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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Tested using Methodology v1.6
Updated Apr 17, 2024 11:28 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 21, 2025 08:21 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- Arctis 9X (Black)
- Arctis Nova Pro (Black)
- Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox (Black)
Our Verdict
SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Depending on your usage, you may prefer either the SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless or SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. While both headphones are comfortable, you can use the Arctis 9X wired and wirelessly, but they're primarily designed for Xbox consoles. They even support Bluetooth, so you can receive audio from your smartphone while gaming on a console. They're better built and have a flatter default sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their boom mic offers better overall performance. However, the Arctis Nova Pro are wired headphones that come with the second generation of the GameDAC, which puts inputs and controls such as channel mixing and EQs right at your fingertips. However, some users have reported high latency with the Xbox variant of the Arctis Nova Pro. The PlayStation/PC variant does not have this issue.
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Black
Arctis 9X
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Arctis Nova Pro
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Arctis 9X
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Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox
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Arctis 9X
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.8
7.1
Treble Accuracy
8.5
5.4
Peaks/Dips
7.9
6.8
Passive Soundstage
6.3
5.5
Mid Accuracy
8.9
8.5
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.82 lbs
0.66 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
7.7
6.2
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
Good
Feedback
Great
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Adjustable Level
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
Yes
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Bluetooth Sync + Presets
Multi function
Breathability
6.3
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.2 °C
Portability
5.4
6.0
Portability Picture
L
8.6" (21.8 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
7.0" (17.8 cm)
6.7" (17.0 cm)
H
3.5" (8.9 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
Volume
211.00 in³ (3,457.66 cm³)
100.51 in³ (1,647.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
5.0
Case Picture
Type
No case
Pouch
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
6.0
7.5
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
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
600 Hz
Bass Amount
-3.5 dB
4.3 dB
Treble Amount
-1.51 dB
-0.2 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.3
5.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.47 dB
1.55 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
7.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.2 dB
4.7 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
59.07 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
-6.1 dB
4.26 dB
Mid Bass
-0.36 dB
4.1 dB
High Bass
2.35 dB
4.59 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.9
8.5
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.45 dB
1.51 dB
Low Mid
0.93 dB
-1.44 dB
Mid-Mid
0.13 dB
0.79 dB
High Mid
-1.33 dB
1.57 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.5
5.4
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.29 dB
4.7 dB
Low Treble
-2.03 dB
-2.65 dB
Mid Treble
1.13 dB
3.08 dB
High Treble
-5.88 dB
-3.76 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
6.8
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.49 dB
1.78 dB
Dips
0.64 dB
2.55 dB
Imaging
8.2
9.0
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.45
0.28
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.59
3.37
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.65
0.29
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.34
1.39
Passive Soundstage
6.3
5.5
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.49 dB
3.04 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
5.73 dB
7.12 dB
PRTF Distance
21.61 dB
13.26 dB
Openness
5.7
4.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.6
2.5
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
Windows Sonic Spatial Audio
Windows Sonic Spatial Audio
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.4
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.316
0.351
WHD @ 100
0.176
0.114
Test Settings
Firmware
Unknown
2.4.0
Power
On
USB
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
USB
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default
Default
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Boom
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
4.2
5.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-10.57 dB
-12.39 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
0.06 dB
4.08 dB
Mid
-9.61 dB
-12.57 dB
Treble
-23.05 dB
-32.16 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-8.64 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-9.21 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-10.27 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
7.7
7.8
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
35.49 dB
34.87 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
Yes
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.3
8.5
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
85.99 Hz
20 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.36 dB
3.03 dB
HFE
9,805.86 Hz
9,255.5 Hz
Weighted THD
0.46
0.097
Gain
15.13 dB
21.47 dB
Noise Handling
8.0
7.2
SpNR
34.17 dB
17.52 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
8.0
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.1
0.0
Battery Type
Rechargable
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
28 hrs
N/A
Additional Charges
0.0
N/A
Total Battery Life
28 hrs
N/A
Charge Time
2.4 hrs
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
Yes
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
micro-USB
None
App Support
8.0
8.5
App Picture
App Name
SteelSeries Engine
Steelseries GG
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
Yes
Yes
Windows
Yes
Yes
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Parametric + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
Adjustable Level
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
Yes
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.1
9.5
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
USB Type A
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
5.05 ft (1.54 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRRRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
0.2 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
17.4 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
USB
Bluetooth Connection
6.6
0.0
Bluetooth Version
4.1
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
139.00 ft (42.37 m)
N/A
Latency - SBC
242 ms
N/A
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
No Bluetooth Audio
AAC Support
No
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
7.5
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
70.00 ft (21.34 m)
N/A
Latency - Dongle
56 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only (Not Included)
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only (Not included)
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
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
Audio + Microphone
No
Base/Dock
3.4
7.0
Type
Wireless USB Dongle
Wired USB dock
USB Input
Yes
Yes
Line In
No
Yes
Line Out
No
Yes
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
USB
USB-C
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Arctis 9X
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Arctis Nova Pro
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Arctis 9X
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Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox
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Arctis 9X
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SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
Comments
SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro: Main Discussion
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