Get Them Here
So ive always really like the Surface headphones as pair of mid tier ANC headphones. And in general the Surface Headphones are a great first try for Microsoft. So when I saw that Microsoft announced their new Xbox Gaming headset I was really excited. Now over all the Xbox’s new headset is fine and it gets the job done… but these aren’t going to be my new go to headset for gaming.
Price wise this headset retails for 100 bucks which is not bad at all but there are some third party options out there that out perform this headset in key areas. If you decide to go with this headset, its okay but depending on your needs or wants you’ll might want to go with something else.
Now first lets talk about build quality… its okay for a $100 headset. We’ve got slightly textured plastic on the ear cups, the ear pads themselves pivot up and down a little bit, there’s a decent click to the headband its self which I am a fan of, there’s a decent amount of padding underneath the headband, and both the headband and ear pads are wrapped in decent feeling leatherette.
But when it comes to fit and comfort… this is where build quality comes into play a little bit. One very important thing to keep in mind here is that the ear cups on this headset don’t swivel. They can only tilt up and down a little bit. Which means that for some people this headset won’t rest as naturally on your head as other headset’s who’s ear cups have more range of motion. For me I can’t help but notice that these ear pads put a little more pressure on the front of my ears than on the back… especially since this headset does have a little bit of a snug fit to it just like the surface headphones. But clamping force aside this headset is a little on the smaller side. Personally for me I gotta extend this headband all the way out… So for that reason I don’t think this headset is big head approved. Then there’s also their weight… this headsets weighs in at 312 grams which is a little on the heavier side… cause most headphones weigh in at 270 grams and below. So with this headset you're not going to notice them too much when you’re gaming with them… but you never forget that you’re wearing them. But then there are the ear pads… the ear pads themselves are super spacious and they should have no problem accommodating most ear types… However, these ear pads are covered in leatherette, there is a significant amount of surface area that comes in contact with your skin and there is a significant amount of padding… which means these ear pads do like to collect heat. So over all when it comes to fit and comfort… they get the job done but there is a lot of room for improvement like swiveling ear cups which would allow for a more natural feeling fit, a larger headband would be nice cause this headset is a little on the smaller side, and personally I would have preferred fabric ear pads for that they would be more breathable.
But now lets talk about tech specs, this headset charges via a USB C port which is great if you're using an Xbox Series X or and Xbox Series S cause you can charge your headset and controller with the same cable. But if you’re using a last gen console than you are going to have to use 2 separate cables to charge your headset and controllers cause the Xbox One’s controllers charge via a micro USB port.
However when it comes to battery life this headset has an advertised battery life 15 hours which is average for a gaming headset like this. But keep in mind you are going to have to charge this headset twice as much as your controller cause Xbox’s rechargeable battery is good for around 30 hours.
Now when it comes to connectivity, this headset works with either the Xbox series or Xbox one and you connect directly to your Xbox there are no extra transmitters to plug into your Xbox which is great. And when it comes to performance I have zero complaints, this headset just connects to your xbox when you power it on, latency isn’t an issue and they never cut out.
But this headset also has Bluetooth so you can also pair it up to your phone. So if you want to use this headset as a normal pair of headphones and listen to music, or watch a movie off on your phone. But more importantly you can play a game and listen to a podcast at the same time which could be a big deal for people who like to play lots of open world games.
But another very important thing to keep in mind about this headset is that it doesn’t have an audio jack. So if this headset were to die on you in the middle of a game… you’re not going to be able to rush and plug them into you xbox controller and at the very least finish up your game.
Now Microsoft claims that a 30 minute charge from a dead battery will get you 4 hours of play time… but personally I feel that as long as the Xbox controller has an audio jack then your headset should have an audio jack as well so you can use a wired connection when you have to. Either your headset could die on you in the middle of a game, or your friends are telling you to get on right now but you gotta tell them to wait cause first you gotta charge your headset.
But now lets talk about sound… in general this is a very bass heavy headset. So definitely you are going to want to play around with the EQ on this headset which you can do so directly from your Xbox. But performance wise this headset gets more than loud enough and distortion isn’t a problem.
But unfortunately this headset doesn’t have dynamic range compression which could be a big deal if you’re a competitive FPS player. So lets say for example me, I play a lot of apex and I use my headset at a higher volume to listen for foot steps and nuanced sounds so that I can find my targets and hear what they’re doing. But since this headset doesn’t have dynamic range compression… if I start shooting or if I get caught in a gun fight then those gun shots are very loud and I basically go deaf.
Now I could use this headset at a lower volume so that I don’t go deaf from those gun shots… but then its a little harder to listen for those nuanced sounds. Or you could go into the EQ setting and lower the mids and highs on this headset so that gun shots aren’t as loud… but they do end up sounding shallow and it still makes it harder to listen for those foot steps.
So overall this headset sounds good enough and it gets the job done… But if you are a competitive FPS player then I would look at something else cause of the lack of dynamic range compression. But if you’re someone that likes to play a lot of open world games then this headset will be perfectly fine… and there’s also the added benefit of bluetooth so you can play a game and listen to a podcast at the same time.
But now lets talk about the microphone on this headset. First off I do want to point out that you can’t remove this microphone… so if you want to use them as a normal pair of headphones you’re still going to have the mic there.
Now you can’t adjust the gain or EQ of this microphone… but can play around with the mic monitoring and you can adjust the brightness of the Mic LED. Now over all this microphone sounds good and it leans more towards the natural side.
But this mic doesn’t do all that much to block out any ambient noise. So if you’ve got your AC running in the background on a hot summer night… then you’ll might be a distraction to your teammates.
However this mic does have auto muting… so when you stop talking the mic you’ll automatically mute it self, pretty self explanatory… So at least this way you won’t be a constant distraction to your friends… but when you are talking this mic is still going to pick up a decent amount of ambient noise. But over all this microphone sounds pretty good.
So with all that being said, Xbox’s new gaming headset is fine especially for $100. And personally I really like that this headset has bluetooth so that you can game and listen to a podcast at the same time and I also really like that its mic Auto Mutes. But there are some shorts comings that will might want to make you go with a third party option. First is their fit… they get the job done, but there are other headsets that fit more naturally and are way more breathable.
Sound quality wise this headset gets the job done, but due to its lack of dynamic range comparison this headset wouldn’t be my first choice if you’re a FPS competitive player. But then there’s the lack of an audio jack, to me that such a big deal cause you never know. And I feel that if you’re Xbox controller still has an audio jack, then your headset should too.