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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  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 Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  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 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X]
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Apr 03, 2025 07:20 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 28, 2025 07:58 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 8 articles:
  2. Gaming
  3. Wireless Gaming
  4. PC Gaming
  5. Xbox One
  6. PS5/PS5 Pro
  7. Xbox Series X/S
  8. SteelSeries
  9. PS4
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. SteelSeries

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)
  • Arctis Nova 5X (Black)
  • Arctis Nova 5P (Black)
  • Arctis Nova 5 (Black)

Review

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

See SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 review

14
14

Our Verdict

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

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless are more versatile gaming headphones than the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless because they can be used via a wired connection. Used wirelessly, there's little to choose between these two pairs, but the Arctis Nova 5 just about have the edge due to their superior mic and longer battery life. The choice will ultimately come down to your use case.

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Arctis Nova 7X
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Arctis Nova 5X
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Arctis Nova 7P
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Arctis Nova 5P
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Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 5
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Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 7P
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Arctis Nova 7X
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World of Warcraft Edition
Arctis Nova 7
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.1
6.6

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.5
7.3

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.3
6.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Design Picture 2
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Comfort Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.72 lbs
0.58 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1 lbs
0.7 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.6
7.6

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Controls Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 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 
 

Yes
Yes

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth + Multi function
Multi function

Show text

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

5.9
5.7

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Portability Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Portability Picture

L  

8.1" (20.6 cm)
7.7" (19.5 cm)

W  

7.4" (18.9 cm)
10.5" (26.6 cm)

H  

1.9" (4.9 cm)
1.9" (4.7 cm)

Volume  

116.42 in³ (1,907.80 cm³)
148.77 in³ (2,437.89 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Case Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 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
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Build Quality Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Stability Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Angled Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Side Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Front Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Rear Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Top Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] In The Box Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

500 Hz
350 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

5.5 dB
6.8 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.3 dB
1.3 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

5.3
5.3

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 
 

1.42 dB
1.83 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
6.7

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

5.7 dB
7.2 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

5.07 dB
4.11 dB

Mid Bass 
 

6.72 dB
8.18 dB

High Bass 
 

5.01 dB
9.38 dB

Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.5
7.3

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.47 dB
2.57 dB

Low Mid 
 

-1.65 dB
1.7 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

1.35 dB
0.83 dB

High Mid 
 

0.56 dB
2.74 dB

Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

5.9
5.2

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

4.21 dB
4.84 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.91 dB
-0.62 dB

Mid Treble 
 

1.81 dB
3.83 dB

High Treble 
 

-5.71 dB
-4.14 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.1
6.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.52 dB
1.63 dB

Dips 
 

2.8 dB
2.81 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.6
7.6

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 
 

0.24
1.14

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

19.28
5.34

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.72
0.33

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.3
2.37

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.8
6.0

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.94 dB
2.34 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.6 dB
6.91 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.49 dB
13.06 dB

Openness 
 

5.1
4.8

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.4
3.6

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.0

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Virtual Soundstage
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 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

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.350
0.530

WHD @ 100 
 

0.128
0.178

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.10
1.7

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

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

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
Default (Flat)

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Boom

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

4.8
5.1

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.64 dB
-12.63 dB

Bass 
 

2.78 dB
0.81 dB

Mid 
 

-11.06 dB
-11.19 dB

Treble 
 

-29.75 dB
-30.82 dB

Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

4.1
4.5

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-8.35 dB
-9.94 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-9.60 dB
-10.38 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-10.20 dB
-11.80 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
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage 
 

7.0
6.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

39.59 dB
40.34 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

7.8
8.5

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

20 Hz
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.89 dB
1.85 dB

HFE 
 

6,933.79 Hz
7,452.94 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

2.446
0.081

Gain 
 

27.76 dB
1.98 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
8.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

35.78 dB
42.07 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle
On/Off Toggle

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
8.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
8.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

9.3
8.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

33.3 hrs
48.2 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

33.3 hrs
48.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.9 hrs
1.8 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
8.5

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] App Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 App Picture

App Name  

Steelseries GG
Steelseries GG

iOS  

No
Yes

Android  

No
Yes

macOS  

Yes
Yes

Windows  

Yes
Yes

Equalizer 
 

Parametric + 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

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.9
0.0

Cable Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] Cable Picture
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
No

Length 
 

4.10 ft (1.25 m)
N/A

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRRS
N/A

Latency - Analog 
 

0.3 ms
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
N/A

Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.9
8.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.010
5.3

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
153 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) 
 

8.4
8.6

Line Of Sight Range 
 

110.89 ft (33.80 m)
147.64 ft (45.00 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

29 ms
30 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone

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

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Black
Arctis Nova 7X
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Arctis Nova 5X
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Arctis Nova 7P
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Arctis Nova 5P
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Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 5
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Arctis Nova 7
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FaZe Clan Edition
Arctis Nova 7
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Arctis Nova 7P
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Arctis Nova 7X
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Arctis Nova 7
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X]

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

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  1. Comparison
 • Posted 7 months ago

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless [7, 7P, 7X] vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5: Main Discussion

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