Best Headphones & Earphones For Gaming

Audeze Maxwell Playstation/Xbox Wireless Gaming Headphones – £319.00/£349.00

The Audeze Maxwell is the ultimate gaming headset in 2024. Delivering unparalleled sound quality, cutting-edge wireless performance, and a staggering 80-hour battery life. The Maxwell has been designed from the ground up with both serious and casual gamers in mind. It combines immersive audio with incredible comfort for those marathon gaming sessions. With its precision-tuned drivers and robust build, the Maxwell has set a new standard for gaming headsets. Even after over a year on the market, the Maxwell continues to solidify its deserved place at the very top.

Final VR500– £29.00

A perfect companion to all those virtual reality headsets that will be under the tree this year. The Final VR500 is a stellar choice for gamers, delivering pinpoint audio accuracy through a specialized acoustic design that enhances three-dimensional sound imaging. Its precision-tuned dynamic drivers ensure every in-game cue. From subtle footsteps to explosive effects, every sound is rendered with crystal clarity, giving you a competitive and/or immersive edge. Lightweight and compatible with all gaming genres, the VR500 combines Final’s high-end audio expertise with affordability, making it perfect for more immersive gaming sessions.

Final VR2000 Virtual Reality In Ear Isolating Gaming Earphones – £59.99

The VR2000 builds on the immense success of their gaming earphone predecessor the VR3000, which is known for their overwhelming spatial expression. The VR2000 focuses on the rapid response and aims to make object sounds within game audio more noticeable. Many typical gaming earbuds and headphones emphasize an exaggerated sound quality, aiming to accentuate sound effects for a more dramatic experience for the user. But in competitive gaming such as arcade fighting (Tekken), FPS (Apex Legends), Third person shooters such as Fortnite or rhythm games sich as Osu! it’s no exaggeration to say that the player’s quick judgment in reacting to sound effects can largely influence the outcome of each round. The VR2000 is a set of professional-grade earbuds developed specifically for players who are serious about winning.

READ MORE: final VR2000 Gaming Earphones

Audeze LCD-GX – £899.00

The Audeze LCD-GX is the pinnacle of gaming headphones. It genuinely offers unmatched sound accuracy and detail for an immersive gaming experience. Designed for serious audiophile gamers, it combines the finest sound quality with clear voice chat. It is the ideal solution for competitive play & story-driven adventures. Its premium build, exquisite design, and professional-grade performance set it apart as the ultimate choice for gamers who demand the very best. For the listening experience and the immersion it provides, you simply won’t find a better gaming headset and certainly not one that looks and feels as exquisite as the LCD-GX.

Bonus Tip

iFi Audio GO Link MAX – £79.00

The iFi GO Link MAX is a fantastic addition to any gaming setup, delivering audiophile-grade sound in a compact, portable form. Its powerful DAC transforms your audio completely. Compatible with a wide range of devices and featuring high-resolution playback support, it ensures your gaming audio matches the intensity of the visuals on screen. Whether you’re gaming on a PC, laptop, or mobile device, the GO Link MAX will elevate your experience to new heights.

Anything we have missed? Let us know what you use for Gaming in the comments below!

You can access all of our best of guides here.

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Audeze Maxwell Head-Tracking Support – Press Release

Los Angeles, CA – Oct 25th, 2023. Audeze, a leading premium headphone manufacturer, is proud to announce the beta launch of a significant firmware upgrade to its award-winning Maxwell headset – head tracking support – which will be compatible with the DolbyAtmos® Renderer for professional mixing. Utilizing built-in hardware already included in every Maxwell headset, this integration transforms Maxwell into a powerful tool optimized for
content creators and audio engineers mixing in Dolby Atmos.

“We plan to use the head tracking capabilities of Maxwell for future collaborations, and expect to
foster a growing community of Dolby Atmos creators,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, Audeze CEO and founder.

Audeze Maxwell – Your Studio on the go. Get your own set here

With virtual and remote collaborations growing amongst the creative community, Audeze’s enhanced Maxwell headset is suited to meet the needs of this growing field. In parallel, the creativity community is fully embracing Dolby Atmos, making the Maxwell headset a great tool for creatives looking to break free from the traditional constraints of stereo to deliver unparalleled immersion and clarity in their mixes. All users need to do is open up their latest Dolby Atmos session, connect the Dolby Atmos Renderer application, and plug in the USB dongle or USB cable to create and monitor Dolby Atmos mixes with real-time head tracking.
Providing a highly immersive preview of their audio creations. It’s your studio on-the-go.

Maxwell’s new integration for the Dolby Atmos Renderer will offer a streamlined user experience. Users can create and monitor Dolby Atmos mixes with real-time head tracking, providing a highly immersive preview of their mix. For further information on how to enable head tracking with the Dolby Atmos Renderer on Mac or Windows machines, visit this link.

Head tracking follows the orientation of your head and allows you to interact with the virtual room in real-time when monitoring binaurally with headphones. It creates a more lifelike experience that mimics the studio environment with speakers. This can lead to greater accuracy when placing objects in the three-dimensional space. Additionally, because it approximates the mix room, you may find that you can spend more time comfortably mixing on headphones. Especially for those occasions when you’re traveling or otherwise away from the studio.

Dolby Atmos is an innovative audio experience that envelops you in an immersive soundscape. While music mixed in stereo is limited to left and right channels, music mixed in Dolby Atmos is freed from channels. Allowing artists to now place individual sounds all around you. They can also decide the volume, size, and diffusion level of each vocal, guitar, or drum to reveal nuanced details in the music. Artists can now deliver music in Dolby Atmos through several leading streaming services and the most popular devices for streaming music. Including mobile, smart speakers and even auto.

Audeze Maxwell (Xbox)Features

• Audeze HQ – 10 band graphic EQ, sidetone toggling, saving/editing presets (coming soon!), the place to easily upgrade the firmware. A great app to perfect your desired sound signature and a must for any competitive gamer out there.
• Dolby Atmos – Pre-paid license that can now take advantage of head tracking support for your professional mixes
• Brand new chassis – Built with aluminium and steel.
• Award-winning – Audeze 90mm planar magnetic drivers
• Wired Connection – Absolutely Top Notch with the AUX cable into a controller or via a USB into the PC.
• Volume control – Separate controls for the Volume and the Mic which allows for great control of sound mix.
• Pre-installed Presets – Easy to toggle through the EQ presets. the Immersive preset is a must try, phenomenal.
• 80hr+ Battery Life – With Fast Charge for All Day Play in 20 min
• Bluetooth 5.3 – Also supports LE Audio, LC3plus, LDAC

Still Interested? Read our own in house review of the Audeze Maxwell here.

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The sound from these headphones for gaming is beyond phenomenal

Sound Quality: 12/10

Sound is subjective, but the sound from these headphones for gaming is nothing short of phenomenal. The detail is outrageous. The soundstage and direction are astonishing, simply beyond description. They work so well with spatial audio programs (such as Tempest) to deliver an immersive sound that you can now not live without. With the Audeze HQ app, you can create custom presets (coming soon!) and create sound profiles for specific games. The pre-installed presets offer a great variety of tuning and are easy to change with a few clicks and swishes on the volume wheel. This is the best sound from a gaming headset that I have ever heard. I am not sure if it can be topped.

Design: 10/10

The Audeze Maxwell gaming headset design is an upgrade to the Penrose in every conceivable way. It has a perfect balance of a simple, sleek looking headset with an air of quality that is captivating, but not ostentatious in the slightest. The smokey grey / black colour palette provides a subtlety that this is stylish and the small Audeze logo above the ear cups reminds you just how lucky you are that Audeze make gaming headsets. Finally, the earpads look almost fluffy and robust at the same time, you just want to squeeze them.

The longest I have used them in a one-er was 8 hours and I could have really worn them for 8 more.

Comfort: 9.5/10

Another subjective topic but these headphones fit great. Despite the weight (450-500 grams) they are extremely comfortable. The new headband design really spreads the weight out and they do not feel as heavy as they objectively are. After adjusting the strap by one notch, they sit on my head in between tight/ loose, Maybe I got lucky but I felt like Goldilocks when I put them back on my head.

The earpads are extremely comfortable and they fit my big ears fine. I could really wear them all day. They lose half a point because sometimes my ears can get a bit too heated (I am not sure if this is really a result of the earpads getting a bit stuffy or a result of the total immersion making me sweat more). A bit more testing is required here ;). The longest I have used them in a one-er was 8 hours and I could have really worn them for 8 more. They are also very flexible and rest perfect around your neck due to the swivel on the cups.

Wireless Signal: 10/10

People used to complain about the poor range of the wireless signal for the Penrose. Let’s just say the Maxwell has eliminated any lingering issues here. If my eyes were good enough, I am pretty sure I could play my Playstation from my neighbours house and the sound would still be lossless. The connection is 100% stable via dongle or bluetooth. With capabilities for Bluetooth 5.3 as well as LE Audio, LC3plus, LDAC codecs, it all but guarantees these headphones are going to be viable for years to come.

Mic: 10/10

The boom mic is fantastic and the AI noise suppression tech is beyond incredible. People can always hear me clearly and for in-game chat it is perfect. The mic is in fact so good, I have started using the headset to answer calls at work. You can turn the sidetone on or off, as well as having 3 settings for the AI filter system (low, high or off).

Let’s Talk about the Sound

The Soundstage of the Maxwell is absolutely fantastic. Simply put you have to try them out to understand. Playing Apex legends, I can perfectly pin point where the bullets are coming from and work out if the players footsteps are above or below me. With Tempest audio on, you even get a sense of perception of just how far (or near) they are to you. I am pretty sure I can now work out what character I am chasing/ be chased by just from the footsteps! Those sweaty Wraiths now stand no chance against me (Huwah ah ah). It is like having a second controller but not only that, a second controller which brings you directly into the world you are playing.

Away from competitive gaming and into the wonderful world (and surroundings) of Hogwarts, my mind was shattered into pieces. I do not normally play single player games with a headset. But naturally I had to give it a go with the Maxwell. The music from the 4 different vivariums was literally flowing through me. When I turned my character in a different direction in a dungeon and heard something behind me, I had the urge to look behind me IRL. In two words: Absolutely captivating.

The bass is boomy when it needs to be and the sub-bass is colossal. Gunshots, explosions & footsteps are more realistic than ever before. There are actual textural details that can be heard (and felt!) with said impacts, explosions and things such as your character interacting with inanimate objects.

The scurrying of the spiders around the next upcoming corner literally sent shivers up my spine. Flying my Night Dancer Broom under moonlight with the Maxwells on allowed for a sense of immersion I never experienced in my living room before. The wind was blowing my hair, the 360 degree-ness of what you can hear and just how every detail can be heard as well as felt, made a fantasy game about witches and wizards into a quasi hyper-realistic experience.

In not so emotional terms:

The Audeze Maxwell has great width, but its height and depth is where it truly shines. It is really rare for a wireless headphone to have such good imaging as well as such a massive dynamic soundstage. This also means that these headphones are not just for games. They are suitable for listening to music too and I highly recommend it!

Presets and my love of the V shape sound for gaming

I have used the Maxwell nearly exclusively with the “immersive” preset. Which essentially EQ’s it into a “V” shape. For myself and others who are not really Audiophiles, this means the immersive preset for the Audeze Maxwell has an amplified low end, a toned down mid range, and an amplified high end. This tuning works very well for games and with the Audeze Maxwell this essentially means that sound effects are more vivid and memorable. These sound effects get clear detail from the treble boost and a roar of energy from the boosted lows. In-game actions such as swapping guns, reloading, jumping, opening and closing doors, sheathing or unsheathing your sword (or wand!) have a satisfying crispness that I never knew existed. These are the perfect gaming headphones for me, I have peaked.

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