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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. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Portability
    5. Case
    6. Build Quality
    7. Stability
    8. Headshots 1
    9. Headshots 2
    10. Top
    11. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. 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 Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] vs Sony PULSE Elite

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X]
Sony PULSE Elite

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 22, 2025 01:09 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 22, 2025 12:55 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Picture
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (6 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Balanced
  1. Recommended in 8 articles:
  2. Wireless Gaming
  3. PC Gaming
  4. Xbox One
  5. Gaming
  6. PS5/PS5 Pro
  7. Xbox Series X/S
  8. SteelSeries
  9. PS4

Variants

  • Arctis Nova 7X (Black)
  • Arctis Nova 7P (Black)
  • Arctis Nova 7 (Black)
  • Arctis Nova 7 (Diablo IV Edition)
  • Arctis Nova 7 (FaZe Clan Edition)
  • Arctis Nova 7P (White)
  • Arctis Nova 7X (White)
  • Arctis Nova 7 (World of Warcraft Edition)
  • PULSE Elite (White)

Review

See SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Review
See Sony PULSE Elite Review
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0 

Our Verdict

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X]

Sony PULSE Elite

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 and the Sony PULSE Elite headsets perform very similarly. They both offer warm sound, good microphone performance, and poor noise isolation. The Sony have less well-managed group delay, which may affect audio reproduction. That said, the Sony runs for about 20 hours longer off a single charge, so there's no clear winner here. 

0 

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Arctis Nova 7X
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Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 7
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Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness

Threshold 

0.10

Sports And Fitness 

6.9
6.4

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Portability 
 

5.9
5.2

Stability 
 

6.5
6.2

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

500 Hz
1,350 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Very Emphasized (6 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)

Treble Amount 
 

Balanced (0 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Balanced
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

4.7
3.3

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 
 

1.98 dB
3.47 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 Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.3
8.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

5.7 dB
3.5 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
21.65 Hz

Low Bass 
 

5.07 dB
-1.16 dB

Mid Bass 
 

6.72 dB
4.4 dB

High Bass 
 

5.01 dB
1.8 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.0
8.4

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.47 dB
2.14 dB

Low Mid 
 

-1.65 dB
-1.78 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

1.35 dB
0.84 dB

High Mid 
 

0.56 dB
-1.18 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.0
6.6

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

4.21 dB
4.6 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.91 dB
-3.21 dB

Mid Treble 
 

1.81 dB
4.4 dB

High Treble 
 

-5.71 dB
-1.33 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.1
6.5

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.52 dB
2.04 dB

Dips 
 

2.8 dB
2.59 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

5.7
5.6

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.3 dB
0.9 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.7 dB
2.1 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.8°
4.7°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

7.2
1.0

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

1.1 ms
4.9 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] CSD
Sony PULSE Elite CSD

PRTF 
 

7.0
6.9

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.94 dB
4.11 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.6 dB
4.41 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.49 dB
14.2 dB
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.2
8.5

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.32%
0.12%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.24%
0.38%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool
Sony PULSE Elite Impedance

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

115.0 dB SPL
N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

100.3 dB
N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.0

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Virtual Soundstage
Sony PULSE Elite 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 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.10
0136

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

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

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Design Picture 2
Sony PULSE Elite Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-Ear
Over-Ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Planar Magnetic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Comfort Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.72 lbs
0.75 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
0.83 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.6
5.6

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Controls Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Decent

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
No

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

Yes
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth + Multi function
Bluetooth + Multi function
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.9
5.2

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Portability Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Portability Picture

L  

8.1" (20.6 cm)
8.4" (21.3 cm)

W  

7.4" (18.9 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)

H  

1.9" (4.9 cm)
5.1" (12.9 cm)

Volume  

116.42 in³ (1,907.80 cm³)
259.90 in³ (4,258.94 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Case Picture
Sony PULSE Elite 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 
 

7.5
6.0

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Build Quality Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.2

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Stability Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Angled Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Side Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Front Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Rear Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Top Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] In The Box Picture
Sony PULSE Elite In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.8
3.4

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.64 dB
-7.80 dB

Bass 
 

2.78 dB
4.00 dB

Mid 
 

-11.06 dB
-7.92 dB

Treble 
 

-29.75 dB
-21.95 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

4.1
3.2

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-8.35 dB
-5.77 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.60 dB
-6.47 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-10.20 dB
-6.87 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] ANC Wind Handling Graph
Sony PULSE Elite ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage 
 

7.0
5.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

39.59 dB
45.46 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 
 

7.8
7.9

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

20 Hz
113.14 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.89 dB
0.99 dB

HFE 
 

6,933.79 Hz
6,736.4 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

2.446
1.821

Gain 
 

27.76 dB
8.46 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
8.8

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

35.78 dB
63.8 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
9.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
8.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

9.3
8.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

33.3 hrs
53 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

33.3 hrs
53 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.9 hrs
2.5 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.5
7.0

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] App Picture
Sony PULSE Elite App Picture

App Name  

Steelseries GG
PS5 Inferface

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
No

Equalizer 
 

Parametric + Presets
Graphic + 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
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.9
8.4

Cable Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Cable Picture
Sony PULSE Elite Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

4.10 ft (1.25 m)
N/A

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRRS
1/8" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.3 ms
3.8 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.9
7.4

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.010
Unspecified

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

328.08 ft (100.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

235 ms
325 ms

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 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

7.6
7.7

Line Of Sight Range 
 

110.89 ft (33.80 m)
104.99 ft (32.00 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

29 ms
26 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not included)

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
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
Show Text 

Check Price

White
Arctis Nova 7P
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White
PULSE Elite
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White
Arctis Nova 7X
Searching
Finding store
White
PULSE Elite
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Black
Arctis Nova 7X
Searching
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White
PULSE Elite
Searching
Finding store
Black
Arctis Nova 7P
Searching
Finding store
White
PULSE Elite
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Black
Arctis Nova 7
Searching
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White
PULSE Elite
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Diablo IV Edition
Arctis Nova 7
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Finding store
 
FaZe Clan Edition
Arctis Nova 7
Searching
Finding store
 
World of Warcraft Edition
Arctis Nova 7
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Finding store
 
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X]

Sony PULSE Elite

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  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 month ago

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] vs Sony PULSE Elite: Main Discussion

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