Best gaming headset under $100 2023: Wired & wireless
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In today’s market, choosing the best gaming headset for under $100 can be a difficult and strenuous task – especially when you consider the abundance of high-quality offerings that grace this price range.
While headsets of this price point far exceed anything found in the under $50 category, choosing one that’s right for your needs is still a very difficult process.
Best gaming headset under $100 2023: our top picks
The following article will be a comprehensive breakdown of what we believe are the best gaming headsets for under $100 in today’s market. We take key features such as build quality, sound performance, comfort, and connectivity into consideration before concluding whether or not a headset is worthy of this title.
So, without further ado, let’s take a first look at some of the contenders in this extremely competitive price pool!
Best gaming headsets under $100 2023
SteelSeries Arctis 5
HyperX Cloud Flight
Corsair Void Pro
Razer Kraken Tournament Edition
Logitech G433
Best gaming headset under $100 2023: reviews
SteelSeries Arctis 5
- 40mm neodymium drivers
- Award winning sound quality
- Excellent design
- USB ChatMix dial
- Studio quality voice clarity
- Cable a bit too long
The SteelSeries Arctis 5 gaming headset offers a brilliant sound that can be further tuned for personal preference, exceptional comfort and one of the best microphones in the under $100 category.
It is good to see SteelSeries haven’t overdone it in terms of design and while keeping things simple they have managed to create some very sleek looking headphones. The simplistic color and look are matched by relatively unoffensive shapes and some very nice earcups with just the right amount of RGB lighting.
This gaming headset is relatively lightweight at just 0.3 KG and they don’t look or feel too bulky like some other gaming headsets. The suspended strap cushions your head nicely while the soft padding on the earcups never seems to irritate or crush your ears too much. Overall the Arctis 5’s are supremely comfy and the construction feels solid, leaving you with a great long-lasting pair of headphones.
This set has award-winning sound quality that will see you through in gaming however I wouldn’t expect these to replace a good pair of audio headphones for music any time soon. To accompany the sound quality we see a studio-quality microphone featuring to give you some clarity with those in-game calls.
The SteelSeries Arctis 5’s are an excellent set of gaming headphones with a comfortable design and intuitive software to boot. This headset offers refined sound and will serve you well for gaming however the cable is rather too long so a bit of cable management may be required.
Check out the full Steelseries Arctis 5 review Here
HyperX Cloud Flight
- Great value
- Impressive 30hour battery life
- Very comfy
- 2.4Ghz wireless connection
- Build materials could be better for the price
HyperX features in many headset breakdowns thanks to their diverse range and affordable prices. The HyperX Cloud Flight’s are considered one of the best wireless gaming headsets around the $100 category.
The design to these is quite plain but represents the HyperX brand with the classic black and red accented color scheme. The design may be simplistic but the comfort is quite impressive with memory foam featuring in the ear cups. This gaming headset feels very robust with just enough adjustment to keep them comfy for even the biggest of heads.
The sound quality from the Cloud Flights is of good quality and the headset performed well in games, making it easy to hear subtle enemy noise. This headset did seem a little too bassy for me but it could be sorted with some tweaking and the mic was of ok quality although I would have preferred to see a retractable microphone featured.
This headset may just creep out of budget but they needed to feature on the $100 category. The HypoerX Cloud Flight gaming headset has an excellent wireless range with minimal to no latency issues and as far as headsets at this price go you will struggle to beat the value of these.
Check out the full HyperX Cloud Flight review Here
Corsair Void Pro
- Dolby 7.1 surround sound
- Great sound quality
- Nice gaming design
- RGB logo
- Mic quality not good enough for streaming
The Corsair Void Pro RGB headset is the sequel to the plain old Corsair Void’s. This updated pair of headphones gets an increase in audio quality and features 7.1 surround sound.
The first thing to note with the Void Pro’s is that they look 100% like a gaming headset and they would be ideal for day-to-day music around the office. With sharp angles and squared-off ear cups, they appear very “esport” like and it’s a design that has grown on me. The earcups also feature RGB and despite looking quite nice it is just the Corsair logo that lights up.
They are mostly of plastic construction and feel a little flimsy. You would think if they feel like flimsy plastic they would be light but they are actually a little heavier than most in this category at 0.4 KG. This is the wired version we are recommending but this gaming headset is also available in wireless for the cable haters out there.
The sound quality wasn’t all that bad on these, especially when you factor in the price. You can, of course, tweak the audio in the Corsair software but you will find all the EQ settings tailored towards gaming and they do a good job. The audio seemed to be vivid with the surround sound assisting in games and adding a sense of immersion.
Overall the Void Pro’s impressed and with a little tweaking, they weren’t too bad for music either. The mic was a bit average for recording or streaming but for gaming, there were no complaints.
If you are a hardcore gamer then you won’t be disappointed at the value of the Corsair Void Pro RGB gaming headset.
Razer Kraken Tournament Edition
- Good value
- Good value
- Noise cancelling retractable mic
- Impressive comfort
- Attractive design
- Longevity is questionable
Razer headsets as a whole are generally good with build quality often being superb. Unfortunately with some Razer headsets after a while, they can begin to leak sound and this is where the Kraken TE seems to have been improved over the plain Kraken’s.
This headset is currently at the lowest price it has ever been and it offers seriously good value for what you are getting. The design isn’t all that new for a Razer product and the Kraken TE’s don’t have any noticeable design changes. It’s a very visually pleasing design as you would expect from Razer and the headphones really dol look and feel premium. The earcups are larger than the non-Tournament Edition set but not so big you couldn’t wear these as your everyday music headphones.
This gaming headset features a retractable noise-canceling microphone which is decent and probably my favorite feature as the mic can be kept safe when traveling or just plain hidden. The volume controls actually feel responsive for once and I quite like the bulky nature of the controls too. The headset can be connected by USB or 3.5mm audio but the USB connects the AMP to your PC and then you plug in the 3.5mm jack into the “AMP/controls”.
This is a surprisingly comfy headset and much more so than the older Kraken’s thanks to the oversized earcups. The headband is soft and rests nicely on your head while there is still a nice amount of adjustment coming from the cups to make them supremely comfy for extended sessions.
For a low price, you are getting great sound quality, a well-thought-out design, and high levels of comfort.
Check out the full Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Review Here.
Logitech G433
- Award winning sound qualtiy
- Stain-resistant fabric
- Hydrophobic
- Detachable boom mic
- A bit underwhelming for the price
The Logitech G433 gaming headset offers 7.1 surround sound and interesting fabric design. With this pair of headphones, we see a detachable microphone and plenty of connectivity options.
The fabric design is quite nice aesthetically and I suppose a better alternative for those that live in hotter climates as faux leather can be a pain. Despite the material being different from the rest in this category this headset is quite plain but Logitech always go for functionality over style.
Despite the fabric material feeling rather nice the overall headset didn’t seem quite as comfy as a gaming headset with a suspended strap. These didn’t stack up to bad though and the adjustable earcups moved enough to get them in a comfortable position.
This headset is well balanced with a tonal range that doesn’t seem to be too bassy. Gaming, in general, was pleasant across a wide selection of games. Thanks to the simplistic style of the G433’s you could use them every day for music but they aren’t exactly impressive in the music department so don’t go replacing your decent everyday headphones with these.
This headset is of solid construction and whilst being simplistic, is a very attractive headset. The sound quality may not be as good as others on the list but it’s good enough for gaming. Overall we have something of high build quality that looks the part too!
How We Choose
Whether we’re reviewing new monitors or the best GPU on the market, choosing the right hardware can always be a tricky task.
It requires hours of product research, performance benchmarking, and reviewing user feedback to get anywhere close to a definitive conclusion on what to recommend.
If you aren’t tech-savvy and struggle to put the time aside to go through the above requirements, you may end up purchasing a GPU that simply isn’t right for you.
Fear not though, friends! Here at WePC, we like to take the stress of research away, and transform the whole process into an easy-to-follow, complete buyers guide. That’s right, our team of PC enthusiasts has done all the hard work for you!
How We Test
To bring you a more legitimate selection of recommendations we don’t just stop after doing our research, we purchase and test a wide range of products. We always want to buy the products first (unless we get sent them) to ensure what we are saying is actually correct.
Testing is massively important, as it gives both us here at WePC and you the computer loving nerds, a better idea of what makes a gaming headset truly the best. To ensure we are giving well-informed advice, we take our newly purchased products and use the hell out of them until we have whittled the selections down to about five or seven products.
Things to Consider When Choosing A Gaming Headset
When it comes to parting with between $50-$100 you need assurances that you aren’t just wasting that hard-earned cash, so there are certain things to consider before purchasing. The headset market is a minefield with large amounts of different manufacturers saturating the market with hundreds of different options. Let’s go over a few things before you start to make your decision.
Microphone
In the under $100 category, it’s much more common to see removable and retractable microphones for a greater amount of flexibility in your usage. Obviously, communication is the key to success in almost all multiplayer titles, especially for the competitive bunch out there. With the best gaming headsets for under $100, we see a rise in microphone quality and some exciting features like noise cancellation.
All the microphones in this category are great for gaming communications and will be a reliable companion; however, only some on this list are of good enough quality for live streaming.
Sound Quality
As we go up in budget, we also increase the audio quality from the gaming headsets in the respective category. Gaming headsets are known for flat, mediocre sound quality, and that is why we have ensured we pick the best we can for the respective budget.
While the quality of the audio could come down to preference, the stereo imaging is highly important in the gaming world.
Compatibility
You want to make sure your new headset is compatible with whatever you plan to use it with. If you buy a gaming headset with a USB connector but want to use it on other devices like a phone, then you could be disappointed. It isn’t hard finding out what a specific gaming headset will work with because the information should be clearly listed on the products selling page or box.
Comfort
Comfort is up there in terms of importance, as gamers can wear these headsets for hours at a time. An uncomfortable headset over time can start to annoy you and possibly affect your in-game mentality.
In this category, comfort shouldn’t be compromised as decent materials are used, and the construction tends to be of high quality. If you can get your hands on a gaming headset that has room for adjustment and also feels solid, then you are potentially onto a winner in the comfort game.
Surround Sound
Surround sound is quite a common feature when buying a gaming headset for under $100, and it is one of the most immersive ways to play certain titles. This technology utilizes several direction audio drivers which make the sound seem like it’s coming from behind you or in the distance. Surround sound is a useful gaming tool and is dropping in price all the time.
Of course, surround sound isn’t a necessity, and stereo provides excellent gaming performance, but you won’t get that 360-degree arc with your sound.
Drivers
The drivers in a headset can determine the quality of sound you are going to experience. 50mm neodymium drivers are the most common, but you do see headsets feature 35mm and 40mm. Manufacturers tend to tune the drivers to their own specifications, so when buying from reputable manufacturers, you can often find better sound quality. If a company claims to use proprietary drivers, you can rest assured that they’ll produce high-quality sound.
Wireless Headsets
There is a wireless headset featuring in this list, and they can come with many advantages over their wired counterparts, but they can also suffer from some major drawbacks too.
Range
The range, or frequency response, is one of the more technical terms for a wireless gaming headset. The lower end of the frequency response is responsible for the bass notes and the higher end of the frequency bringing you high notes. So, if one headset can produce 15hz, and another can only produce 20hz, the first can theoretically produce lower sounds. The frequency doesn’t really refer to the overall sound quality though, so don’t get carried away by large ranges.
Battery Life
If you go for a wireless headset the last thing you need is running out of charge so battery life is key when it comes to these types of headsets. The average battery life for a modern headset is somewhere between 15 and 30 hours which is roughly a week of playtime, so anything more and you’re all set.
Latency
When you are connected wirelessly, a signal is used which can be delayed if your connection isn’t fast enough. When it comes to wireless connectivity you should aim for a minimum of 2.4GHz.
Final Word
So, there you have it, our comprehensive guide to the best gaming headsets for under $100. We’ve tried to keep the reviews as short as possible, however, for those that are still unsure on which headset best suits their needs, here’s the final round-up.
It’s now down to you to choose which of the gaming headsets above best suits your needs. Ultimately, each one offers a slightly different set of pros and cons, so choosing one should be fairly simple. However, we know it isn’t always that simple!
Why not leave us a comment down below letting us know which headset under $100 would best suit you. Better still, why not head over to the Community Hub where you connect with like-minded individuals and discuss everything headset-related.
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