The Arctis 7 use a wireless receiver to connect the headset with your PC. When you have connected it properly the LED indicator will show you a solid color. However, if it starts blinking then that means that the headset is unreachable and you won’t be able to listen to any audio. You can also use cables provided in the box to connect your headset to your mobile devices.
A few customers reported issues with their Arctis 7 audio crackling. If your Arctis 7 are also not working as it should, then go through the steps mentioned here to fix crackling issues.
How to Fix SteelSeries Arctis 7 Crackling?
- Check ChatMix
The ChatMix feature on your Arctis 7 can sometimes create this issue where you will start to hear crackling noise coming from the headset and won’t be able to focus. This issue happens because you have the dial set up incorrectly between the chat and game modes. So, you can fix the crackling noise issue by using the dial on your headset that cycles through both modes.
The position of the dial may be causing this issue for you and you should adjust it a little bit up or down until you feel a notch that marks the middle point. Then you can try using the headset again to check if the crackling issue is still there. You can also try replugging the wireless receiver and then connecting your headset again. As that can troubleshoot minor issues like this most of the time.
- Check Equalizer
If you have tried adjusting the ChatMix dial on the headset but the crackling issue is still there, then you need to open the SteelSeries Engine and check equalizer settings. Start by switching to a flatter preset where frequencies on each bar are set to the mid-range.
If that gets everything in order then you’ll know that the issue was with the equalizer settings. After that, you can tweak the settings on the preset you like to use to fix the crackling noise.
You can tweak the preset by bringing individual bars to mid-range and play audio in the background to identify which range is causing the issues for you. Then you can avoid that range and keep all the other bars in their previous positions. That way you can use the preset you like the most without having to bear with crackling noises.
- Use Cable
If nothing works out for you and the crackling issue won’t go away then there is a possibility that it is your wireless receiver and transmitter that is causing cracking issues for you. You will still have to ask someone on the support channel to be sure.
In the meanwhile, try using the 3.5mm cable and connect it directly to the soundcard on your PC. That will likely fix the issue for you and if you want to keep using wireless mode then try switching to a flat preset on the SSE. A professional from SteelSeries support will be able to guide you more effectively.