Feuerfest

This is a short review of my experience with my SteelSeries Arctis 7+ which I bought in April 2023. However in general it serves as an example with the whole SteelSeries headset product line. I bought the Arctis 7+ as a replacement for my Logitech G930. A headset I used for over 12 years and was happy with. Although I had to buy 2 G930 as replacement headsets over all these years. Nonetheless I was happy with the hardware and had no big problems.

So, why don't I like SteelSeries?

What type of headphone user am I?

In order for you to make it possible to relate to my experiences and opinion: Let me give you an impression of what kind of headset user I am.

Personally I would categorize myself as a heavy user. I usually wear it constantly during work and after work. Especially when gaming with friends or in meetings. In fact, I don't even own traditional audio speakers anymore. I mean, that's why I want a wireless headset. I want to be able to listen to music/videos/podcasts while doing my dishes but still want to be able to pause at any time. 

Hence a daily wear time between to 8-12 hours is normal.

My requirements are always the same:

• Wireless
• Receiver must use some kind of widely available standard port like USB
  • Cinch or 3,5mm aux doesn't work as most hardware doesn't have it
• Over-ear headset
• Microphone must be foldable and adjustable
• Microphone must be mutable via some kind of button on the headphone
• State of microphone (un-/muted) must be indicated by some kind of LED
  • Example: Red glowing LED when muted
• Media buttons for play/pause
  • Bonus points for additional buttons for next/previous track
  • And no, "Tapping play/pause 3x fast to go to the previous track" gives no bonus points. That's just a nuisance.

Why no SteelSeries anymore?

I'm dissatisfied with the overall quality and price. The price for replacement parts (30€ for an USB-C Dongle, 16€ for an USB-C charging cable, etc.) is also ludicrously high. And it seems they are almost never available. When my first USB-C Dongle broke I had to constantly check the website until it showed it as available, forcing me to use a headset provided by my employer for that time. Currently a replacement Dongle isn't available for months. For a piece of hardware I need - because work related online-meetings - this is not acceptable at all.

And how I loathe the earpads. Literally everyone agrees that the standard earpads from SteelSeries are too small and cause pain. So was for me. Especially on the upper parts of the ear. Everyone recommends getting replacement earpads (for example from Wicked Cushion), but.. I just spent 150€ for a headset! Should I really need to spent another 20 to 30€ for earpads?

For me personally the standard SteelSeries earpads caused an ear infection due to them using some kind of material which absorbs sweat and everything. Especially in hot summer months. This is not good. I never had that problem with the Logitech earpads. And I never needed to buy replacement earpads due to them causing pain either. Buying replacement earpads because they are worn and the pseudo-leather material (some kind of polyurethane) starts to crumble? Yes, but that is the same for the earpads from Wicked Cushion. In my experience they are good for 12 months of usage, that's it. Again: Not a satisfactory product quality. And I wasn't able to find proper earpads made of real leather.

And with all that taken into account there is another cost-factor summing up. Let's call it maintenance. When I have to buy an USB-C Dongle every 1,5 years and earpads every 12 months. This is a sum that adds up! For a headset that costs 150€ I would be near that same amount for replacement parts in just 3-4 years. In fact I currently did spent 60€ on USB-C Dongles and 60€ for replacement earpads. That is simply costs being externalized by SteelSeries (cheaper materials, lower quality) towards the consumer (buying replacements parts due to fast wear & tear). All while SteelSeries is netting the profits.

This is my Amazon order history just for the headset and replacement earpads.

And I get it. I'm a heavy user. I use it daily. I take it with me on trips. Or when I visit customers or the office of my employer. And the first damaged USB-C Dongle clearly is my fault. I just tossed it in my backpack and didn't care. Something heavy must have been on top of it and it broke. Ok, my fault. But again: Never had that problem with the USB-A Dongle from the Logitech G930. And even after taking proper care the next one didn't survive much longer either.

So no, no more SteelSeries for me and the quest to find a new wireless headset begins anew.

Health problems

Later in February 2026 the Czech non-profit organisation ARNIKA published a study regarding hazardous materials in headphones. They named it: The sound of contamination. The only model tested from SteelSeries was the Arctis Nova 5 gaming headset, scoring an "red" in the category of "Evaluation of parts touching the skin" and hence an overall rating of "red". And while I had no allergic reactions, this was the first time ever I got an ear infection due to the wearing of a headphone. And there are reports from people who have allergic reaction with the Arctis 7+ model. In fact there are even more reports regarding headphones and allergic reactions. Like this or this one. Hence the manufacturers must be aware of this problem. Yet they still choose to use the same cheap and hazardous materials. How nice of them!

Interesting for me was, that a follow-up product for of the Logitech G930 - the G733 LIGHTSPEED wireless RGB Gaming Headset - was also tested. And scored equally bad in the same categories. I even used the G733 prior to buying the Arctis 7+ but was dissatisfied with the range of the wireless receiver (roughly 50% shorter than the one for the G930) and it missed media keys for pause/play and next/previous track. Additionally the microphone wasn't foldable anymore.