SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Gaming Headset for Playstation – USB-C Wireless – Detachable ClearCast Microphone – for PS5, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Android – Black

I purchased the SteelSeries Arctis 1 headset in May of 2022. It's over 2 years and I've put these through A LOT. I've finally decided to write a review because I'm impressed!1. Battery life: I sleep in them. Most days they're probably turned on at least 12 hours and often upwards of 18 hours. I've let them die completely many many times. I also over charged them many times. The battery life on this headset is OUTSTANDING. If I let them charge up fully (well beyond the light turning green), they will last 12 or more hours even after the 2 years of the abuse I've put the battery through. Yes, I have to charge them a little more often than I did when I first got them, but that only equates to once a day. When I'm traveling or my usage is lower, I charge them once every 2-4 days.2. Durability: Did I mention I sleep in these? I also sleep on my side quite a lot (idk how, it just works for me). They're structurally sound. I bend the headband a little tighter ever couple months. Only now am I starting to see the padding on the headband start to flake off a little. There's no issues with the connection between the left and right, nothing has shorted out. The mute switch and microphone still work. The charging light still works. The volume wheel might be slightly looser but still works as expected.3. Sound quality: as with any over-ear headset the sound quality isn't as great as earbuds which is what I used exclusively before I got this set. I remember it not being as good as what I was used to. However, it has not deteriorated AT ALL over time. They sound the same as the day I got them. The beeping noise that it makes when the headset is dying has gotten quieter over time, which I love because it no longer wakes me up if it starts beeping in the middle of the night.4. Design: Pretty standard design with a few improvements. I love that if I'm trying to plug the cord in while it's on my head or in the dark, it's pretty easy. They designed it so the cord just goes into the port in the most obvious spot. I haven't had such success on my work headsets in the past. I also like how the earpieces swivel. I have often put it on with one hand.5. Fit: I'm a 5'3" female. Honestly, they're a tiny bit big for me. Yah, they're a little loose but that's only a problem rarely. My BF has the same pair (due to my influence). He's 6'2" and they're a little small for him. He uses them for gaming and switches to earbuds for everything else.6. Mic: I don't usually have the mic in. I only use it for gaming in groups which is typically a couple nights a week. I just leave it live and haven't had complaints from my (unabashedly honest) friends. They've also said that the sound quality is better than what I had before (which was an old apple earbud mic). It does pick up my BF if we're in the same room, but that's probably more of an issue with the settings in discord.Overall, great headset. It has exceeded my expectations (especially after using the crappy Jabra wireless headsets at work. The Jabra headset seems to go on and off even when my work PC is in the lock screen and isn't in use. I use a mac outside of work. When my mac is off, the headset shuts off after a couple minutes and doesn't come back on; off is off.

Disclaimer: While I am a big headphones enthusiasts (have tried/owned many different pairs), this only my second gaming headset, as I have usually played video games through speakers. I previously had a cheap Turtle Beach set that I used for PS4 multiplayer games with friends and family. Since building a new gaming PC 4 months ago, I've been using headphones for gaming more often. I've also had to use headphones for work since my job has moved to WFH for the foreseeable future. My favorite cans are currently my modded Koss Pro DJ100 w/ a good amp (closed set) and the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (open set) which I also use for mixing/editing audio tracks. I bought these because I needed a wireless set for couch gaming when I run my PC into my TV.Comfort & Looks: Arctis 1 = 4/5; Arctis 7 = 4.5/5The plastic finish and plain look are OK but not amazing. For $100 dollars the look and feel is totally serviceable. There are some rough-ish edges on the headband, but everything else is smooth. The clamping force is a little tight for me personally, but it's comfortable otherwise (not too hot, headband rests OK, can move around just fine, etc). My partner has a smaller head than me and they love the Arctis 1 so far with no complaints (it is now their main headphone for working and gaming). The Arctis 7 is excellent for me and the headband is very comfy. The clamping pressure is less but still allows for movement without falling off my head. I like the slightly cleaner look & feel of the 7, but the 1 is sturdy in its own right (if just a little rough).Sound: Arctis 1 = 4/5; Arctis 7 = 4.5/5The sound on the Arctis 1 is quite good for a $100 wireless set (although not an audiophile set exactly). Definitely a mainstream gaming EQ curve (extra bass, slightly scooped mid). The details are fine and the soundstage works well with stereo effects in music or games (like enemies clunking around in FPS games). There's OK high extension but they're slightly attenuated. Mids are generally accurate but there seems to be more prominent low and high mids honestly. After EQing in the provided software I was able to quickly set up a couple profiles (gaming and music) that sounded good to me for general gaming and listening. The Arctis 7 isn't incredibly different although I feel it's a little more balanced and has better isolation. The soundstage also feels a little more realistic to me personally and it feels just a little more detailed. The surround sound is OK, but I'm honestly fine with stereo imaging.Mic/Communication Functions: Arctis 1 = 3.5/5;Arctis 7 4/5The mic is decent (same microphone on both), but it has that constant compression and low dynamic range thing going on. It's perfectly serviceable for communicating in games (and work meetings, Zoom calls, etc.), but don't try to record vocals with it or anything like that. I've been using it to teach and my students say it sounds fine compared to my usual SM58 or AT2020 setup.I should note that the Arctis 7 has game chat mix in case you want to mix the level of chat mixed into your game. It's a nice feature if you play games where chat is useful. I also love that the mic on the Arctis 7 can be pushed back up into the ear cup.Connectivity & Battery: Arctis 1 =4.5/5; Arctis 7 = 3.5/5Great connectivity options on the Arctis 1, especially the USB-C dongle. So easy to switch between devices (including my phone) on the fly. The Arctis 7 has a traditional USB dongle with line in/line out 1/8' jacks. It's fine but less useful than the Arctis 1 dongle for me. The battery life is great on both and they charge back up pretty quickly as well.TLDR: Arctis 1 has higher clamping force, better overall connectivity, and it's rougher around the edges. The Arctis 7 is comfy, better built, and has better isolation and a tuck-away mic. I think the Arctis 7 sounds just slightly better, but they're both nice wireless headphones in their own right. If you have a small to average head and want to save $50, the Arctis 1 is great. If you want more polish, have a larger head, or want slightly better communications functionality, grab the Arctis 7.

The Amazing: Battery life is great, design I like a lot looking like a pair of good quality headphones, button to pause/skip/rewind videos if you walk away or tab out, detachable mic for those who don't need the headset's mic, packaging was greatThe Good: Comfortable headband, decently comfortable earpads, price not being super high but not super low, ability to be plugged in to your computer, the range you can walk away from is averagely good reaching my computer until I'm about 30ft away and 1 story down, the weight is nice it's not ultralight but not heavy at allThe Mid: Preference wise I dont like how the dongle is C-Type but others would, the headphones might be a little tight for some people as they hug my ears but they fit perfectly on me (horizontally tight not vertically)The Bad: Why is the dongle C-Type but the headphone charging port Micro-USB????? it just makes no sense just makes it so you need another cord laying around for it, the mic quality is not Xbox Connect quality but definitely not great at allThe Big Caveat: You need SteelSeries GG to change audio settings and to further enhance you need to use their audio mixer "Sonar" which very annoying toying with to have your audio how you want it, however I'm glad I can change it how I want unlike xbox/playstation/switch users. The default audio quality isnt bad but definitely needs the tweaking in Sonar to make it perfect.