Ski goggles. That's the inspiration for SteelSeries's new Arctis line of headsets, including the wireless Arctis 7 I've been using for the past few weeks. Take the floating headband that SteelSeries popularized on its old Siberia line, replace it with the elastic you'd use to strap on ski goggles...

The SteelSeries Arctis 7 is a phenomenal-looking, customizable wireless headset equipped with high-quality 40-millimeter audio drivers capable of delivering stereo and DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound.

Great audio performance; both for music and serious gaming; Beautiful design and excellent build quality; SteelSeries Engine 3 software is easy to use and filled with useful features; ChatMix Dial; built into the right ear cup; is a fantastic addition; Mic Sidetone setting used for microphone...

Unimpressive microphone quality (when connected to the supplied wireless dongle/sound card; Poor virtual 7.1 surround sound; Blinking of the white LED on the wireless receiver when the headset is off is distracting

If you've read my past headset reviews, you'll know that the SteelSeries Siberia series has been my ‘go to' headset over the past few years, with my Siberia v2 still going strong after over five years of use.

Comfortable and strong build quality; Good base response for movies and gaming; Clear mic and ChatMix volume adjustment; Built in Share Jack; Adjustable ski goggle band works

Treble in music could be better (requires adjustment; No 2.5mm jack for older Xbox controllers; Not the lightest headset

This is an expensive headset, but there's certainly a lot to like. The quality of the materials is immediately apparent, as the plastic is rigid and doesn't feel brittle, and the aluminium has a really nice finish too.

I've tried and reviewed different gaming headsets for the past years and so far, SteelSeries Arctis 7 hits the best spots for me. It's minimalist without a cheap plastic look, sounds excellent, and one of the most comfortable headsets I've worn so far for hours of PC gaming.

Steelseries have produced some of the finest headsets ever to grace the market. Nearly all of us have, at one time or another, owned a pair of their 5H headphones thanks to the always attractive combination of robustness, lightness, performance and an extremely competitive price.

The Steelseries Arctis 7 is an excellent wireless gaming headset for an impressive price. At $150, it comes in under the Logitech G933 Artemis, the Astro Gaming A50, and even the Skullcandy PLYR 1 , all while offering very good audio performance across the board and the option to use different...

Balanced sound; Functions both wireless and wired; Customizable with different headbands and earpads

Bass isn't particularly powerful

Highly recommend

These gaming headphones are light, stylish and sound wonderful. Pairing and Set-up was painless; surround sound is quite amazing

Print in product information guide was too small and too light a colour

Well there we have it the Arctis 7 brought to us by SteelSeries. So I told you I would reveal my opinion and here it goes. The slight loss in quality is very minimal due to these being wireless. The headset still sounds great when compared to the wired version.

Very Lightweight; Suspension Headband; Many accessories available to customize your headset; SteelSeries Engine; Price; Compatible with everything

Not-a-one

Sound is an important part of gaming, and a good pair of headphones can make all the difference between success and failure. We talked a bit about the SteelSeries Arctis line of gaming headphones when they were announced , and I've been able to spend some time with the Arctis 7 model.

Great design, with really good sound and loads of features; The ski-goggle headband and Airweave earcups are incredibly comfortable even for long gaming sessions; The overall design is one that can easily be worn outside of game time too

The volume dials took a bit of getting used to so I wouldn't hit them every time I put on or took off the headphones