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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless vs Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Feb 01, 2024 08:11 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.6
Updated Apr 12, 2024 02:29 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
Variants
- Arctis 9 (Black)
- PULSE 3D (Gray Camouflage)
- PULSE 3D (Midnight Black)
- PULSE 3D (White)
Our Verdict
SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
The SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless are better overall headphones than the Sony PULSE 3D Wireless. The SteelSeries are more comfortable, are better built, and have a better microphone, not to mention a longer battery life and a feature-rich companion app. However, unlike the Sony, they can't be used on a wired connection. The Sony also exhibit lower non-Bluetooth audio latency and deliver audio more consistently.
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Black
Arctis 9
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Amazon.comGray Camouflage
PULSE 3D
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Arctis 9
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Amazon.comMidnight Black
PULSE 3D
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Arctis 9
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Amazon.comWhite
PULSE 3D
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Arctis 9
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Amazon.comBlack
Arctis 9
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Amazon.comBlack
Arctis 9
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Amazon.comMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.8
7.3
Imaging
6.0
8.3
Mid Accuracy
8.1
8.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
6.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.83 lbs
0.65 lbs
Clamping Force
1.1 lbs
0.9 lbs
Controls
7.8
6.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Great
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
Yes
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
On/Off
Additional Controls
Bluetooth Sync
No
Breathability
5.8
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
7.4 °C
Portability
5.5
5.3
Portability Picture
L
7.7" (19.6 cm)
8.2" (20.8 cm)
W
6.9" (17.5 cm)
7.3" (18.5 cm)
H
3.3" (8.4 cm)
3.6" (9.1 cm)
Volume
176.90 in³ (2,898.86 cm³)
216.00 in³ (3,539.59 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
0.0
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
Build Quality
8.0
7.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-1.84 dB
-4 dB
Treble Amount
-2.99 dB
-4.04 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.4
7.1
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.27 dB
0.58 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Accuracy
7.2
7.4
Std. Err.
4.02 dB
3.72 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
57.39 Hz
51.13 Hz
Low-Bass
-6.1 dB
-7.24 dB
Mid-Bass
1.65 dB
-0.31 dB
High-Bass
4.3 dB
2.08 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.1
8.8
Std. Err.
2.59 dB
1.55 dB
Low-Mid
1.44 dB
0.04 dB
Mid-Mid
0.07 dB
0.03 dB
High-Mid
-0.8 dB
2.46 dB
Treble Accuracy
5.7
5.7
Std. Err.
6.11 dB
6.2 dB
Low-Treble
-4.76 dB
-2.65 dB
Mid-Treble
-1.58 dB
-6.44 dB
High-Treble
-4.59 dB
-10.05 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.4
7.0
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.64 dB
1.9 dB
Dips
1.34 dB
1.61 dB
Imaging
6.0
8.3
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.28
0.28
Weighted Phase Mismatch
12.19
4.2
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.01
1.07
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
7.13
2.26
Passive Soundstage
6.1
5.6
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.12 dB
3.34 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
7.6 dB
2.79 dB
PRTF Distance
17.9 dB
8.05 dB
Openness
5.6
9.3
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.0
3.1
Virtual Soundstage
2.0
2.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
DTS 7.1
Yes
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.1
7.4
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.303
0.297
WHD @ 100
0.416
0.182
Test Settings
Firmware
2.4.00
Unknown
Power
On
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation
3.7
2.0
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-10.8 dB
-6.56 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
0.73 dB
0.2 dB
Mid
-5.64 dB
0.76 dB
Treble
-27.86 dB
-20.22 dB
Leakage
7.4
7.3
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.13 dB
37.91 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.1
6.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
88.51 Hz
179.59 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.44 dB
3.66 dB
HFE
6,544.63 Hz
3,272.31 Hz
Weighted THD
0.112
0.191
Gain
19.93 dB
-5.07 dB
Noise Handling
7.5
5.7
SpNR
32.44 dB
11.29 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
5.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
6.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.0
7.3
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
20.3 hrs
13.4 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
20.3 hrs
13.4 hrs
Charge Time
5.6 hrs
3.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Yes
Charging Port
micro-USB
USB-C
App Support
8.0
7.0
App Picture
App Name
SteelSeries Engine
PS5 Inferface
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
Yes
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
Adjustable Level
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.0
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
4.10 ft (1.25 m)
Connector
No Wired Option
1/8" TRRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
Latency - USB
0 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.5
0.0
Bluetooth Version
4.1
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
No
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
303.00 ft (92.35 m)
N/A
Latency - SBC
194 ms
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
55 ms
Android Latency
130 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.8
8.9
Line Of Sight Range
153.00 ft (46.63 m)
195.00 ft (59.44 m)
Latency - Dongle
28 ms
24 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
Audio Only (Not Included)
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
7.0
3.4
Type
Wireless USB Dongle
Wireless USB Dongle
USB Input
Yes
Yes
Line In
Yes
No
Line Out
Yes
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
USB
USB
Check Price
Black
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comGray Camouflage
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeBlack
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comMidnight Black
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeBlack
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comWhite
PULSE 3D
Searching
Finding storeBlack
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
Arctis 9
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless
Comments
SteelSeries Arctis 9 Wireless vs Sony PULSE 3D Wireless: Main Discussion
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