Gaming Headset Leaderboard 2017:
The best Gaming Headsets in comparison

More and more players want to play their favorite games professionally and place the highest demands on their equipment. Therefore, manufacturers develop special gaming headsets that meet the players needs. Whereas it used to be sufficient to play with a standard device or even witout one, a special headset for pro gamers is an absolute standard nowadays.

Many production companies work in cooperation with professional gamers on headsets that meet their special requirements and offer the best possible acoustics. In this article we will introduce the different headsets and tell you what to look for.

 Headsets can be distinguished according to their design. There are three different types of headsets, but not all are suitable for gaming. Below, we would like to introduce them briefly and explain their differences and suitability for gaming.

Over-ear headsets

On the one hand, there are the « Over-ear-headsets« , which shield the player from the outside world and allow you to completely concentrate on your game. These headsets enclose the entire auricle. The larger contact surface of the padding distributes the weight more evenly and makes the headsets more comfortable to wear, especially when worn over a longer period of time. Such headsets are produced almost exclusively for gamers. They are also much more suitable for people with glasses because they do not exert any pressure on the ear.

On-ear headsets

With the so-called « On-ear headsets« , external noises can still be perceived well and you can for example talk to people, who are in the same room. However, the immersion of the game is much lower because you are not completely shielded as with an over-ear headset. In addition, wearing the headset on your ear can become uncomfortable after a while, especially if you are wearing glasses.

In-ear headsets

The last group is formed by the « In-ear headsets« , which are almost never used in gaming, as they become uncomfortable in the long run and usually have a much worse sound quality.

Each game has different requirements for the players. The same applies to their headsets. In the following slider you will find a list of articles about popular games and the headsets that are most suitable for this purpose.

Almost every hardware manufacturer also produces gaming headsets nowadays . Unfortunately, this has the disadvantage that you can lose the overview quickly. Here we will introduce you to the top manufacturers of gaming headsets. With a click on one of the thumbnails you will get directly to the best devices of the respective manufacturer.

Finally, we looked at the equipment of five famous gamers and found out which headsets they use. Maybe the list will help you to make your decision for a headset easier.

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Not every gaming headset is optimally suited for every purpose and they differ in many ways. In the following slider we will discuss different features of the headsets and introduce you to the best devices of the respective category.

There are three different ways to connect your headset to the computer. Either you use a wired device and then have the choice between USB or jack plug, or you choose the wireless alternative. Below we will briefly explain the advantages and disadvantages of these two options.

Gaming headsets with cable

The advantages of wired headsets are clearly their lighter weight and independence from battery life. However, gaming headsets with cable limit freedom of movement, but this is mainly relevant for VR games.

The two cable variants depend on the sound chip on your mainboard. With standard onboard sound chips, a USB headset is the better choice because they have an integrated sound chip (DSP – Digital Sound Processing), which digitally enhances the sounds. For high quality motherboards, sound cards or USB audio interfaces, the jack socket is the method of choice.

Wireless gaming headsets

Similar to a wireless keyboard or mouse, wireless headsets are connected using an USB radio receiver. Some devices also have bluetooth functionality. They are usually heavier than their wired relatives, but offer much greater mobility.

Nowadays, virtual surround sound offers the possibility to create an illusion of spatial sound like in a cinema, even with headsets. The stereo sound has also developed considerably in recent years, not least due to pressure from the gaming scene. Let’s take a closer look at the two technologies.

Surround Sound

Many manufacturers offer 3D, 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound to give the gamer a feeling of « right in the middle ». This makes it possible to put the player more into the gameplay and allows a spatial location of sounds. However, this is not true surround sound, as the small speakers are only a few millimetres apart from each other and are not technically capable of displaying the spatial dimension. Instead, the sounds are falsified to create a spatial illusion. Side effects of this technique are strong reverberation and distorted sounds. To counteract this, many manufacturers offer software to customize the sound individually or select from preset sound profiles.

Stereo Sound

Modern stereo headsets can do much more than just play sounds from two different directions nowaydays. With the help of an adequate sound card it is for example possible to guarantee a similarly good ambient sound as with surround sound hardware. Of course, it isn’t as good as the original, but you will have to struggle less with distortion and reverb. Many experts believe that the sound quality of modern stereo headsets is better than the sound quality of new surround sound devices.

The frequency ranges audible by humans are divided into low, medium and high and range from 20 to 20,000 Hz for children. For adults, however, the frequencies between 50 Hz and 10,000 Hz are most important, as the spectrum of audible tones shifts in the course of life towards the lower frequency tones.

Another important factor is amplitude. While the frequency indicates the oscillations per second, the amplitude tells us something about the intensity of the deflection and thereby about the perceived volume.

Increase of the amplitude

If the amplitude or even a whole range is increased, certain tones from the sound can be emphasized, for example human voices or the so-called « kick bass ». This allows us to react more sensitively to loud sounds, but we can also overhear incidental sounds.

Effects of such an increase

The bass boost is ideal for many people. The result is a warm tone and crisp bass, the gentle accentuation of the treble helps with detail and distance estimation. However, the bass boost can lead to a midrange weakness and also to holes in the sound. The midtones are particularly important in order to give the tones naturalness, volume and power. Midtones are also necessary to separate the individual tones, because they convey spatiality and help with orientation.

Who needs the best headset if individual parts are broken after a short period of time? When it comes to gaming, it can get emotional, so it is important that the headsets are made of durable materials and are well processed.

The plastic used should be strong and not too thin, so that your device doesn’t break immediately, if it falls from the edge of your desk. Sliding mechanisms and joints made of plastic, however, are particularly vulnerable to break. Here variants made of steel or aluminium are much better. In addition, lightly shaking the device should not produce any rustling or clattering sounds that may indicate loose parts inside.

Another weak point of many headsets is the cable. Constant movement of the head puts a lot of stress on it, which can lead to broken cables or loose connections. This can be remedied by purchasing a wired gaming headset and choosing a model with a fabric cover.

Finally, we would like to introduce you to your favorite headsets. These have received good reviews from the community and are also relatively inexpensive.