Setup, Design & Observations
The Sound BlasterX H7 can be connected to various systems including the PC/PS4/Mac via USB/analogue, or by any other device that is compatible with a 4 pole jack. Some may not wish to use the software drivers, in that situation the H7 seems to function without them rather well, though for best results and customisability, it is worth downloading the correct software drivers to get full functionality.
The construction of the H7 goes hand-in-hand with the gorgeous aesthetic considering the sleek shape, the steel frame with brushed aluminium parts. The H7 isn't super lightweight, but isn't too heavy as it comes in a little lighter than the Cloud Revolver. Once you put them on you get a sense of how truly wonderful they are as they are so comfortable to wear. Whether you wear spectacles or play for long hours, the memory foam does its job to provide phenomenal top tier comfort for long hours.
The inline remote is rather high, falling at mid-chest height, though the controls feel solid so shouldn't break unless you gave it a serious beating. The additional braided cables will enable you to use the H7 across many platforms and scenarios, the included analogue 4 pole cable is only an additional 0.8m long, so some may find it difficult to use with a PC without the additional need for an extension/adaptor, though, why you you buy the H7 over the H5 if your intention is to use it as such? So the 0.8m analogue cable is certainly more aimed at mobile/console use. The included microUSB-USB cable is a more suitable 1.5m long, giving a total length of 1.9m for use with your PC/PS4 or Mac.
Multimedia
First up we do some testing via the analogue cable and as we expected, the audio signature is similar/ exactly the same as the H5. This means you get an incredibly well balanced audio that features deep, powerful bass that isn't overpowering alongside crystal clear mids and highs that is stable without clipping or distortion all the way up to its maximum volume. There is decent precision and frequency separation that allows the ear to distinguish sounds and nuances that lesser headphones may not render. Moving to USB, we disabled all additional enhancements for a subjective playback ofvarious music tracks. This proved that the included USB DAC is competent enough to drive the H7 close it its potential. The maximum volume via USB is acceptable though considerably quieter than plugging it into a discrete soundcard via the analogue cable.
Moving into gaming, the software really enabled the H7 to open up. Though the default soundstage of the H7/H5 does not quite match the width we experienced in the HyperX Cloud Revolver, the surround rendering, as well as additional audio enhancements via supplied profiles for both CS:GO and DOTA2, the surround rendering was actually decent without any downgrade in audio quality, something that tends to come with using other virtual surround technologies. Several times while approaching a bombsite in CS:GO, I clearly heard footsteps and instinctively reacted towards the direction it came from quickly without confusion, resulting in a win. In DOTA 2, there are various accented sound effects, where it is an ability being used just off of screenshot, or a clarity being used, the combination of a clear sounds and accurate directional rendering gave a tactical advantage as you can immediately react to situations happening in game.
Microphone
The microphone over USB sounded great, with clear voice pickup that sounded natural. Strangely though, the microphone level was set to 0. Though there was little actual noise picked up, moving the microphone level too high resulted in fantastically clear keyboard typing pick up, mouse clicks and every other noise so keeping the sensitivity under control is a must.
