Best Gaming Headsets under $100

We run through the best gaming headphones and rated by performance, price being the primary catalyst, and concluded the top choices designed for flawless gaming experience. Whether you play to win or play for fun, the following headphones will amplify the excitement

Who is this for

Every gamer went through this.

You hope to be as skillful as possible and be on a winning streak with your new peripherals. For a low-budget gamer, finding the best gaming headset under $100 can begin to be a dreary task

However, as a gamer, I’ve thought every gaming headphone sounds the same. So, why bother buying an expensive headset when all I need is hearing the action?

I still remember how naïve and wrong I was. Over the years, I had bought many rubbish headsets that eventually broke; some were expensive, but that happened before i learned how to buy a great pair of headphones. They all worked fine, in the beginning, some had background noises, others were having cable issues or an awful silent microphone.

But in the end, each failed.

Your journey won’t be as difficult as mine was. You will be shown the top gaming headsets priced under $100. And I will lead you directly to your ideal one, regardless of your preferences.

Creative Sound BlasterX H5

Best All-around Gaming headset

Apart from the typical futuristic design most gaming headphones have, Creative Sound BlasterX H5 has an intuitive and sleek aspect without lights, additional plastic models attached or useless buttons.

Although most headphones branded for gaming, includes “gaming” into their name, are likely expensive than a regular pair, this model aces in the gaming field. The reason of overvalued devices is mainly because in the gaming industry there are many non-savvy gamers with no knowledge and experience in choosing which gear would do great; Therefore, a bit of expertise is covered in the product’s value.

Note: A few mistakenly buy the first gear that contains the word “gaming” in the product’s title, or from a known brand that has a wide array of high-performance gaming hardware, such as ASUS, Razer, Alienware.

A simple stereo gaming headsets, with a simplistic look, intended to look as standard headphones do with only a few minor changes related to their design –Establishing the personality of a gaming device.

When it comes to gaming, you’d rather buy a pair of headphones with surrounding-sound instead of stereo sound. Regarding user experience, surrounding sound help a better positioning in space as the broadcaster shows its location, thus making you coordination more thoughtful.

Note: A complex environment with a vast amount of sound instances can create confusion and advantage loss especially when the surround sound software is quality lackluster. However, this is up to everyone’s preferences and gaming settings.   

As every circumaural headset, the closed-back design offers a very high level of comfort; they seal your ears better and ignore the external distractions. However, they don’t have an ANC feature (Active Noise Cancellation).

They are lightweight, and such quality is a must for any headphone made for being used for extended sessions.

The earpads are very comfy, and the clamping force is decent and doesn’t put too much pressure on your head. It has a flexible frame made of aluminum around earcups to add a bit of resistance to the structure.

They are equipped with 50mm full spectrum drivers and an inline music controller to adjust the volume, mute, and accept/decline voice calls –You need the microphone plugged to enable this feature– I find the remote to be quite bulky, although easy to use.

A great gaming device contender with high-quality in-game sound, but not limited to music and movies; It has an impressive speaker with a frequency response rate of 20Hertz up to 20Kilohertz, the sensitivity measured of 118 decibels, and an Impedance of 32 Ohms,

The build is solid, and of high quality, I like the flexibility they have plus other elements such as The leather headband, the appropriate depth of earcups coupled with excellent clamping force and sound isolation they provide.

Analyzing and reviewing the tremble factor –The tremble is uniform, smooth, and music listening is very satisfying. The model has an excellent array of sounds; the outcome is neutral and exceptional to hear. The neutral sound makes the gaming experience more professional; therefore, better results will occur. At least, my results were indeed better.

Creative Sound BlasterX H5 is compatible with: Mac, PC, iPod, Smartphones, tablets, Xbox One, PS4, and MP3 Players –So, even if you have a wide variety of devices, you can use your headset pretty much everywhere, using a 3.5mm 4-pole audio jack –Great for phones, PC, Mac and iPod; Or perhaps a 1.2m cable

Overall, I am happy with them. Talking about comfort, the headband is a nice touch. The comfort level is high enough for me to place these gaming headsets in the top 5 of the most comfortable headphones. The stereo sound is exceptional, the sound is amazing, and you won’t get disturbed by noises; they also look cool!

Besides looks, the functionalities are of high quality. The microphone is practical and can block small noises so your team can hear your voice clear and prominent without talking loud or screaming, the headset could have had a better microphone though. The good thing is that you can remove the microphone in case you don’t need it.

SteelSeries Arctis 5

most aesthetic and comfortable

Let’s have a look at another top-tier gaming headset under $100 which is Arctis 5, the big brother of Arctis 3, a new Steelseries headset model purposed for gaming.

With so many wallet-friendly headsets and competent rivals –I’m speaking of HyperX Cloud 2, Sennheiser GSP 300 and Logitech G433; even the tech-savvy reviewers or gamers have a hard time choosing the right pair of headset. However, Arctis 5 has successfully climbed into the top 5, being a high-performance gaming choice. 

Tell me! Have you ever fell asleep with your headphones on? At least be prepared and sleep comfortably!  

The SteelSeries Arctis 5 has a high degree of comfort due to the leading-edge Ski Goggle headband while adjusting to your head’s shape with ease –Note: Not entirely developed for larger heads.

I’m fascinated by the softness of this headband.

And by the variety of creative customization of this splendid headset, you can achieve by buying a differently themed headband from their store.

Better still, it has a lightweight body design which firmly wraps itself around your head to shape a perfect environment for gaming and provide the level of comfort a pro player needs. The headset is made thoroughly of plastic material; given the stable build, the plastic isn’t of poor quality. Moreover, it’s a refined framework.

The earpads made out of a synthetic cushion called AirWave are extraordinarily soft and feels nice on the skin; the material is breathable, unlike headband, although the pads aren’t that big and you would need to add an extra layer of padding to avoid the contact with the plastic underneath.

Onto the sound quality; the sound is remarkable; this element is highly improved by the earpads that cover your whole ears and surrounding sound, thus making your games dynamic and full of life. Although a bit of noise canceling is present, the speakers don’t display a Noice-Cancelling feature.

The DTS-X surrounding-sound is quite rudimentary for professional gaming hence you will hear a multitude of sounds from all round your in-game character; As much as this fact sounds awesome, the 7.1 surround system is not good for spatial orientation as too much environment sound details are present to create an exemplary soundstage experience –Great for movies though!

Note: While the surrounding sound isn’t a big gaming-improvement component in every game and situation, the stereo sound reduces the soundstage effect, although it greatly improves the sound direction, thus helps you calibrate your position and strategy by receiving the sound cues to win the matchup.

The speakers have S-1 drivers implemented –As stated by SteelSeries, these are the same drivers used by their top Arctis model –Arctis 7. As a deduction, the sound would be the same among Arctis collection. The sound’s condition doesn’t obstruct and stays the same even when the volume is maxed out –It just won’t lose quality. Amazing, right?

Speaking of same sound quality, both Arctis 3 and Arctis 5 are identical. It’s up to you to choose either Arctis 5 or the Steelseries Arctis 3, the $20 cheaper version of Acris 5; almost everything is the same except no aesthetic RGB lights beside earcups and no USB remote sound-controller.

If you thought the BlastersX H5’s microphone is reliable, wait until you use this one. Arctis has a malleable microphone demanded by challenger players for its ambient noise cancellation along with prime voice clarity –And I am not referring to League of Legends players; Nonetheless, I consider the recording quality more capable and superior. Also, the gaming headset has a USB sound controller to equalize the sound balance between the game and chat.

Another interesting feature is the USB that lets you connect two headphones to share the music for when you have only one device or bring a friend home to play horror games, or any other game, where the surrounding-sound intensifies the sensations.

HyperX Cloud Alpha

Top performance

HyperX is another hardware company dedicated to making the most exceptional gaming products for their customers, suited for competitive players hunting to get the best performance out of their games.

The HyperX Cloud Alpha headset is an improved version of the previous top gaming choice, the HyperX Cloud 2; the improvements regarding comfort, sound resonance and a new headband have been implemented to boost user’s experience. HyperX Alpha features new ingenious sound drivers called Dual Chamber –We’ll talk about sound later. Furthermore, in contrast to HyperX Alpha and HyperX Cloud 2 Revolver, the headband has been adjusted for more comfort and flexibility.

Note: For those who have considered buying the HyperX Cloud II or HyperX Cloud II Revolver before, they are an excellent pair of a headset with only a few flaws. Conversely, the new model Alpha is an option you will be more satisfied.

On top of these new little changes, the HyperX Alpha has new visual touches –The body’s design pattern has the appearance of a red aluminum frame.

The high-low frequency is well balanced while the bass sound is configured to ensure superior gameplay. This sound performance combination choice brought excellent results as compared to headsets that have minimal bass. You won’t have an issue achieving a perfect score in games when your skills combined with perfect audio sensitivity are available through a simple gear at a bargain price.

It’s a sleek and stylish gaming headset fulfills every need a gamer has. Through a variety of tests and hours of playing games (…and listening music), the high-quality recording capabilities the microphone has, also with groundbreaking stereo sound performances and modest overall sound system optimization, HyperX Cloud Alpha has proved is one of the best gaming headsets under $100.

Sound quality is impeccable. However, the model could have had more satisfying earpads. Although the ear cushions are memory foam, which is comfy, respond well to heat and pressure, geared towards blocking environmental noises, It lacks that good-feeling when wearing as compared to Arctis 3 –I’m not saying they aren’t feeling good, just not as comfy as Arctis 3. Perhaps, the headband and clamping force might be the flaws.

If you have been thinking to buy your first pair of headsets and opt-in for HyperX Alpha, or you are one of those who own the former HyperX Cloud 2 version and wants to upgrade, I have to apprise you about some aspects.

  • The Cloud Alpha doesn’t include a USB sound card and an extra set of velour ear pads.
  • Cloud 2 endowed with a Surrounding Sound software application as a result of USB sound card, where Cloud Alpha lacks.
  • HyperX Cloud Alpha is compatible with a simulated 7.1 surrounding sound, just need an additional product in your cart. A sound card.

If we conclude that, HyperX Cloud 2 seems to stand out well.

So, isn’t Cloud 2 better? –Probably. That depends on your preferences. Will you make use of features given by Cloud-2? Do you watch a lot of movies? Do you do better with a surround sound system? Then go to Cloud 2.

Personally, I enjoyed the additional level of comfort and audio performance upgrade which is the substance HyperX Cloud2 misses a bit.

Sennheiser GSP 300

Best sound

Sennheiser adapted a new closed-back headset model purposed for gaming. They changed entierly their minimalistic headset design to fit into the gaming standards for this particular stereo headset.

They are an incredible choice for a relatively low price. Although a small disadvantage –They aren’t customizable and you can’t pull out the cable, this is not a deal-breaker. Afterall, you are looking for the best gaming headsets under $100, not a lego toy.

Note: Reasoning from the previous fact; if you want various sound customizations and you are within the budget for GSP 350, their sound can be customized appropriately. The equalizer is easy to use and fun to play. Besides that, the interface is simple and switch between sound configurations as you please. 

There is a popular belief that most gaming enthusiasts choose HyperX Alpha or HyperX Cloud 2 instead of Sennheiser GSP 300. Why? –Because of the detachable microphone. On the other hand, those who seek performance over design favor Sennheiser.

That is a known problem among most headsets. Good design, nice sound, but an average microphone. Beyond that, there are for sure some people contemplating which budget gaming headset has the highest quality microphone. That, my friend, is where GSP 300 shines.

Perhaps, the microphone might be a little quite, although clear and detailed. Its downsides are that can’t be removed and has a static position where can only move up or down. The microphone has a noise filter system which will benefit you by not allowing the sounds from outside, perhaps people talking in the background, meawing cats, or mechanical keyboard typing sound to disturb.

I know! A simple unremovable cable is a silly reason not to buy them, especially when the most alluring part is the Acoustic Isolation feature.

The design-wise earcup angle is thought-out to enrich the comfort; also, leatherette memory foam ear-pads are large and seal your ears perfectly from external environmental sounds to endow the most exceptional characteristic.

Another individual quality I enjoyed is the pads do feel chill and refreshing, which feel nice.

The warm sound signature is astonishingly beautiful.

Clear, powerful, and detailed sounds are splendid for concentration gaming sessions. It feels that the low frequency is slightly boosted, this way the bass is not too powerful or pushy. It provides great, audible experiences. You can’t skip the good beats, and the clarity of high-end notes is even more satisfying.

On the contrary, the low ends (longer wavelength) aren’t so notable. Because of this, I do not recommend them to deep music enthusiasts.

Without any sign of surrounding-sound, the stereo sound carries right notes that are also appropriate for most various activities. Either if it’s gaming, music or streaming.

Having a look at the structure of this headset, the build is light and reliable made out of flexible plastic, not brittle, and will easily attach to your head because its high malleability.

From my extensive gaming testing phase, Sennheiser has demonstrated that could grant gamers top-level comfort through noteworthy pads and headband, allowing for proper perspiration and comfort to play conveniently the entire game, along with a recreative state for prolonged wearing. As playing with a daunting headset is a problem, GSP 300 feel very comfy and have no issue wearing them for a long period.

While they don’t come with any USB connector, the package contains a cable with two 3.5mm audio jack, and a 4-pole 3.5mm PCV 05 combo adaptor to connect on diverse platforms, for example, PS4 or Xbox One.  

HyperX Cloud Stinger

Best bang for your buck

We’ve almost finished reviewing most mid-end gaming headsets that are worth to be mentioned. Now, let’s bounce to the last gadget, which is an entry stereo sound pc gaming headset for budget gamers that expect results for approximately $50-$70.

HyperX Cloud Stinger, the predecessor of HyperX Cloud Core, is a friendlier option to your wallet which has almost the same configurations as Cloud Core, except a few touches regarding the design, architecture, and materials used into building this remarkable performer.

With that said, I want to emphasize the product’s quality given the fact is so cheap. An impressive gear that can match the pricey high-end models and deliver damned good user experiences. Open up your SoundCloud tab, play your favorite song and let me reveal how your listening experience will soon transform in better.

And now, without further ado, here is our review of the best budget gaming headset under $50.

The speaker and microphone are probably what concerns you the most; I don’t doubt it! Both are of high quality and superior to a lot of inexpensive gaming headsets, and even to a very few high-end audio products. So, by now, you should understand the complexity of these beautiful speakers, and how innovative the 50mm drivers are.

Gaming is not only about visuals, and that’s where you will agree with me. The sound also has to be exceptional, alike Stinger’s quality. Other pro skilled players enjoy listening to a few music playlists of various genres of music while doing their job. Cloud Stinger is arguably one of the best when it comes to cheap experiences. Perhaps, with excellent ergonomics, noise cancellation microphone, and superb stereo sound, we can forgive the soft and powerless bass.

Moving ahead to testing the microphone, the phase where numerous headsets failed to qualify on the list. Simply said, the microphone is satisfactory. Your voice won’t be too loud neither too quite, maybe you would prefer to configure it up to your preferences, but the quality is present not by the loudness of your voice but by how detailed, clear and accurate it is.

Fortunately, the weak bass and unremovable microphone are the only downsides. On a different perspective, the mic is so good it doesn’t even have to be removed!

Now you will almost certainly be asking: “Alright, they are cheap, but how about build structure and construction?” Exactly! They are relatively inexpensive, yet they have a solid and sturdy construction.

The body is made of simple plastic, and a steel slider. Regarding quality, the build has premium standards. It’s a solid pair of headset that doesn’t crack when you stretch them. Also, the architecture is carefully thought as the circular headband is reliable and supports high pressure.

Ending this review with the measurements of comfort and capabilities they provide for an ideal gaming situation. First of all, the headband feels soft and comfy as expected from an abundance amount of cushion.

The earcups are also comfortable because of foam memory cushion, and spacious enough as a result of extra padding, not to touch the earcup’s bottom.

They can rotate and are easily adjustable for your ears to fit properly and provide enough space. This way, the sound won’t seem strident and disturbing –As somebody would be screaming “inside your ears.”