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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
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  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
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. 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
  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 Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] vs Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox]
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless

Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 22, 2025 01:03 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated May 22, 2025 06:16 PM

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Picture
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. SteelSeries
  1. Recommended in 4 articles:
  2. Wireless Gaming
  3. Bluetooth Headsets For Calls
  4. Office
  5. Razer

Variants

  • Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS (Black)
  • Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox (Black)
  • Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS (White)
  • Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox (White)
  • Barracuda Pro (Black)

Review

See SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Review
See Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Review
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Our Verdict

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox]

Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are more versatile gaming headphones than the Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless. The SteelSeries are better built and have a better overall boom mic performance. They also have higher total battery life and, thanks to their wireless transmitter base, many controls like EQ presets and chat mix are at your fingertips. However, the Razer have significantly better noise isolation performance.

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Black
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox
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Black
Barracuda Pro
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Black
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS
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Black
Barracuda Pro
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White
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS
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Black
Barracuda Pro
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White
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox
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Barracuda Pro
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Barracuda Pro
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.6
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

650 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-0.32 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.38 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Warm
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

6.3
7.1

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 
 

1.22 dB
0.6 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 
 

9.6
8.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.1 dB
2.14 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
10 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-0.09 dB
2.55 dB

Mid Bass 
 

2.09 dB
1.72 dB

High Bass 
 

2.21 dB
2.62 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.7
7.8

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.77 dB
2.93 dB

Low Mid 
 

-2.33 dB
0.26 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.3 dB
0.72 dB

High Mid 
 

1.14 dB
4.79 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

6.4
7.9

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

4.84 dB
3.15 dB

Low Treble 
 

-3.77 dB
1.22 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.76 dB
3.73 dB

High Treble 
 

-4.84 dB
-4.68 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.1
7.5

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.55 dB
1.65 dB

Dips 
 

2.47 dB
1.13 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

5.9

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
0.2

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
1.73

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.1°
12.72
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

7.3

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

1.0 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] CSD

PRTF 
 

3.0
4.7

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

3.88 dB
2.96 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

7.18 dB
5.79 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

1.39 dB
7.71 dB

Openness 
 

1.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.3
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.8

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.10%
0.193

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.30%
0.093
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

115.1 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.0
2.9

Virtual Soundstage  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Virtual Soundstage
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
Adjustable

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

Windows Sonic Spatial Audio
THX Spatial Audio
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

0.3.82
1.3.3.0

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)

Codec 
 

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

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Default
Default

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Boom
Integrated
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.5

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.12

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.1°
12.72

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
0.2

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.4 dB
1.73
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.1

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.10%
0.193

WHD @ 100 
 

0.30%
0.093
Show Text 
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Design Picture 2
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-Ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.5

Comfort Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Comfort Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.75 lbs
0.75 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.1 lbs
1.1 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.5
8.1

Controls Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Controls Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

Yes
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Multi function
SmartSwitch Button
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

6.0
5.8

Portability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Portability Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Portability Picture

L  

7.5" (19.0 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)

W  

6.7" (17.0 cm)
7.4" (18.9 cm)

H  

2.0" (5.1 cm)
2.0" (5.2 cm)

Volume  

100.51 in³ (1,647.00 cm³)
126.55 in³ (2,073.70 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

5.0
8.5

Case Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Case Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
Hard case

L  

N/A
9.4" (23.8 cm)

W  

N/A
8.4" (21.4 cm)

H  

N/A
2.6" (6.5 cm)

Volume  

N/A
202.03 in³ (3,310.60 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Build Quality Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Stability Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Angled Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Side Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Front Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Rear Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Top Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] In The Box Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

7.5
8.6

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-19.30 dB
-24.94 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-13.09 dB
-17.07 dB

Mid 
 

-15.85 dB
-20.92 dB

Treble 
 

-30.67 dB
-37.02 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

6.3

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-14.87 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-15.98 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-16.55 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  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

8.3
7.1

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

31.9 dB
38.79 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

Yes
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

7.7
7.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

20 Hz
243.22 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.91 dB
2.83 dB

HFE 
 

7,136.96 Hz
6,544.63 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

1.625
0.04

Gain 
 

23.15 dB
8.33 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
6.9

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

37.47 dB
12.53 dB

Noise Gate 
 

On/Off Toggle
On/Off Toggle

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
6.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
8.6

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

25 hrs
34.4 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

1.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

50 hrs
34.4 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.8 hrs
3.7 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

8.5
8.5

App Picture  

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] App Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Steelseries GG
Razer Synapse

iOS  

No
Yes

Android  

No
Yes

macOS  

Yes
No

Windows  

Yes
Yes

Equalizer 
 

Parametric + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

No
Adjustable

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 Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] Cable Picture
Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
No

Length 
 

4.13 ft (1.26 m)
N/A

Connector 
 

1/8" TRRRS
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
No Wired Audio
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

6.9
8.7

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.010
5.2

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 
 

155.84 ft (47.50 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

236 ms
113 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
Yes
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

7.3
8.9

Line Of Sight Range 
 

120.73 ft (36.80 m)
261.81 ft (79.80 m)

Latency - Dongle 
 

38 ms
36 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
No

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
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

8.8
3.4

Type 
 

Wireless Dock
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 
 

Yes
No

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox
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Black
Barracuda Pro
Searching
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Black
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS
Searching
Finding store
Black
Barracuda Pro
Searching
Finding store
White
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for PS
Searching
Finding store
Black
Barracuda Pro
Searching
Finding store
White
Arctis Nova Pro Wireless for Xbox
Searching
Finding store
Black
Barracuda Pro
Searching
Finding store
 
Black
Barracuda Pro
Searching
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox]

Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless [PC, PS, Xbox] vs Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless: Main Discussion

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