Headphones for Calls – SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7x/7p

~ Veselin ~ 8 Comments

My one of my old JBLs broke and I needed a new headset for work. After a careful research, I ordered Arctis Nova 7x. The 7x is the XBOX version of the headset and differs from the other 7 by one additional button, which is irrelevant to me. I liked the green/black color.

So I got them yesterday and I decided to make some recordings and see if I can actually use them. The main issues I have during calls are two:

  • Can people hear and understand me loud and clear
  • Can I hear them. I’ve had headphones that were too quiet

As it turns out, Arctis Nova 7 produces a different result depending on what kind of connectivity I use. I tried the recommended 2.4GHz Dongle and a 3.5mm TRRS. They also support Bluetooth but I’m not enthusiastic about it. It’s supposed to come with more latency and connection woes.

Noisy environment

I went to the local Starbucks, where people chat, and the music is loud. The sound was sharp and clear. It can be so loud that it can be harmful, which is something I’ve not recently experienced with other headphones. It’s good and I don’t think I’ll have issues hearing people.

However, the mic captures too much background noise. I would need to rely on additional software removing that noise. I didn’t have that problem with the previous headphones. People speaking nearby would be mostly filtered out.

Quiet environment

The sound is great, particularly when connected with a cable.

Using the 2.4GHz dongle produces much louder recording. Unfortunately, all I can hear from it is SSssssSSS. Do I really talk like that? It’s not great.

When connected with the cable, the sound is a bit more muted and I find it tolerable, although chair movements and breathing can still be heard.

Overall, I think I can rely on them when doing calls from home but not when working from the outside. I’ll use them for a week or two and gather feedback. I feel like the microphone can be a source of discomfort during calls, mainly for the people who need to understand what I say. The cable would be the way to go for me.

Comfort and controls

  • The button placement is well picked and I can’t roll the volume or mute by accident.
  • The microphone pulls out and is great when hidden. However, I have my doubts about how long this pulling in and out can last before something breaks
  • The headphones feel very soft and comfortable when used with glasses.
  • The 2.4GHz dongle is very wide. When I plug it in, thy cover the next USB-C port and I can’t charge my computer. I think the dongle is not something I’ll be interested using. I may give Bluetooth a chance but not that thing.

Am I happy

Not quite. I can have a better experience listening to music compared to my 3 pairs of mildly broken JBLs but the microphone is a source of anxiety. I’ll give them a try and will post an update in a month or two.

UPDATE:

  • The headphones have a green light that blinks and is visible at night, feels like I’m on an airplane at night
  • They’re very good for music and movies, and I actually use the dongle for that
  • They seem to turn off when they consider are in idle, even if you’re actually using them
  • When the dongle is plugged, the audio is directed to it so switching between headphones and computer audio means clicking a navigation somewhere
  • Mic also needs to be manually changed (did I mention I love wired headphones? Everything is so simple with them)

UPDATE 2:

  • I got used to everything and kind of like them far more than the JBLs. The sound is better, the buttons and rolls just never click themselves, except the maybe mute button, which can be pressed in the backpack.

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

~ Veselin ~ 9 Comments

I got stuck with The Boy on the Bridge, a deeply uninteresting book by M. R. Carey. The more time passed, the less time I spent reading, and I ended up not reading at all for days.

A breath of fresh air in whole the reader block was Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. As one of the Goodreads reviews says, the Murderbot can have a mission to rescue kittens and it would still be interesting.

Rogue Protocol is about finding evidence against the corporation GrayCris. Bot will go to a space station that’s haunted and scary, and it has no armor. We have some Alien moments but of course, Bot is no weakling. It’s clear who should scream in space.

If there’s one downside of the whole series, it’s that the books are so short. The top three are the ones published in Bulgarian. Their total volume is about equal to the red book under them, which is The Boy on the Bridge by M. R. Carey, which got me stuck.

I’m still stuck though. I don’t want to get back to the red book.

Superstitions

~ Veselin ~ 8 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Are you superstitious?
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I grew up in communist Bulgaria. When I was ten, the Wall fell, and the floodgates of civilization opened—bringing a tsunami of dubious beliefs with them. We got the best of it: horoscopes, psychics, poltergeists, fortune tellers, obscure religions, Eastern spirituality, hippies, numerology, the Knights Templar, UFOs, Kashpirovski—you name it, we got it blasting on us from the TV screen and the newspaper stands. Even the army believed and started digging a hole, guided by a psychic, who promised they’ll find an alien aircraft.

I was no stranger to all that stuff. I read books on horoscopes and checked mine daily. I hoped aliens and poltergeists were real. But one by one, those beliefs faded away. The aliens never landed and I could read anyone’s horoscope and it would feel as accurate as mine. Today, I see these all as thinking errors, used by clever people to farm wealth.

Am I 100% free of superstition? Maybe not but pretty close. Show me proof that any of this works, and I’ll gladly change my mind.

Fluff

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?
View all responses

Probably not a cat but I mostly take photos of cats and birds, and our very persistent Jay rarely visits these days.

Let’s say, the above photo represents me when it’s 10pm and is my reading time.

The News Nobody Talks About

~ Veselin ~ 11 Comments

Okay, this is my personal news—it’s all incredibly important, so bear with me.

The spring is here

Winter kept coming and coming and here we are.

My beloved headphones Quantum 400 unglued

They can be glued back but the consumerist in me wants a new pair of some other headphones with a cable. Here’s a full update. In case you use some very good wired headphones under $200, please drop a comment.

Walking shoes++

I wrote an enthusiastic post about Nike Wildhorse 8 in September 2024. Since then, I switched to a pair of very comfortable Grisport boots, and now to a pair of simple and cheap Adidas sneakers. The second pair of Wildhorse 8 lasted about 3 months of intense walking before it started disintegrating and causing pain at the same time. That was disappointing and I’m done with Nike Trail.

The pigeon mystery is now solved

Two weeks ago I posted about a pigeon gathering I see almost daily. Here’s a solution to why these pigeons stay where they stay.

The pigeon paradise is because of a food and water source, and they’re also protected from cat attacks because of all the cars around.

I unfollowed the Starship development

I consider myself a rocket and space travel nerd and I watched most of the Starship flights live. I don’t want to see more of this Musk dude, I want less. His flying Pepelats is cool in principle but we kind of need healthy competition and some reality checks.