what I had to do unfortunately. You can now set the screen to timeout or have a screensaver which is just the SteelSeries logo. I had issues with burn-in (due to being OLED) with the screen on my Siberia 800 base station so this is a welcome option for prevention. There is also a volume limiter option which you can turn off if you require louder volumes. The Arctis Pro Wireless can also connect to the SteelSeries Engine to access more options, but it is currently not available yet.On the Arctis Pro Wireless, the volume knob and mute switch is on the left side of headset, while the power buttons are on the right side. This is a change I didn't like. On the Siberia 800, all controls are on the right side and you only need to use one hand to do everything. It will take some adjustment to get used to it, especially if you're coming from the Siberia 800. The battery is now stored on the right earcup on the Arctis Pro Wireless and you just pop off the magnetic plate to swap it out. On the Siberia 800, you just twist the plate off to swap batteries. Both ways are pretty much the same. When you power on and off the Siberia 800, there is a beep tone letting you know it is either on or off. It can be heard clearly. The Arctis Pro Wireless beeps when powering on. When powering off, there is a tiny tone letting you know. It's basically inaudible if your not listening for it closely. The weird thing is there is a loud beep tone when you power off while connected through bluetooth. This seems like an oversight.Microphone: The mic quality of both are on par with each other. They both glow red when you mute them and are adjustable and retractable. The mic on the Arctis Pro Wireless however, is a bit larger and bulkier. I prefer the look of the mic on the Siberia 800. But, it is no big deal. The biggest issue I have with the Arctis Pro Wireless is the mic output volume is extremely low when I tested it on my PS4. My friends could barely hear me. There is also no way to adjust the mic sensitivity at all at the moment. This is odd since the Arctis Pro with GameDAC has an option to adjust mic output volume. The only way for my party to hear me a little better was to crank up the mic sensitivity to max through the PS4 system settings. Still, it was still lower than the Siberia 800 which I always keep at default sensitivity on the PS4. When I switched to the Siberia 800, my party could hear me comfortably. I hope SteelSeries can fix this through a firmware update.Sound: My Siberia 800's are dead silent when there is no sound playing. The Arctis Pro Wireless has a very subtle hiss, but not to the point of being annoying. When there is sound playing, you can hardly hear it, if at all. I was concerned about this, but it is definitely not a deal breaker. The sound signatures are slightly different. I wouldn't say the Arctis Pro Wireless is better sounding than the Siberia 800 which is a disappointment. I tested both with my custom EQ settings and with surround on and off. The Arctis Pro Wireless sounds a little more airy. The highs are a bit more detailed, but more harsh. The bass response for the Arctis Pro Wireless sounds toned down and slightly less full. The focus is more on clarity and separation, but it comes off as a bit synthetic. This causes it to sound more tinny and thinner than the Siberia 800 overall. On the Siberia 800, the treble is warmer and easier on the ears, but still has great clarity. Also, the bass has more punch and depth. I feel the sound signature on the Siberia 800 is more natural and accurate. Overall, they both sound good and will definitely give you an edge competitively. However, I prefer the Siberia 800's sound as of now, but I will have to put more hours in and tweak the EQ settings to get a full impression of the Arctis Pro Wireless.Conclusion: These are both great wireless headsets for gaming. I've had the Siberia 800 for about three years and absolutely love them. If you are looking to upgrade from the Siberia 800/840/H Wireless to the Arctis Pro Wireless, I would hold off for now. The sound is not any better and the mic volume output is definitely a major issue. Also, it has not been fully integrated into the SteelSeries Engine which makes it feel kind of rushed and half-baked. However, these impressions are just based on one day of usage. I will try to update later after some more extensive usage. Let me know if you have any questions or if you want me to test anything else. Thanks for reading!UPDATE (4/29/18): SteelSeries Engine 3.12.3 has been released which allows customization of the Arctis Pro Wireless. Also, this included a firmware update for the Arctis Pro Wireless. The update fixes the mic volume output on PS4! Now, I do not have to put the mic sensitivity at max through the PS4 system settings. My party can hear me loud and clear without any adjustments. Also, they fixed the power off tone which can now be heard loudly. It was nice to have these issues fixed, especially the mic volume output which was a big problem for me. Thanks to SteelSeries for listening to feedback.I've had these now for about 6 months. So this isn't an initial first impressions kind of review. I've read what a lot of people have said and it seems like a few people think they understand things that the clearly do not and blame the headphones for it. So let's go.Comfort: Honestly, this is going to come down to your ear shape and size probably more than anything. If you have little ears, or ears that sit tight to your head - then in terms of comfort I can sum it up best by saying you'll probably forget you have them on at times. They're comfy, lightweight, and they sit well with the ski band system. I'm a 6'6 adult male. I do not have a little head - yet these headphones stay on me all day whether im in a gaming marathon or working and listening to spotify. The only pain you'll probably get is if you have ears that jut out from your head because the earcups are rather shallow - so your ears will be pressed against the unit and that can become painful over long periods of play; I had that for the first few days of wearing these but I haven't felt it since.Build Quality: I'm someone who will pay a lot of money for quality. Build Quality is a factor in me keeping or returning items. I haven't in 6 months gotten bored of picking the headset up and putting it on. It feels great. It feels like it costs. Nothing has worn down, come loose, etc. They just keep looking and performing good.Wireless and Battery: I'm comboing this section because they're directly related. You get 2 batteries, so one is always charging while the other is in use. Swapping takes 5 seconds and I've got that down to a 1-handed science. It's laughably easy to swap and charge the batteries, anyone who complains about this likely failed grade school recess. The battery life varies on usage scenario I have found - but I was say on average you're looking at MINIMUM 6 hours with constant music at full volume with bass boosting (more on that next) and as much as a full day if you just leave them turned on and only use the actual speakers sparingly.In terms of wireless range, I can broadcast from my upstairs computer (using the wireless dac) all the way into the basement (3 levels) and from the front of my property to the corners of my backyard (large lot). The only time I seem to have ANY issues with range is when I'm within 5 ft of the microwave and it's running. Def interference there - do not recommend warming up pizza pops while wearing these headphones.SOUND QUALITY: I left this for last, and my opening comments were mainly about this section. People complaining about the sound quality and putting that on the headphones do not know how audio works. These speakers are absolutely able to output incredible fidelity and the simulated surround sound is also top notch for headphones on the market. The issue isn't the hardware here. It's the limitations of the source and what the dac is able to do with that sound. Likely, you're planning on using these headphones on PC. Windows default audio is dog ____ quality. To really get the most out of your hardware, you need a third party audio manager to unlock the capabilities of even the headset your using when reading this.Don't believe me, well let me show you. open up google and look for "boom 3d" (pro-tip, it's also on steam). It will have a 100% complete free trial. Download it, and set it up. when it running, turn on it's surround sound and pick an equalizer you like, I typically leave it on "windows". I bet your cheap walmart headphones suddenly sound a lot better. If you want crazy good music in the arctis headset, turn surround off and instead put it to max fidelity (same row as surround button, to the right) and increase the slider controlling the equalizer. I will bet money you can't handle the sound coming out at full volume without developing tinnitus.See, it has nothing to do with the headset itself. The headset is money. People just don't realize that their computers, phones, and consoles have all kinds of factory limits or settings that really gimp the audio. You can spend like crazy and never figure out why it still feels empty. There are other way to unlock that sound, but Boom 3D is the cheapest and easiest way to manage it all. Best of all, your $10 license can be used on 2 computers, so you can give one to a friend and look like a hero.All told, this headset is amazing. I had HyperX Cloud II before this so I was coming from a very good headset with high expectations - and the Arctis has been everything I had hoped it would be.I bought these to use with a Windows 11 laptop, Nvidia Shield, and mobile phone. They just weren't up to the job. Installed on the laptop, downloaded and installed the latest software - it doesn't do anything, any adjustments in the software are ignored by the device;Every time the laptop is rebooted the headphones are re-detected and reinstalled - 9 times so far, so it's nearly impossible to work out which device to connect to.The sound quality, and bass response is very poor for a headset of this price, and the build quality is not great, from the first time I put them on I could feel and hear the hinges cracking. Impossible to stay connected - they randomly disconnect from bluetooth or their own transmitter.Had them a week and returned.I love these, sound is great, a shame you can only charge the batteries while in the headset, which kinda makes the hot swap batteries useless.I'm a female with a small head and yet after 30 mins of use my ears and head are aching, so you can imagine how I feel after 2+ hours of raidingI’ve been gaming for years, and this is the best headset I’ve ever owned.Really comfortable, great quality sound, Bluetooth so you can wirelessly connect to your phone for calls or music; but by far the best aspect is the dual batteries.As you constantly have one in the charging ‘slot’ attached to your pc you have ZERO downtime, and can quickly swap them over in about 10 seconds.Really simple feature, but game changing for wireless headsets.keep in mind i used this on PS4 and not on PCAllright. soo my girlfriend bought the same headset but wired.Since she was satisfied with her's, i decided to buy the wireless version, thinking i'd have the same quality with no wire.NOPE!-I paid 100$ more-the equilizer gives you 5 ranges of sound instead of 10,-you can't control your mic volume from the game dac-you can't change the mic led color(wich is minor)-the soud is not as good(still very good but if you compare with the wired version...)-your voice in chat is not as good(same as above)All in all this headset has good build quality, good sound and feals verry good even after long sessions.the thing is, you'd have all that with the wired version if you are willing to save the 100$ ;)if not i would still recomand since it is still a very good headset.