Products
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:39 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 14, 2025 08:43 PM
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TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Balanced
Our Verdict
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds
Choosing between the SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds and the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021 depends on whether you want earbuds for wireless USB audio or Bluetooth. Only the SteelSeries include a 2.4GHz dongle for low-latency gaming with PS consoles, PCs, or mobile devices, and it can connect via Bluetooth, too. They boast a more comfortable, stable fit and a longer battery life. However, the Razer have better microphone noise handling performance out of the box, and otherwise, they operate more like casual true wireless buds, but the SteelSeries can be used like standard Bluetooth buds, too.
Variants
- Hammerhead True Wireless 2021 (Black)
- Arctis GameBuds (Black (PS))
- Arctis GameBuds (Black (Xbox))
- Arctis GameBuds (Glorange (PS))
- Arctis GameBuds (White (PS))
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Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
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Black (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
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Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
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Black (Xbox)
Arctis GameBuds
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Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
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Glorange (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
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Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
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White (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.2
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
550 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Bass Amount
2.2 dB
Treble Amount
-6.62 dB
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Balanced
Frequency Response Consistency
9.4
8.5
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.12 dB
0.65 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.0
9.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.76 dB
2.4 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
1.09 dB
-1.24 dB
Mid Bass
4.48 dB
2.31 dB
High Bass
7.5 dB
2.6 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
6.9
9.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.18 dB
1.12 dB
Low Mid
6.5 dB
1.44 dB
Mid-Mid
1.05 dB
-0.38 dB
High Mid
-1.68 dB
-0.91 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
5.7
9.4
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
6.09 dB
2.18 dB
Low Treble
-7.11 dB
-2.01 dB
Mid Treble
-2.41 dB
0.99 dB
High Treble
-10.76 dB
-2.53 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
7.8
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.71 dB
1.21 dB
Dips
1.38 dB
1.7 dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.0
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.17
0.34 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.41
0.87 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.87
1.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
1.1
0.0
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
3.0
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.5
Harmonic Distortion
7.2
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.495
0.59%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.161
0.74%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
102.1 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
2.9
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Adjustable
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
Spatial Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.1.2
1.7.0
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Custom (Flat)
Flat
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
9.3
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.11
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.87
1.6°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.17
0.34 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.41
0.87 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.2
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.495
0.59%
WHD @ 100
0.161
0.74%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.03 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
7.6
8.4
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
Great
Feedback
Good
Great
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Gaming Mode
Source Switch
Breathability
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
Portability
9.5
9.5
Portability Picture
L
1.7" (4.3 cm)
1.1" (2.9 cm)
W
1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.3" (3.4 cm)
H
0.7" (1.8 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)
Volume
1.40 in³ (23.00 cm³)
1.28 in³ (21.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
Yes
Case
7.5
8.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.5" (6.4 cm)
2.8" (7.0 cm)
W
2.1" (5.3 cm)
2.1" (5.3 cm)
H
1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)
Volume
5.19 in³ (85.00 cm³)
7.02 in³ (115.00 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
8.5
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
7.0
7.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-17.42 dB
-18.20 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-12.17 dB
-11.64 dB
Mid
-17.86 dB
-18.78 dB
Treble
-22.8 dB
-25.52 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
7.0
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-16.85 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-16.17 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-18.47 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
8.7
9.7
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
28.92 dB
22.61 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
7.6
6.5
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
232.91 Hz
82.34 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.95 dB
3.7 dB
HFE
5,915.41 Hz
7,452.94 Hz
Weighted THD
0.363
61.381
Gain
20.24 dB
-19.24 dB
Noise Handling
6.8
5.6
SpNR
SpNR
43.33 dB
13.94 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
5.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.5
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.0
7.7
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
4.7 hrs
8.25 hrs
Additional Charges
4.0
3.0
Total Battery Life
23.5 hrs
33 hrs
Charge Time
1.1 hrs
1.1 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
9.0
App Picture
App Name
Razer Audio
Steelseries GG
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
Yes
Windows
No
Yes
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
Parametric + Graphic
ANC Control
On/Off
Adjustable
Mic Control
No
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
7.2
7.9
Bluetooth Version
5.2
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
No
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
285.43 ft (87.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
275 ms
230 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
No
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
53 ms
Android Latency
92 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
7.6
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - Dongle
N/A
48 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Wireless USB Dongle + Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
USB-C
USB-C
Check Price
Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black (Xbox)
Arctis GameBuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SEARCH
B&H
Glorange (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
SEARCH
BestBuy.com
White (PS)
Arctis GameBuds
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021
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Razer Hammerhead True Wireless 2021 vs SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds: Main Discussion
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