How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wireless, multi-platform gaming headset with a long-lasting battery and a retractable boom mic, choose SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P; if you need wired in-ear monitors built for critical listening and clean audio on a cable, choose TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P — biggest strength: Quick-Switch Wireless that jumps between 2.4GHz gaming audio and Bluetooth 5.3, paired with a 60-hour battery and 100+ game audio presets.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P — biggest trade-off: It's a wireless over-ear headset, so it's bulkier than an IEM, needs charging, and its "sound isolation" is passive rather than active noise cancelling.
• TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero — biggest strength: A dual dynamic driver in-ear design with a detachable 0.78mm 2-pin cable and an optional inline mic cable, built for detail and a wide 20Hz–41kHz range.
• TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero — biggest trade-off: It's wired only, with no wireless freedom and no built-in battery, so you're tethered to whatever you plug into.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Arctis Nova 5P if you game across PS5, PC, Switch or mobile and want wireless convenience; pick the TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero if you want wired, in-ear precision for music, monitoring, or calls.
The Arctis Nova 5P is a wireless over-ear gaming headset that leans hard into flexibility. Its headline trick is Quick-Switch Wireless: with a tap of a button you jump between 2.4GHz gaming audio and Bluetooth 5.3, so you can take a call or switch to media without tearing the headset off. A compact USB-C dongle moves you between PlayStation, PC, Switch and mobile, and the companion app serves up 100+ game audio presets — think enhanced footsteps, bomb plants and similar cues — so you can tune the sound to a specific title without leaving your game. There's also a dual EQ setup that keeps separate profiles for gaming and Bluetooth audio and switches them automatically.
On the audio side, SteelSeries uses custom Neodymium Magnetic Drivers (dynamic drivers, 36 ohm, 20Hz–20,000Hz) aimed at clear highs, pinpoint mids and deep bass. The mic is a fully retractable ClearCast 2.X with a high-bandwidth chipset running 32KHz/16Bit audio, and the battery is the real standout: up to 60 hours of average life, plus USB-C fast charge giving 6 hours from a 15-minute top-up. If you play roughly 8 hours a day, that's about a week between charges. Controls sit on-ear for volume, mute and power, and the headset ships with a durable fabric carrying case. It's white, over-ear, and made from ABS.
Buy it if you want one headset that handles console, PC and mobile gaming plus the occasional phone call, and you'd rather not babysit a charge cable. Skip it if you mostly listen to music analytically, want the smallest possible footprint, or specifically need active noise cancellation — the 5P relies on sound isolation, not ANC. It's also an adult-oriented, single-item package with a 1-year warranty, so it's a straightforward one-headset solution rather than a collection of extras.
The TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero (Zero:BLUE2) is a wired in-ear monitor, and it's aimed at a very different buyer. It packs two dynamic drivers: a 10mm solid silica gel suspension composite liquid crystal dome with an N52 magnet handling bass, and a 7.8mm upgraded polyurethane suspension liquid crystal dome with an N55 magnet focused on mid and high frequencies. TRUTHEAR says it enlarged that smaller driver's magnet by about 25%, expanded the dome area by roughly 50%, and improved the high-frequency conductive structure — changes that raise conversion efficiency and sensitivity in the upper highs. The intended result is a smooth, transparent top end with good extension and resolution. The cavity uses a DLP-3D printing process with silicone capping, techniques TRUTHEAR notes are usually reserved for high-end multi-driver and custom earphones.
Buy it if you want wired in-ear detail for music, monitoring, or voice chat, and you like the idea of a replaceable cable you can swap if it wears out. Skip it if you want wireless freedom, a boom mic, or a headset you can wear for eight-hour sessions without thinking about cables — the Zero has no battery, no wireless, and no active noise control, just a remote on the cable.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for wireless freedom → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P. Quick-Switch toggles between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 with a button press.
• Best for long sessions without charging → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P. Up to 60 hours of battery life, plus 6 hours from a 15-minute USB-C fast charge.
• Best for cross-platform gaming → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P. The USB-C dongle covers PS5, PS4, PC, Switch and mobile, with 100+ game presets via the companion app.
• Best for critical listening and detail → TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero. Dual dynamic drivers with a wide 20Hz–41kHz range and a low 5.8 ohm impedance.
• Best for calls and voice chat on a cable → TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero. The optional oxygen-free copper mic cable turns it into a wired headset.
• Best for replaceable parts → TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero. The 0.78mm 2-pin detachable cable means you can swap it rather than replace the whole unit.
• Best for a boom mic and on-ear controls → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P. A fully retractable ClearCast 2.X mic plus on-ear volume, mute and power.
• Best for portable, low-weight carry → TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero. At 0.26 kg it's the lighter, pocketable pick, with no charging to manage.
My Verdict
Yes. It's a wireless headset using 2.4GHz gaming audio and Bluetooth 5.3, with Quick-Switch letting you toggle between the two. There's no headphone jack on it, so it's cable-free by design.
It depends on the version. The 3.5mm+mic configuration includes an oxygen-free copper mic cable, so that variant works for calls and gaming. The core IEM itself is a wired in-ear monitor.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5P has a battery — up to 60 hours, with 6 hours from a 15-minute fast charge. The TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero has no battery at all because it's fully wired, so it never needs charging.
Yes, via Bluetooth 5.3 or the USB-C dongle where supported. That's part of its multi-system pitch alongside PS5, PS4, PC and Switch.
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