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Last year we looked at some of the best gaming headsets available on the Xbox One. Our top pick, at the time, was the Plantronics Rig Flex LX. Since then though, a number of new headsets have entered the market including the updated SteelSeries Wireless line, as well as new sets from Kingston, Polk Audio and Astro.
TL;DR: These are the 7 Best Headsets for Xbox One:- Plantronics Rig Flex LX (Wired)
- Turtle Beach Ear Force XO One (Wired)
- Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver (Wired)
- Astro A50 (Wireless)
- Turtle Beach Elite 800X (Wireless)
- SteelSeries Siberia 800 (Wireless)
Best Cheap Wired Xbox One Headset— Plantronics Rig Flex LX
Rhe Plantronics Rig Flex LX excels thanks to its combination of comfort, excellent chat quality, and clean, well-balanced audio. You can wear this headset for hours, which you’ll want to do: even on the most bass-heavy EQ setting, lows are nice and punchy without overwhelming the mids and highs, and it’s very easy to hear both small audio details and what direction they’re coming from.The style of the Flex LX’s included controller dongle is an improvement over Microsoft’s stereo headset adapter, too. Instead of pressing buttons that show no indication of just how loud or soft you’ve made your game or your XBL party, you’ll use a knob to control the volume, and a dial to control the balance between game and chat audio. You’ll be able to see your settings at a glance.
And though it doesn’t take the sting away from the price tag, the Flex LX comes with a second cable that lets you ditch the boom mic—handy for when you’re using these cans with a mobile device.
Best Xbox One Headset Runner-Up— Turtle Beach Earforce XO One
If the Flex LX is too expensive for your taste, the Turtle Beach Ear Force XO One is an $80 stereo headset that offers superior performance over Microsoft’s Stereo Headset. Audio details are a touch less clear than the Plantronics Rig Flex LX, but you can still distinctly hear sounds like grunts, footfalls, and distant gunfire, as well as the direction they came from. (That’s not the case with the Stereo Headset.) You’ll also be able to hear yourself from within the headset while chatting, which allows you to better modulate how loudly you’re talking.
The XO One is also very lightweight, which is nice for long gaming sessions. The only drawback to this particular set of cans is that its ear cups are on the smaller side, so if you have bigger ears, this may not be a completely comfortable fit.
- See the Turtle Beach Ear Force XO One on Amazon
- See the Turtle Beach Ear Force XO One on Amazon (UK)
Best Wired Xbox One Headset— HyperX Cloud Revolver
The Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver is Kingston's first crack at their own gaming headset. Now, I know you're probably about to cite the HyperX Cloud and Cloud II, but those were designed by a third party and modified by Kingston. The Cloud Revolver is entirely their own.
At first glance the Cloud Revolver looks much more aggressive than the subtle curves of its predecessor. Underneath the gruff exterior, though, there's some pretty solid tech. For the price you get 50mm drivers, and a detachable, noise-cancelling mic, both of which punch well above their weight. Ear cups are made with high-density memory foam to hold the speakers a bit further from your ears, opening up the audio just a bit. Overall they're an excellent, practical choice, and a worthy, albeit pricier, successor to Kingston's previous sets.
- See the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset on Amazon
- See the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset on Argos (UK)
- See the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset II on Amazon (UK)
Best Virtual Surround Wireless Xbox One Headset— Astro A50
If you’ve used the original Astro A50, you won’t be too surprised seeing this on our list of best Xbox One wireless headsets. The winner of our previous round-up in the wireless category, the Xbox One Edition of the Astro A50 Wireless Headset retains the first model’s fantastic fit and incredible sound, while including a special adapter for chat.Despite being a somewhat heavier pair of cans, you can wear this for marathon sessions of gaming and not feel any pain around your ears or along your jawbone (while wearing glasses, to boot). And though the A50’s audio skews toward being much warmer than the other contenders, movies, music, and games all sound amazing. Its virtual surround-sound makes different elements very clear, with that warmth adding a sense of richness to what you hear. You’ll be able to pick out the direction of gunfire or footsteps easily, too.
That said, these aren’t the perfect wireless headphones. For party chat, you still have to connect an adapter to the controller; it’s a bummer that the A50 isn’t 100% wireless. These will also set you back a hefty sum, though they are also compatible with PC, PS4, PS3, and Xbox 360. If you’re not a multi-platform gamer, the investment may be too steep.
Note for existing non-XB1 Edition A50 owners: According to Astro, you can buy the chat dongle separately as an accessory, and improve your chat experience as compared to using a Microsoft stereo adapter with your A50. Just in case you were feeling slighted by the Xbox One Edition hitting shelves long after your purchase.
- See the Astro A50 Gaming Headset for Xbox One on Amazon
- See the Astro A50 Gaming Headset for Xbox One on Amazon (UK)
Wireless Xbox Headset with Great EQ— Turtle Beach Elite 800X
The Turtle Beach Elite 800X has gotten lots of love from both people at IGN and online — and for good reason. When watching movies, listening to music, or playing games, all of its many EQ presets sound amazing. If you’re the type of person who prefers a more neutral balance between lows, mids, and highs (as opposed to the Astro A50’s overall warmer sound), this headset is a great choice.
But while its game audio is fantastic, its chat audio is not. Feedback from Xbox Live party members was negative, with one description of our voice laid out as “coming from a distant tin can.” For a pair of headphones that cost the same as the A50 ($300), you’re better served by Astro’s headset if you play online with others. If you don’t, then these might still make you very happy.
Overall Best Xbox One Wireless Headset— SteelSeries Siberia 800 Wireless
There aren't too many other sets that have the same zealous following as the SteelSeries H Wireless. Many on the company's subreddit were confused and shocked when the set started vanishing from stores. But, company representatives have stated the Wireless H will be back later this year. Until then, the classic set has been split into three. One, ostensibly, for the PC, one for the PS4 and, and the X800, the Xbox One version.
Rest assured though, no matter which set you get, you'll be just fine. Xbox One owners are no doubt used to having to pick their headset purchases carefully because of Microsoft's proprietary controller-mounted microphone jack, but all three of the Siberia 800 sets include an Xbox One and Xbox 360 chat cable. That's a great consideration because it means despite the confusing branding, you can't go wrong.
Do you have a favorite wired or wireless Xbox One headset? Let us know in the comments!