If you are searching a new headset, then you probably are interested in the best brands for that product. Basically, there are two factions. The gaming brands and the audiophile brands. The first aim their marketing towards gamer, the second aim their marketing towards Hi-fi fans. Both offer decent headsets for gaming.
1. Well-known Gamer brands
First, the established gamer bands. Those are well-known brands in the gaming world and even most hobby gamers have heard of them. Mostly, they produce affordable products for the casual gamer. But, of course, every brand has their flagship product for the professional and ambitious gamer.
Razer
Probably the most well-known gaming brand nowadays is Razer. The brand is considered one of the pioneers of eSports as well as one of the biggest brands in eSports today.
The company Razer Inc. is an American global gaming hardware manufacturing company established in 2005 by Singaporean entrepreneurs. The company has dual-headquarters in Singapore and San Francisco.
Razer flagship headset: Razer ManO’War
An example of the Razer design and manufacturing is the Razer ManO’War headset. In my humble opinion, there are several better headsets from different brands considering the costs. But here are the pros and contras.
Advantages
- Great sound overall, we are talking about virtual sound.
- Customization that can be done: Lights, sound and microphone
- Excellent sound
- Excellent connectivity (you can walk quite far away before it disconnects)
- Microphone is good quality
very comfortable for long periods - the microphone mute light is visible when in use (and not distracting)
- bass is good for wireless headphones
Disadvantages
- Bulky, they are huge
- Plastic top seems very fragile, hopefully they do not brake
- Battery live seems too low for been fully charge.
- Cables to charge the headset, for me, they do not work well. They keep getting disconnecting from PC if they are moved, you heard the sound on the PC when you connect and disconnect something.
- The volume/mute toggles are adequate – feel cheap, but do the job
- Bundled software is average
- The battery indicator can be inaccurate/hard to update
- There are quite a few updates that don’t seem to change anything
- LAG-FREE 2.4 GHZ WIRELESS USB ADAPTER: 12+2 Meter range capability
- LARGE 50 MM DRIVERS: High fidelity gaming grade audio
- UNIDIRECTIONAL DIGITAL BOOM MICROPHONE: Optimized for more natural sounds and crystal clear voice reproduction
- QUICK ACTION CONTROLS: Adjust mic, volume levels, and mute without fumbling with onscreen controls
- POWERED BY RAZER CHROMA: Explore countless lighting options with 16.8 million customizable color options
Last update on 2024-03-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
SteelSeries
Also a very established brand is SteelSeries. In my opinion, they offer the best design in the gaming world if you like minimalistic design.
The company SteelSeries itself is a Danish manufacturer of gaming peripherals and accessories, including headsets, keyboards, mice, and gaming surfaces. They are headquartered in Copenhagen.
SteelSeries flagship headset: Arctis Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
A top headset is the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless. In my opinion, it is the best looking headset of all gaming brands. But, of course, this is subjective.
Advantages
- The sound quality its amazing! If you have speakers with optical exit, you can put that on your adapter and have sound on your headphone and your speakers
- The distance on which they work are amazing as well. You can go all around the house without loosing connection and even the mic is great.
- Noise cancelling is very good. Others have to scream until you hear them, though.
- Chatmix ability lowers game and discord sound from transmitter without leaving game.
- Take calls when playing by connecting to your phone over Bluethooth
Disadvantages
- The headset may not very comfy for people with big ears or big heads
- The joints between the cans and head piece seems weak due to it being made of plastic. Better don’t drop it
- Very expensive
- Dual-Wireless technology provides rock solid, 2.4G wireless lossless audio for gaming, combined with Bluetooth connectivity for mobile devices
- Premium Hi-Res speakers with high-density neodymium magnets reproduce a full, expansive frequency range from 10 40,000 Hz with stunning realism and clarity
- Luxurious lightweight steel and aluminum alloy construction offers maximum durability and a consistent fit
- Two included swappable batteries allow you to charge a battery in the base station, while using the other for more than 20 hours of gaming
- Widely recognized as the best mic in gaming, the ClearCast microphone delivers studio-quality voice clarity and background noise cancellation
Last update on 2024-03-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
ASTRO
ASTRO Gaming creates premium video gaming equipment for pro gamers, leagues and their lifestyles since 1994.
From their experimental design lab in San Francisco, ASTRO is entering the arena itself by creating professional-grade video gaming equipment and bringing them directly to the pro gamers, leagues, and those who strive to be their best.
ASTRO flagship headset: Gaming A50 Wireless Dolby Gaming Headset
The next headset of the 5 is the ASTRO Gaming A50 Wireless Dolby Gaming Headset. It’s quite a contrary headset to the SteelSeries Arctic. With the SteelSeries Arctic the sound quality is amazing, the comfort might not for people with big ears or big heads. In contrast to that, the ASTRO A50 offers amazing comfort but the sound quality is not for audiophiles. So both headsets are quite contrary.
Advantages
- Amazing comfort
- A jack of all trades headset
- Base stand has came a long ways and the new style is very nice
- Two ways to charge (magnetic base or by USB)
Disadvantages
- Expensive
- Not for audiophiles. If you are an audiophile you will be unhappy with the sound, go back and buy your “stereo” headset.
- Regarding the software, the average user might not be able utilize it to its fullest
- Loud volume does indeed bleed out. However, they sell a kit to silence it.
- Compatible with PlayStation 4, PC and Mac
- Pro Audio Quality Superior Fit & Finish
- Precision Microphone
- 5GHz Wireless Technology
- Dolby Headphone 7.1 Surround Sound
Last update on 2024-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Turtle Beach
The Turtle Beach Corporation is a global gaming accessory manufacturer based in San Diego. It produces gaming headsets for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices (including tablets). The company has roots dating back to the 1970s where it developed sound cards, MIDI synthesizers, and various audio software packages and network audio devices.
The company began making gaming headsets in 2005 and created the first ever gaming headset for game consoles with the launch of the X51.
Turtle Beach flagship headset: Ear Force Elite 800
One of the most popular gaming headsets is the HyperX Cloud Stinger. It has over 2600 customer reviews and offers one of the best performance under 50.
Advantages
- Realistic Surround Sound
- Noise Cancelling and seal around your ear
- Easy Setup
- Optical in and Out
- Nice and easy to use charging cradle
- Lots of sound options: Full and mostly realistic bass sound
- There is audible feedback when you press buttons to change settings on the head phones
- Bluetooth allows you to have the freedom of not having to connect to your controller
Disadvantages
- They are larger and heavier than your might expect
- The USB and Optical Cables have to be connected in order for it to work. Probably not Turtle Beaches fault. Not sure why Playstation does not simply allow you to use any bluetooth headset with their system.
- On-ear volume adjuster could be could be of better quality. As you adjust the volume, it does not adjust evenly on both sides. Then again, the ear adjuster is mainly for a bit of fine-tuning on the fly. If possible, leave the ear slider wide open and adjust predominately on your device.
- Enhanced DTS Surround Sound Modes and Presets: Custom DTS HeadphoneX 7.1 surround sound modes combine with enhanced Turtle beach genre specific presets to further immerse you in your favorite games, movies and music
- Dynamic Chat Boost: Communicate game winning plays to your squad clearly thanks to automatically boosted team chat audio
- Active Noise Cancellation: Completely immerse yourself in your gaming experience and eliminate unwanted distractions with active noise cancellation
- Mic Monitoring: Say it; don't shout it, thanks to the ability to hear the volume of your own voice inside the headset
- Magnetic Charging Stand: Easily charge and store your headset when not in use
Last update on 2024-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Well-known Hi-Fi brands
On the other side are established Hi-Fi brands that have a slightly different customer marketing. Normally, they aim at very audiophile people that are mostly not gamers. But they also offer headsets with microphones that can be used for gaming purposes.
In my opinion, they offer a better quality than gaming brands. However, they might also be – generally speaking – more expensive and the products might have no fancy gaming features.
beyerdynamic
First of all, Beyerdynamic is a German audio equipment manufacturer, which produces microphones, headphones, wireless audio systems and conference systems. Beyerdynamic has been family owned since its founding in 1924.
Beyerdynamic is the oldest audio company that remains active, though its earliest competitors such as Shure and RG Jones Sound Engineering were founded in the years that followed. Most of beyerdynamic’s products are made in Germany.
beyerdynamic flagship headset: MMX 300
The beyerdynamic MMX 300 is a very minimalistic designed headset. No LEDs, no fancy stuff, just pure quality.
Advantages
- Sound is great!
- Sound is not flat but isn’t v-shaped either. There is a slight bass boost but the mids and highs are still present and clear
- Comfy headset
Disadvantages
- No user guide to get you started
- They dropped the USB adapter from the original MMX 300
- This is a stereo headset, no gimmicks like surround sound
- Closed stereo headset ideal for all gaming and multi-media applications.Connectivity Technology: Wired
- Compatible with all gaming consoles. Headphone frequency response : 5 - 35,000 Hz
- Excellent intelligibility of speech due to high-quality microphone Capsule.Nominal Impedance Headphones:32 ohms
- Lightweight! ideal for extended wearing. Nominal sound pressure level-96 dB
- Made in Germany
Last update on 2024-03-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Sennheiser
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG is a German privately held audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones, telephone accessories and aviation headsets for personal, professional and business applications.
Sennheiser flagship headset: GSP 550
The Sennheiser GSP 550 is not so well-known in the gamer scene. But it’s definitely worth a look. For some people, they can get quite painful to wear after a while, though. Sound quality is, of course, extremely good.
Advantages
- The materials look and feel durable, cleanly finished and well assembled. There were no burrs in the plastic or weird seam alignment to be found
- Superior sound quality. If you play FPS games, you know that sound location for events and other characters can be a critical aspect of play, and this set makes it very easy and intuitive to hear “where” things are going on ingame.
- It also works well for listening to music
Disadvantages
- After a while they can get quite painful to wear
- sennheiser precision audio engineering combines with 7.1 dolby surround sound to create the ultimate, expansive soundscape experience so you can fully immerse yourself in the game
- the unique headband design provides adjustable contact pressure and a customized fit providing the most comfortable wearing experience
- an intuitive volume control on the right ear cup puts on-the-fly audio adjustment at your fingertips for easy volume control while you're playing
- desktop and laptop compatibility. the gsp 550 can be used with mac and console systems using the optional gsp 505 pc cable or gsa 506 console cable.
- a usb connected, in line dongle provides dolby 7.1 surround sound processing compatible with pc systems.
Last update on 2024-03-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Bose
Bose Corporation is a privately held American corporation, based in Framingham, Massachusetts, that designs, develops and sells audio equipment. Founded in 1964 by Amar Bose, the company sells its products throughout the world.
Bose is best known for its home audio systems and speakers, noise-canceling headphones, professional audio systems, and automobile sound systems. The company has also conducted research into suspension technologies for cars and heavy-duty trucks and into the subject of cold fusion. Bose has a reputation for being particularly protective of its patents, trademarks, and brands.
The Bose flagship headset: QuietComfort 35 (Series II)
The Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) has over 2600 customer reviews that are overall very very positive. That pledges for the Bose headset.
Advantages
- Great noise cancellation especially with no music
- Light weight and definitely more comfortable for long periods
- Best for phone calls (those on other end don’t hear much background noise)
- The headset is extremely light and comfortable. You will forget you are wearing it.
- Battery life is outstanding. I’ve used these for 4-6 hours a day about five days in a row without having to recharge.
Disadvantages
- Sound is missing crispness at high and low ends
- Overall sounds are a bit muffled
- Three levels of world-class noise cancellation for better listening experience in any environment
- Alexa-enabled for voice access to music, information, and more
- Charger works with most devices with a micro USB connector including fire Phone, Samsung Galaxy and HTC One products
- Charges through your car's DC adapter
- Connectivity technology : Bluetooth
Last update on 2024-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Bang & Olufsen
Bang & Olufsen (B&O) is a high-end luxury Danish consumer electronics company that designs and manufactures audio products, television sets, and telephones. It was founded in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, who designed a radio to work with alternating current, a product of significance at a time when most radios were still running on batteries.
Bang & Olufsen flagship headset: Beoplay H9i
Very aesthetic design and also high price offers the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9i. If I have to buy a new headset and could choose between all the presented solutions, I would buy this one.
Advantages
- Sound quality is CRISP
- Noise canceling is awesome
- Great call quality, has some low volume positive feedback, so you can hear yourself and any possible background noise
- Battery life is great, not as good as the h8s, but who needs 30 hours of battery life when you can easily plug them into your mac charger to charge them up
- Bluetooth is very strong, and you can connect to multiple devices. For techies this is great
- Customizable sound settings let you choose the sound you like best
- The design is classy, they look good
Disadvantages
- They’re large and loose.
- The proximity sensor seems like a nice feature, but it doesn’t work very well, resulting in my music pausing when the headphones are still on my head
- Maximum volume isn’t very high, but they are loud enough that it shouldn’t be a major issue unless you’re hard of hearing or really wanna jam out
- The touch sensor on the ear cuff isn’t very sensitive, doesn’t work with cold hands, and the volume up/down is hard to stimulate; however, transparency mode works very well, and the touch feature is much improved over the manual functions on the h8’s
- The headphones didn’t come with enough instruction and details on the product
- EASY LISTENING: Adjust the volume, change tracks and take calls with on-device touch controls. Enjoy added convenience with the proximity sensor that pauses playback when headphones are removed and resumes when placed back on.
- Frequency response - 20 - 22,000 Hz
Last update on 2024-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API