SteelSeries seems to be the brand that basically gets you anything when it comes to gaming peripherals and accessories. Where is the? Ah, I know gaming speakers!
Yes, you didn’t read the description wrong: gaming speakers. they exist. And these aren’t just shabby little desktop units with the energy and power of damp flannel. I have to say that the SteelSeries Arena 7 sounds great. $300 (opens in new tab)/£300 (opens in new tab) Things make sense when you ask the prices attached to them. We’ll talk about sound quality a little later, though.
The Arena 7 is actually the middle child in the brand’s all-new Arena speaker lineup. At the bottom is Arena 3, which offers two main desktop units here. Upgrading to Arena 7 adds a 6.5 inch subwoofer for even better sound and low end. Finally, spend £550/$550 to add rear and center speakers to your party, bringing the power of 5.1 channel audio to your PC gaming. Of course, a discrete unit might offer a better immersive experience than a single soundbar or set of speakers, but the real question is whether a set of gaming speakers is actually better.
Well, given the all-important “game” prefix attached to its line of speakers, it’s easy to assume SteelSeries cranked up the bass and left these like a muddy mess. I am happy to report that this is not the case. The Arena 7 certainly sound pretty good, with accurate and detailed sound with excellent clarity to boot. It handled almost anything I could think of with ease, including the smooth bass and synth combos of Genesis’ It’s Gonna Get Better and the light, emotive tones of James Taylor’s Lighthouse.
Arena 7 specs
frequency: 35 to 20,000Hz
driver: Main Speakers – 2-way drivers, 0.75 inch tweeters, 3 inch woofers. Subwoofer – 6.5 inch downfire his driver.
weight: 11kg
Connectivity: USB Type-C, Bluetooth, Optical, Analog 3.5mm
Lit: 4-zone reactive RGB
price: $300 (opens in new tab)/£300 (opens in new tab)
Many of these great audio feats are attributed to the Arena 7’s 6.5-inch subwoofer, which provides incredible extension and rumble, making bass-heavy tracks such as Yes’s Roundabout a gorgeous listening experience, and Counter Strike (Yes, I is playing with bots, please don’t leave angry comments) made it even more immersive. At times the bass was certainly a little too loud, but thanks to a handy knob on the back of the subwoofer itself, you can turn the volume down. Not just games, but music and movies are more appealing due to the wide soundstage provided by the Arena 7, which can also be a formidable home theater setup if you have the space.
Moving away from audio quality and into the Arena 7’s feature set reveals something equally rich, especially when it comes to speaker usage. , optical audio for connecting to a TV, and a 3.5 mm audio jack for use with other devices. , as well as a port for plugging the speaker itself. But that’s not all, as Arena 7 also supports his wireless connection via Bluetooth. This is an absolute game changer for me. Especially since I often want to be able to turn off my PC and use my phone to listen to music or podcasts, or quickly pair my phone to Arena 7. Perfect for those who prefer a more immersive experience.
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This is not only on the hardware side, but also in software when connected to a PC where SteelSeries works well. Arena 7 runs on the SteelSeries Engine (now included in the all-in-one tool SteelSeries GG), enabling spatial audio for an even more immersive experience, EQ fiddling and setup, and more. Features can be unlocked. By setting, you can get the sound as it is.
Additionally, you can configure the RGB lighting of the speakers within the Engine, just like you can find on the back of the main unit (the subwoofer has none, unfortunately). personality. By default, the lighting cycles through different colors, all of which are very impressive.When you turn on music, it tries to match the lighting to the audio, with varying degrees of success. You can get excited with just a simple bass and drum song.
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The Arena 7’s design, like many other peripherals, does not emphasize that it is a gaming product. Instead, SteelSeries chose to give their latest release a sleek, sophisticated aesthetic. It has smooth curves around the main desktop speaker itself, which makes it look great. By comparison, the subwoofer is an unassuming black cube. Not much else to say about it. The build quality is also solid overall, and the speakers offer a fair amount of weight, a reminder that these aren’t disposable items.
Overall, the SteelSeries Arena 7 is a worthy option for those looking for a set of gaming speakers that provide a more immersive sound for games and music, or for those looking for the punch of a subwoofer to match their main unit. themselves. $300/£300 may seem like a lot of money, but what you do get is a pretty good deal. If my setup had space for Arena 7s, they would be a mainstay for a very long time.
