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Notice: We're proud to introduce Test Bench 2.0, which overhauls our audio measurements, with new tests and usages. There's even a brand new multi-target graphing tool! You can read all about this in our changelog, featuring commentary from our Test Designer, Pierre.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless vs Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated May 22, 2024 06:29 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Mar 01, 2024 10:03 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Picture
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes

Variants

  • Arctis 1 Wireless (Black)
  • Barracuda X 2021 (Black)
  • Barracuda X 2021 (Mercury)
  • Barracuda X 2021 (Quartz Pink)

Review

See SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Review
See Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless

Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless or the Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021. The SteelSeries leak less audio, and they have companion software with a graphic EQ so you can customize their sound. The Razer are better-built, more comfortable, and more stable.

0 

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Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
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Black
Barracuda X 2021
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Arctis 1 Wireless
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Mercury
Barracuda X 2021
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Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
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Quartz Pink
Barracuda X 2021
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Arctis 1 Wireless
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Arctis 1 Wireless
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.5
7.4

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.8
4.9

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.8
6.9

Imaging 
 

7.2
8.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Design Picture 2
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.5

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Comfort Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.59 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.3 lbs
0.8 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.1
7.1

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Controls Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

5.4
5.8

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Portability Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Portability Picture

L  

7.6" (19.3 cm)
7.7" (19.7 cm)

W  

7.9" (20.1 cm)
8.9" (22.7 cm)

H  

3.5" (8.9 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)

Volume  

210.00 in³ (3,441.27 cm³)
134.50 in³ (2,204.02 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
Yes
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Case Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

L  

N/A
N/A

W  

N/A
N/A

H  

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

6.5
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Stability Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Angled Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Side Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Front Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Rear Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Top Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless In The Box Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

-1.09 dB
0.41 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.56 dB
-2.3 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.3
5.8

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

1.5 dB
1.03 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.6
7.8

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.29 dB
3.11 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

48.26 Hz
24.13 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-4.43 dB
0.66 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

1.5 dB
3.31 dB

High-Bass 
 

4.28 dB
4.21 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.7
8.8

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.78 dB
1.61 dB

Low-Mid 
 

1.57 dB
1.98 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.05 dB
0.55 dB

High-Mid 
 

-1.9 dB
-1 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.8
6.9

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.3 dB
4.53 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-3.29 dB
-1.33 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-0.39 dB
-0.35 dB

High-Treble 
 

-5.83 dB
-4.07 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.6
7.3

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.63 dB
1.62 dB

Dips 
 

0.89 dB
1.56 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

7.2
8.6

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.59
0.27

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

6.7
5.43

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

2.08
0.4

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.56
2
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.8
4.9

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

4.11 dB
3.29 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

5.69 dB
3.57 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

15.64 dB
4.49 dB

Openness 
 

5.0
5.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.8
4.0
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No App
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.346
0.314

WHD @ 100 
 

0.134
0.146
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.6.0.0
No Firmware

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

4.3
4.4

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-12.97 dB
-12.08 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

0.67 dB
0.32 dB

Mid 
 

-7.65 dB
-9.4 dB

Treble 
 

-32.49 dB
-27.98 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.5
6.5

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

36.45 dB
42.48 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.9
7.3

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

546 Hz
261.43 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.54 dB
1.53 dB

HFE 
 

6,544.63 Hz
5,583.4 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.207
2.399

Gain 
 

19.02 dB
17.86 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.0
7.5

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

24.91 dB
23.3 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.0
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.0
7.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

9.0
8.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

25.1 hrs
24.7 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

25.1 hrs
24.7 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.4 hrs
3.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

micro-USB
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

7.5
0.0

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless App Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 App Picture

App Name  

SteelSeries Engine
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

Adjustable Level
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
9.9

Cable Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Cable Picture
Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.00 ft (1.22 m)
4.36 ft (1.33 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

8.4
8.8

Line Of Sight Range 
 

89.00 ft (27.13 m)
142.72 ft (43.50 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

32 ms
22 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

3.4
3.4

Type 
 

Wireless USB Dongle
Wireless USB Dongle

USB Input 
 

Yes
Yes

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
Searching
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Black
Barracuda X 2021
Searching
Finding store
Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Mercury
Barracuda X 2021
Searching
Finding store
Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Quartz Pink
Barracuda X 2021
Searching
Finding store
Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
Searching
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Black
Arctis 1 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
 
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SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless

Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless vs Razer Barracuda X Wireless 2021: Main Discussion

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