We are inclined to neglect about our PC’s audio setup after we come to improve or purchase a brand new system, however when numerous as we speak’s best gaming monitors both don’t include audio system or solely have very tiny, tinny issues for the odd Windows notification, including certainly one of as we speak’s greatest gaming headsets to your PC is completely important. Not solely do they provide a extra immersive soundscape, however their built-in microphones are additionally excellent for chatting to your mates on-line.
However, as you’ll little doubt have seen from all of my gaming headset evaluation, one individual’s greatest gaming headset could be one other’s head-pinching nightmare, which is why I’ve gathered collectively a variety of as we speak’s greatest gaming headsets that hopefully cowl all bases throughout a smattering of various costs. If your PC is in want of an audio enhance, then step proper this manner.
Best gaming headset information
As hinted above, any listing of greatest gaming headsets is all the time going to be extremely private primarily based on the individual compiling stated listing. For me, there are three issues I like to remember when selecting a greatest gaming headset: consolation, audio high quality and microphone readability. After all, it’s no good having a great-sounding headset that pinches your cranium after 30 minutes of use, or one you may’t use on-line because of the sound of its hissing mic.
Comfort is a very huge precedence for me, as numerous gaming headsets have a tendency to present me a headache after not very lengthy in any respect. As a end result, you could be positive those on this listing are the comfiest headsets cash should buy. My musical tastes additionally sit on the extra balanced facet of the audio spectrum, versus the pumping bass finish of issues, so each headset you’ll discover under delivers a clear, clear sound that provides as a lot emphasis to the highs because it does the lows. For extra information on my precise testing strategies, skip to the top of this text, however for now, these are the perfect gaming headsets you should purchase proper now.
Best gaming headset: Steelseries Arctis 7
If you’ve ever had as a lot bother discovering a cushty headset as I’ve, then the Steelseries Arctis 7 is a revelation. Its ski-goggle headband may not look as comfortable as different headsets with fistfuls of padding to their identify, however its intelligent suspension design means the metal body by no means truly touches your head, permitting me to put on it for hours and hours with out difficulty. Whereas different headsets usually all the time go away me with a vice-like headache after 30 minutes, the Arctis 7 simply lets me get on with taking part in games.
It sounds nice, too, and is totally wi-fi, permitting you to maintain your gaming desk good and clear with out one other tangle of cables within the combine. What’s extra, its wi-fi transmitter isn’t just a bit USB stick – it’s acquired its personal cable, so you may place it wherever you want for the perfect sign. You additionally get a daily 3.5mm audio cable so you should utilize it as a wired headset as nicely for those who want.
The Arctis 7 is costlier than different wi-fi gaming headsets on this listing, but it surely does include a few further helpful options, comparable to its ChatMix slider. This allows you to filter out all game music to focus solely in your multiplayer chat, and it really works vice-versa as nicely, serving to you drown out these screaming 11-year-olds who can’t consider you didn’t make that headshot from half means throughout the map.
If your finances doesn’t fairly stretch that far, then concern not, as the remainder of Steelseries’ Arctis vary makes use of the identical precisely the identical audio drivers because the top-end Arctis 7 in addition to the identical comfortable headband design.
Read extra in our Steelseries Arctis 7 review.
Best gaming headset (USB): Corsair Void Pro RGB
The Corsair Void Pro RGB is available in quite a few flavours, together with wi-fi, wired and a non-RGB, wired ‘Surround’ model. I examined the center, wired RGB mannequin, and that is one other headset that charges extremely on the consolation scale.
Corsair’s headsets have a a lot looser design than most, so that they’re much less susceptible to the dreaded head pinch in consequence. They’re maybe not the perfect decide for these with smaller heads, however these with bigger skulls or numerous hair to cope with will little doubt recognize the additional wiggle room.
The Void Pro RGB additionally has a superb microphone, and is often my headset of selection when I put within the occasional look on The RPS Electronic Wireless Show. It’s a terrific sounding headset as nicely, however its digital 7.1 encompass sound results aren’t the perfect, therefore its place as ‘runner-up’ reasonably than our total winner. You additionally want to fireside up Corsair’s iCue software program to make use of it, as there isn’t a devoted button to allow it on the headset itself.
Still, for those who’re after a tasteful RGB headset that doesn’t price the earth, the Corsair Void Pro RGB is a good place to begin.
Read extra in our Corsair Void Pro RGB review.
Best gaming headset (3.5mm): Turtle Beach Atlas Three
An honest-to-goodness wired gaming headset, the Turtle Beach Atlas Three is the reasonably glorious middle-child in Turtle Beach’s new vary of PC gaming headsets. Not solely is it tremendous comfy to put on for lengthy intervals of time, however its audio high quality can also be completely sensible, making this sub £70/$80 a proper previous steal in comparison with among the costlier headsets on this listing.
It’s a bit of odd, in that it’s acquired a built-in bass amplifier that must be charged sometimes through the bundled USB cable regardless of it already having a wired 3.5mm audio connection, however enabling this dramatically improves your in-game audio and makes for a reasonably good basic listening companion as nicely.
The solely niggle I’ve with the Atlas Three is the structure of its on-ear controls, which I continuously get blended up after I use it myself. Still, it’s one thing I’m greater than prepared to place up with at this value, and it doesn’t detract from what’s in any other case a terrific mid-range headset.
Read extra in our Turtle Beach Atlas Three review.
Best finances gaming headset: Roccat Renga Boost
The Roccat Renga Boost is a unbelievable headset for these on a finances. My earlier greatest finances gaming headset decide, the Cougar Phontum, has gone up loads in value currently, making the Renga Boost my new prime advice for these seeking to spend not more than £50 / $50. After all, not solely is the Renga Boost’s ultralight leather-based headband and stylish body infinitely preferable to the overly plastic building of its nearest rival, the Turtle Beach Recon 150, but it surely additionally sounds a heck of loads higher, too.
That’s partly attributable to the truth that that is an open-backed headset reasonably than a closed-backed one, which supplies the Renga Boost a a lot wider, extra natural-sounding soundstage to play with. I’ll be upfront – attributable to its open-backed design, this most likely received’t be appropriate for taking part in games within the firm of different individuals, as everybody else will even have the ability to hear precisely what’s happening as you play. This received’t be an issue in case your PC lives in a extra solitary location, in fact, but it surely’s value mentioning that your family and friends could get barely irritated by it for those who are inclined to play PC games in your front room.
Still, offered this isn’t going to be an excessive amount of of an issue for you, the Renga Boost produces a wealthy, superbly balanced sound that simply rivals among the costlier gaming headsets on this listing, and its meagre weight of simply 210g means it’s an absolute deal with to put on for lengthy intervals of time, too. Plus, it comes with a mixed 3.5mm headphone jack within the field so you may also use it with laptops, telephones and consoles.
Read extra in our Roccat Renga Boost review.
Best finances gaming headset (wi-fi): Corsair HS70
Let’s face it, wi-fi gaming headsets are fairly costly. As you’ve little doubt seen on this listing, the perfect ones demand nicely over £120 / $150 typically, which may usually be a step too far for these seeking to hold prices down. Thankfully, Corsair has provide you with an answer – the sensible HS70.
It’s nonetheless a good chunk of change, I’ll admit – particularly for these within the UK – however the HS70 is a fully very good headset in its personal proper. It doesn’t have as many fancy options because the Arctis 7 or the battery lifetime of the Cloud Flight (though its 16 hours of uninterrupted air time continues to be nothing to be sniffed at), however for those who’re after one thing easy that will get the job performed, feels nice and doesn’t contain attempting to unravel 1,000,000 cables, the HS70 is the headset for you.
Read extra in our Corsair HS70 review.
Best ‘money is no object’ Hi-Res gaming headset: Steelseries Arctis Pro + GameDAC
If you’ve acquired cash to burn and need the best possible of the perfect, look no additional than the Steelseries Arctis Pro + GameDAC. Not to be confused with its costlier wi-fi and cheaper GameDAC-less Pro siblings, this center providing in Steelseries’ Arctis Pro line-up is arguably the perfect of the lot – if solely as a result of it’s the one one to have correct Hi-Res audio help.
Hi-Res audio isn’t the be all and finish all for games for the time being (see our purchasing information under for more information), however for those who’ve acquired numerous Hi-Res audio tracks that you just take heed to at house or subscribe to providers like Tidal, this could possibly be a helpful answer that meets each your own home and game listening wants with out having to purchase a second pair of headphones.
Combined with that helpful titular GameDAC management that provides you each settings choice you possibly can probably need proper at your fingertips (all on a stunning huge tactile dial, as well), that is the perfect and comfiest technique to get 96kHz, 24-bit audio out of your game library and past.
Read extra in our Steelseries Arctis Pro + GameDAC review.
Best gaming headset information: how we take a look at
I’ll be upfront. Testing a gaming headset could be a particularly subjective expertise. Personally, I want a balanced headset whose bass doesn’t drown out the highs, and I exploit a lot of audio tracks to assist take a look at this – each out and in of games.
Games-wise, I deal with three major titles. Normally, I begin with Doom and run by its first UAC degree, listening out for total punchiness, whether or not its head-squelching sound results are drowned out by the thumping bass, and extra importantly, how good the Super Shotgun sounds while you unleash its double-barrelled fury on an unsuspecting imp.
Next up is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, the place I sit again and take heed to the interior voices whirling round inside Senua’s head through the game’s opening boat sequence. Since Hellblade makes use of binaural audio strategies (which makes use of two microphones to precisely measure the space between your head and the place the sound’s coming from to create a correct 3D, 360-degree soundscape – attempt these examples with a pair of headphones on to see what I imply), this can be a nice take a look at of how a headset could be immersive and create a fully-believable sense of place. I take heed to see how up shut and private the primary narrator could be, in addition to how the opposite voices come and go and titter across the periphery. If a headset could make my backbone tingle (as a few of them have), this can be a good signal.
Lastly, I boot up Final Fantasy XV, paying particular consideration to the way it handles the game’s sweeping orchestral rating, and the steadiness between its busy battle themes and accompanying sound results.
Then I head over to my laptop computer and take heed to a wide range of different, common songs and varied game soundtracks I’ve purchased. Firstly, I fireplace up my Final Fantasy XV soundtrack in iTunes to verify the way it compares to its in-game efficiency. I additionally all the time take heed to the battle theme of Hunt or Be Hunted. This explicit observe has loads happening with a lot of totally different devices in play, from its busy bass part to its quick and frantic piano and strings melodies. If a headset can deal with this with out one part overwhelming one other, we’re onto a winner.
I additionally use a mix of tracks from Heaven’s Vault, Octopath Traveller, and a lightweight sprinkling of my Breath of the Wild: Sound Selection CD. I additionally take heed to common bands and songs, together with the likes of Turin Brakes, Queen, Maximo Park, a little bit of David Bowie and the opening themes to anime sequence Knights of Sidonia and Attack on Titan, once more testing for total steadiness, readability and basic toe-tapping grooviness.
Next, I file myself speaking for a bit in Audacity to see how its microphone performs, and I additionally attempt to put on the headset for so long as potential to see how comfy it’s over lengthy intervals of time. Admittedly, numerous headsets are inclined to wrestle on this space for me, as I’ve both acquired a head that’s secretly formed like a Minecraft block beneath all my hair, or each headset producer on the planet has a mysterious grudge in opposition to me and they’ve collectively designed every of their headsets to solely final for about 30 minutes earlier than they begin to press down and pinch the highest of my head. Obviously, the longer I can put on one with out this occurring, the higher.
Wired or wi-fi?
Gaming headsets broadly fall into two classes: wired and wi-fi. Wired headsets are arguably the most typical, with most plugging right into a USB port or a 3.5mm audio connection, whereas wi-fi ones are, nicely, wi-fi.
Wireless headsets are typically extra suited to these there console containers that sit beneath your TV so you may lounge round in your couch with out falling over a string of cables each time you stand up to make a cuppa, however they’re additionally a sensible choice if you wish to lower down on the warren of PC cables you’ve acquired increase behind the again of your case. Just keep in mind that you just’ll nonetheless want a free USB port for his or her wi-fi transmitter or dongle, in addition to someplace to cost them after they run out of juice.
What’s all this 7.1 encompass sound stuff?
You’ll additionally see numerous gaming headsets claiming they will do 7.1 encompass sound. In a conventional audio setup, a 7.1 system would require seven particular person audio system and a subwoofer (the .1 bit). The form of headsets we’re coping with, nonetheless, will solely ever have two audio system (one for every ear), so any headset that claims it will probably do 7.1 encompass is often going to be doing it just about through onboard software program and its personal inner algorithms.
Virtual encompass sound is certainly not a foul factor. Yes, it’s inferior to correct 7.1 encompass sound, however in some instances it will probably assist make music really feel extra immersive and all-encompassing than common stereo. However, poor implementations of it will probably usually destroy any sense of intimacy or breathing-down-the-back-of-your-neck-style dialogue, and it will probably typically make your game audio really feel prefer it’s been changed into one nice huge echo chamber, so don’t be fooled by what it says on the field.
Do I want a Hi-Res audio gaming headset?
We’re additionally beginning to see extra Hi-Res audio licensed headsets beginning to seem, however don’t get too slowed down in ensuring you get one. Hi-Res (or High Resolution) audio is supposed to offer absolutely the pinnacle of music high quality, with audiophiles saying it’s akin to ‘being right there in the recording studio’ while you take heed to it.
Put merely, Hi-Res audio has a a lot increased sampling price (also called bit-depth, or the variety of samples taken per sign per second within the analogue-to-digital conversion course of) than CD high quality audio, which is supposed to make it extra correct and extra detailed than anything presently accessible.
To throw some numbers into the combination, CD is specified at 16-bit or 44.1kHz, whereas Hi-Res audio is often outlined as both 96kHz or 192kHz at 24-bit.
This is nice for those who already personal numerous Hi-Res audio tracks or subscribe to one thing like Tidal, however as for gaming… it’s presently unknown what number of, if any, truly help Hi-Res audio or whether or not you get any further profit over non-Hi-Res audio headsets. Personally, I’ve by no means been in a position to inform the distinction between Hi-Res and CD, and that’s after a number of demos and tech PRs doing their darnedest to persuade me in any other case. As a end result, it’s most likely value it for those who’re into Hi-Res audio stuff exterior of gaming, however don’t go paying further for those who’re solely going to be utilizing it for games.
