The best gaming headsets 2019

Competing shooters in need of clear voice communication and positional audio, and the rise of the Nintendo Switch, which has mediocre built-in speakers, have boosted the market for video game headsets. The huge range of options that the current generation of consoles offers late can be intimidating. We are here to help.

Over the past three years, Polygon has requested samples from many of the biggest names in the gaming audio industry and built a huge library of test equipment. Again this year, we put them to the test, from experimental indie games to low-cost AAA shooters and role-playing games. The goal is to find the best headphones for each of the four main platforms: PlayStation 4, Mac and Windows PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

Much has changed in the headset market since we began this summary more than four years ago. Much of this has come with the advent of software-based spatial sound solutions such as Dolby Atmos and Windows Sonic, which give a remarkable fidelity to even the simplest stereo headsets. With these advances, it’s no longer necessary to have features like built-in virtual surround sound or multiple drivers in your headset. This allows headset manufacturers to experiment with a variety of bells and whistles.

Continue reading on how Polygon selects the best gaming headphones on the market.

Playstation 4

Winner: SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless

SteelSeries’ flagship Arctis Pro Wireless is still at the top of the pack after last year’s analysis. It’s the best solution for the PlayStation 4. This $ 329.99 kit includes some of the best features of the Siberia 840 that were added to our list a few years ago in the multimedia category, but is no longer in production. It’s good for watching movies and watching TV, but it’s really good for playing.

The Arctis Pro Wireless offers superb sound quality thanks to its extremely wide frequency range. In other words, it can handle light, sensitive ambient sounds from the open world in games like Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, as well as action in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It also supports DTS Headphone: X 2.0, which simulates the sound of modern 11.1 theaters. Just make sure you turn off the volume limiter in the settings that the manufacturer considers necessary in some international markets to increase performance.

The most unusual and probably best feature is the use of a replaceable on-board battery. The Arctis Pro Wireless comes with two devices, each one designed for a solid game week. One goes into the headset while the other sits fully charged in the device’s tiny lossless transmitter.

The Arctis Pro Wireless has an optical port for your home theater setup and hooks for standard 3.5mm input and output jacks. This means that it is compatible with your Nintendo Switch while it is docked to your TV. Finally, it also offers built-in Bluetooth support, which means it works simultaneously with the switch’s mobile app. This of course makes it compatible with your PC and your phone. It is by far the most feature rich device in our summary.

Second Place: Astro A50 for PS4 and PC (Version 2019)

Astro A50 for PS4 and PC (version 2019)

Astro, now part of Logitech, is back this year with a brand new version of its flagship A50. The audio issues that plagued it in the past have almost disappeared, and battery life has improved significantly. It also includes an optical port and a 3.5mm input. The big selling point is the friendly sideways switching to adjust the volume of game and voice chat audio.

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Logitech

After transitioning to its new owners at Logitech, Astro is back with a long overdue update of its flagship A50 headset. I would like to say that the new model for 2019 is extraordinary, with all the rich and nuanced audio that I expect from Astro. Overall, it is a sophisticated headset that does not cause any problems. It’s worth the price of $ 299.99.

The biggest complaint with the previous model A50 was the bad battery life. Logitech promises 15 hours for the new version, and that feels about right. I have been using Polygon’s couple since the summer and consistently have a useful life of more than 10 hours before I need to charge it. It also feels a little easier, making it easier to carry it over longer gameplay sessions.

Another common complaint with the previous model was unwanted audio noise, especially at startup. This peculiarity has been completely eliminated in this latest model. The range of the transmitter also seems to be greatly improved. Logitech calls it 30 feet, but I can get a decent reception anywhere in my house. This helps keep the party together in Destiny 2 as I run into the kitchen for a fresh drink.

The A50 is available in two variants, one for PS4 and one for Xbox One. Both work well with your PC. Like the SteelSeries above, the A50 has a ported optical connector for your receiver. The sound stage is large, clear and distributed over the entire spectrum. In addition to a solid audio quality, the A50 also has a new, optimized base station, which also acts as a charging station. Turn the headphones off when you leave, and you can turn them on again the next time you touch them.

Nintendo Switch

Winner: Kingston HyperX Cloud Mix

Kingston HyperX Cloud Mix

The new HyperX Cloud Mix is one of the few in our collection that is available in several colors, including the white and champagne number at the top. The wired headset has a similar sound profile to the larger HyperX series, but is slightly smaller. It also includes a Bluetooth connection and a second microphone only for the connected device. This fits perfectly with the Nintendo Switch.

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Kingston

The Nintendo Switch is an outlier in terms of headphones due to Nintendo’s bizarre chat system, which requires the use of a smartphone app for some games. This is less of a problem today as Fortnite, by far the largest multiplayer title on the switch, has created its own workaround with the Vivox team. For a complete solution, however, you will need both a wired connection (to the switch itself and for games like Fortnite) and a Bluetooth connection (for the chat app). This means that you want to get the new HyperX Cloud Mix.

With the same kind of broad frequency response as the venerable Cloud Alpha, the $ 199.99 cloud mix for gaming headsets is actually pretty classy. There is a completely black set as well as a model with a white and rose gold finish. In combination with faux leather earcups, it’s as modern as you’ve probably never seen it before. Best of all, the cloud mix is physically smaller than other cloud-based headsets. For a console designed for mobile gaming, this is a very desirable feature.

Second Place: SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless

SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless

With the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless, you can not chat with players in games that require the Nintendo Switch online mobile app. On the other hand, it is very user-friendly. The supplied USB-C dongle is smaller than an average USB stick and offers real plug-and-play audio without much effort.

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SteelSeries

With the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless you will not be able to chat online with other players in Splatoon 2 or Mortal Kombat 11, but in Fortnite and other games voice chat is possible. The great advantage of this is that the Arctis 1 Wireless is a true plug-and-play solution for cordless devices.

The secret of the simplicity of the Arctis 1 Wireless is its tiny transmitter. Just plug it into the USB-C port on the bottom of the switch, and you’re done. Docked gaming is only slightly more complicated because you need to connect the transmitter to an adapter cable connected to your Nintendo Switch dock. While the Arctis 1 Wireless does not offer the same sound quality as the Arctis Pro Wireless or the HyperX Cloud Mix, the cost of $ 99.99 is much more reasonable. The only downside is that you can not charge your undocked Nintendo Switch while using the headset.

Windows PC

Winner: Sennheiser GSX 1000, Kingston HyperX Cloud Alpha S

Sennheiser GSX 1000

The Sennheiser GSX 1000 is ideal as an amplifier and DAC combo and is compatible with both desktops and laptops. It has three separate outputs, one each for a microphone, a headphone and a set of desktop speakers. It also supports high bit rate audio.

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Kingston HyperX Cloud Alpha S

The all-new Cloud Alpha S is an upgrade to the award-winning Cloud Alpha. It has improved drivers and adjustable bass. It also has a built-in 7.1 surround sound DAC that can be turned off or completely disconnected for use with other sound profiles such as Dolby Atmos.

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After two years on my desktop, the GSX 1000 Gaming Audio Amplifier is still my favorite solution for PC games. It is a combination amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Originally available for $ 229.99 at retail, it is now only $ 169.99 over Sennheiser and a little less elsewhere on the Internet.

The amplifier bit is quite straightforward: The small black box connects to a USB port on your computer and provides your headphones with a bit more power than usual. This will make the sound in your games richer and more distinctive and clearer even at low volumes. The internal DAC has an even more important function: it filters the ones and zeros of your computer into an analog audio signal. DACs are integral parts of your smartphone to your computer. In conventional PC gaming headsets, they are usually plugged into a tiny in-line dongle.

Sennheiser’s GSX 1000, on the other hand, has more to do with audiophile quality preamplifiers than any other gaming device. The next approach is a dedicated internal sound card, but you’ll have to break the case of your computer and it’s not compatible with modern gaming laptops. Ultimately, you can connect virtually any gaming headset to the GSX 1000 and enjoy high-quality sound on your Mac or Windows PC.

The other advantage of the GSX 1000 is that you no longer have to regularly access the special sound settings of your computer. Once you’ve set it up, the included OLED touchscreen gives you access to all the options you need. It is also sensitive to movement and has a built-in dimmer that responds when you run your finger across the user interface. The four LED lights at the corners are not intended for display. Each is a hotkey for another programmable preset. It also has a 3.5mm output so you can easily switch between a headset and a pair of stereo speakers.

The GSX 1000 is not perfect. It could use a proper equalizer instead of the supplied presets. To set the high-bit-rate audio mode, you need to check the system settings of your computer. It’s also not powerful enough to run audiophile quality headphones. For this you need something like Creative Sound BlasterX G6, which can handle up to 600 ohms. We have not been able to buy demo sets in this area this year, but we will definitely try it next year for the GSX 1000’s biggest competitor to be due.

Of course you need a headset as well as the GSX 1000. This year we combined it with the recently updated HyperX Cloud Alpha S. It’s a near bulletproof design with a much wider frequency range than its predecessors. Like its predecessors, the Alpha S is light, strong and extremely comfortable. Currently it is an exclusive Best Buy product. You can, however, pre-order it from Amazon to deliver it from January 1st.

Second place: Audeze Mobius

Audeze Mobius

The Audeze Mobius headphones offer a completely different driver that delivers a richer and more robust sound than anything we’ve tested this year. But they also have some quirks, including a wild three-dimensional sound field generator that tracks your head movements. We are big fans, but they require a little more care and feeding than average headphones. They are available in the colors black, blue and copper shown here.

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Audeze

The Audeze Mobius headphones are too complicated for themselves. To set them up, I have to measure the circumference of my head and the distance between my ear canals, not just the rubber bites on the outside. And with 399 US dollars, they are also a bit too expensive. But their sound quality is undoubtedly the best of all gaming headsets we’ve tested in the last three years. This is undoubtedly possible thanks to the 100 mm audiophile-quality planar armature drivers.

However, there are more reservations. The USB cable that Mobius ships with is cheap and too short. The built-in Bluetooth mode is difficult to manage with built-in controls and can be aggressively paired with my phone if it is not. There were also some audio issues with my connection while accepting calls. If you’re looking for an all-round desktop audio solution for business, look elsewhere.

On a positive note, the Mobius also acts as a motion controller for your head. That’s a lot, I know. Stay with me.

With the included AudezeHQ software, I can create a fluid sound field that stays in one position while moving my head. The built-in motion sensor reacts extremely fast and updates more than 1,000 times a second. So it does not sound like I’m wearing headphones. It sounds like I’ve got a really nice pair of speakers mounted somewhere in my office.

What does this liquid sound field bring to you when it comes to an average ego shooter? Honestly not much. Audeze claims that you get a more accurate look at positional audio clues, but in reality my head is not moving much when playing on my 24-inch monitor. If you have a particularly large set-up – an ultrawide monitor or a multi-screen situation – you may be pampered.

In my opinion, the real advantage of Mobius’ unique technology is simulation-style gaming. Elite: Dangerous and War Thunder become more intense with these headphones. Sitting in the cockpit and using the headlook enhances the sense of presence in these games. I’m sure the upcoming MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and Flight Simulator will benefit as well. Manufacturers of cockpits and simpits, including those who embark on PC racing games, should immediately put the Mobius on their wish list.

What has most excited me, however, are the hooks that Audeze provides for additional game controls. They allow you to do things like left and right with the head. With the right API customization, these headphones can be easily integrated into DayZ’s and Arma 3’s sophisticated control schemes or any number of virtual reality games. I’m curious how the software evolves as more and more people get their hands on the headphones.

In the meantime, the Audeze Mobius headphones sound spectacular even when the three-dimensional audio is turned off. My advice is to buy the HyperX labeled version, called the Cloud Orbit S, for $ 329.99. The only thing missing is Bluetooth. It also comes with a much longer fabric braided USB cable.

Xbox One

Winner: Astro A50 for Xbox One and PC (version 2019)

Astro A50 for Xbox One and PC (version 2019)

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Logitech

The much cheaper Plantronics Rig 800LX will be discontinued this year in the revised 2019 edition of the Astro A50 for Xbox One and PC. It has all the rich and nuanced audio that I expected, but with additional enhancements that make it easy overall. It’s worth the retail price of $ 299.97.

Second place: Razer Nari Ultimate for Xbox One

Razer Nari Ultimate for Xbox One

The Razer Nari Ultimate headphones for Xbox One are completely wireless and communicate with the Microsoft console over the same wireless channel as their wireless controllers. There is no dongle. Just turn it on and your Xbox recognizes it. The feel is also completely optional, but we really enjoyed this feature – especially with military shooters and action movies – when it was reset to the lower settings.

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Apart from the bizarre and extraordinary Audeze Mobius, the biggest surprise this year was the Razer Nari Ultimate for Xbox One. The gaming peripherals manufacturer launched a number of new audio devices last year, including USB-C active noise canceling headphones and affordable wireless earphones that can compete with Apple. However, where these products are primarily intended for the mobile PC and telephone market, the Nari Ultimate for Xbox One was developed specifically for the game console from Microsoft.

The biggest feature? It’s ready to use and 100% wireless with the Xbox One compatible. Pairing with your console is the same as with a controller. Starting this year, several other new headsets with similar features are available, including a decent option from SteelSeries. But none of them sounds as good as the Nari Ultimate. The 50mm drivers and the wide frequency range provide a rich and powerful sound. Overall, it also has a much flatter sound – a big departure from Razer headsets, which are usually extremely bass heavy.

Note that you also get a small extra for the price of $ 199.99. These are haptic headphones with adjustable vibration, powered by Lofelt technology. Honestly, I thought I would hate it, but down to just under half, it improves the gaming experience, especially with shooters. I started using the Nari Ultimate exclusively on the PC to repeat the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare campaign. The PC / PS4 version is also strongly recommended and costs $ 199.99.

The best gaming headsets 2019