As a popular gaming headset, the SteelSeries Arctis 7 offers a slew of features. Despite its advancements, there are still problems that can crop up. Especially, some users would notice a crackle. To identify the causes, we’ve put together some steps you can take.
But before tweaking any settings, we suggest you unpair and pair your device again manually. If you’re still experiencing a crackling sound coming from your headphones, try to turn the volume down on your computer or device as the issue may be that the volume was too loud for the headsets to handle. Also, to isolate the problems, try to connect your headset to another computer, if it works perfectly, try the fixes below:
- Update your sound driver
- Disable audio enhancements
- Turn off spatial sound
- Reset network settings
- Contact the customer service
1. Update your sound driver
Whenever you run into sound issues when using headsets, one of the most recommended troubleshooting steps you take is to check whether your sound driver is updated. If your sound driver is outdated or misconfigured, issues such as the sound crackling, popping or static could occur. To solve your problems, you’re supposed to update your sound driver.
To get a new sound driver, you can download it from your PC or sound card manufacturer. This requires a certain level of computer knowledge as you need to know the specifications of your PC.
But if you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your sound driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. It’s a useful tool that automatically recognizes your system, finds the correct driver for your exact device, and downloads and installs it correctly.
Here’s how to update your drivers with Driver Easy:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
(This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also update your drivers with the FREE version. All you need to do is to download them one at a time and manually install them.)
After updating your sound driver, restart your computer and test if there’s still crackling noise from your Steelseries Arctis 7. If updating drivers didn’t do the trick for you, proceed to the next fix.
2. Disable audio enhancements
Audio enhancement packages are aimed to enhance your audio performance. But this feature can sometimes cause some problems. When you can’t get the sound within your expectations, disabling audio enhancements may work. Here’s how to do this:
1) At the bottom-right corner of your taskbar, right-click your speaker icon and select Open Sound settings.
2) Click Sound Control Panel on the right side of the window.
3) In the Playback tab, right-click your audio device and select Properties.
4) In the Properties window, select the Enhancements tab and check the box next to Disable all enhancements. Then click Apply > OK to save the changes.
Now do a test to check if disabling audio enhancements helped you solve the issues.
3. Turn off spatial sound
Spatial sound is a feature that all applications can take advantage of. But according to some users, while having spatial sound on, the sound may suffer, however. To get the best out of the device, turn off spatial sound:
1) At the bottom-right corner of your taskbar, right-click your speaker icon. Hover over Spatial sound, then select Off to disable it. 
After applying the changes, play something on your computer to check if the sound is slightly better. If there are still no improvements, don’t worry. Simply proceed to the next fix below.
4. Reset network settings
Your Arctis 7 is correctly connected, but you’re experiencing a sound of bad-quality? Your network connection could be the culprit. To troubleshoot such issues, resetting your network settings may help. Here’s how:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + I at the same time to open Settings.
2) Click Network & Internet.
3) Under Status, scroll down until you find Network reset. Make sure to click it.
4) Click Reset now.
5) Click Yes in the network reset confirmation window and it will initiate the reset process.
You should be asked to reboot your computer and when your computer restarts, you’ll need to reconnect your network.
5. Contact the customer service
If, unfortunately, none of the methods listed above help you stop your headphones from crackling, chances are, your device is damaged. In this case, you need to contact the manufacturer or retailer. If you’re still under a warranty period, you might be entitled to a free replacement.
However, if it’s not possible for a repair and you’re not eligible for a free replacement, you may need to invest in a new one.
Hopefully, with the help of this tutorial, the sound coming from your Arctis 7 is significantly better. If you have any suggestions or questions, do not hesitate to drop us a line in the comment section below. We’ll get back to you ASAP.