Steelseries is arguably the most trusted gaming headset manufacturer in the biz right now. However, after all those reviews on amazing sound and customisation, you’ve unboxed your Steelseries Arctis 7…only to find the sound is just as low as that budget headset you were using before it???

Firstly, don’t panic as this issue could easily be fixed via a download. Let’s check how you’re connected first:

1. Are you using the Arctis 7 on Xbox One or Series S/X?

steelseries arctis 7x xbox one series x
Although a 3.5mm jack will allow headsets to pretty much connect to anything, only the Arctis 7X and 9X allow wireless connectivity to an Xbox One and Series X

If the answer to this is yes, then we’ve pinpointed the issue immediately. Due to the Artic 7 being designed for PC and PS4/PS5 (which is also why the wireless adaptor won’t work with your XBOX console), this blocks all tweaks that can be made via the Steelseries Arctis 7 software.

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2. If you’re connecting via the USB wireless adaptor (to PS4, PS5 or PC)

Connecting via the Arctis 7’s wireless adaptor will mean that you’re using it with PS4/PS5, PC or Mac. The lower sound volumes you’re experiencing may be due to a legal requirement to ensure all headsets follow health and safety laws for every country. This requires a cap to be placed on volume levels by default, but you can easily tweak this in the Arctis 7’s software settings and here’s how:

a) Download the official Steelseries Engine software

Once you’ve downloaded and installed the software, remember that the USB to USB-C cable is for charging only. If you want the Steelseries Engine software to pickup your headset, you’ll need to connect the USB to Wireless adaptor, to your desktop or laptop.

steelseries arctis7 paired steelseries engine
Remember to always use your USB wireless connecter for whenever you want to tweak or update your Arctis 7 headset

b) Once Steelseries Engine has picked up the exact headset you’re using, it’s time to go in and start tweaking the audio settings. This will not only improve sound levels, but also optimise the audio experience to better suit specific games.

Once you click the Arctis 7 banner at the top (that will also show you the headsets remaining battery charge), you’ll be presented with the full audio adjustment settings:

steelseries arctis 7 sound adjustment
The Steelseries Arctis 7 offers a lot of sound customisation but don’t worry, D4G will get you up to speed on the basics, enhancing your gaming experience

The first thing you need to do (going from top to bottom) is select ‘On with 7.1 Surround’ under Speakers settings. Once you’ve done that, move down and select ‘Game’ under Sound Profile.

Now, scroll right down to where you’ll see Presets and instead of ‘Custom’, select one of the following two settings (these two are the best ones to begin with, depending on what type of game you’re playing):

‘Performance’ – This is more suited for highly competitive games such as COD, Overwatch or Fortnite. This setting will help the player better focus and identify more distant enemy sounds (e.g. enemy footsteps).

‘Immersion’ – Open world games and RPG’s work well with this, but I’d personally recommend testing it with any other game that isn’t highly competitive. This is due to its default structured settings, being perfect for DTS X and PS5’s 3D Tempest Audio tech, helping to bring that gaming word to life around you.

Dynamic Range Compression

This can be found at the bottom of the sound settings page and to begin with, we’d recommend leaving this ‘Off’ to better help you recognise just how it will alter your experience.

steelseries dynamic sound compression

The reason for this is due to each sound (from voice chat, explosions, to footsteps) having its own position depending on where the player is in the world. However, if you begin to move that slider up for Dynamic Range Compression, this will begin to level all of these sounds, so you’ll eventually hear them at the same volume levels (not good when voice chat is as load as the music or SFX, or footsteps being as loud as an explosion near you).

When is it good to start using Dynamic Range Compression with Steelseries?

This tends to go hand-in-hand with more competitive players. Dynamic Range Compression will help create louder footsteps from afar (eventually adjusting them to the same sound level as everything else), so once you have ‘Performance’ mode selected from Presets, simply tweak and test Dynamic Sound Compression to your liking.

Once you have adjusted these settings to your liking, click the Config tab (at the lower left) to make the CONFIGURATIONS window appear. Click New and then save this setting and name this whatever you like.

Close this window down to be taken back to the Steelseries Engine main page (where you’ll see the main Arctis product banner, that also shows your remaining battery). At the far right of the banner, you’ll see the Configuration drop down. Just select from your custom setup saves. Great for quick adjustment of your Steelseries headset from game to game.

Did this help solve your issue? If so, please support D4G by checking out other Steelseries products and more, at Playasia. Thanks for your support!

We hope that helped you resolve any sound issues you have been experiencing with our Arctis 7, as well as give a better understanding on the Steelseries Engine fundamentals.