Best gaming headset I can get for under £45 ($57)?

[Vanch]

I'm on the lookout for a new gaming headset, and have been given a gift voucher for £45 ($57). I'll be using it for my Xbox Series X and PC.

I've absolutely no idea what to look for though. I'm not really picky at all so little differences probably wouldn't bother me and I'd barely notice them. I'm just looking to get the best pair with the budget I have.

I'm also not sure whether to get wired or wireless. I've heard that wireless can cause delay when gaming, where you do an action in game and then don't hear it on your headset for a split second. If that's the case, then I'll stick with wired.

Also, should I get gaming specific headsets, which have their own section in stores, or just a normal headset? Do gaming headsets sound better when gaming, like for example having better 3D sound where you can hear someone coming from a specific direction, so the sound plays louder in that ear? I only ask, as I found a good wireless headset with 72 hours battery life, but it's not classed as a "gaming" headset. It's just in the section of the site for basic headsets, like for listening to music, movies etc. Is there any real difference and should I be looking at gaming specific headsets, if I want to hear the footsteps of enemies around me etc?

Any help I can get would be massively appreciated.

Thanks guys.

 

[AMDPower]

normal non gaming headphone or often referred to as audiophile headphone are much better than any gaming dedicated headphone the problem is that your budget is very small for such and they require separate amplifier and sometimes even a DAC depending on the source. Given your restrictive budget I think you would be very happy with the HyperX Cloud III – Gaming Headset or HyperX Cloud II – Gaming Headset. Dont buy wireless not at this price point anyway its sound would be considerably worse than any wired headphones you buy. If you buy an audiophile wireless headphone you could end up with audio lag depending on your setup and audio coding used.

The difference between the two headphones I have mentioned is one had more bass but less resolution for hearing in game detail but the more bass can make games feel more alive ie hyperx cloud II. The Hyperx cloud III have less Bass and more in game resolution, ie you can hear more footsteps and better directional ques, the headphone is what we call more neutral sounding. This is by no means a technical description of the differences but just to give you an idea of the differences.

 

[Vanch]

normal non gaming headphone or often referred to as audiophile headphone are much better than any gaming dedicated headphone the problem is that your budget is very small for such and they require separate amplifier and sometimes even a DAC depending on the source. Given your restrictive budget I think you would be very happy with the HyperX Cloud III – Gaming Headset or HyperX Cloud II – Gaming Headset. Dont buy wireless not at this price point anyway its sound would be considerably worse than any wired headphones you buy. If you buy an audiophile wireless headphone you could end up with audio lag depending on your setup and audio coding used.

The difference between the two headphones I have mentioned is one had more bass but less resolution for hearing in game detail but the more bass can make games feel more alive ie hyperx cloud II. The Hyperx cloud III have less Bass and more in game resolution, ie you can hear more footsteps and better directional ques, the headphone is what we call more neutral sounding. This is by no means a technical description of the differences but just to give you an idea of the differences.

That's brilliant, and has cleared a lot of things up for me.

I know you advised against getting a wireless headset, but do these look okay? They're the same brand that you recommended (HyperX) and within my price range. https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...x-wireless-gaming-headset-black-10232959.html

 

[AMDPower]

That's brilliant, and has cleared a lot of things up for me.

I know you advised against getting a wireless headset, but do these look okay? They're the same brand that you recommended (HyperX) and within my price range. https://www.currys.co.uk/products/h...x-wireless-gaming-headset-black-10232959.html

I would personally stay away from wireless for gaming but specially wireless gaming in this price range. You really need to get to £300 range to get what I would describe as decent sound but this is also relative, when you have audiophile headphones its hard to go back to something that has such reduced sound quality, which wireless headphones have, but then again you have to be realistic with sound. Wireless technology has several drawbacks which are due to the nature of the technology and having said that there are some decent wireless setups and some really bad setups. In this £50 price range they are BAD and would really buy either of the two I recommended.

If you have your heart set on wireless I am not going to try and stop you buying it and see if you like the sound and if you do then great, like I mentioned sound is relative. But if you want wireless and can increase your budget you really need to buy something in the £150 range to get what I would describe as decent sound. The best wireless gaming headset I have heard is the Audeze Maxwell for £350.

hope that helps.

 

[Tediore]

I'm on the lookout for a new gaming headset, and have been given a gift voucher for £45 ($57). I'll be using it for my Xbox Series X and PC.

I've absolutely no idea what to look for though. I'm not really picky at all so little differences probably wouldn't bother me and I'd barely notice them. I'm just looking to get the best pair with the budget I have.

I'm also not sure whether to get wired or wireless. I've heard that wireless can cause delay when gaming, where you do an action in game and then don't hear it on your headset for a split second. If that's the case, then I'll stick with wired.

Also, should I get gaming specific headsets, which have their own section in stores, or just a normal headset? Do gaming headsets sound better when gaming, like for example having better 3D sound where you can hear someone coming from a specific direction, so the sound plays louder in that ear? I only ask, as I found a good wireless headset with 72 hours battery life, but it's not classed as a "gaming" headset. It's just in the section of the site for basic headsets, like for listening to music, movies etc. Is there any real difference and should I be looking at gaming specific headsets, if I want to hear the footsteps of enemies around me etc?

Any help I can get would be massively appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Do you need a mic?

If not then a pair of wired headphones would be the way I'd go. I'm still using a pair of Sennheiser HD598s I bought well over a decade ago. The Razer headset I bought barely 2 years ago is already dying on me. Audio crackling, wireless connection constantly cutting out, etc. I've ended up just buying a standalone mic and putting that on my desk.

Don't bother with 'surround sound' headsets. They achieve that by using lots of small drivers. You ideally want two large ones - generally 50-60mm. They have the range to give you information on which direction sound is coming from anyway and will be better in every other regard. I've heard good things about the AKG 92 and they're within budget for you.

If you do need a built-in mic, I've heard decent things about the HyperX Cloud III that AMD mentioned, though I personally have no experience with them.