the best gaming headsets of 2021
CNN
-
A great gaming headset will help you immerse yourself in virtual worlds, chat with friends, and hear enemies coming in intense Call of Duty matches.And when you're not gaming, these headsets double as reliable headphones everyday to take work calls and listen to music.
CNN Underscored extensively tested 15 of the best gaming headsets – both wired and wireless models – to find the most comfortable, best-sounding models with useful features and reliable microphones that performed well on multiple consoles and computers.After lots and lots of playing time, here are the three that stood out:
Best cheap gaming headset:
Razer Kraken X
Best wired gaming headset:
HyperX Cloud Alpha S
Best wireless gaming headset:
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2
If your budget is $50 or less, the Razer Kraken X offers the best comfort and sound quality of any affordable wired headset we've tested, with a microphone that stands up to even more expensive options. It performs well too. with almost any platform, thanks to its versatile 3.5mm wired headphone connection.
The HyperX Cloud Stinger S, in addition to sounding and feeling great, has great controls that allowed us to easily change volume levels and turn on surround sound with just the push of a button. This wired headset connects via both USB and 3.5mm, giving you great flexibility to use with all consoles and PCs.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 are the best wireless headphones we've tested, thanks to cooling gel-infused ear cups that kept us comfortable for hours, tons of handy features, and the unique ability to pair to both your console and your phone at the same time.
Best budget gaming headset: Razer Kraken X ($49.99;
razer.com
)
Michael Andronico/CNN
Razer Kraken X
Works with:
PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC (via headphone jack)
The Razer Kraken X clearly stood out among the many budget gaming headsets we tested, thanks to high overall sound quality, a clear microphone and, above all, a comfortable design that we never wanted to. remove.
At just over half a pound and sporting a set of memory foam ear cups, the Kraken X felt good and secure without weighing us down, and it was easy to forget we were wearing it even during over an hour of gaming sessions. This sets it apart from budget competitors like the Logitech G432 and Turtle Beach Recon 70, which are just as light but have much stiffer ear cups in comparison.
With a plastic design that we tested in black, the Kraken X is about as understated as it gets aesthetically. That's not necessarily a bad thing - we've found it to blend in well with our gaming setup, and there are black and blue and mercury white options available for those who want a bit more pizzazz.
Razer's headset also simplifies controls, with just a volume rocker and mute button on the back of the left ear. These controls were easy to reach, but sometimes it was hard to tell when we were muted because there's no visual indicator for this on the front. We eventually got used to this – you'll know you're muted when that back button is up. But the Logitech and Turtle Beach headsets have a flip setup -to-mute slightly more elegant in which you silence yourself by simply flipping the microphone up.
The Kraken X's sound quality is the best we've tested in this price range, delivering punchy, balanced sound for every game we threw at it. In Overwatch, the sound of gunshots had a satisfying effect, and we could easily hear where the footsteps of the enemy were coming from.
That same powerful directional sound helped us keep an eye out for other cars while swerving through Rocket League, and allowed us to easily immerse ourselves in the lush environmental sounds of Monster Hunter Rise's wildlife and waterfalls. of the sub-$50 headsets we tested didn't sound bad, but competitors from Turtle Beach and Logitech lacked a bit of bass, volume, and clarity by comparison.
The Kraken X has a great microphone for the money, producing warm, clear audio recordings with very little background noise. Budget competitors, such as the Recon 70 and Corsair HS50, sounded slightly blurry in comparison. In fact, the Kraken X mic wasn't far off the more detailed audio of the more expensive $99 Razer Blackshark V2 headset, and was matched in the budget arena only by the equally crisp Logitech G432.
If you're using the Kraken X on a Windows PC, you can enjoy virtual 7.1 surround sound (which adds an extra dimension to your audio) via a companion app. The surround sound effect was subtle but noticeable when we turned it on for watch some Avengers: Endgame, bringing a bit more punch to the sounds of blaster fire while allowing us to better hear the background mayhem during the big battle between the forces of the Avengers and Thanos. The HyperX Cloud Stinger S offers a similar effect, although we found it hollow and too bass in comparison.
The Kraken X connects via a 3.5mm headphone jack, making it easy to plug into our PS5 and Xbox controllers, our Nintendo Switch in handheld mode, and our PC. You don't have the USB connectivity option like you do do on the Logitech G432 or the $69 Kraken X V3, which gives you the advantage of connecting to the Switch in docked mode while gaming on your TV. But unless that specific use case is a absolute necessity for you, the Kraken X offers the best combination of sound quality, comfort and compatibility you can find at this low price.
Best Wired Gaming Headset: HyperX Cloud Alpha S ($128.80;
amazon.com
)
Michael Andronico/CNN
HyperX Cloud Alpha S
Works with:
PlayStation, Nintendo Switch TV mode, PC (via USB); PlayStation, Nintendo Switch portable mode, Xbox, PC (via 3.5mm headphone jack)
If you're looking for a premium wired headset that sounds great, feels comfortable, works well with all platforms, and has particularly great controls, the HyperX Cloud Alpha S excels on all of these. foreheads.
The Alpha S sports one of the sleekest and sturdiest construction of any headset we've tested, with an understated all-black design featuring a strong steel frame and soft leatherette-covered cushions. If you want a bit more style, there are also blue and red options that add color to the earcups and headband.
The Alpha S's memory foam ear cups immediately stood out as one of the most comfortable in our test group the second we put the headphones on. That remained the case for days, because we never felt like taking the HyperX headset off for long hours of work meetings and sneaking around to play some games.
But the real genius of the Alpha S's design is in the controls. While most headphones require you to fumble with on-ear buttons and dials you can't see, the Alpha S features a convenient control panel right on the wire to adjust volume, balance game and chat levels, mute your mic, and even turn on 7.1 surround sound.
Michael Andronico/CNN
HyperX Cloud Alpha S 3
Similar headsets, such as the Logitech G Pro X and Razer Blackshark V2, require you to access an app to enable different sound modes.
There's even a handy clip on the panel if you want to clip it to, say, a shirt pocket for easy access. We only have a few minor complaints with this setup - the control panel was very easy to use when we were seated at a desk, but its location towards the middle of the cable made it slightly difficult to reach when we were using the Alpha S on our PS5 and Switch in the living room. connect via the headphone jack and not a USB port, which means there are no additional controls for portable Xbox and Switch players.
While most Alpha S controls sit on the wire, there's a slider on each earcup to toggle between three different levels of bass adjustment. haven't found on other headphones, we didn't notice a huge difference in overall bass levels when we played with them while gaming and watching movies.
That wasn't much of an issue, however, as the Alpha S sounded great with just about every genre of game right out of the box. HyperX's headset particularly stood out among competitors when we played Mortal Kombat 11, clearly capturing subtle background details like a cheering crowd while presenting the sounds of the game's gory deaths in all their visceral detail.
Having easy access to 7.1 surround sound was also a boon for most games we tested. A quick press of the surround button instantly amplified the sounds of nearby bugs and birds in Monster Hunter Rise and helped determine easily where the other cars came from in Rocket League.
We received no complaints about the Cloud Alpha S's microphone when we used it frequently on work calls, and our voice recordings were mostly clean with no noticeable background noise. We got slightly clearer recordings of the Razer Blackshark V2, and the incredibly lucid microphone of the Logitech G Pro X was the best of any we tested. But the Alpha S is more than reliable enough for multiplayer chats and daily meetings.
Those using the Cloud Alpha S on Windows can play with the headset through HyperX's Ngenuity software, which offers much of the same controls you'll find on the physical panel while letting you enable mic monitoring to hear your own voice as you speak. It's not as robust as Logitech's G Hub software, which lets you fine-tune audio output and microphone with a variety of presets aimed at competitive gamers. you're not in the esports crowd, we think the Alpha S's superior comfort and controls make it the best wired headset for most gamers.
Best Wireless Gaming Headset: Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 ($149.95;
amazon.com
)
Michael Andronico/CNN
Turtle Beach Stealth 700
Works with:
Xbox, PC (Xbox model); PlayStation, Nintendo Switch TV mode, PC (PlayStation model)
We've tested many excellent wireless headsets, but the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2's robust feature set, best-in-class comfort, and Bluetooth functionality put it above for people looking to go wireless.
The Stealth 700 Gen 2 is more comfortable than almost any headset we've tried, with thick, incredibly soft foam ear cushions that engulf our head like a set of pillows. Best of all, those cushions are gel-infused refreshing, meaning the headset always feels cool on our ears on first contact and never sweats during longer sessions.
Michael Andronico/CNN
Turtle Beach Stealth 700 2
Aside from the comfortable ear cups, the Stealth sports a simple yet premium black design accented by sleek silver stripes. This headset also sports an absolute assortment of controls on the left ear, which is both a blessing and a curse.
You'll find separate dials for overall volume as well as game/chat balance, a power button, a button to change sound modes, a button to activate Bluetooth, and a button to connect to Xbox Wireless on our Xbox model. While it was nice to have so much control at our fingertips, we constantly found ourselves adjusting the wrong volume dial or pressing the Bluetooth button when we wanted to change sound modes. after spending more time with the headset, but we wish the controls weren't all so close together.
Thankfully, that problem is mitigated slightly by Turtle Beach's Audio Hub app for iOS and Android, which lets you customize what many of those buttons do while putting even more control at your fingertips. Here you can program the mode button and secondary volume rocker to perform various functions, as well as enable mic monitoring or enable chat amplification to make your voice louder. You can also switch between a variety of sound modes which include Bass Boost and Vocal Boost, and flipping a noise gate to keep your voice from clipping the mic if you get too loud. This makes the Stealth 700 Gen 2 one of the most feature-rich headphones we've tested, and we we found the ability to customize it directly from our phones much more convenient than the PC-based apps that many headsets rely on.
Even if you don't game with many of these settings, you'll still get great sound from the Stealth 700 Gen 2 out of the box. Turtle Beach's headset was a great companion for shooters like Overwatch, as we could clearly hear footsteps of the enemy coming while enjoying the deep satisfying sounds of gunfire and explosions.
The Stealth was even more impressive once we turned on Superhuman Hearing (which is designed to raise specific frequencies for competitive titles), as footsteps and distant gunfire became much clearer. The feature doesn't shine in all titles – we found the default setting to be sharper in sports and fighting games – but if your game rotation is high on Fortnite and Call of Duty, you'll get plenty of use out of it.
The Stealth 700 Gen 2's microphone is good, if not the best in its class. While we could clearly hear our voice when listening back to recordings, our chatter had a slight fuzzy quality and there was audible background noise. 2 outperformed the Blackshark V2 Pro in overall quality, but we got sharper recordings from the SteelSeries Arctis 7X and HyperX Cloud II Wireless.
Although the Stealth feels and sounds great, its wireless capabilities are really what sets it apart. We tested the Xbox version of the headset, which has Xbox Wireless functionality, meaning you can pair it to your Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S without the need for a dongle. Pressing the pairing button on the headset and our Xbox Series S, we connected in seconds.
The Stealth is also one of the few gaming headsets with Bluetooth capabilities, which meant we were able to pair the headset to our phone and Xbox at the same time. This feature was incredibly handy, especially on a lot of parties. online cinema in which we streamed HBO Max from our Xbox while chatting with our friends on Discord.
If you want to be able to easily listen to music and podcasts while you game, or talk to friends on other consoles while playing cross-platform games, you'll probably benefit a lot from this feature. The Xbox Wireless Headset Microsoft's $99 also has the same useful dual-pairing feature, but the Stealth's much better comfort, sound, and features are worth it. It's also rated for 20 hours of battery life versus 15 for the Xbox Wireless Headset. , which largely matches our testing. We were only able to drain the battery to just under 50% after almost a week of continuous use, while Microsoft's headset gave a warning of low battery after a few days.
There's an important caveat here – the Stealth 700 Gen 2 doesn't come in just one unique model, so you'll need to make sure you buy the one that best suits your gaming habits. The Xbox model we we tested is designed primarily for Xbox consoles, although you can use it with a PC if you have an Xbox Wireless Adapter handy. The PlayStation model is more versatile, as it connects via a USB dongle and can be used with PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
If you want a single wireless headset that can work with all major consoles as well as a PC, you'll want to consider the $149 SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless. But we found Turtle Beach's headset to be much more comfortable overall. producing richer sound and offering more features, making it the best wireless headset you can buy, as long as it fits into your console setup of choice.
How we tested
As you'd expect, our quest to find the best gaming headsets required us to play many, many video games. We tested every headset in our pool on every platform it would work with, connecting each to a
playstation5
, a
Xbox series S
, a
nintendo switch
and one
Windows-PC
where possible to assess overall compatibility.
To get an idea of how each headset would hold up for different genres, we focused primarily on four test games: Mortal Kombat 11 (combat), Overwatch (shooting), Rocket League (sports and racing), and Monster Hunter Rise (action). -adventure).For each title, we noted how well each headset handled big, punchy sounds, such as gunfire and explosions, as well as more subtle environmental sounds that are important for competitive play, such as not.
We tried out all of the special features and associated apps that each headset offered, noting how useful its various sound modes and on-ear controls were. We used Audacity to rate each headset's microphone quality, recording clips of ourselves speaking on each model while paying attention to things like background noise, echo, and overall voice clarity.
We've also made each headset our daily driver for at least a full work day, using them to take calls, listen to music, and watch videos while getting a feel for how comfortable they are during hours-long sessions.
Other gaming headsets we've tested
SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless ($149.99;
steelseries.com
)
An extremely close competitor to our first wireless spot, the SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless has a sleek, lightweight design, and works instantly with PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and even Android phones, thanks to a handy wireless adapter. somewhat chunky ear cups and overall thinner sound put it behind the Stealth 700 Gen 2.
Logitech G Pro X ($129.99;
logitechg.com
)
Another headset that almost made it to our list, the Logitech G Pro X is an excellent wired headset with an attractive design, good sound, plenty of customization options, and the best mic of all the headsets we tested. However, it wasn't as comfortable to wear as the Alpha S for longer sessions.
Razer Blackshark V2 ($99.99;
razer.com
)
The Blackshark V2 is one of the best-sounding headphones we've tested, with crisp, balanced sound that performed well across all genres. But while we liked its lightweight design, its rougher ear cushions gave us reverts to Alpha S.
Razer Blackshark V2 Pro ($179.99;
razer.com
)
A wireless version of the V2, the Blackshark V2 Pro has the same great sound as its wired sibling while being able to connect wirelessly to PC, PS5, and Switch. But again, we couldn't find it comfortable. overall on par with our top picks, and its microphone quality was lacking, especially at this high price.
Xbox Wireless Headset ($99;
walmart.com
)
A great choice if you want a reliable Xbox headset that doesn't cost a ton, the $99 Xbox Wireless Headset offers good overall sound and really neat and intuitive dial controls. It also has the option to pair to your Xbox and your phone at the same time. But if you're in a position to spend more, the Stealth 700 Gen 2 has the same party trick plus much better comfort, sound and features.
HyperX Cloud II Wireless ($149.99;
amazon.com
)
One of many high-quality wireless headsets we tested, the HyperX Cloud II Wireless sounded great and had a very sleek design. But it wasn't as comfortable as its competitors during prolonged use, and the fact that it only connects via a wireless USB dongle means it's a no-go for Xbox fans.
Razer Kraken V3 X ($69.99;
razer.com
)
An updated version of our favorite budget headset, the Kraken V3 X offers customizable RGB lighting in an essentially similar design for $20 more than the standard Kraken X. However, we didn't find its subtle lighting effects worth the extra premium, and its USB-only connectivity actually makes it more limited than its cheaper sibling in terms of compatibility.
Corsair HS50 Pro ($49.99;
corsair.com
)
The Corsair HS50 Pro is one of the best-looking and most rugged headsets we've tested in the sub-$50 price range. But we found the Kraken X to have an edge in comfort and sound quality. .
HyperX Cloud Stinger S ($44.99, originally $59.99,
amazon.com
)
Another strong contender in the budget category, the HyperX Cloud Stinger S offers solid comfort and mic quality for the price. However, we found its audio quality to fall short compared to its competitors, especially when it comes to bass and environmental details.
Logitech G432 ($49.99, originally $79.99;
logitechg.com
)
The Logitech G432 gives you solid sound for the price, USB and 3.5mm connectivity, and a particularly capable microphone. But when it comes to comfort, we found its ear cups a little too stiff compared to rivals like the Kraken X and the Stinger S.
Logitech G332 ($39.99, originally $59.99;
logitechg.com
)
The cheaper sibling of the G432, the G332 offers similar performance but only connects via a 3.5mm headphone jack. It's a totally reliable headset (especially if you're selling it), but again we recommend the Kraken X, more comfortable.
Turtle Beach Recon 70 ($34.82, originally $39.95;
amazon.com
)
The $39 Recon 70 is one of the most affordable headsets we've tested, but also one of the most lacking in some key areas. While you get a surprisingly good microphone for the money, the plastic design of the Recon 70 was a bit too narrow for our liking, and the audio performance was just fine.