Often, we concentrate on enhancing our gaming experience through superior gaming TVs or more powerful graphics cards, prioritizing visuals. However, the quality of audio in our games is equally crucial. Nothing can undermine an experience quite like poor audio, headsets under $100 can solve that. A highly compressed video may still be tolerable if the sound is clear, but a high-quality video with distorted or unsynchronized audio is far more unpleasant. Additionally, a subpar audio experience can cause discomfort to your ears due to sudden loud noises or undetected enemy sounds until it’s too late.

Buying headsets under $100 in 2023 is confusing

Regardless of your budget, there are tens, if not hundreds of headsets under $100 to choose from. All with different specs, quality, volume, battery, and more confusing details.

You could go all out and spend $300 on the Wireless Astro A50s, or you could spend $40 on a solid pair of Razor Krakens, but is there really much difference?

Ultimately, no, not really. Sure, you’ll get some fancy software with the Astros. A few extra hours of battery life, but if you’re a casual gamer, how much does that matter?

Headset #1: SteelSeries Arctics 3

Currently my daily driver, the Steel Series Arctis 3s are an uber comfortable headset. You can wear these for hours without even noticing that they surround your ears, and that’s thanks to the super breathable mesh ear cups, that comfortably wrap around even my dumbo-like ears.

Coming in at just under $70, they bring serious value for money to the table. The retractable mic boom allows you to hide the mic, for use away from the game, with a super small profile.

Combining fantastic audio quality, great comfort & microphone quality, you’re guaranteed to be satisfied with this one.

Link: https://amzn.to/3MFU7qM

Rating: 4/5 stars

Headset #2: HYPERX Cloud Alpha

Coming from a fairly unknown brand, the HYPERX Cloud Alphas are actually, a very solid buy. With a frequency between 18-23,000 Hz, they will serve you very well, especially at the cheaper end of the budget scale. The swivel microphone will get you far enough.

The 1.3m 3.5mm cord is long enough to let you set your controller down, and the durable aluminium frame will take a bit of a beating before scratches show – if you’re inclined to throw tantrums like I am.

This remarkable gaming headset excels at eliminating external noises. This offers a significant benefit, as it prevents everyday household sounds from intruding into your game and negatively impacting the audio quality. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of damaging your ears from excessive volume. A bonus feature of this well-insulated headset is that it prevents sound leakage from the ear cups, ensuring you won’t disturb others nearby.

Link: https://amzn.to/40fPJSh

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Headset #3: Razer Kraken X Ultralight Gaming Headset

Despite its numerous advantages, the $40 price tag for this headset is quite reasonable. It delivers excellent audio performance in games, emphasizing trebles and vocals. Moreover, the headset is exceptionally comfortable to wear for extended periods and is lightweight enough to make you forget the bulkiness of other headsets, such as Razer’s Kraken Tournament Edition. If you’re seeking an affordable gaming headset with impressive sound quality that is compatible with all your devices, this headset is an effortless recommendation, even if it isn’t the absolute best option available.

The Kraken X headset is versatile, offering compatibility with gaming PCs, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and mobile phones (with a headphone jack), providing excellent sound quality across all platforms. I extensively tested the Kraken X with various PC games, including Overwatch, CoD Warzone and Battlefied V.

This headset particularly shines in rendering vocal lines, such as dialogue in campaigns, and music, like the dynamic background tunes in Battlefield V. However, it’s worth noting that the headset’s bass performance is somewhat lacking. While the directional sound in Warzone was satisfactory, the game’s gunplay occasionally felt less beefy.

Link: https://amzn.to/41lbvVU

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

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