There is a battle that is needed to take place and it’s between two Steelseries brothers. This makes three difference headphones in the last five days that we have tested. We started with the Sonys Inzone h7. Then went to the Steelseries Arctis 7p+ and now we have the Steelseries Arctis Nova 7p! Both are built for the PlayStation 5 and PC! And while they share the same DNA , they are not the same. Thankfully both hold true to Steelseries fit, quality, and comfort. So no worries about a bad choice regardless. However if the best headphone is what you seek, that’s a whole other conversation.
So for starters, let’s get the looks out of the way. The Nova series from Steelseries is their top tier lineup. They have the pro series and the Arctic Nova line in this category, with the Pro series having the hub deck add on for desk use, but if game on the PS5 on a couch like me, this pro edition hub only serves as a complication because you either have to get up to use it or it’s sitting in your lap or something. Bottom line, not really useful and that’s before the almost $400 price tag . So the Arctis Nova is version of the same headphone just without the hub deck for $170 is easily the best direction for my gaming needs.
So when you look at the more useful design of the Nova over the Arctis 7p’s you will find a better set up for its buttons and dials. With the Nova, the dials and buttons didn’t get in the way every time I reached to take off the headphone or put them on. With the Arctis 7p lineup the volume would be turned up or down every time you took off the headphone and that was ignoring. You will also feel the stronger and heavier density of the Nova lineup. While the Arctis 7p are very nicely built …I get a small sense of stronger design and quality into the build and feel of the Nova.
Now where the Arctis 7p comes back strong on is the battery life. I don’t know how or what they did to do it, but the battery life on the Arctis 7p+ is a whopping 60 hours, not the 40 they claimed on the box. This is the ultimate way to under promise and over deliver. This is how you do things as a company. So while you get 30 hours out of the Nova, this is not the sure power reserve of the Arctis 7p+ and it’s a clear victory for this category.
Unfortunately, from this point out…the Nova series starts to make things very interesting. For starters they microphones are superior to the 7p+ headphone and basically everything not named Nova. Their clearcast mic is everything you could ask for in a mic. It cuts down on the surrounding noise to focus on your voice only and retracts completely inside the headphone, not just partially. It has the new Nova acoustic system also in the headphone that makes sounds and separation with imaging a masterpiece. Never have I ever experience a better sound quality from gaming headphones in my life thanks to the Nova acoustics system. The directional position of all sounds are so crisp and exact that it truly puts you there. Immersive interaction with gaming is what you want and it doesn’t disappoint. The 7p+ is a good second place, as it does very similar things but just doesn’t do it as well as the Nova, even with EQ’g them, they can’t beat them at their flat default setting on the Nova. As long as you have the latest firmware and turned off the volume limiter in the software for the headphone, the sound structure will be superior and unique in every way with the Nova. I think it’s the first flawless sound profile I have ever experienced from a gaming headphone.
Lastly, yet another complete victory lies with Nova and that is the connection. While both have flawless connections without lag or stutters as long as they have been upgraded with their firmware, it is the Nova 7 that has both Bluetooth and 2.4ghz connection. You can listen to music while gaming or talk on the phone while playing games. It even gives you the ability to turn off the Bluetooth separate from the 2.4ghz. So fell free to game any way you wish. Steelseries has truly stepped up their lineups accordingly. But it shouldn’t shock you why so many use their products. So if you ask me after all this, where do I stand… it’s got to be with Steelseries and the Nova lineup especially after getting the Nova 7p. I just hope it last longer than my older Steelseries 7 did for my pc but only time will answer that. Until then, what I have is the best I’ve heard for gaming headphones and am very happy with this. I think we are finally done with all the testing of headphones for gaming unless something happens with my Nova’s.
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