Wrap Up: My Personal Pick

Microphone samples

For the curious, I took the liberty of recording microphone input from each headset. For comparison, I am reading an excerpt from the amazing science fiction work "Dune" by Frank Herbert. Audible, if you enjoy my work, please contact my agent.

Making Picks, Putting It All Together

After spending much time exploring, using, testing and writing about these six headsets, I've come to the conclusion the perfect wireless headset for PC gaming doesn't exist. Maybe I'm picky, but it was impossible to find one that had it all. It either didn't sound good, had a crummy microphone, was buggy or had some other annoying problem. Unfortunately, there isn't a glut of circumaural wireless options out there either. In fact, many of the headsets in this comparison have been around for years. It seems like manufacturers aren't in a hurry to produce high-quality wireless headsets for PC gamers. So I have to ask, is it really that much of a niche?

For my own purposes, I eventually settled for the Astro A50. Despite its maddening firmware, most of the resulting issues are merely harmless irritations. I now mute Mumble with a hotkey, for example, while changing settings so no one hears the beeping. It's inconvenient, but I'll live. In truth, the Astro checks off most of my boxes, some of them phenomenally so.

The next best, or perhaps the best choice for most people out there will be the SteelSeries H Wireless. I had no choice but to disqualify it due to the sad microphone and absurdly loud mute button, but honestly it's the A50's only real competition. For most gamers, the H Wireless is a great choice. The extra battery and its tremendous flexibility are hard to pass up. I wish it were as comfortable as the A50 on my head.

For gamers on the budget, I believe the Logitech G930 is what you are looking for. I respect Corsair and the H2100 is a solid headset, but the background hiss and general lack of features left me unsated. The G930 retails for $30 more, but I routinely see it for less than $90 new (on sale) so price becomes moot. With concerns of durability, it may seem like a dicey investment, but I'd risk another G930 over the H2100 for the plethora of features, a great mic, better comfort and heavier bass. Also, it does come with a 3-year warranty, so there's something to think about.

As for the rest, I found Bluetooth on the i60 and Z300 compelling. Due to questionable microphone quality and poor wireless range though, both had to be scratched off my list. Between the two, the i60 is definitely the winner for its superior Bluetooth controls, slightly richer sound and boomless mic. The i60 is actually a decent headset if you need Bluetooth and don't mind its shortcomings, its price tag was difficult to justify and that's likely why it's now available for considerably less.