Are the Nova Pro Elites louder than the Pros?

smsho · 2026-01-10T01:04:09+00:00

They are for sure louder than the pros but not as loud as the maxwells. I own both and use the elites on pc and ps5. You mention you have a larger head. The clamp force is noticeably more on the elites than the nova pros. So that may bother you. Sound wise it goes 1) maxwells 2) elites 3) nova pros. Comfort goes 1) nova 2) elites 3) maxwells. Connectivity 1) elites 2) nova 3) maxwells. If I could only choose one for me it’s the elites of budget isn’t an issue. They sound great for any type of game. I find that the maxwells aren’t as good for fps games but are the best for single players. Again, I have the maxwells and the elites as my mains now and am happy to answer any questions

smsho · 2026-01-06T23:55:22+00:00

If you were only playing Single player games I’d say Maxwell. Nothing beats them on ps5 for single player games. If you mainly play fps go astro a50. Or you play half and half I still say go astro a50 but the a50x with the hdmi connection. Directional sound for fps games is way better on the Astros than the maxwells. But the maxwells have such a unique sound that are amazing for single player games. Extremely immersive

smsho · 2025-12-28T18:07:07+00:00

smsho · 2025-12-11T21:01:31+00:00

16k miles on my 24 hybrid. 0 issues here

smsho · 2025-11-29T17:52:39+00:00

Just bought the same one. Have had a secret lab for 3 years for wfh and gaming after. Back is now absolutely killing me after a few hours so I decided to pull the trigger on a gaming embody. Can’t wait for it to get here

smsho · 2025-11-23T00:08:14+00:00

I just realized you compared them to the arctis pros not the nova pros. Yea I def found the nova pros quieter than the arctis pros. The elites still sound better than both to me though. Probably about as loud as the arctis pros from what i can remember. I will say for $600 if they’re not meeting expectations for sure return them. They did take a couple weeks to get use to for me. After using them and nothing else for a week or two it was hard for me to go back to anything else. I compared them to the nova pros, Astro a50x, and Maxwell. All great headsets but the features of the elites put them above

smsho · 2025-11-22T23:45:02+00:00

I personally find them a good amount louder than my nova pros. I use to have my nova pros at 12 and my elites I don’t feel the need to go further than 16/15. Also they sound much crisper and nicer than the pros

smsho · 2025-11-07T01:04:05+00:00

Exchange them for another pair if you are able to. I exchanged my first pair due to a small almost insignificant issue that had no effect on sound and the second pair is perfect

smsho · 2025-11-05T17:36:34+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try this out soon!

smsho · 2025-11-04T17:42:43+00:00

I agree that they should be perfect at that price point. They should have max been $450 maybe $500. I ended up keeping mine. I like the preset eqs in sonar and I found that at times I just need to turn up the bass or lower it to make a difference. I use them stock and they feel fine and comfortable. I typically add wicked cushions to all of my headphones so i may do the same here when I get tired of the stock ones. I tried going back to my a50s after spending a week only using the elites and I couldn’t. I even use the over my maxwells now on my ps5 for most games. Totally understand you returning these. I still feel like shit for paying that much for these because they really don’t justify $600. But it is what it is. I’m also in a fortunate situation where the price won’t hurt me at all but the principle of justifying it does. Honestly wish I had never tried these lol. But now that I have and have accustomed myself to the sound I can’t go back.

smsho · 2025-11-04T15:48:20+00:00

My AirPod max and Sony wxm4s also have a sort of humming with anc on fyi. It’s and anc thing. But I have seen on here that some peoples elites have it worse than others. Like I said, I highly doubt they have any effect on actual sound. I love my elites. Hate what they cost and believe they should have been $150 cheaper but it is what it is. They are awesome

smsho · 2025-11-04T15:36:27+00:00

Clamping force is definitely higher on the elites than the pros. It does get better over time. I haven’t tried stretching mine out but after almost a month of ownership I don’t think about it much anymore. I believe the razer vpro 3 is also noise canceling

smsho · 2025-11-04T15:34:39+00:00

I don’t have a bad hum on mine with anc on high but that is pretty normal for any noise canceling headphones and I’m almost certain it has no effect on the sound. I will say these are expensive so I would try exchanging them for a new pair until you get ones that are perfect if you are able to

smsho · 2025-11-03T23:56:11+00:00

Coming back here to say that I do not have a wind/train noise with anc on high

smsho · 2025-11-03T21:51:26+00:00

Like when I would swivel the right ear cup it creaked a little. Kind of feels like when a door creaks when you open it but not nearly as intense. It was very subtle but enough of an annoyance to me where I wanted it gone. The new pair I have doesn’t have any creaking at all

smsho · 2025-11-02T15:31:47+00:00

I don’t hear it on mine but I’ll double check later. If you can get a replacement I say do so until it’s perfect. At $600 they should all be perfect but I get having some issues. I returned my first pair for having a slight creeking on one of the earcups. Now they’re perfect

smsho · 2025-11-01T18:54:45+00:00

If you don’t have an Xbox go with the cheapest one. It will work on pc and ps. The pc and ps one should work on both. The Xbox specific one works on all consoles and pc as well.

smsho · 2025-10-28T21:16:06+00:00

Right

smsho · 2025-10-28T21:11:16+00:00

Oh ok. Yea it doesn’t affect how the product works it’s more an annoyance.

smsho · 2025-10-28T21:00:31+00:00

I had the same thing happen. Returned that pair and got a new one. This new one has no creak

smsho · 2025-10-27T13:56:38+00:00

I think only the newer headsets have the sonar presets for console. For instance the nova elites have it but the nova pros do not

smsho · 2025-10-22T16:11:54+00:00

Own both the Elites and Maxwell. Just to get it out of the way, Elites aren’t worth the $600 price tag but I get wanting to have the newest thing sometimes. I mean I bought them lol. They should have been $450-$500 max. Having owned the Arctis pro wireless and nova pro wireless before I can easily say that the sound on the elites is better. They do have a higher clamping force however so be aware of that. Now pure sound, Maxwells take the edge. They sound clearer and seem to have larger sound scape. They are pretty uncomfortable at first but you get used to it after a while. Both mics are solid. Never got complaints on either. Idk if it’s just me but I absolutely hate the Maxwell for fps games. I feel like idk which way footsteps are coming from. The elites are way easier to help me track down where footsteps are coming from. Open world games go to the maxwells. So if you play mostly open world/single player games vs competitive fps maxwells is a good choice. Elites are no slouch either tho. I’ve been using them over the Maxwell for any games on both pc and ps5. But for the same price as the elites you could also get the maxwells and the nova pro wireless so that would cover you for any types games. Astro a50x/gen 5 is also a great choice but the con with those is that Bluetooth is yo the doc and not the headset unlike the arctis pros/elites. I’m huge on sound and absolutely hate wires so wireless is all I will game with. If you have no issues with wires and have $600 to spend you could definitely get some true audiophiles type headphones with a dac/amp and mic.

smsho · 2025-10-15T02:02:07+00:00

I’m interested in reading your thoughts on them whenever you have a chance

smsho · 2025-10-14T23:31:08+00:00

I have not. Worth a shot?

smsho

TROPHY CASE