Products
Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
early access
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 06, 2025 01:43 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 CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Emphasized (2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
V-Shaped
Type
Noise Cancelling
Enclosure
Bass Amount
Wireless
Transducer
Treble Amount
Mic
Sound Signature
Our Verdict
Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below
0
Variants
- BlackShark V3 Pro (2XKO Edition for Xbox)
- BlackShark V3 Pro (Black for PC)
- BlackShark V3 Pro (Black for Xbox)
- BlackShark V3 Pro (White for PC)
- Arctis Nova Elite (Obsidian)
- Arctis Nova Elite (Sage & Gold)
Check Price
2XKO Edition for Xbox
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Obsidian
Arctis Nova Elite
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black for PC
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sage & Gold
Arctis Nova Elite
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black for Xbox
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White for PC
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.2
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
800 Hz
Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Emphasized (2 dB)
Sound Signature
V-Shaped
Frequency Response Consistency
5.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
1.52 dB
dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.0 dB
dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
Hz
Low Bass
3.98 dB
dB
Mid Bass
2.21 dB
dB
High Bass
0.16 dB
dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.88 dB
dB
Low Mid
-0.63 dB
dB
Mid-Mid
0.07 dB
dB
High Mid
-0.42 dB
dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.65 dB
dB
Low Treble
1.25 dB
dB
Mid Treble
3.86 dB
dB
High Treble
-6.95 dB
dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.4
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.63 dB
dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.97 dB
dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.3°
°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
7.9
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
2.86 dB
dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.71 dB
dB
PRTF Distance
14.35 dB
dB
Harmonic Distortion
9.1
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.09%
%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.17%
%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
117.2 dB SPL
dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.5 dB
dB
Virtual Soundstage
2.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
THX Spatial Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.1.2.0
Power
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default (Flat)
ANC
4
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
Boom
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.8 lbs
lbs
Clamping Force
1.1 lbs
lbs
Controls
8.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Feedback
Great
Call/Music Control
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Talk-Through
No
Additional Controls
Noise-Canceling, ANC Modes, Talk Through
Portability
5.4
Portability Picture
L
7.9" (20.1 cm)
" ( cm)
W
6.5" (16.5 cm)
" ( cm)
H
3.7" (9.5 cm)
" ( cm)
Volume
192.10 in³ (3,147.93 cm³)
in³ ( cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
Case
0.0
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
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
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
7.3
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-18.73 dB
dB
Bass
-10.15 dB
dB
Mid
-19.41 dB
dB
Treble
-28.40 dB
dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
6.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-16.42 dB
dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-16.45 dB
dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-18.13 dB
dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
In-Line
No
Boom
Yes
Detachable Boom
Yes
Mic
Yes
Recording Quality
8.1
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
82.34 Hz
Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.78 dB
dB
HFE
6,001.45 Hz
Hz
Weighted THD
0.809
Gain
18.7 dB
dB
Noise Handling
7.5
SpNR
SpNR
32.69 dB
dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
9.4
Battery Type
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
69.7 hrs
hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
Total Battery Life
69.7 hrs
hrs
Charge Time
3.9 hrs
hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Passive Playback
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
App Support
8.5
App Picture
App Name
Razer Synapse 4
iOS
Yes
Android
Yes
macOS
No
Windows
Yes
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
Adjustable
Mic Control
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
Playback Control
No
Button Mapping
No
Surround Support
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.6
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
Detachable
Yes
Length
4.95 ft (1.51 m)
ft ( m)
Connector
USB-C
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
ms
Latency - USB
11.5 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.7
Bluetooth Version
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
ft ( m)
Latency - SBC
132 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
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
9.1
Line Of Sight Range
297.24 ft (90.60 m)
ft ( m)
Latency - Dongle
13 ms
ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
Base/Dock
3.4
Type
Wireless USB Dongle
USB Input
Yes
Line In
No
Line Out
No
Optical Input
No
RCA Input
No
Dock Charging
No
Power Supply
USB-C
Check Price
2XKO Edition for Xbox
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Obsidian
Arctis Nova Elite
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black for PC
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sage & Gold
Arctis Nova Elite
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black for Xbox
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White for PC
BlackShark V3 Pro
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Razer BlackShark V3 Pro
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Razer BlackShark V3 Pro vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite: Main Discussion
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