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  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. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless vs JBL Quantum 400

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless
JBL Quantum 400

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 23, 2024 08:03 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 17, 2024 01:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Picture

Variants

  • Arctis 3 Bluetooth 2019 Edition
  • Quantum 400 (Black)

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless

JBL Quantum 400

The SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless are better gaming headphones than the JBL Quantum 400. The SteelSeries have a more conservative design, far more comprehensive control scheme, and the option to be used wirelessly for listening to music while gaming on a wired connection. They also have a slightly more comfortable fit, while their microphone performance is marginally better. However, the JBL have an advantage in the form of their dedicated Quantum Engine companion software, which provides a pretty comprehensive array of options.

0

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.4
6.9

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.6
4.4

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.1
9.4

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.0
3.9

Bass Accuracy 
 

7.1
7.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Design Picture 2
JBL Quantum 400 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Comfort Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.65 lbs
0.59 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
1 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.1
5.9

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Controls Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Decent

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
No

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
Yes

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.3

Breathability After Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.2 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

5.2
5.5

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Portability Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Portability Picture

 

7.6" (19.3 cm)
8.0" (20.3 cm)

 

7.8" (19.8 cm)
6.5" (16.5 cm)

 

4.0" (10.2 cm)
3.4" (8.6 cm)

Volume  

237.00 in³ (3,883.72 cm³)
177.00 in³ (2,900.50 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Case Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.0

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Build Quality Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
6.0

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Stability Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Angled Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Side Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Front Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Rear Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Top Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless In The Box Picture
JBL Quantum 400 In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

-3.49 dB
0.78 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.9 dB
-2.66 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.3
5.7

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 
 

1.88 dB
1.09 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 
 

7.1
7.5

Bass  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.96 dB
3.59 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

63.5 Hz
24.84 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-6.72 dB
1.25 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-2.15 dB
4.64 dB

High-Bass 
 

3.13 dB
3.7 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.1
9.4

Mid  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.58 dB
0.85 dB

Low-Mid 
 

3.41 dB
0.13 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.32 dB
0.89 dB

High-Mid 
 

-1.71 dB
0.5 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.6
4.4

Treble  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.19 dB
7.74 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-0.47 dB
-4.56 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

3.59 dB
0.63 dB

High-Treble 
 

-4.25 dB
-6.16 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.6
6.0

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.66 dB
2.5 dB

Dips 
 

1.04 dB
2.99 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

8.2
8.1

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 
 

0.27
0.37

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

6.04
11.03

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.07
0.46

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.25
2.03

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.0
3.9

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

3.97 dB
7.26 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

8.18 dB
2.52 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

19.94 dB
6.28 dB

Openness 
 

4.8
4.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.4
3.6

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.0

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Virtual Soundstage
JBL Quantum 400 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

Windows Sonic Spatial Audio
Yes

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.195
0.563

WHD @ 100 
 

0.167
0.213

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
3.1.0.0

Power 
 

On
USB

Connection 
 

Wired
USB

Codec 
 

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

EQ 
 

No EQ
Default

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

4.5
4.9

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-13.31 dB
-14.94 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

0.57 dB
-1.24 dB

Mid 
 

-8.97 dB
-9.84 dB

Treble 
 

-32.26 dB
-34.34 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

7.0
6.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

39.67 dB
40.25 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

8.6
8.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

20 Hz
88.51 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.88 dB
4.12 dB

HFE 
 

9,948.49 Hz
7,346.09 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.17
0.036

Gain 
 

26.79 dB
19.66 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
7.5

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

38.74 dB
37.03 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
7.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

7.6
0.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

42.3 hrs
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

42.3 hrs
N/A

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

micro-USB
None

Show text

App Support 
 

0.0
7.5

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless App Picture
JBL Quantum 400 App Picture

App Name  

No App
JBL Quantum Engine

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
Yes

Windows  

No
Yes

Equalizer 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
Adjustable Level

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

6.9
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.1
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

186.00 ft (56.69 m)
N/A

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

130 ms
N/A

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

99 ms
N/A

Android Latency 
 

99 ms
N/A

Show text

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Wired 
 

9.5
7.5

Cable Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless Cable Picture
JBL Quantum 400 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
USB Type A

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4.10 ft (1.25 m)
10.00 ft (3.05 m)

Connection 
 

Mini B 8-Pin
1/8" TRRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms
98 ms

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

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 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Show text

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless

JBL Quantum 400

Comments

  1. Comparison

SteelSeries Arctis 3 2019 Edition Wireless vs JBL Quantum 400: Main Discussion

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