After many hours of research, I have selected for you the best gaming headsets of the moment, from thirty models reviewed.
Personally, my preference goes to the HyperX Cloud Alpha , which has proven to be the most versatile, qualitative and comfortable, for an unbeatable value for money.
If you are looking for a headset for your gaming sessions and you can not find your account in my personal selection, I invite you to consult my buying guide at the end of the article to help you see more clearly in the criteria to be examined.
The entry-level gamer headphones, I have defined quite wide: up to 100 €. Because it is in this slice that any gamer with a budget a little limited to the certainty of finding his account, with a quality of sound and correct indisputable comfort.
Hyperx Cloud Alpha : The Best Cheap
If you’ve been interested in gaming headsets for a while, you’ve probably heard about the famous HyperX Cloud II, a favorite among FPS players.
And I must tell you that if the Cloud II had seduced me, the Cloud Alpha convinced me, especially since you can now find it under the 100 € mark!
On the design side, it’s a success. It has a solid construction, with an extendable aluminum bar covered with very soft leather and sufficiently padded. This same leatherette covers the pads and contributes to their comfort. They are equipped with a memory foam rather thick, which makes them extremely soft. The only criticism that could be made at this level is the impossibility of adjusting the earpieces height. The sound insulation, it is quite correct.
This is a wired headset. But it’s cable covers the comfortable length of 1.3 meters. It ends with a 4-point mini-jack that allows a multiplatform connection. An extension of 2 meters is also provided, ending with a dual audio and microphone connector to connect to the PC.
It is on the first cable that we find the volume control controls and opening or closing the microphone, HyperX choosing not to directly integrate the headphones of the headset. This is a bias that can be challenged. Personally, I find it easier to find these commands directly on the headphones than to play with the wire.
At the sound level, quality is at the rendezvous! The bass and midrange are made very faithfully, and the power is pretty bluffing, without that we never end up with a bang of indecipherable sounds (fans of FPS should here find their account). The breadth of the stereo is very good, and the rendering compelling, despite the lack of 7.1 surround.
The microphone has the advantage of being removable. Placed at the end of a flexible pole, it can easily be modulated to adapt to your sound environment. The rendering is very good, with a voice that is well understood, but its sensitivity could be improved. However, it is always possible to place it very close to the mouth (just be careful not to disturb your listeners with your breath sounds or other borborygmes!).
As you can see, the Hyper Cloud Alpha is a success. Quality audio, microphone quality and comfort are at the rendezvous. If we really wanted to be fussy we could blame him for not integrating the Surround for a more precise spatialization but hey, it is not a necessity, in my opinion.
Corsair Hs50 : Quality At A Low Price
The second headphone of my selection stands out for its simplicity, sober and elegant design … And its excellent quality / price ratio.
This is the wired and stereo version of the HS70 (which itself has virtual 7.1 surround), which you can get for an investment a little more consistent (but still reasonable). We are nevertheless not too bothered by this cable because it has the comfortable length of two meters.
It ends with a mini-jack allowing a multiplatform connection (PS4, Switch, or Xbox One with an adapter not provided). The headset is also supplied with a Y adapter, which allows connection to a PC to separate headphone and microphone jacks.
Design side, no frills here: the Corsair HS50 does not try to pretend to be something other than what it is, namely an effective helmet. Entirely black, except for a ring on the headphones and stitching in the imitation leather blue. The set has a resistant appearance.
The headphones encompass the ears, even the largest, but the arch, even minimized, remains wide enough. Small heads may experience some discomfort. Foams them, are a little thin. In short, without being uncomfortable (far from it), this model would have deserved certain adjustments and a little more flexibility. This would have allowed better sound insulation.
At the level of sound, without being at the tip, we get something rather correct for stereo. The serious lack of precision, but the reproduction of mediums is very good, those treble is quite convincing, and the possible distortions go unnoticed (for fans of FPS, you may nevertheless find the sound a bit disappointing, because each explosion , the bass tend to take precedence over the mediums and give a rendering “agglomerated”).
The microphone, it is again detachable, and a simple pressure on the left atrium can open or close at leisure. The pole is malleable, which allows to adjust it rather easily. The voice capture is very clear (even if the rendering is less natural than the HyperX Cloud Alpha) and its high directivity allows a good separation between the voice and surrounding noise.
In the end, for a very reasonable investment, you can get a simple and effective headphones with good audio quality and, especially with undeniable micro quality.
