SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb Wireless Gaming Headset Review

By Ken Brown

Spectrum 7XB – Wireless Performance in the Real World

SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb

So how did the SteelSeries Spectrum 7xbs do in the real world? We looked at a number of different ways people would use wireless headsets. We attached the Spectrum 7xb to our home theater, our computer, our Sony PlayStation 3, as well as to our Xbox 360.

The overall audio quality was superb. When listening to music we could use the LiveMIX feature to toggle through the various equalizer settings our preference was Performance. In games, both on the Xbox and PS3, we were impressed with the comfort of the Spectrum 7xb and the fit.

SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb

The headset seemed to null out the ambient sound from the room so you can focus in on the gaming sound only. While in the game we were pretty amazed at how the 50mm drivers allowed you to hear every sound around you seemingly giving us a heads up to our enemys location. This was very apparent when playing Call of Duty: Black Ops.

SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb

All of the testers who used the SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb found that using the SteelSeries brand headset improved their gameplay experience even more than other headsets that we had laying around the LR bunker. It was really amazing to hear the directional sound in game. When talking to online gamers or even hearing someone reload made a massive difference when using the Spectrum 7xb versus normal speakers from the TV or home theater. The SteelSeries headsets really pull you into the action.

Because SteelSeries knows that gamers have evolved over the past few years, they have done a great job in designing the headset to work on multiple platforms. For us, we are very interested to hear how the headphones performed with a PC.

SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb Controls

The SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb performs quite well as wireless headphones when used with a PC or Laptop. All we did was plug the transmitter box up one of the PCs USB ports and used a Headphone out to connect to. Unfortunately, chatting on the PC with the headset microphone didnt work for us, but having the ability to roam around the room listening to Pandora or Grooveshark was great. In fact, this is how we use the headset mostly now.

When we hooked up the Spectrum 7xbs to our PlayStation 3 we had similar experiences to that of our PC use – great sound but no ability to wirelessly chat. If your dreams were to have a wireless headset that was truly cross-platform working with anything other than an Xbox, then you will not be satisfied.

SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb with Xbox 360

The SteelSeries Spectrum has everything that a hard-core gamer would look for: Comfort, durability, great sound even though it is a bit expensive at $179.99. If you own a Microsoft Xbox 360 and are looking for a wireless headset, then run to your nearest dealer and grab the 7xbs. Like all of SteelSeries products, the Spectrum 7xb comes with a 2-year EU warranty and 1-year warranty.

Legit Bottom Line:
Based on the excellent SteelSeries 7h headsets, the wireless SteelSeries Spectrum 7xb is specifically designed for the Xbox gamer, but work very well as wireless headphones for all platforms. The price might be a tad bit steep, but in this case you get what you pay for.

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