In this detailed comparison, we’ll take a closer look at two popular gaming headsets from SteelSeries: the Arctis Nova 7 and the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. While the Nova Pro Wireless comes at a higher price point, there are several features that make both headsets comparable. In this article we will do the detailed comparison of their design, connectivity options, sound quality, battery life and other aspect to understand which one is better and suits your requirements.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 vs Arctis Nova Pro Key Features
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7
- Customizable Design: The Arctis Nova 7 comes with interchangeable headbands, speaker tags, and ear cushions, allowing users to personalize the headset’s look.
- Multi-Connectivity Options: Arctis Nova 7 gives you various options, including a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle, a 3.5mm cable, and Bluetooth, It’s give you flexibility to use the headset with multiple devices.
- Long Battery Life: With up to 38 hours of battery life, the Nova 7 ensures extended gaming sessions without frequent charging. It also supports fast charging for quick top-ups.
- Sonar Audio Software: The headset can be fine-tuned using the SteelSeries Sonar software, offering customized audio settings, including a gaming-oriented parametric EQ and 360-degree spatial audio.
- Bi-Directional ClearCast Microphone: The retractable microphone provides clear communication with noise cancellation, making it suitable for in-game chat and voice calls.
- Comfortable Fit: The Nova 7 features an adjustable elastic headband, memory foam cushions with airweave fabric, and lightweight rotating ear cups, ensuring a comfortable fit for prolonged use.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
- Premium Aesthetics: The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless boasts a visually appealing design with faux leather ear cushions and a sleek appearance.
- Base Station Connectivity: The headset includes a base station that allows seamless connections to various devices, making it easy to switch between PC, 3.5mm devices, and more.
- Swappable Batteries: The Nova Pro Wireless comes with two swappable batteries, ensuring a continuous gaming experience with minimal downtime.
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): With ANC technology, the headset blocks out background noise, creating an immersive gaming environment.
- High Fidelity Drivers: The drivers offer a well-balanced audio profile with enhanced lows and clear mids and highs, providing excellent sound quality for gaming and music.
- Sonar Software Support: Similar to the Nova 7, the Nova Pro Wireless can be fine-tuned using the SteelSeries Sonar software, allowing users to customize audio settings and microphone options.
- Retractable Bi-Directional Microphone: The headset’s microphone is retractable and offers bi-directional noise cancellation, ensuring clear communication with minimal background noise.
- Comfortable Memory Foam Cushions: The memory foam ear cushions provide superior comfort and passive noise isolation, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
 |  |
|---|---|
| SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 | SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro |
| PROS | PROS |
| Customizable Design. Multi-Connectivity Options. Impressive Battery Life. SteelSeries Sonar Software. Good Sound Quality. | Premium Build and Design. Superior Passive Noise Cancellation. SteelSeries Sonar Software Customization. Good Battery Life. Flexible Microphone. |
| CONS | CONS |
| No Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Non-Detachable Microphone. Plastic Construction. | Limited Battery Life. Limited ANC Performance. Lack of RGB Lighting Customization. |
| CHECK ON AMAZON | CHECK ON AMAZON |
Design and Comfort
The design of the Arctis Nova 7 and the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless bears a striking resemblance, with an extendable headband and twistable ear cups. Both headsets are highly customizable, allowing you to swap out ear cushions, speaker tags, and headband accessories. The Nova Pro Wireless, however, boasts a more aesthetically pleasing appearance, featuring faux leather ear cushions that offer better passive noise cancellation.
The Nova 7, on the other hand, comes with fiber ear cushions covered in SteelSeries’s airweave fabric, providing decent comfort but slightly less isolation from surrounding noise. Despite this, both headsets are comfortable to wear for extended gaming sessions, thanks to their adjustable headbands and memory foam cushions.
Major differences:
- The Arctis Nova Pro Wireless has a more visually appealing design compared to the Nova 7, featuring faux leather ear cushions and a more premium look.
- Both headsets have customizable options for the headband, speaker tags, and ear cushions.
- The Nova Pro Wireless offers a more comfortable fit with its memory foam cushions, providing better passive noise cancellation.
- The Nova 7 is larger and more comfortable than the previous Arctis Pro lineup, making it a better fit for more people.
Connectivity
The Arctis Nova 7 will give you so many connectivity options, like 2.4 GHz USB-C dongle, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, and a 3.5mm audio cable. The headset supports dual connectivity, allowing you to simultaneously use the dongle and Bluetooth connection, making it ideal for multitasking and switching between devices seamlessly.
In contrast, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless comes with a USB-C connection hidden beneath one of the speaker plates, eliminating the need for a dongle. It also features dual connectivity, enabling you to connect via USB-C and use Bluetooth simultaneously. However, it comes with a unique advantage in the form of an interchangeable battery system. The Nova Pro Wireless includes swappable batteries, ensuring you never run out of power while gaming. You can easily replace the depleted battery with a charged one from the base station, providing a seamless gaming experience with little downtime.
Major differences:
- The Arctis Nova 7 comes with a multitude of cables included, offering a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle and a 3.5mm cable for wired connections.
- The Nova Pro Wireless has a unique base station that connects various devices, making it convenient for multiple connections (e.g., PC, 3.5mm devices) simultaneously.
Sound Quality and Customization
The Arctis Nova 7 and the Nova Pro Wireless both offer excellent sound quality for gaming. The Nova 7 features custom high-fidelity drivers, offering good audio positioning and depth, although it may lack some bass impact and balance. However, its sonic performance can be improved through the SteelSeries Sonar software, allowing you to fine-tune the audio to your preferences.
Similarly, the Nova Pro Wireless comes with high-fidelity drivers that provide impressive gaming audio. It also supports the SteelSeries Sonar software, which will give you a option to customize and fine-tune the sound as per your requirement. Additionally, the Nova Pro Wireless boasts active noise cancellation (ANC) technology, reducing external noises to immerse you fully in your games.
Major differences:
- The Nova Pro Wireless has higher fidelity drivers and a better-balanced audio profile compared to the Nova 7.
- The Nova 7’s audio profile may feel imbalanced with underwhelming lows and somewhat distorted sound, especially when using the wireless dongle.
- Both headsets offer customization through SteelSeries’ Sonar software, allowing users to fine-tune their audio and microphone settings.
Microphone Quality
Both headsets come with high-quality microphones. The Arctis Nova 7 sports a bi-directional ClearCast Gen 2 microphone, while the Nova Pro Wireless features a retractable bi-directional mic. Both microphones offer clear voice communication and benefit from SteelSeries Sonar software, which enhances voice quality and provides various options for customization.
Major differences:
- Both headsets come with a retractable bi-directional ClearCast microphone, but the Nova Pro Wireless may require adjustments via software for optimal performance.
Battery Life
As we know in the wireless headset battery life is very important and here the Arctis Nova 7 outperforms the Nova Pro Wireless, because Nova 7 gives 38 hours of battery usage on a full charge. However, the Nova Pro Wireless compensates for this with its interchangeable battery system, allowing you to keep gaming with minimal interruptions.
Major differences:
- The Nova 7 offers up to 38 hours on a single charge, and can be charged quickly with fast charging via USB-C.
- The Nova Pro Wireless uses swappable batteries, allowing for continuous usage by rotating batteries in and out of the headset and the base station.
| Specification | SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 | SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless Connectivity | 2.4GHz RF wireless via USB-C dongle | 2.4GHz RF wireless via Base Station |
| Battery Life | Up to 38 hours | Up to 20 hours |
| Audio Drivers | Not specified | High-Resolution Speaker Drivers |
| Ear Cushions | AirWeave Fabric | Faux Leather with Memory Foam |
| Active Noise Cancellation | No | Yes |
| Microphone | Discord-certified ClearCast Bidirectional Microphone | Discord-certified ClearCast Bidirectional Microphone |
| Compatibility | PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Mobile Devices | PC, PlayStation, and Mobile Devices |
| Additional Features | Bluetooth Connectivity, Swappable Ear Cushions, On-Ear Controls, Dual Wireless Connectivity, USB-C Charging | OLED Display on Base Station, Swappable Battery System, On-Ear Controls, Dual Wireless Connectivity, USB-C Charging |
| Price | CHECK ON AMAZON | CHECK ON AMAZON |
Conclusion
Both the Arctis Nova 7 and the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless are great gaming headsets, offering impressive audio quality, customization options, and comfort. If you prioritize longer battery life and the convenience of an interchangeable battery system, the Nova Pro Wireless might be the better choice for you. But if you are looking for a affordable option with good sound quality and better connectivity options, the Arctis Nova 7 could be the ideal pick.
So we will not say which headset is better for you, As choice between these headsets will be depend on your specific requirement and preferences. Whichever you choose, rest assured that both headsets deliver exceptional performance and are worthy additions to your gaming setup.
Alternative Headsets for SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 and Arctis Nova Pro
Razer BlackShark V2 Pro
- Wireless Connectivity: HyperSpeed Wireless Technology
- Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
- THX Spatial Audio
- Triforce Titanium 50mm Drivers
- Memory Foam Ear Cushions with Cooling Gel
- Detachable Cardioid HyperClear Microphone
- Compatibility: PC, PlayStation, and Mobile
- Price: $199
Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT
- Wireless Connectivity: Slipstream Corsair Wireless Technology
- Battery Life: Up to 20 hours
- High-Fidelity 50mm Neodymium Drivers
- Memory Foam Ear Cushions with Microfiber Mesh Fabric
- Broadcast-Grade Omnidirectional Microphone
- RGB Lighting
- Compatibility: PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Mobile
- Price: $199
HyperX Cloud II Wireless
- Wireless Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wireless via USB Dongle
- Battery Life: Up to 30 hours
- Custom-Tuned 53mm Drivers
- Memory Foam Ear Cushions with Leatherette
- Detachable Noise-Canceling Microphone
- Compatibility: PC, PlayStation, and Switch
- Price: $199
Logitech G PRO X Wireless Lightspeed
- Wireless Connectivity: Lightspeed Wireless Technology
- Battery Life: Up to 20 hours
- Pro-G 50mm Audio Drivers
- Memory Foam Ear Cushions with Leatherette
- Blue VO!CE Detachable Microphone
- Compatibility: PC and PlayStation
- Price: $179
ASTRO Gaming A50 Wireless
- Wireless Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wireless via Base Station
- Battery Life: Up to 15 hours
- ASTRO Audio V2 Tuned 40mm Neodymium Drivers
- Memory Foam Ear Cushions with Fabric
- Unidirectional Noise-Cancelling Microphone
- Compatibility: PC and PlayStation
- Price: $249
James Smith has always been intrigued by electronic products since his childhood. After his post graduation in electronics from a popular university, he decided to pursue a career in the electronics sector. But his calling for writing about these marvellous pieces of work got the better of him. That is how UBG was started. With a writing career spanning more than 12 years, James has worked on several hundred product reviews. During his free time, he like to spend time with his pet dog and relax in the swimming pool.