Top 10 Tips for Choosing Gaming Headphones

Which manufacturer makes the best gaming headphones?
Vote!

Asus

Audio Technica

HyperX

Logitech

Razer

Sennheiser

Sony

steel series

Sven

Total voted: 5

Vote results

Headphones come in several form factors, but there are four main types of design that are predominantly used in the gaming industry:

Plug-in or earbuds - the simplest option in which the headphones are placed in the ear. Such models are the most budgetary on the market, they are compact, light as a feather, but they produce amateur-level sound and cause severe ear fatigue during long gaming sessions. That is, they are suitable for short "toys" in mobile games.

Intracanal - a slightly more advanced version, placed directly in the ear canal. This allows you to improve the quality of sound transmission and reduce the influence of external noise, but also causes fairly quick fatigue. In addition, both options are usually supplied with a microphone on the cable. This affects the quality of the recording, because the microphone constantly dangles, capturing extraneous sounds.

Overhead - a much more acceptable option if you plan to spend more than half an hour in the game. Such models are superimposed over the ear, pressed against soft ear cushions, and provide the necessary level of comfort. The speakers here are quite large, but located far away, so you should pay attention to the volume margin.

full size headphones are the best option for gaming, especially when streaming or esports tournaments. Such models cover the entire ear, bringing the speakers closer and providing the best sound isolation, i.e. no extraneous sounds will distract you. The main disadvantage is a lot of weight, which for some can be a critical moment. And, of course, the price - full-size ones are always more expensive than invoices.

Having decided on the right form factor, it's time to think about comfort, because uncomfortable headphones can spoil the gaming experience, even if they produce first-class sound. Tired ears, aching necks, chafed scalp, rattling structural elements and other troubles are mandatory attributes that go to those who neglect the importance of design.

The materials of the ear pads are also important. Velor or leather are usually used. We recommend choosing velor ear pads, they do not slip when wet from sweat. Accordingly, the headphones will not hang on your ears. There is also a drawback - the material wears out quickly, so the option to replace the linings will be a big plus, worthy of an overpayment. If you like leather, then choose artificial, it is less slippery than natural.

As for the backlight functions, this is a matter of taste, since the presence of an LED “garland” does not affect performance. If you're a streamer, a bright headset on your head may appeal to viewers, but otherwise, the backlight only adds to the cost of the headphones, so it's safe to ignore.

In addition to various form factors, gaming headphones also use a variety of cup manufacturing options.There are three of them, and each is good in its own way, although it is not without flaws. Let's see which cups are best for gaming.

Open the type of cups provides almost free air circulation, thanks to which the player hears what is happening around, i.e. you will not miss the doorbell or smartphone alert. This also helps to reduce acoustic pressure on the ear, which is extremely important during long gaming sessions. On the other hand, some of the sound goes into the outer space, which can disturb others.

semi-open the type is distinguished by the presence of separate holes on the body of the cups, forming a certain balance between comfort for the ears and sound insulation. But with prolonged use, increased acoustic pressure can cause discomfort, and external sounds are heard muffled. So you can miss the sudden arrival of the boss in your office in the middle of a heated online battle, especially if the volume is turned up above 50%.

Closed type provides full immersion in the world of gaming sound with powerful bass and complete isolation from the outside world. But high sound pressure can cause rapid fatigue of the auditory nerve and even cause a headache. So this option is only suitable for short “runs” in atmospheric games filled with high-quality acoustic effects.

The most important point in the technical characteristics of gaming headphones is frequency range, i.e. frequencies that their speakers are capable of reproducing. The average person can pick up frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. These are the optimal lower and upper brackets for gaming headphones, which will allow you to reproduce the entire range of audible low, medium and high frequencies. If the model you choose supports a larger range, it will provide better sound quality at maximum volume. Headphones with a lower range for gaming are not suitable, because they will not allow the sound design of the game to fully open up.

It is equally important to look at the graph impedance (resistance), which expresses the sound quality. The higher this value, the clearer the output sound, but the lower the volume. The optimal impedance for gaming models is considered to be in the range of 32-40 ohms, and for headphones with an impedance above 40 ohms, an additional amplifier may be required.

The third important point is sensitivityaffecting the volume level. For gaming headsets, the recommended sensitivity range is 90 to 120 dB. The higher the value, the louder the sound the headphones can produce.

Well, the fourth point, worthy of close attention - distortion level, noted in the characteristics as a percentage. This parameter expresses the degree of deviation of the reproduced sound from its original. The acceptable level for gaming headsets is the range from 0.5 to 2%.

Modern games are capable of generating acoustic content with very precise positioning of sound sources. This is especially true for genres such as shooters, where it is important at a competitive level to catch even the smallest rustles and accurately determine their direction. If you are a fan of such game projects, then support for the surround sound function will be a great helper, otherwise it will turn into a waste of money for an unnecessary “chip”, which, at best, you just brag to your friends. The technology of surround sound in headphones is implemented in two ways: virtual and multi-channel.

Virtual surround sound is simulated in software. This is significantly cheaper, plus it allows you to implement the function even in budget and wireless models of any form factor. On the other hand, virtual multichannel has less fidelity, which means that immersion in the game world will be incomplete.

multichannel or real surround sound is created by using multiple speakers in the design of the cups at once, therefore, the most accurate location of sound sources in the gaming space is ensured. There are also serious drawbacks: the complexity of setting up and calibrating, the increased weight of the headphones, and the overpriced price.

Excessive noise can distract from the gameplay, so gaming headphones use noise-canceling technologies. There are two types - passive and active.

Passive noise cancellation It is carried out due to the design of the cups and, first of all, the ear pads, which are made of sound-absorbing materials and fit snugly to the ears, reducing the volume of penetrating extraneous sounds. Often this is quite enough, especially when using full-size form factor headphones.

Active noise cancellation involves the elimination of noise by superimposing specially generated sounds of the same amplitude on top of them, but with an inverted phase, which ultimately leads to their mutual suppression. This technology increases the cost of headphones, but provides better protection against background noise.

Most gaming headphones available on the Russian market use a wired connection to a computer, although the share of wireless models is steadily growing. The latter are more expensive, but increase the player's mobility, allowing them to stay away from the monitor or TV. On the other hand, professional e-sportsmen do not particularly favor wireless models due to their higher weight, the need for constant battery recharging and poor resistance to external radio interference that can greatly distort the output sound. Thus, buying headphones without a wire is worth it only when mobility is more important than sound quality.

Conventional wired models can have several options for connecting to a PC:

• plug: standard 3.5 mm, or 6.3 mm in specialized versions;
• USB connector;
• combined version with a conventional plug and USB.

What's more, many USB models have a built-in sound card, allowing you to bypass the limitations of the sound card installed in your computer. If you plan to use external amplifiers, then you should give preference to headphones with a plug connector.

As for the length of the wire, you should not take models with a cable shorter than 2 meters, and experts consider the value of 3 meters to be the optimal length. Do not forget about the quality of the wire, it must be strong enough and not tear when bent.

The microphone of a gaming headset is simply obliged to clearly capture speech without distortion and extraneous noise, so it is not recommended to save on this element of gaming headphones. First of all, we pay attention to frequency characteristics, a quality model should work in the range from 100 to 15000 Hz, or at least strive for these values.

Equally important is the presence of the function active noise cancellation, otherwise the air will simply be clogged with extraneous sounds, the creaks of the gaming chair and your breathing, and this will obviously annoy teammates.This option works most effectively in models connected to a computer via a USB cable.

Well, let's not forget about microphone type. We prefer versions of directional action, which cut off unnecessary sounds better than others. This simplifies the operation of the noise reduction function, and therefore provides the clearest sound in the chat.

Often, manufacturers supply their gaming headphones, especially top models, with additional functionality. This can be as simple software for fine-tuning, if you have chosen a version with a connection via USB or a wireless channel, as well as auxiliary buttons on the headphones themselves.

In the case of a conventional remote control on the case or cable, it really makes sense to pay extra only for the simplest options: adjusting the volume, turning the microphone on and off. Everything else is just marketing and design complication, which can lead to an early failure of the headphones. You will use additional buttons at most a couple of times for the test and safely forget about them.

The gaming headset market is very saturated, but among its clear leaders we can name the company Logitech, which is famous for its wireless models, but also offers a wide range of budget headphones.

The brand is not far behind Razer, originally specialized in gadgets for gamers, so he knows a lot about the production of quality products.

The company also has a significant share Sennheiser, one of the leaders among manufacturers of wired gaming headphones.

World renowned companies Asus and Sony consistently rank among the top brands with hybrid PC-connected versions, both wired and wireless.

The second tier is represented by companies steel series, HyperX, Audio Technica and Sven.