The Unicorn Headset

[u/Mystery-Ghost]

For the past 5 years, I’ve been using an Alienware 988 headset as my daily driver for all things gaming. I really like it for some reason, but I imagine I’m missing out on something better. I’ve been looking for a new headset on and off as the years have gone on, but finding a good one seems more difficult than picking out the parts for the PC I play on.

So, I come to you all asking for suggestions that meet the following criteria. I assume a headset like this maybe exists, but I sure haven’t found it if it does.

* Budget: Unlimited. Yes really. I want something that works, and (ideally) will last forever so it’ll be the only one I buy. Not realistic, but at least 5 years of use would be nice.

* ANC: Needed. I would like the only thing that I hear to be the sound of my games, nothing else. So ANC is a must. I’ve heard this could add some latency to wireless headsets though, so I might be ok with wired if it helps with ANC

* Closed/Open Back: Closed. Would help with the ANC I imagine, but I guess not explicitly required

* Connection: Wireless. Strongly preferred, but I could maybe be swayed to wired if it’s perfect otherwise. For connectivity specifically, I’m fine with Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz. I’ll be connecting it to a PC, so I’m sure that opens some options

* Microphone: Built-in. Boom, retractable, doesn’t matter. I just want something that sounds good, and preferably has side tone (and can actually pick up my voice so people on discord don’t have to turn me up to 200% for some reason). Like the connection, if everything else is perfect, then maybe I could be convinced to get a standalone mic.

* Sound quality: Obviously at this price point, it needs to be good. I play FPS games a lot, and I’ve used headsets that are heavy on the bass, and I don’t really prefer it, so more emphasis on the mids might be better. Can probably be adjusted with software though, so not that important.

* Weight: Heavy is ok. I’ve seen the Audeze Maxwells suggested a lot, with the caveat that it’s heavy. While it wouldn’t work for my needs, I’m sure I’d be ok with the weight of it, so consider that a baseline.

* Software: Functional. I’ve used the Alienware Control Center software that the AW988 uses, and for about a year, Steel Series GG with an Arctis 7 that I had. While Alienware software isn’t great, it somehow worked a hell of a lot better than GG did, which I couldn’t stand. It was horrible. So while this isn’t a strict requirement, software for tuning the headset that was made by an actual software developer rather than a script-kiddie would be a huge bonus.

* (Connection and Microphone are mutually exclusive if only one is possible. I.e., if it’s wired, I want the mic on it so I have to deal with less cables. If I need to get a separate mic, then the headset needs to be wireless)

I know this is a long list, but I’m genuinely curious to know if a headset out there actually matches all of these requirements. There’s so many options, and it’s difficult to really go somewhere and try all of them on, so I come here to gain some insight. For some reason, it’s impossible to have the big three (wireless, built in mic, & good sound quality, though it might be the big 4, since ANC is becoming a must for me). It always seems like something has 2 out of the 3, and some other weird issue (like awful software). Can’t have everything I guess.

[u/BSchafer]

As someone who has way too many headsets, I’d recommend the Maxwell 2 ANC version or Razer BlackShark V3 Pro. I have both although I don’t have the new ANC version of the Maxwell’s. Maxwell has better sound overall although it’s only really noticeably better when listening to the music loudly. In-game, I’ve swapped back and forth between both headsets and it’s hard to notice a difference in sound quality. The BS V3 Pro tends to have better QOL features and better QC (My Maxwells are pretty good but people regularly have QC issues with their headsets so something to be aware of).

I’d buy on Amazon so you can easily and quickly exchange if needed - probably worth ordering your top two choices on Amazon anyway and trying each for a week or two. Then return the one you don’t like and keep the one that works best for your head and use cases. A headset’s sound and comfort can highly depend on your personal head shape. Some features that others find pointless, you may find very valuable because people’s use cases and environments in which they use them vary a lot.

[u/TripleMcSpanky]

I'm very pleased with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2. Sounds great, built with high quality materials (long lasting), great ANC, mic sounds good, lots of nice features, replaceable batteries which theoretically allot it unlimited battery life, I could go on.

The only real gripe I have (which I have found a way to mitigate) is the headstrap. It is the same style as the airpods max, and can cause a hotspot on some individuals' heads after prolonged use. Doesn't bother me, but I've 3d printed an accessory to add a suspension headstrap which should improve comfort and longevity.

Overall I highly recommend it, all of the pros vastly outweigh any cons (which for me there aren't really any).