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Products
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jun 09, 2025 01:02 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 13, 2025 02:27 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Our Verdict
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 and SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 have different use cases. The Nova 5 are wireless gaming headphones while the Nova 3 are wired. The Nova 5 are the better choice for most people due to their superior microphone, but if you're looking for cheap gaming headphones and are happy with a wired connection, the Nova 3 are a great choice.
Variants
- Arctis Nova 5X (Black)
- Arctis Nova 5P (Black)
- Arctis Nova 5 (Black)
- Arctis Nova 3 (Black)
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Black
Arctis Nova 5X
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Arctis Nova 3
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Arctis Nova 5P
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Arctis Nova 5
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.6
7.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
6.7
8.0
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
7.3
8.6
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.58 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
0.7 lbs
0.9 lbs
Controls
7.6
5.7
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
Yes
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Multi function
LED On/Off
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
5.7
5.9
Portability Picture
L
7.7" (19.5 cm)
7.9" (20.1 cm)
W
10.5" (26.6 cm)
8.7" (22.1 cm)
H
1.9" (4.7 cm)
1.7" (4.2 cm)
Volume
148.77 in³ (2,437.89 cm³)
113.96 in³ (1,867.40 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
0.0
0.0
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
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
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
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
350 Hz
Bass Amount
6.8 dB
0.19 dB
Treble Amount
1.3 dB
-3.11 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.3
6.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.83 dB
0.95 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
6.7
8.0
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
7.2 dB
2.84 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
15.2 Hz
Low Bass
4.11 dB
-0.95 dB
Mid Bass
8.18 dB
1.67 dB
High Bass
9.38 dB
4.41 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
7.3
8.6
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.57 dB
1.9 dB
Low Mid
1.7 dB
1.83 dB
Mid-Mid
0.83 dB
-0.58 dB
High Mid
2.74 dB
-0.01 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
5.2
5.5
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
4.84 dB
6.36 dB
Low Treble
-0.62 dB
-3.43 dB
Mid Treble
3.83 dB
-0.55 dB
High Treble
-4.14 dB
-9.22 dB
Imaging
7.6
8.1
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
1.14
0.18
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.34
9.07
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.33
0.57
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.37
2.95
Passive Soundstage
6.0
6.2
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.34 dB
1.72 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.91 dB
6.33 dB
PRTF Distance
13.06 dB
11.94 dB
Openness
4.8
6.7
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.6
3.1
Virtual Soundstage
2.0
2.0
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
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.1
7.2
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.530
0.464
WHD @ 100
0.178
0.177
Test Settings
Firmware
1.7
1.2.0
Power
On
USB
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default (Flat)
Default
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Boom
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
5.1
3.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-12.63 dB
-10.67 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
0.81 dB
0.56 dB
Mid
-11.19 dB
-4.73 dB
Treble
-30.82 dB
-28.05 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-9.94 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-10.38 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-11.80 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
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
Yes
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.5
8.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
88.51 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.85 dB
3.66 dB
HFE
7,452.94 Hz
11,166.8 Hz
Weighted THD
0.081
0.141
Gain
1.98 dB
15.12 dB
Noise Handling
8.0
7.2
SpNR
42.07 dB
22.94 dB
Noise Gate
On/Off Toggle
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
8.0
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.9
0.0
Battery Type
Rechargable
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
48.2 hrs
N/A
Additional Charges
0.0
N/A
Total Battery Life
48.2 hrs
N/A
Charge Time
1.8 hrs
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
USB-C
None
App Support
8.5
8.5
App Picture
App Name
Steelseries GG
Steelseries GG
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
No
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
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
9.8
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
USB Type A
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
9.42 ft (2.87 m)
Connector
N/A
USB-C
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
6 ms
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
N/A
Bluetooth Connection
8.2
0.0
Bluetooth Version
5.3
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
No
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
N/A
Latency - SBC
153 ms
N/A
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
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.6
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
147.64 ft (45.00 m)
N/A
Latency - Dongle
30 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
PS5 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
No
Base/Dock
3.4
0.0
Type
Wireless USB Dongle
No Base/Dock
USB Input
Yes
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
USB-C
No Base/Dock
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Black
Arctis Nova 5X
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Arctis Nova 3
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Arctis Nova 5P
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Arctis Nova 5
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3
Comments
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 vs SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5: Main Discussion
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