Products
Astro A50 X
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
early access
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Jun 04, 2025 05:40 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 06, 2025 10:40 PM
This review is in Early access
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureSemi-Open
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Balanced
Type
Noise Cancelling
Enclosure
Bass Amount
Wireless
Transducer
Treble Amount
Mic
Sound Signature
Our Verdict
Astro A50 X
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below
0
Variants
- A50 X (Black)
- A50 X (White)
- Arctis Nova Elite (Obsidian)
- Arctis Nova Elite (Sage & Gold)
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Black
A50 X
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Obsidian
Arctis Nova Elite
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White
A50 X
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Sage & Gold
Arctis Nova Elite
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Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.0
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
800 Hz
Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Sound Signature
Balanced
Frequency Response Consistency
8.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.73 dB
dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.7
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.2 dB
dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
Hz
Low Bass
-1.1 dB
dB
Mid Bass
0.19 dB
dB
High Bass
-0.99 dB
dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.97 dB
dB
Low Mid
-0.61 dB
dB
Mid-Mid
-0.27 dB
dB
High Mid
0.41 dB
dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.79 dB
dB
Low Treble
-3.11 dB
dB
Mid Treble
-1.92 dB
dB
High Treble
-5.47 dB
dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.2
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.22 dB
dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.99 dB
dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.7°
°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
5.5
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
1.97 dB
dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
3.06 dB
dB
PRTF Distance
6.22 dB
dB
Harmonic Distortion
9.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.06%
%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.11%
%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
N/A
dB
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
Dolby Atmos
Test Settings
Firmware
1.2.18
Power
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default (Flat)
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Boom
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Enclosure
Semi-Open
Wireless
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.8 lbs
lbs
Clamping Force
0.7 lbs
lbs
Controls
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Feedback
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
Noise Cancelling Control
No
Talk-Through
No
Additional Controls
Bluetooth + Multi function
Portability
5.3
Portability Picture
L
10.3" (26.1 cm)
" ( cm)
W
7.9" (20.0 cm)
" ( cm)
H
2.6" (6.7 cm)
" ( cm)
Volume
213.34 in³ (3,496.06 cm³)
in³ ( cm³)
Transmitter Required
Yes
Case
N/A
Case Picture
Type
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
Build Quality Picture
Stability
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
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
2.2
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
Overall Attenuation
-5.05 dB
dB
Bass
1.42 dB
dB
Mid
-0.23 dB
dB
Treble
-18.18 dB
dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
2.2
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-4.07 dB
dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-5.17 dB
dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-3.14 dB
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
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-Line
No
Boom
Yes
Detachable Boom
No
Mic
Yes
Recording Quality
8.6
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
151.02 Hz
Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.52 dB
dB
HFE
11,166.8 Hz
Hz
Weighted THD
0.114
Gain
10.57 dB
dB
Noise Handling
6.4
SpNR
SpNR
16.6 dB
dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
26.4 hrs
hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
26.4 hrs
hrs
Charge Time
2.3 hrs
hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
No
Charging Port
USB-C
App Support
7.5
App Picture
App Name
Logitech G Hub
iOS
Yes
Android
Yes
macOS
Yes
Windows
Yes
Equalizer
Parametric + Graphic
ANC Control
No
Mic Control
Mute/Unmute
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping
No
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
USB Audio
No
Detachable
No
Length
N/A
ft ( m)
Connector
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
7.3
Bluetooth Version
5.010
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
228.02 ft (69.50 m)
ft ( m)
Latency - SBC
257 ms
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
AAC Support
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.1
Line Of Sight Range
257.55 ft (78.50 m)
ft ( m)
Latency - Dongle
29 ms
ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Base/Dock
5.2
Type
Wireless Dock
USB Input
Yes
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Power Supply
USB-C
Check Price
Black
A50 X
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Amazon.com
Obsidian
Arctis Nova Elite
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White
A50 X
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Amazon.com
Sage & Gold
Arctis Nova Elite
SEARCH
Amazon.com
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Astro A50 X
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
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Astro A50 X vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: Main Discussion
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