SteelSeries has become one of the most recognizable names in the PC gaming accessory market. They’ve sponsored multiple pro gaming teams along and have partnered with several game companies. The SteelSeries 7H is their high-end headset. It comes in different versions designed for 7.1 surround sound, home consoles and the iPhone/iPad/iPod. This review covers the standard PC version of the 7H that comes with standard mic and headphone connectors.

SOUNDS GOOD

Doesn’t Get Much Clearer - I simply love the sound coming through the 7H. It’s crystal clear with the ability to produce all the highs and lows of games, songs and movies. Not only is it clear, but it’s also loud. One thing I’ve seen with headsets is that sometimes you have to put them at full blast to be at a level that you can hear easily. When using the 7H, keeping the volume at about halfway was more than enough to hear everything.

Dude, Where's My Mic Arm? - Headsets, in general, have kept the standard design of having a mic connected to one of the headphones via an arm. With the 7H, the mic is stored in the left headphone itself. This allows you to keep it in the headphone when storing the headset or traveling. This is great because you don’t have to worry about the arm snapping off. It’s also aesthetically pleasing to look at. Not only is it a minimalistic design, but it works pretty well too. During a game, or on skype, or simply recording your voice, the mic picks you up loud and clear.
 

OW My Freakin’ Ears! - Normally, headset have an oval shape to them which makes perfect sense as the human head is, well, round. It was a surprise to me when I unboxed the 7H headset and saw that the headsets were kind of flat. The problem with this design is that the headphones squeeze my head a little more than normal. I know I have a big head, in all senses of the word, but even when I pull out the headset to its maximum, it’s just not comfortable on my ears after a long period of time. For a gaming headset to feel uncomfortable after an hour of use makes it hard to recommend to those people that play for extended sessions. Your mileage will vary on this one, but if you have problems with things fitting on your head properly, beware.
 

Stop Breaking Away - The 7H has a plug on the left headphone that connects to the mic and headphone jack (or to the extension cables that have the same mic/headphone connections at the end of it). This is simply not good design. While using the headset over the course of three weeks, there were five times that the cable got unplugged with hardly any effort. Compare that to my older headset that had zero disconnects. Since the plug is at the bottom of the headphone, that means that any downward pull makes it pop-out, in comparison to the Xbox 360 one, where the cable has to be pulled out horizontally which requires more effort to disconnect. 

The 7H is a great, but flawed, headset. Gaming headsets are meant to be used for long periods of time, so comfort is a huge priority. That lack of comfort that I experienced when using the 7H for more than an hour is a big issue that can’t be ignored, not to mention the whole "plug pops out easily" bit. If SteelSeries could take a second look at the design and come up with something more comfortable and reliable, this could be a fantastic headset. The 7H sounds great, but comes up short in comfort and practicality.