As a passionate gamer, fulfilling and engaging gaming experience is of utmost importance and priority. A necessary device for any PC or laptop gamer is, of course, a good gaming headset. There are a lot of options available out there in the market, and it is not at all easy to choose the perfect gaming headset for yourself from among them, especially if you are a novice or fairly new to the gaming world. Even for the pro-gamers with experience, you know that it can get expensive with all the game upgrades and subscriptions. Also, the choice might be hard with all the new products coming up with innovative and exciting features. Thus, we have reviewed the best gaming headset available under $100 in this article. We have also summarised the factors that should be considered during the buying process and composed a step by step guide on how to choose the perfect gaming headset for you.
Top 10 Best Gaming Headsets Under $100
There is a myth that professional gaming is very expensive and drains the resources of those wanting to play. In this section, we break this very old myth and portray that gamers don’t have to pay a lot of money to get good gaming performance and fulfill all their gaming requirements. This entire section highlights the features of the top 10 best gaming headsets under $100. All of these headsets have been carefully researched and hand-picked due to the huge amount of value that they provide for gamers on a budget. The headsets discussed in this section have high-quality noise-canceling drivers, high levels of compatibility across different platforms, and they all have unique sets of features that make them capable of competing with premium quality expensive high-end gaming headsets.
The reviews go over each and every feature that you need to know about before buying the gaming headset, and it explains some of the more technical terms that most people might have trouble understanding or visualizing. We’ve included the most comprehensive summarization of the pros and cons of each product. Let us now dig into our reviews of the best gaming headsets under $100 listed below in no particular order of preference.
It is fairly well known in the gaming community that HyperX makes some of the best gaming headsets under $100. The Cloud Stringer headset model offered by HyperX has all the features you want and need in a pair of good gaming headphones. It comes with a 90-degree rotating ear cup that immensely helps you to swing them out of the way if you need to free up one of your ears. HyperX Cloud headset has a super precise and strong audio quality with the 50mm neodymium magnets blasting the sound frequencies. The signature memory foam of HyperX will offer a customized level of comfort for your long-term listening experience. The microphone is easy to use, offers clarity, and features noise-cancellation technology. This ensures that only the noise you want to broadcast reaches your teammates. It gives you control over who can hear you and when, as you can swivel it out of the way according to your wishes.
Pros
Omnidirectional Mic
Precise sound
Swivelling earcups
Memory cushion ear cups
Durable design
Cons
Slight problem with audio adjuster
One of the best things about this Turtle Beach Stealth 600 headset model is that it is wireless. Wireless gaming means you can play from anywhere in your room without the constraints of audio cables. This wireless gaming headset comes with 15-hour battery life, so all you have to do is charge it once before you start your gameplay without worrying about your wireless gaming headset getting disconnected in the middle of a mission. This is a powerful, 50mm headset with surround sound, which helps you immerse yourself in whatever game you are playing. The best thing about these gaming headsets is that it comes with a “glasses friendly” feature. A person with glasses knows about the pain of wearing them under an over-ear headset, but this headset works to relieve pressure on your glasses while you are playing. This means you will not be distracted due to any discomfort. These headsets are also compatible with the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, depending on the set you buy.
Pros
Glasses friendly
Wireless
15-hour battery life
Surround sound
Cons
Low battery alert leaves you 5 minutes before switching off
Logitech headphones are known for their comfort level and exceptional audio quality. These headphones have 90-degree earcups for removing from one ear or when you need to rest them on your head or talk to someone in the room. The folding, noise-canceling headset boasts of leather ear cushions and adjustable headband that makes them really comfortable for wearing at a stretch. They also have a rotatable mic that offers noise canceling technology to block out ambient background noise. These headsets have easily reachable volume and mic controls. On-cable sound controls with the volume dial and mute switch are close at hand for quick audio adjustments. These headphones are highly compatible with most gaming consoles and a great value for money offer.
Pros
Dolby 7.1 High-quality boom microphone
In-line controls
Comfortable fit
Adjustable boom mic
Highly compatible
Cons
Cracks occur hear joints
Earpads might be contracting
With an outstanding design in comparison to any other gaming headset, The SteelSeries Arctis 5 gaming headset surely stands out. The Discord certified ClearCast bi-directional microphone offers some of the clearest sounds and background noise-cancellation and is widely popular as the best mic in the gaming world. Your fellow gamers will be able to hear you with no impedance across the frequencies. S1 speaker drivers will give you an edge over your competitor as the audio is so clear and accurate with no lag between action and response; it truly provides fantastic sound quality. This headset is manufactured to produce very low distortion so that you don’t get any unrealistic fuzz in your ears during gameplay. The Air-Weave ear cushions are great for preventing unwanted moisture from building up around your ears while playing, allowing you to wear them for hours without discomfort. With 360-degrees of precision audio and next-generation DTS 2.0 surround sound, you can easily immerse yourself in the game with full concentration. Balancing the volume between your game and chat audio is extremely easy with the USB ChatMix Dial. It also has a light ski goggle suspension band, which provides a good gaming experience.
Pros
Multi-platform and mobile ready
Bi-directional mic
Air-Weave ear cushions
Easy personalization
Cons
7.1 setting isn’t so effective
Razer is a popular brand that consistently makes high-quality products for people on a budget. The Razer Kraken models are well known to compete with a high-end gaming headset. This will surely appeal to almost everyone looking to buy a headset.
When it comes to its technical specifications, the Kraken is extremely impressive and stands out among our other options. It has 50-mm custom-tuned drivers designed for greater audio immersion. This headset boasts of inline audio controls.
The ear cushions on the Kraken are filled with a cooling gel that makes the ear cups conform to your unique ears, and it actively works to cool your ears off. The optimum form factor also helps to release the pressure that naturally builds up in the ear cartilage from wearing headphones. This is what makes it one of the most comfortable and sought-after headsets. Adding to that, the band is also heavily padded, and the entire headset is extremely lightweight, which makes us forget that we are wearing something on our head.
The microphone is fully-retractable with an in-line remote for ultra-clear communication. It is engineered to cancel out the background noise generated around you, which makes it a lot better for in-game communication.
Pros
In-line audio control
Highly comfortable
Lightweight aluminium band
Thick padding
Cons
Lacks RGB lighting
The Corsair HS70 is one of the best wireless gaming headsets on the under $100 list. They are sturdy and well-built with a nicely padded headband and ear cups which makes it comfortable to wear them for long gaming sessions. The USB receiver has a low-latency wireless connection, which prevents lag and is very good if you are playing online games.
The headset has a well-balanced sound profile and adds bass to the quality, bringing out the intensity of certain sounds in your favorite action games yet not overpowering the chat audio. Sound customizing is available using the Corsair iCUE software’s graphic EQ or pre-sets. These headphones have good frequency response consistency, unlike many other over-ear gaming headsets. This means that the sound delivery is consistent with users. Their battery performance is fairly good, with 15 hours of life before they need to be recharged. They come with a detachable, noise-canceling unidirectional microphone that reduces ambient noise for excellent voice clarity. It is a product totally worth your money.
Pros
Wireless
Low-latency in connection
Customizable well-balanced sound profile
7.1 surround sound
Cons
Not compatible with Xbox One
Thin recording sound
The Sennheiser GSP 300 is a closed-back acoustic headset with thick padding on the headband split down the middle to decrease its weight. It also helps to allow more airflow for comfortable gaming. The flexible arm of the included boom mic helps in adjusting the mic. Also, simply raising the boom arm mutes the mic, preventing your friends from hearing your conversations, and your ears are protected from outside noises by the noise-canceling memory foam ear cups, which helps you concentrate on the game.
The GSP 300 has audio controls located on the ear cup of the headset, making it extremely easy to locate the audio controls during an intense gaming session. The GSP 300 is compatible with all major systems and is the best all-round gaming headset under $100. Apart from technical specifications, it has an extremely modern and attractive design.
Pros
Closed acoustic gaming headset
EPOS engineered high-quality audio
Microphone with flexible lift-to-mute boom arm
Intuitive integrated volume control on headset
Ergonomic design and choice of stylish colors
Multi-Platform Compatible
Cons
Not very good quality wires
The ASTRO A10 gamer headset is a very affordable model for gamers. The drivers inside of the A10 headset are 50-mm, custom-tuned to meet high standards and excellent gaming experience, and deliver stereo sound with unmatched clarity, low latency, and precise volume. The 3.5-mm audio jack allows it to be used with most devices and gaming systems, and the omnidirectional mic featuring flip-up mute functionality and in-line volume control is more than sufficient for clear communication.
The ASTRO A10 has an impeccable design. Built out of anodized aluminium, it provides a lightweight experience ideal for long hours. Also, being wrapped in a damage-resistant polycarbonate blend it is an extremely sturdy and durable headset. Ear cups are lined with memory foam cushions that are designed to fit the natural curves of your ear. There is a thick padding on the band to protect the part of your head that will actually make contact with the band. The power cord is detachable for easy storage. With so many features provided, these headphones will surely be a wise choice.
Pros
Comfortable design
Sturdy and durable
Detachable cord
Highly compatible
Omnidirectional mic featuring flip-up mute functionality
Cons
Needs an adapter for communication on PC
No surround sound
A gaming headset that really makes you feel immersed in the game is the Be excellent gaming headset. Equipped with a high precision magnetic neodymium driver, the headset has a 360-degree surround sound to provide a sense of realism to your gaming session and reproduce crystal clear sound. It has a great response for in-game nuances and a highly commendable sensitivity. Designed with comfort, durability, and ergonomic soft wear in mind, you can wear them for hours without being disturbed. The highly durable braided USB cable won’t tangle up after every use. There is a button control on the cable for easy convenience. The earpad of the headset is very comfortable, and noise-canceling is very accurate in the way it picks up your voice and differentiates between background noise and offering exceptional comfort. The mic rotates with a 120 degrees flexible design, and easy to adjust if you need it to get out of the way. It offers crystal clear audio for reliable communications with a volume wheel equipped with a one-touch mute button and a 3.5 mm jack, making it highly compatible across different gaming platforms such as PS4 Xbox One, Xbox One S/X, PC, laptop, Mac, iPad, tablet, mobile phone.
Pros
Adjustable mic
Surround sound
Ergonomically designed
Durable
Highly compatible
Cons
The old version of Xbox needs an adapter
Thinner sound quality
These BlueFire 3.5 mm headphones are originally designed and marketed for PS4 use, but they are also compatible with a few other devices. Apart from PS4, where it works the best, of course, they can also be used with Mac, PC, Nintendo switch, and tablet devices. They possess a highly precise magnetic driver that offers clear and heavy surround sound quality that makes one totally concentrate on the game. The adjustable headband paired with the extremely soft ear cups and thick band cushions play an important role in making the headphones comfortable to wear on the ear for hours without interruption. They are also very lightweight on the ear, giving you another reason why this gaming headset will not tire you out over long sessions. It is provided with a 7-foot braided cord that will not break or tangle easily, perfect for framing from some distance, without wire constraints. A piece of common knowledge is that a good pair of gaming headphones need to have the convenience of button control on the cable. The small controller on the cable allows you to turn the 120-degree rotatable mic on and off, and the volume up and down with ease, and be able to respond as fast as your character in the game can handle. This gaming headset under $100 will give you amazing gaming experience.
Pros
Comfortable
Lightweight
Highly dynamic sound
In-line button controls
PS4 designed
Cons
Not very compatible with the phone.
Too much noise canceling does not allow us to hear oneself.
Guide to Buy Best Gaming Headset Under $100
Of course, gaming headsets are nothing like ordinary headphones for daily usage. While normal headphones should have good bass quality since that is its main feature, but when it comes to gaming headsets, it should have some more features that aid the gaming environment like a wholesome and strong sound experience, better clarity, precision microphone, and good noise cancellation to avoid transmission of unwanted background noise. Gaming headsets should be quite tough and durable, especially because they might undergo rough treatment as you can get quite passionate while winning or losing a match. Also, they should be easy to control and simple to operate so that you can play your game with full concentration.
Thus, we have tried to summarise certain things to consider before buying headsets for gaming. They are listed as follows:
- COMFORT
Gamers need to wear a gaming headset for a long time at a stretch, so comfort is very important. It is always the first and foremost factor to consider in the buying process. The gaming headset should be lightweight but not loose – it should be such that you forget you are even wearing something on your head. It shouldn’t cause you any pain or discomfort or distract you while wearing it in a game. Sometimes sweating becomes a problem with certain types of material that stick to your ears. According to your comfort, you can buy the type of headset that sits over the top of your ears and onto the head, thereby preventing any kind of sweating or discomfort around the ear cartilages. The ear cups of a gaming headset should not harm the delicate ear bones and cause pain to the outer cartilage of the ear. Also, you should look for an adjustable headband for a customizable comfort level. The comfort level is very important for the satisfaction you get out of your headphones, and it will play a vital role in determining your win in the game when you are playing for long hours.
- WIRED OR WIRELESS
It depends on you whether you want to go for wired gaming headsets or the wireless ones. Wireless headsets are a little bit more expensive, and if you are looking for cheap ones, they may not be as reliable, especially if the Bluetooth connection is not good enough. Imagine the signal disconnecting during a crucial moment in the game – and you end up losing the game because of that. It is surely not a favorable outcome and must be avoided at all costs.
This will rarely ever occur with wired headphones, as they will provide constant connectivity no matter what, unless there is a rat that chewed on your wires. It is also lighter on your wallet and helps you save some resources. But with wired headsets, you will have to be close to your gaming console, and if that restricts your playing, then feel free to look for wireless gaming headsets.
- SOUND EXPERIENCE
When buying headsets, the sound distribution is very crucial and important as it makes you feel involved in the game. There are two types of sound distributions – surround sound and stereo sound. Surround sound helps you to put all your concentration in the game and immerse yourself while playing, providing you with a wholesome experience that makes you feel like a part of the game. Surround sound is a little more expensive, and you might come across some knock-offs, claiming to be surround sound, but what they really do is mimic that sensation using some audio tricks. Oftentimes, the quality of the sound from these knock-offs can be muffled due to the audio tricks, and it might ruin your experience. So be careful while buying.
Stereo sound distribution, on the other hand, is a little less digitally-driven. The signal that comes through the two headphones is nearly always independent of each other. It is a slightly cheaper option, but still, you will get a very integrated experience from your gaming headset. The sound offered by the stereo distribution is more organic and provides you with a strong experience while gaming. It might also be the better pick as far as price is concerned.
- SPEAKER SIZE
Speakers ranging in size from 10mm to over 50mm are included on our list. As you might know, the larger the driver, the more depth and volume you will experience in that headset. This means that you can hear anything and everything from the booming highs frequencies to the whisper-quiet low frequencies.
If you prefer immersing yourself in the gaming environment, graphics, and audio from your favorite games, you will want to choose a headset with a 50mm or larger speaker. If you do not mind playing in a quieter, more mild setting, opting for a smaller speaker should not be an issue. As for the team at High Ground, they would typically prefer medium-sized 40mm speakers that strike the perfect balance of tones.
- MICROPHONE
While gaming, there are some that like going solo, while there are some that need to be played as teams. Thus, strategizing with team members, and communicating with them as well as hurling challenging phrases at the opposite team is very important. Thus, keeping constant contact is very important in the online gaming scenario. Thus, the need to be heard clearly amidst the various sound effects of the game is very important, so a good gaming headset requires a booming mic attached to it for clear transmission of audio.
There are some headsets that do not have a mic attached to the headset at all but allows you to attach one externally. This comes at cheaper rates but might be compromising in duality because the mic that we attach externally might not be compatible with our headset. On the other hand, some headsets come with a microphone attached near the ear cups out of the visual periphery to ease our game.
Mics are of two types – unidirectional and omnidirectional. Unidirectional mics pick up the sound coming from in front of you, while omnidirectional mics pick up sound from around you. You can opt for either of the two types according to your needs.
- DURABILITY
It is common knowledge that gamers tend to get excited and a lot more active and animated in their movements while playing, often banging headsets and keyboards on the gaming table. Rarely you will be sitting comfortably and immobile while you’re playing games on your console or PC. Thus, paying attention to the durability of your headset is a very important aspect to consider during the purchasing process. Not only due to excitement or passion, but also sudden accidents like dropping the headset on the ground, or sitting on it by mistake, can damage the headset. In these situations, it provides an assurance that you have extra protection against accidental damage or wear. Sturdy and durable headsets will last long and help you survive through the harshest barrages of gunfire.
- WARRANTY
Making sure that the manufacturer offers a reliable warranty is important while choosing your gaming headset. A warranty provides you with protection against possible defects or malfunctions and the ability to replace a pair of headsets with ease under any sort of damage. A reliable headset warranty gives you confidence and peace of mind and allows you to deal with unwanted damages easily and quickly.
CONCLUSION
Headsets are the ultimate accessory required by a gamer to transform an average game into a completely vivid and memorable encounter. You need a headset that will limit or practically extinguish the entirety of the sounds around you. However, while giving you a completely clear audio quality that can be used to comprehend and control what is happening on the screen, it should also transmit your voice just as clearly to your fellow players.
Before buying a headset, make sure to take time and invest in exploring the entirety of the items that are on offer if you want an extremely successful and satisfying purchase. You need to ensure they are the best headset for PS4 or Xbox One or compatible with all platforms as per your requirements before you purchase them. Go through the features of the headset carefully, view the highlights, the pros, and the cons, to be absolutely sure about what to expect from a gaming headset.
In the event that you need a headset for more than gaming, at that point, ensure it is compatible across all cases, with PCs, Macs, all mobiles, and so on.
In case if you want to tune into a lot of music with your headset, you may consider whether you need a retractable or an absolutely removable mic.
Wireless capability is also another significant factor to be considered. You need to consider the distance from your visual device, where you would like to sit, is the wire going to be sufficiently long, or would you say you are one of those people who cannot stand the sight of constricting cables and wires and needs everything to be wireless.
The most certain thing is that if you pick a gaming headset from the above-mentioned list of best gaming headsets under $100, then you won’t be disappointed in the quality received within such a pocket-friendly budget. We hope that this article will be helpful to the interested gaming headset buyers out there, and we always encourage our readers to buy those products which provide them the best features within their investment.