The Best Gaming Headphones

Another major reason for why a pair of best gaming headphones plus a separate microphone is better than a gaming headset is the microphone. Outside of what I outlined above, it could easily be argued that this is the second best, if not the best reason to buy headphones over a headset. Buying a dedicated microphone can go a long way toward improving your sound quality.

When manufacturing a gaming headset, the microphone is usually one of the first things to suffer in order to keep the price down. A majority of even the high-end gaming headsets on the market today are plagued by low-quality mono audio from a rather poor capsule attached to the headset via a boom arm. While there are exceptions to this rule, generally the audio quality is not good, and only functions as a means of communication in the most basic of terms. Headsets are often paired with a basic microphone just as a means of convenience, enabling companies to advertise their product as an “all-in-one” audio solution. While this is technically true, having the worst voice quality out of anyone in your group of friends on Discord is no fun, and could even be detrimental to your teammates while playing games, especially if they’re unable to make out what you’re saying.

Luckily, alternatives exist for best headphones for gaming and music that are both better in quality and more affordable, as often it is possible to combine a pair of headphones with a decent standalone mic, and get a better audio solution out of it than a headset at the same price point would offer. From clip-on mics to desktop condenser mics, to aftermarket boom mics, there are plenty of options on the table for any and all price points. Below, I’ll cover the different types of microphones, and what they mean.

At their core, gaming headsets are headphones with a microphone attached. This sounds very basic, but it really is the gist of what makes a headset a “gaming” headset.

Companies have been hammering away, creating marketing campaigns that best convey to the consumer why their product is worth buying over the competition, and why they have the best gaming headset for any given genre of game. The selling points are often “high-fidelity microphones,” “7.1 Surround Sound,” and “Unique, customizable lighting and effects.”

While certainly not a new trend, wireless gaming headsets are also very prominent and are a large reason why many consumers consider investing in gaming headsets in the first place, as their convenience can sometimes outweigh even having a dedicated stereo speaker setup.

Companies will often advertise their products with the advantages of “real-life sound” or “directional, finely-tuned drivers,” hoping to resonate well with potential consumers and make them believe that what they’re buying into truly is the bleeding edge of audio technology.

Many companies advertise other features such as interchangeable earcup plates, fully-customizable RGB lighting, and retractable microphones. While these are all legitimate features, none of them add to your audio experience and in some cases can even detract from it.

When trying to decide what you should buy, having so many buzzwords, flashy lights and colors, cinematic advertisements, and a big public image can all be distracting factors, and these are all designed to pull your attention away from the core of the product, and what it is you’ll actually receive for your money. Brands like Logitech, Corsair, Razer, and Astro all make legitimate gaming headsets with real functionality, but their focus is more on having an all-in-one package than it is to have high-quality drivers, a clear, well-defined sound signature, and premium build quality. Even as a gamer on a tight budget, there are almost always better alternatives to even the top gaming headsets on the market today.

Buying a pair of best gaming headphones over a headset will often offer the consumer nice perks like higher build quality, better sound signature, a better, universal connector, (a lot of gaming headsets use a USB connector) and other nice features, depending on the manufacturer and price point. Below, I’ll go over a multitude of reasons why a pair of best PC gaming headphones may be better than a headset.

The Cost

Headsets can often seem cheap, but in all actuality, most consumers are paying a premium, versus the product they’re receiving. This usually results from the cost of marketing for a product, and a company trying to ensure they make a nice return on each sale. A $100 headset may only be worth less than $50 in its hardware, but the cost of marketing would drive them to sell it at a much higher price point to ensure a proper profit margin.

This can be demonstrated by the fact that most, if not all of the readers reading this guide will instantly recognize brands like Razer, Logitech, and Corsair, but names like Behringer, Audio Technica or Shure may be completely foreign. Headphone and audio gear companies typically focus less on marketing, and more on making an excellent product that can sell itself solely through word of mouth.

This is usually why a pair of best gaming headphones can be much cheaper than its headset counterpart.

The Build Quality

Because gaming headsets often need to stay affordable and within a certain price bracket, manufacturers will often skimp on the build quality, opting for low quality plastics, unbraided cables, and other such compromises.

This can result in cheap earcup hinges, uncomfortable earcups, and easily-damaged cables. Oftentimes, this just means you’ll be buying a replacement headset in a few months anyway when you could have simply invested that money into a nice pair of best PC gaming headphones early on, and be better off.

The Comfort

This one’s a tricky topic. Comfort is a very subjective thing, and every individual may feel differently about what they think feels the most comfortable. That being said, most can agree that sweaty, burning ears are no fun whatsoever, and this is often the case for most gaming headsets. While not true for every product, a majority of gaming headsets will opt to use a material called pleather, instead of softer fabrics like velour, usually due to cost restraints.

Pleather, while it is good for creating a tight seal around the ear, can often heat up, causing a burning sensation around the ear after prolonged use. This is due to the heat from your ears heating up the material, causing it to stick to your skin and resulting in a temporary burning sensation. This feeling is not exclusive to gaming headsets, but rather a pleather in itself, which is often found on lower-end gaming headsets, and even some headphones.

Another aspect of comfort is clamping force and weight. A lot of headsets, due to having so much crammed into them, can often be a lot heavier than best gaming headphones, which can cause head and neck fatigue after long sessions of gaming. The weight at the top of your head pushing down onto your neck for hours at a time can lead to headaches, sore necks, or other symptoms of discomfort.

Clamping force is how strongly the headset or headphones try to close themselves after being opened and put over your ears. The feeling is of a strong force against your ears, feeling similar to a squeezing sensation. This is entirely dependent on the product, but oftentimes headsets have a stronger clamping force, as it’s more necessary for them to create a proper seal around your ears, due to the angled drivers in the cups and relatively low volume output, as well as often using pleather earpads.

Lastly, and most importantly;

Audio Quality

Ah, here we are, the elephant in the room. Arguably the most important quality of best headphones for gaming and music, and for many, the main reason why you’d even consider buying them over a traditional gaming headset. Audio quality on headphones is typical, better than its gaming headset price equivalent. The best gaming headphones manufacturers have the freedom to focus more closely on the driver in the headphones, ensuring clean, precise and in certain sound signatures, accurate sound.

Not all sound signatures are the same, and people will often shop for different sound signatures when looking into the best PC gaming headphones. Below, we’ll delve a bit into that, to give you a better understanding of what I’m talking about.

While shopping for best headphones for gaming and music, you might come across a few terms that you don’t know the meaning of, and you’ll find yourself puzzled as to what effect it has on the overall product. There are a lot of terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used in audio hardware, and below, we’ll go over and cover them. If you desire more information, links will be provided with each of the definitions.

DAC
DAC is an acronym for Digital-to-Analog Converter. A DAC is a piece of equipment that converts digital audio (i.e. sound from a computer) into analog audio signals (i.e. a sound that can be played on a speaker). PCI-E sound cards, external sound cards, and built-in motherboard sound cards are examples of DACs. Some DACs may have a built-in amplifier.

Amplifier
An amplifier (amp) or power amplifier is a device that changes the amplitude of an analog audio signal. An amp will take a low power signal (e.g. output from a phone) and transform it into a high power signal suitable for driving devices with higher impedance.

Impedance
Impedance is a complex technical topic, but for the purpose of headphone purchases, there are only a few things to keep in mind. Impedance is measured in Ohms (Ω) (see Ohm) and can either be “high” or “low.” Generally, headphones rated <32Ω are considered low impedance, and headphones rated >100Ω are considered high impedance. High impedance headphones require an amplifier (see Amplifier) to bring out the best sound quality and volume.

Low impedance headphones do not require a powerful amplifier to work well, but a high-quality amplifier may still help audio quality. Best gaming headphones with higher impedance are not necessarily better sounding than headphones with lower impedance.

Ohm
A unit used to measure impedance signified with Ω.

Frequency Response Range
Frequency response range refers to the range of frequencies measured in Hertz (Hz) (see Hertz) that a headphone is capable of producing. The human hearing range is generally accepted as 20Hz to 20,000Hz, and most best gaming headphones will cover this range.

A wider frequency response range does not necessarily mean better sound quality. Ideally, best PC gaming headphones would respond to all frequencies equally, but in practice, different headphones respond to certain frequency ranges better than others. This creates a difference in how the sound feels.

Hertz
A unit used to measure frequency signified with Hz.

Over-Ear Headphones
Best gaming headphones with pads made to fit around the wearer’s ears are considered Over-Ear or Circumaural headphones. Over-Ear headphones will generally support larger drivers positioned farther from the ear due to their size.

The size means that over-ear best gaming headphones are not very portable, though. Depending on the type of material used for the ear pads, over-ear headphones may make the wearer’s ears feel hot after extended use.

On-Ear Headphones
Best gaming headphones with pads made to fit on top of the wearer’s ears are considered On-Ear or Supraaural headphones. On-Ear headphones generally will not isolate as well as IEMs (see IEM) or over ear models will depend on the design.

However, the smaller size makes on-ear headphones more portable. On-ear best PC gaming headphones will generally clamp harder on the ears which may make the wearer uncomfortable after extended use.

IEM
IEM is an acronym for In-Ear Monitor and refers to headphones made to be inserted into the wearer’s ear canal. IEMs are extremely portable and will isolate sound very well. However, with the drivers positioned so close to the wearer’s ear, IEMs will generally sound less open than larger headphones.

IEMs have to be seated properly in the ear to produce the best sound quality, and some wearers may find an object inserted into their ear uncomfortable.

Soundstage
Soundstage refers to the ability of headphones to reproduce sound that is perceived as wide or spacious. A good soundstage should make the listener feel like they are standing in front of a literal stage.

3.5mm Interface
The 3.5mm interface is the standard audio interface that you would expect to see on most phones, computers, and other digital audio devices.

1/4in (6.35mm) Interface
The 1/4in interface is a standard audio interface that performs the same function as the 3.5mm interface (see 3.5mm Interface). There is no discernable difference in audio quality between the two interfaces, but the 1/4in interface is more durable.

DJ Headphones (type)
DJ headphones in reference to a type of headphones is an ill-defined marketing term used to generally classify best gaming headphones with a certain set of attributes. DJ headphones will usually be over-ear, closed back, and bass-heavy headphones. The idea is that a DJ may use this type of headphone while mixing in a loud environment.

Studio Headphones (type)
Studio headphones in reference to a type of headphones is an ill-defined marketing term used to generally classify best PC gaming headphones with a certain set of attributes. Studio headphones will usually be designed to have as neutral frequency response as possible to mimic studio monitors. The idea is that a sound engineer could use this type of headphone in a studio.

Headphones (type)
Best gaming headphones in reference to a type of headphones is an ill-defined marketing term used to generally classify headphones with a certain set of attributes. Best PC gaming headphones will usually be closed back, bass heavy headphones, and will often have an integrated mic for voice communication in-game. Some models of gaming headphone may also advertise surround sound (see Virtual Surround Sound).

Pleather
Pleather is a synthetic leather material often used to make headphone ear cushions. Choice of ear cushion material is very subjective. One of the pleather’s benefits is that it will provide a better seal against the side of the head. However, some wearers of these best gaming headphones will find pleather makes their earshot after extended use.

Velour
Velour is a synthetic material often used to make headphone ear cushions. Choice of ear cushion material is very subjective. One of the velour’s benefits is that it is a very breathable material. However, it does not provide as strong a seal as other materials and is more prone to getting dirty.

Virtual Surround Sound
Virtual surround sound refers to a system that attempts to trick the ears into hearing sound from different 3-dimensionally positioned sources with normal headphone drivers. There are various methods for producing virtual surround sound, but all methods inevitably color the audio produced by the headphones.

For certain applications (e.g. gaming), virtual surround sound may be beneficial, but for general sound quality, it is less than ideal. Headphones advertising true surround sound use multiple smaller, specifically positioned drivers within the ear cup to achieve a surround sound effect.