SteelSeries seems to be a brand that dabbles in basically everything when it comes to gaming peripherals and accessories. They already produce an impressive array of keyboards, mice, and headsets.

Yes, gaming speakers. They exist. Gaming speakers exist. And not just crappy little desktop units with the energy and power of wet flannel; the SteelSeries Arena 7 sounds great, I must say, but upon further inspection, it has a asking price of $300 (open in new tab)/300 lbs. Open in new tab) with an asking price of $300 (open in new tab), and things started to make sense. But more on sound quality a little later.

The Arena 7 is actually the middle child in the brand's all-new Arena speaker lineup; upgrading to the Arena 7 adds a 6.5-inch subwoofer for even more rumble and bass. Of course, separate units are likely to be more immersive than a single soundbar or speaker set, but the real question is whether a gaming speaker set is actually better.

Now, with the important prefix "gaming" on the speaker set, it would be easy to assume that SteelSeries has beefed up the bass and made it sound muddy. But that's not the case; the Arena 7 sounds really good, with accurate, detailed sound and excellent clarity. It easily handled almost every sound I threw at it, from the smooth bass and synth combo of Genesis' "It's Gonna Get Better" to the lilting, emotional tone of James Taylor's "Lighthouse." [Not only did the Arena 7's 6.5-inch subwoofer make a bass-heavy track like Yes' "Roundabout" sound gorgeous, but also "Counter Strike" (yes, I'm playing on a bot; I'm not a fan of the "counter strike" sound, but I'm a fan of the "counter strike" sound). Occasionally, the bass was a bit too much, but it could be dialed down thanks to a handy knob on the back of the subwoofer. Speaking of immersion, the wide soundstage provided by the clearly separated audio channels made not only games, but also music and movies, all the more engaging. If you have the space, the Arena 7 would make a great home theater.

Moving from audio quality to the Arena 7's feature set, we see something equally rich, especially with regard to speaker usage. The back of the subwoofer offers a number of connectivity options, including USB Type-C for direct connection to a PC, optical audio for connection to a TV, a 3.5mm audio jack for use with other devices, and a port for connecting the speaker itself. In addition, Arena 7 supports wireless connectivity via Bluetooth. This is an absolute breakthrough for me, especially since I often turn off my PC and use my cell phone to listen to music or podcasts, and the ability to quickly pair my cell phone to the Arena 7 for a more immersive experience is fantastic.

SteelSeries does a good job not only on the hardware side, but also on the software side when connected to a PC; Arena 7 runs on the SteelSeries Engine (now included in the company's all-in-one tool, SteelSeries GG), which is a powerful and powerful tool that allows you to quickly and easily connect to a PC and use it as a standalone device, Here you can unlock features such as enabling spatial audio for a more immersive experience and tweaking EQ settings to adjust the sound.

Additionally, you can set the RGB lighting for the speakers inside the Engine, as found on the back of the main unit (unfortunately, not on the subwoofer). By default, the lighting changes to a variety of colors, which is very impressive. If music is played, an attempt can be made to match the lighting and audio to varying degrees.

The Arena 7's design does not claim to be a gaming product, as many other peripherals do. Instead, SteelSeries has chosen to give its latest creation a sleek, sophisticated aesthetic, and the smooth curves around the main desktop speaker itself give it an excellent appearance. The subwoofer, by comparison, is a plain black cube, and there is nothing else to say about it. Build quality is solid throughout, and the speakers have a fair amount of weight to them.

All in all, the SteelSeries Arena 7 is a worthy choice for those who want a gaming speaker set that provides a more immersive sound for games and music, and for those who want the power of a subwoofer along with their main unit. $300/ 300 pounds may seem like a lot of money, but from what you actually get, it's quite a bargain. If I have room for an Arena 7 in my setup, rest assured it will be a mainstay for years to come.