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Outlier Pro
Company ProductName Specs




TUSQ
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·

If you prioritize wireless convenience and better noise isolation for air travel, go for the Creative Labs Outlier Pro, which offers superior overall noise isolation and active noise cancelling, plus wireless charging. However, if gaming is a major use case for you, the Steelseries TUSQ is the better choice due to its higher gaming score. For regular calls and meetings, and if you prefer earbuds with a built-in mic over in-line mics and don't mind a cable, again, the Steelseries TUSQ would suit you well. It all depends on your primary use; for a versatile option leaning towards everyday use and travel, the Outlier Pro is great, but for a more gaming-centric and price-conscious option, the TUSQ fits the bill. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Pro
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Very good for exercise
  • Very good for air travel
  • Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Steelseries TUSQ
  • Good for music
  • Very good for gaming
  • Good for TV and video

Key differences

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Music

5.9
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
7.6
The Steelseries TUSQ is good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Gaming

5.3
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
8.5
The Steelseries TUSQ is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Phone Calls

8.3
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
5.2
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for phone calls, while the Steelseries TUSQ is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.9
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
4.7
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Steelseries TUSQ is poor.

TV and Video

5.5
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
7.3
The Steelseries TUSQ is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Pro is poor.

Noise Reduction

8.3
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
6.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro is very good for noise reduction, while the Steelseries TUSQ is only fair.

Battery

10.0 Hours
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
N/A
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has 10 hours of battery life. The Steelseries TUSQ does not have a battery.

Cost

$50
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
$37
Product image
Product image

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has a price of $50 and the Steelseries TUSQ costs $37.

Build Quality

9.0
Outlier Pro
TUSQ
8.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Pro has excellent build quality, while the Steelseries TUSQ has very good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Pro and the Steelseries TUSQ compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Creative Labs Outlier ProSteelseries TUSQ
Creative Labs Outlier ProSteelseries TUSQ

GENERAL

Price
$50
$37
Brand
Creative LabsSteelseries
Release Date
April 1, 2022August 1, 2021
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWired

SOUND

Music Score
5.9/107.7/10
Phone Calls Score
8.3/105.3/10
Gaming Score
5.4/108.6/10
TV and Video Score
5.6/107.4/10
Exercise Score
8/104.2/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
10 HoursN/A
Wireless charging
YesN/A
Charging time
1.5 HoursN/A
Bluetooth version
5.2N/A
Case Battery Life
45N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
8.4/106/10
Virtual Surround
NoN/A
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
8/108.5/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/108/10
Comfort score
7/107.6/10
Size
LargeLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
7.2 Grams11 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedBoom

Shopping

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Creative Labs Outlier Pro

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Dig into reviews and images

Forbes

Brad Moon | September 2022
"If you listen to music for extended periods such as commuting and work, and you hate having to pause to charge, give the Creative Outlier Pro wireless earbuds a try. You should be able to enjoy your tunes all day, or longer, without interruption."

Steelseries TUSQ

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Can Buy or Not

Aloysius Low | March 2021
"The SteelSeries Arctis Tusq is a great headset for those on a more modest budget. You can use it for gaming or music, and I daresay it's also great for Zoom meetings when you don't want to be wearing on-ear or over-ear headphones."

Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Pro or the Steelseries TUSQ

About Creative Labs

Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.

About Steelseries

Steelseries is a Danish gaming products manufacturer founded in 2001 and owned by GN Store Nord. Beside a large variety of gaming peripherals like mice, keyboards, and mousemats, Steelseries markets the Arctis line of gaming headsets which feature integrated boom microphones and RGB lighting. Steelseries has partnered with several game publishers and studios for limited editions of their products like a line of Cyberpunk 2077 themed headsets in 2020.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
71,000
Recommendations made
10,650
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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