I hear mixed things about it. I wanted them but since they’re 100$, it’s hard to drop that much since I heard some people talking about the sound quality and comfortability.

Background of me: avid headphone enthusiast, owning many different pairs of headphones ranging from ultra high-end to consumer level stuff

So I have had hands on with the new Xbox wireless headphones.

Alright for 99 dollars/euros what we get?

- Wireless connectivity

- Build in features to support xbox UI

- Decent build quality

- good microphone

- gaming grade audio (later about this)

This seems to be very well thought package. It feels solid in hands and seems to fit quite well in my quite large head. No hot spots whatsoever. Ultimately I would have preferred something else than pleather to be choice of material in earcups.

Rotary dials for both earcups feels intuitive to use and are absolutely nice to use while in game. Left to change game mix and right to change volume in general. Max volume is plenty in these.

Pairing was seamless and easy to do. You will get instant update when you turn these on for the first time. Connectivity wise there was no cut outs or anything problems and range was fantastic. I could go to bathroom 2 rooms away and still hold the connection to Xbox.

So what about sound quality?

Disclaimer: I know these are 99 dollar headset

Well, here we fall a bit short, as expected from the price it's not quite there with more premium options.

The tuning of the driver and closed back headphones results in extremely boosted highs and lows, its very aggressive V-curve. Mids are washed out.

I tested different music and games. Almost instantly I had to go to equalizer and take few DB's away from 125hz to make listening bearable. After some EQ work they are quite ok to listen to but nothing amazing.

Bass department: Bit boomy in these in general. There is little to none sub-bass and high bass drowns quite a lot of details. This can be corrected quite well with EQ. Bass is very punchy though.

Mids: They are drown quite heavily with the strong presence of bass and highs, but this is not the biggest problem for gaming but for music this can irritate

High: There is some nice detail there.

Even though the nature of the headset is quite gamery in terms of sound. It feels spacious and directional cues are easily located with these. It does the job well, Just Tone the bass little bit down and you are set.

I know this isn't problem for typical gamer, but if you are looking for great sound these aren't probably for you. Edit: HiFi sound, these sound great for average person

My concensus:

Im keeping these! These are incredible for the money and functionality is top notch. I have my other cans for critical listening but for my Xbox I want cans that are no hassle and fun to use. And these deliver that to me!

Still I wish these would be priced little higher to make no compromise gaming headset. Tuning of the drivers and driver quality is now compromised

RECONMENDED EQ/XBOX ACCESSORIES APP 125HZ(-9) 250HZ(-6) 1KHZ (-2) 4KHZ (0) 8KHZ (0)

16/03 UPDATE I was apparently using Windows Sonic surround sound for this test as I was not acknowledged that this is turned on by default. Switched to Stereo mode and I can say it sounded much better and I will give better score for sound quality.

Looking into purchasing one of these. I’ve been looking at a lot of reviews (both videos and written reviews). I see a lot of negatives with the quality of the plastic, especially on Amazon. A ton of people have had the volume nobs fall off, the mic completely cracking and breaking off, and sometimes the battery not recharging or charging at all. Apparently that’s only owning it within 3-7months too.

I’m not using it for gaming really. I only use my Xbox to talk with friends in a party so the bass and sound mixing options mean nothing to me. I just want something wireless to be able to walk around my house and talk in a party chat. I’ve heard these never cut out when using them with an Xbox One (I have a Xbox One X).

Looking for some honest opinions on this product, I would really appreciate it.

There's been a lot of excitement within the subreddit for the upcoming Xbox Wireless Headset by Microsoft. Multiple posts were made during pre-order time and a lot of folks were legitimately bummed they weren't able to get one.

March 16th is the official release date and there are certainly a lot of folks who are excited. In an effort to keep the subreddit from getting overwhelmed with posts about the new headset we are going to direct all Xbox Wireless Headset posts to this megathread. This includes things like pics showing off the new gear, initial impressions, and reviews from other web-sites.

Background

For those who were unaware, here's some background on Microsoft's Xbox Wireless Headset.

1. Microsoft's Press Release for the Xbox Wireless Headset - An outline of all the technical specs and details on the headset.

2. Major Nelson's Podcast Interview with Erik Garcia - YouTube video of the interview with Erik Garcia who headed up development on the headset. There's audio samples and demos of how to tweak settings on an Xbox. It was also announced that when you purchase an Xbox Wireless Headset between now and September you get a 6 month trial of Dolby Atmos sound (for headphones) via the Dolby Access app.

3. Xbox Wireless Headset Unboxing - Video from the Xbox team showcasing the unboxing.

4. Six Month Free Trial of Dolby Atmos - Here's an article from PureXbox with more info on the demo.

5. Microsoft Store Pre-Order Page - The official pre-order page with some technical details.

Written Reviews

1. Windows Central - 4/5 star via u/lordbeef

2. The Verge- 9/10 via u/_Volta

3. IGN via u/undisclosed_x - 8/10 Verdict: The Xbox Wireless Headset is extremely solid. A thoughtful design, great control layout, and easy pairing make it pleasantly simple to use. And its sound, while not mind-blowing, is as good or better than most Xbox headsets in its price range, with a microphone that’s clear as long as there’s not too much ruckus in the background. For most Xbox players, it should feel like an upgrade and fit like a glove. And while it works fine with PC, there are more options with more robust features in that market, making it a tougher sell for PC-only players.

4. ArsTechnica via u/Varmez - Verdict: Priced right for a first-gen semi-success

5. TechRadar via u/undisclosed_x - 5/5 stars

6. GamesRadar via u/undisclosed_x - 4.5/5

7. Gamespot via u/manuman888 - Verdict: To put my experience in simple terms, if you're willing to drop $100 on a headset for your Xbox console, you won't go wrong with Microsoft's official offering in the Xbox Wireless Headset.

Video Reviews

1. UrAvgConsumer: https://youtu.be/YOl9VXTiMVE (Items 1-5 via u/TeRmRaN19)

2. The Techie: https://youtu.be/qK6YHcHI-UE

3. GadgetsBoy: https://youtu.be/KMpVC1PDszI

4. ShortCircuit: https://youtu.be/Q8xDN5myZlk

5. BooredGamer: https://youtu.be/6Tz44W7I3JQ

6. GameSpot via u/manuman888 - https://youtu.be/D_Ij1LM_ufM

Wrap Up

If you've already gotten your headset, well first of all lucky you as I'm sure many of us are jealous, please feel free to share some of your initial impressions with the community. If you're on the fence about getting one post your questions here so that people can answer them. And finally, please feel free to share reviews you find alone. We'll try to update this post so that it includes links to the reviews as they get posted by the media tomorrow.

Thank You

Also a big thank you to everyone who posted links to reviews, both written and video, for inclusion in the post. If I missed one post a comment and I'll get it added to this post.

Just thought I’d share my personal experience with the Xbox wireless headset.

I have a PS5 and a Series X, my ps5 I’m using the turtle beach stealth 700 gen 2’s (after trying out the arctis 7p, pulse 3d and Razer black shark pro) I really enjoyed the sound and simplicity of the turtle beach and how powerful the 50mm drivers are.

When I was getting a headset for the series x, I tried the Arctis 7X, turtle beach stealth 600 gen 2, Razer Kaira pro, and finally the official Xbox wireless headset.

In terms of sound quality, the Arctis 7X, Razer Kaira Pro, and Xbox Wireless sound very similar. I think the Arctis 7X has the best directional audio, and the Razer Kaira Pro feeling the most powerful in terms of bass. But there was something about how crystal clean and gentle sounding the Xbox Wireless sounded that truly sold me. What I mean by gentle sounding, it is by no means weak sounding, when you crank the volume up it THUMPS during action scenes. I was actually quite surprised considering the drivers are 40mm. But what made this headset differ from the others was how clean and natural the sound is. It just doesn’t feel compressed at all. Straight out of the box and I have not adjusted a single setting yet and it sounds wonderful. I can’t explain it, it just sounds so natural and comfortable.

Also the mic is excellent. My friends tell me that they can hear me crystal clear. They said that it’s much better that the turtle beach and also better than the arctis 7X. EDIT - In the last few days a few of my friends have said that my mic picked up a lot of background feedback. Increasing the mic threshhold in COD did help this a bit, but now I can't speak gently for the mic to pick up my voice. I still have not figured out a way to fix it for Xbox party chat

I’m still getting used to the knobs on the side and learning how to work with it, I haven’t even touched the EQ settings yet. I just genuinely think this headset is perfect. Even how the knobs on the side twist is very unique.

Comparing the pulse 3d I think this headset blows it out of the water for an official console branded headset.

But yea I give this headset a solid 9/10 if not more. Even the leather headband is more comfy than the arctis headband.

My only concern is it does in fact look like it can break rather easy so I will do my best to take extra care of it. Also got the 2 year warranty so I’m not worried.

Just thought I’d share my honest review of this headset as I usually have a bunch of negative things to say about my electronics and it’s very rare to find a headset that was this problem free right out of the box

I'm looking for a good decent headset for gaming on my Series X. I almost never game in parties with others, only with Fall Guys with my girlfriend and sister, but that's it.

However, I am looking for a headset that gives good enough sound for a good experience during atmospheric games like Scorn or Alien Isolation.

The Xbox wireless headset seems very interesting and seems like a smart buy. It is within my price range (I think 100 euros is more than enough money for a headset). I also looked at the Razer Blackshark V2 X, the Logitech G433 and the Steelseries Arctis 3.

Can you guys give me advice and your opinion on the Xbox Wireless headset (and possibly the other headsets I mentioned)

I recently picked up the official Xbox wireless headset after hours of deciding between different ones. I’m pretty big into audio and notice when there’s lag/latency and I noticed a lot of reviews mentioned this in particular about it. I haven’t noticed any so far. The reviews that mention it’s bass heavy and muddy were 100% correct but with some tweaks to the eq found on other Reddit posts, it sounds pretty damn good. I find it very comfortable as well and love being able to connect to my phone and watch tiktok, Snapchat videos, etc while waiting on a loading screen when I’m bored. Solid choice in my opinion!

I see a lot of people complaining about theirs and as someone who wants to get one, I would love to hear from you guys about both the good and the bad.

What has been your experience with your new Xbox Wireless Headset?

Edit: I don't understand why people downvote the post for no reason, thank you to everyone who commented and please keep sharing your experience.

Hello everyone,

Looking into getting a wireless headset for my series x. Been looking at the current headsets out there and a couple caught my eye.. currently looking at the Turtle beach 700 gen 2 max or the Kiara pro.

Any opinions or thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks.

I have been watching some reviews about the headset and some say the sound quality is horrible, some say it’s fantastic for the money, and others say it’s the worst headset they have ever purchased. I’m not sure what to believe in all honesty. The standard of comparison is quite low for me as I’m using like a $30 wired headset I bought off of Amazon and probably don’t know what good sound is at this point.

I’ve seen some saying that is has a ton of base, but I think that can be adjusted using the Xbox accessibility app. Others have said it constantly disconnects which makes me a bit worried.

Is there anyone here that actually owns one that can share their experience with it? That would really help me make an educated decision.

My Gen 1 Wireless Headset are on its last legs and are going to go out within a few months. I was excited when Xbox announced the new version of these…and then problems started to arise.

Connection issues, Volume issues and Mic issues have been reported yet nobody seems to have a clue on how this is happening. I don’t want to buy this and then come home to a problem that i cannot fix and then I’m out 100$.

It doesn’t help that Microsoft basically discontinued the Gen 1 Headsets so i don’t even have a choice BUT to buy these and pray to god nothing goes wrong.

So, are these things worth it to get or should I just buy another wireless headset from a different manufacturer like HyperX or Steelseries?

I’m currently thinking about buying the official xbox headset because its wireless and it has a pretty low price for wireless headsets. Do you guys have other recommendations for wireless xbox headsets for around the same price point?

I have a Razer Kiara wireless and having annoying issues with it, most of the time when I turn it on to connect to the Xbox it does that "connect disconnect" loop issue and now I'm having issues whenever it disconnects when no sound is played normally, I reconnected it and said I have no mic. I had to restart my Xbox to fix it, I just need a new wireless headset that is worth buying.

Hi I wanted to know what you guys recommend for an Xbox wireless Headset that won’t break the bank? I’ve had the Rig 800LX headset since 2020 and it’s been giving me problems with the disconnecting and mic not working but other then that the sound and comfort is great. Was just looking into getting a new pair for my Xbox series x. I’ve been looking at the Steel Series Arctis 9X and Arctis Nova 7X, Rig 800 Pro HX, Corsair HS80, and the Raizer Kaira Pro. I wanted a great sounding, great quality, comfortable, and Dolby atmos equipped headset. The 800LX does everything amazing except for the connection issues. Not sure if the new Rig headsets have the same issue or not or if I should just go with another brand

I can’t believe this headset only costed me $129 (CAD) it’s such a mind blowing headset with ease of use with great noise cancelling that doesn’t make my ears sweat 😅 and Dolby atmos sounds amazing on it! Just gotta love how Microsoft is making everything adorable for the gamer as best as they can !

This is going to be quick and not formatted like how my normal initial impressions will be. I will not be doing a full review. I have had them for several days now.

Sound

My Graph of the Xbox Wireless Headset

Edit: The link now includes all the Presets and a Dolby Atmos EQ that makes them I guess useable (still kind of shit), also a warner to not sue the 5 band EQ that is in the XBOX accessories app.

A Lot of people were asking me what I expected from the Xbox Wireless Headset before its release, and I said I expected it to be a very feature-rich comfortable headset with a good design and build that had below average sound quality. But I was wrong, it's a “Feature-rich headset, that has ok comfort and poor weak design that sounds shockingly bad”.

Not in my wildest dreams did I expect this headset to be tuned so poorly. Brands that are known for tuning way too much bass like Beats or Razer blush when they see how much bass is here. 5db-10db is about where I cap a headphone for bass over neutral. 5db over my neutral target is pretty much Harman and 10DB over my neutral target is about where the Meze 99 classic sits, a headphone known for having a lot of bass and for many too much bass(including me). The Xbox Wireless Headset reaches Meme tier with its over 20db of extra bass over neutral(and that's without the bass-heavy preset and without the 12 steps of extra bass boost). Not only that, it bleeds far into the mid-range which is also recessed and super thin, then you get an over-emphasized upper mid-range, a hole in the lower treble, and piercing treble overall. They somehow did everything wrong including a tinny timbre.

They also are more seal sensitive than your average headset. anything on your face breaking the seal will make them sound even worse. Very Glasses unfriendly, even too much hair on your head will break the seal. It's really bad. There is also a weird bass issue where without moving the headset or doing anything the bass level will dorp and raise randomly for no reason. Which is not good.

With a very V-Shaped tuning like this, I at least expected a wide stage which you do not get because of the awful overall design of the housing among other reasons. Base stereo imaging left to right is solid, well shockingly solid with how bad everything else is, but when you talk about how it images in the stage beyond that it's not good.

Overall resolution once you EQ it with a proper parametric EQ is fine for a $100 wireless headset, but so much else goes wrong, it gets wonky and grainy, distortion gets worse, and everything sounds hazy and dynamically dead. Sadly no EQ can fix it. Good EQ can only take it from terrible to below mediocre. The XBOX accessories app is such a garbage 5 band eq and isn't worth using, Dolby Atmos is the only way to eq it with a 10 band eq on Xbox and even with that, it's not great.

If you EQ it a lot and don't care about audio quality at all and just want it for the features then it's ok I guess, but things like the Stealth 600 gen 2 or Kaira which I called bad are much better.

But nothing will change the fact that it sounds worse than sub $40 wired headsets. It really does sound awful at any price. If you care at all about sound quality just ignore it at any price.

Beta Grades:

Tonal Grade: E

Technical Grade: D-

Build/Comfort/Design

Some other design issues are the lack of any joint articulation, there is no left to right swivel so fit isn't great and up and down swivel is super limited. This is a shockingly poorly thought out headset.

Build is strange, it's made of very cheap plastics but feels kind of solid I guess, it has some rattling and creaking, but it's not that bad. Build is definitely meh and feels kind of poor but it's about average for budget wireless headsets I guess.

The pleather material feels slightly above average for the price but they still feel cheap. The volume wheels feel fairly smooth but if you use them while it's on your head you can hear how scratch they actually are.

On the note of the Mic, it sounds better than average, which is not surprising as headsets that use the Xbox direct connection tend to have decent mics and worse sound quality. So this was to be expected. But the mic is very short and because of this it sounds unnecessarily compressed and mic monitoring isn't as good as it could be.

Latency: 60ms

Battery Life: 18hr

Range: 180ft

Conclusion:

First off sorry this wasn't a well-structured post and sorry that I won't be reviewing this fully. I just don't want to commit that much of my time on headsets that just don't deserve to be talked about, and this really doesn't. But thinks of it this way, this is what my posts look like in Draft one, this is the kind of rambling shitshow I type on my first pass before go over it a few times and edit it, so you get a little look behind the scenes I guess. This is a headset that should sell poorly and be discontinued fast so Xbox can release a gen 2 that is at least ok.

I can't think of a single worse wireless headset on the market and its hands down the worse Xbox wireless headset sound wise. Even the awful HS75XB sounds better.

You get every feature you can really think of mixed with an above average mic, above average battery life, above average range, mediocre build, average comfort, mediocre latency, poor ergonomics, poor overall design, terrible tuning, poor sound quality, all for $100USD. I didnt even talk about all the issues like higher than id like to hear noise floor, the awesome audio quese when using the headphone sound like ass as there is so much static on them, or the fact my mute light was broken and was on when my mic was on and off when my mic was off (if thats notbroken thats stupid design), or the dumb super short inlcuded charging cable that may as well have no been included and much more.

Really to use this headset you need to buy a longer USB-C cable and you need Atmos to EQ it(won't fix it but better than nothing). So the fact these all will cost you extra makes it not really a $100 headset. Then for PC use you need the $25USD wireless controller adapter, so for PC use this is a non option. And for xbox it's just a bad option.

Personally, my final word is AVOID.

I thought about not even bothering to talk about this as this is just going to bring on a lot of harassment from people, but whatever.

Do with this info what you will, talking about bad headset suck and I dislike it so that's all I have to say. If enough people request more graphs, like the presets I guess I'll upload them. I had a Pros and Cons list but it was pointless to add.

Edit: I hoped my headset was broken and they were not tuned like this, but Rtings has their measurements up and they look the same.

Some Xbox One Wireless Headsets as a point of Comparison.

All of these use USB type C minus the Arctis 9x and X flight.

This headset put a lot into perspective for me and I have been apparently way too harsh on some headsets, because this is what really bad audio is like.

I'm currently looking for a headset for the Xbox. In the price range of 60-120€. I attach a lot of importance to the sound and the microphone. Are there any good headsets in this price range and which ones would you recommend?