One of the hardest things to buy is a good pair of headphones. Very few places have them on display, the ones that do have a small selection and this is not the best setting to evaluate their quality. This is especially bad for gaming, as it’s less about technical specs and more features. This one is balanced around shooters, these support Waves NX, Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, simulated 5.1, 7.1, have a subwoofer built in and it just goes on and on. While we’ve recently stepped more into reviewing these products, we wanted to make it a lot easier and try to streamline the process by listing what we think are the best headphones for a specific situation.
Best Overall and Wired – Audeze Mobius
I’ve made it no secret that I was impressed by Audeze’s Mobius. With Waves NX built into the headphones, Bluetooth and a sleek design, this is a pair of gaming headphones that is built to do so much more. Even when I was testing games like Death end;reQuest, the way they performed beat any other pair of headphones I’ve used. Given the $400 price point they really should, though they’re genuinely a great pair of headphones for gaming, on the go or whatever you want to do.
Best Budget – Astro A10
When I met with Astro at E3 they explained the A10 so succinctly. Their goal wasn’t to make the best pair or remove features to get to the desired price point, they just wanted to make the most durable headphone they could for $60. Given you can literally twist them, an action I would not feel confident doing to any other pair I’ve used, I’d say they accomplished this. Outside of being a durable pair of headphones, they actually sound good for the price. Odds are you won’t get the same immersive experience higher end models offer but next to similarly priced items they’ll come out way ahead.
For those interested in more sound quality than durability, the LucidSound LS25 is a solid choice.
Best Wireless – LucidSound LS35X/41
There isn’t a lot of differences between these two headphones. Both have independent volume control, cooling gel earpads, come with a case and support wireless. The main difference is, LS35X is designed to utilize the wireless mechanics built into Xbox and connect without any additional module. This is a feature the LS41 doesn’t have, though it comes with a wireless connector. Both of these headphones work on other platforms via 3.5mm and offer a great cost to value metric.
Best Upcoming – LucidSound LS50
Despite the Hyper X Cloud Orbit S looking to offer the Mobius experience at a slightly more friendly price, the LS50is a good cross between price and features. Given it’s basically just an LS41 with Bluetooth and two more sound profiles, it makes for a good all-around headset. Sure, it likely won’t blow either the Cloud Orbit S or Mobius out of the water, it isn’t meant to, it’s just about rounding out features and giving players a great experience at a price that beats a lot of the competition.
