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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-20 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• LUDOS Clamor USB C — biggest strength: true USB-C wired connection with no pairing, no charging and no dongle, plus a 5-year warranty and a bundled protective case.
• LUDOS Clamor USB C — biggest trade-off: it is a wired in-ear only, so there is no wireless freedom and no over-ear immersion.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — biggest strength: 2.4GHz wireless plus Bluetooth 5.3 on Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch and mobile, with 200+ game presets and up to 40 hours of battery.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — biggest trade-off: it is a much bigger, heavier commitment — it needs charging, it costs more to buy, and it is over-ear only, so it is not a pocketable everyday earbud.
• Buy the LUDOS Clamor USB C if your priority is simple, wired, on-the-go audio for a phone or tablet.
• Buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X if your priority is wireless gaming audio across several systems.
The LUDOS Clamor USB C is a wired in-ear headphone built around one idea: plug it into a USB-C port and it works. There is no Bluetooth pairing, no dongle, no battery to charge and no app to install. The connection is USB Type C, the impedance is 32 ohm, and the design is in-ear with a metal enclosure finished in gold. That metal housing matters more than it sounds — in-ear buds get shoved into pockets and bags all day, and a metal shell tends to hold up better than soft plastic over time. LUDOS also backs the Clamor with a 5-year warranty, which is unusually long for this category and tells you the brand expects the cable and housing to survive daily abuse.
What it does best is the boring stuff you actually do every day. Take a call on the train. Listen to a podcast while walking. Watch a video on a tablet at the kitchen table. The in-ear shape plus passive sound isolation means outside noise gets pushed down without any active noise cancelling, which is exactly what you want on a bus or in a shared office. Controls are handled with buttons rather than touch, including call control, so you are not guessing at swipes. The package includes the earphones, the cable, an eartip and a protective case, so it is genuinely ready to use out of the box.
Who should skip it: if you want wireless freedom, over-ear comfort for long sessions, or a headset designed around competitive gaming audio, this is the wrong tool. It is a wired in-ear, and it does not pretend otherwise.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X: Who It's For
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is a wireless, over-ear, multi-platform gaming headset. It connects two ways: 2.4GHz wireless through a USB-C dongle for low-latency gaming, and Bluetooth 5.3 for everything else. The included USB-A adapter means older PCs and consoles are covered too. You can swap between Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch, handhelds, phones and tablets by moving the dongle, and quick-switching to Bluetooth flips you from game audio to music without unplugging anything.
The headline feature is the Arctis Companion mobile app and its library of 200+ game presets, including profiles for Call of Duty and Fortnite. The pitch is practical, not magical: presets sharpen specific sounds — footsteps, reloads, heals — so you can hear opponents before you see them. Whether that makes you faster is on you, but having a dedicated audio profile per game instead of one flat EQ is a real, tangible difference. Under the hood, custom neodymium magnetic drivers are tuned for clear highs, pinpoint mids and deep bass, and the impedance is 36 ohm.
Battery is where it pulls ahead of most wired alternatives. A full charge gives up to 40 hours, and fast charging gets you roughly 9 hours of playback from a 15-minute top-up. That is a headset you can charge on a Monday and forget about for days. Comfort is also clearly a design priority: it weighs 260g, uses a stretchy headband with multiple adjustment points, and adds a dual-hinge design for durability. The product listing describes it as designed so "headset headache is a thing of the past."
Who should buy it: gamers who play across more than one system and want one headset that follows them. Also anyone who wants long wireless sessions without babysitting a battery. Controls are physical — mute, pairing, power and volume — which is what you want mid-match.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for wired simplicity → LUDOS Clamor USB C. No pairing, no charging, no dongle. Plug in and go.
• Best for battery life → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. Up to 40 hours per charge, plus a 15-minute fast charge for about 9 hours.
• Best for gaming across multiple systems → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. 2.4GHz low-latency wireless plus Bluetooth 5.3, with a USB-C dongle and a USB-A adapter in the box.
• Best for calls and everyday phone use → LUDOS Clamor USB C. Call control, button controls and passive sound isolation in an in-ear format.
• Best for long-session comfort → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. 260g, stretchy headband, multiple adjustment points and a dual-hinge build.
• Best for durability confidence → LUDOS Clamor USB C. A 5-year warranty and a metal enclosure versus a 1-year warranty on the SteelSeries.
• Best for game-specific audio tuning → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. 200+ presets in the Arctis Companion app.
• Best for travel and pocket carry → LUDOS Clamor USB C. In-ear design with a bundled protective case.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — but only if gaming is the actual job. In my opinion, the 40-hour battery, the 2.4GHz plus Bluetooth 5.3 combo, the multi-platform dongle and the per-game presets make it the more capable product for anyone who plays seriously across more than one system. If gaming is not the point and you just want reliable wired audio on a USB-C phone or tablet, I would take the LUDOS Clamor USB C instead. It is simpler, it never needs charging, and that 5-year warranty is a real long-term advantage. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit — the needs here matter more than the number, and both are worth owning for different reasons.
FAQ
Yes — that is its main selling point. It uses a multi-platform USB-C dongle for 2.4GHz low-latency audio and Bluetooth 5.3 for everything else, and SteelSeries includes a USB-A adapter so older PCs and consoles are covered too.
The Arctis Nova 3X runs up to 40 hours on a full charge, and a 15-minute fast charge gives up to 9 hours of playback. The LUDOS Clamor USB C has no battery at all — it draws power from the USB-C port, so it never needs charging and never runs out mid-use.
It depends entirely on what you need, so check the current price on Amazon for both. In my opinion, the LUDOS Clamor USB C is the better value if you want simple wired earbuds with a 5-year warranty, while the Arctis Nova 3X justifies its cost if you want wireless multi-platform gaming with per-game presets and long battery life.
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