These Are the Gaming Headsets Reddit Users Swear By

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It doesn’t matter if you want the audio advantage of hearing nearby footsteps in a first-person shooter or you want to fully immerse yourself in the natural soundscape of a story-driven adventure—the right gaming headset makes a difference. While we all agree that gaming headsets are superior to TV or computer speakers for really getting in the zone, the debate between which gaming headset is quite heated, and no place has more debate or thorough user analysis than Reddit.

From gaming subreddits to headphone and audio-specific ones, there’s a ton of intel on great gaming headsets on Reddit. These conversations extend through professional esports athletes all the ways to collectors and casual gamers. While we’ve got our opinions already on all sorts of gaming gadgets like headphones, microphones, and gaming mice, check out what the far reaches of the internet have to say on the best gaming headsets, according to Reddit.

The Best Gaming Headsets, According to Reddit

• Best Overall: HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset

• Best Value: Drop PC38X Gaming Headset

• Best Mic: Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset 2023 Edition

• Most Versatile: Rode NTH-100M Professional Over-ear Headset

• Best Splurge: Logitech G PRO X 2 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset

What to Consider

Audio and Mic Quality

Especially when it comes to gaming, audio quality makes a major difference in overall immersion and experience. For first-person shooters and other competitive games like battle royales, quality headsets can pick up on the light sound of footsteps nearby as well as slight changes in the nearby surroundings. Lots of the headsets Reddit users recommend let you listen to the game and your friends speaking at the same time, which is helpful for multiplayer online games like Fortnite.

While there isn’t one specific feature to keep in mind when it comes to audio clarity, the size and quality of the driver is a good gauge. Larger drivers tend to offer a louder, and ideally clearer, overall sound. Drivers aren’t everything, though—the headset should also be able to create spatial audio, where you can tell if a sound is coming from in front of you, above you, or behind you. Good spatial audio can give you a sense where everything on the map is even if it isn’t displayed on the screen, and really adds to that immersive feeling.

For collaborative team games or playing with friends online, a good mic makes all the difference. A good mic clearly captures the sound of your own voice speaking while eliminating ambient, environmental noise. Many headsets also come with automatic muting features to ensure you aren’t broadcasting audio when you don’t want to.

Wired or Wireless

Both wired and wireless headsets will work well for gaming, though each has distinct advantages. Wired headsets ensure zero latency between the game sounds and when they hit your ears. At the same time, a wired connection means you will either never have to charge your headset, or very rarely need to do so.

Wireless headsets connect to your console or computer either through Bluetooth or a USB drive. These days, there is very little latency caused by this if any at all. These headsets also provide significantly more mobility so if you want to move your setup or sit in a different spot on the couch, there is no need to worry about accidentally disconnecting or getting the wire yanked.

How We Selected

As the name of the article suggests, we made our final selections based on the comments, posts, and discussions of Reddit users. We searched across multiple subreddits and through hundreds of different threads to find real endorsements from real users on what makes these gaming headsets great. We also backed up each selection with our own research, focusing on tangible specs, unique features, and value for the price.

Cloud Alpha Wireless Gaming Headset

One of the most well known options in the gaming community, this Cloud Alpha gaming headset from HyperX is one of the rare options that lives up to expectations without a shocking price tag.

With up to 300 hours of battery life and spatial audio, these headphones help you feel immersed in your gameplay without outside noise or a dead battery causing an interruption.

When talking about the headset, Reddit user says, “The sound quality is crazy good, they are by far the best sounding gaming headset I’ve ever heard,” says Reddit user JareDamnn. “Since they have this dual chamber for the frequencies—one for the bass and one for the mids-highs—the bass doesn’t eat up the higher frequencies when you’re listening to bass heavy sounds, so both sides have really good clarity and you can easily distinguish between them. They are pretty great for a natural sound.”

PC38X Gaming Headset

A no frills, open-back headset, this PC38x model from Drop is a great choice with a relatively low base price—and the brand backed by the hi-fi giant, Sennheiser. The angled drivers offer better spatial audio and potentially much more accurate locational sound in game compared to drivers that sit parallel with your ear canal.

“I wanted to buy a nice Sony or Philips headphone but after doing a couple hours of research, I ended up buying a cheaper headset, the PC38X. It’s the best of both worlds in terms of gaming with friends, online classes, and listening to music,” says Reddit user TheAndrewBen.

The mic is also well put together, with an easy slide-up feature that automatically mutes it during gameplay.

BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset 2023 Edition

A wireless option designed with powerful 50mm drivers, the 2023 edition of the BlackShark V2 gaming headset from Razer has been used by both casual gamer and competitive esports players.

Made with 50mm drivers and noise-isolating memory foam ear cups, this headset is designed for clear sound and focus on in-game audio.

However, the 2023 version is best known for the quality of the mic, which is noted by Reddit user Cyndagon. “The Blackshark V2 should be changed to the 2023 version. For $199.99, the microphone is drastically improved.”

It was also the main point of note for Reddit user PrescribedBot who says, “The mic is legit insane, and it’s the most comfortable headset I’ve owned.”

NTH-100M Professional Over-Ear Headset

Made for more than just gaming, this wired headset from Rode is a great option for any media. While the mic is detachable, don’t let that fool you. It is designed to fit under your mouth for optimal voice capture, and with Rode behind some of the best podcast mics you can buy, it comes as no surprise that these are also great.

At the same time, the audio quality remains near the top of the list. With a crisp focus on digital sounds without coming across as robotic or unnatural, Rode broadcasts audio with the same level of care as in its podcast microphones.

Near the end of a more in-depth comment about the headset, Reddit user SavageSam1234 says, “Overall, I am very impressed for $150. If Rode can achieve a fatigue free, smooth, and pleasing sound out of a compact and well-built, Australian-built closed-back for this price, I am excited to see what they will do in the future with a potential open back model.”

G PRO X 2 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset

Like the name suggests, this gaming headset from Logitech is professional quality. Unlike most other options, this headset is capable of being both wired and wireless depending on what connection type you want during your gaming.

It also comes with powerful 50mm graphene drivers which deliver high quality game audio without overwhelming a game’s soundtrack. It also charges remarkably fast with just five minutes of charge adding up to an hour of uninterrupted gameplay.

“Logitech GPro X is what I’m using. I’ve had a Corsair prior and the Logitechs are way better,” says Reddit user BlackSweg.

Arctis Nova Pro Multi-System Gaming Headset

With audio isolation features and a focus on spatial audio, this Arctis Nova Pro gaming headset is great for immersion within gaming worlds. Unlike many other options, this headset is actually designed to give you 360 degrees of spatial audio so you have a complete sense of your surroundings.

The audio is also completely customizable with a built-in amplifier giving you greater control over how everything sounds, including the volume level in each ear.

“I have autism and live with a streamer. I have the Arctic Pro Nova Wireless headset, and they’re comfortable and have great quality with spatial audio,” says Reddit user Kahzria. Tthey help with focus, calm, and nerves for me”

Penrose X Wireless Gaming Headset

This Penrose X gaming headset from Audeze is designed specifically for use with a gaming console. This model in particular works best with the latest generation of Xbox consoles but there’s also one designed for Playstation.

The major focus of this headset is creating a low latency experience between the console and your audio. Because a wireless connection works better with consoles, which are generally set up close to your TV and further away from you, Audeze has worked to reduce latency until there is virtually no discernible gap between gameplay and audio. This is further backed by the incredibly powerful 100mm drivers.

In the midst of an in-depth post about the headset, Reddit user P4oL0 says, “These are the only ones that felt like an actual ‘next-generation’ jump audio wise.”

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