What’s the Most Comfortable Gaming Headset? — A Special Headphone Showdown
Gaming headsets need to be comfy.
They’re designed to support long marathon gaming sessions, and without the utmost in comfort, you’re not going to want to wear them for 20 minutes, let alone an hour.
I’ve used and reviewed a bunch of gaming headsets in the past, and I’m obsessed with comfort.
Here are some of the best, and a couple to avoid as well!
The Best
Everything in this category is a great choice, but I’ve tried to rank them in order with my favorite on the top!
Sound BlasterX H5/H7
This headset is available in older regular versions, and a newer Tournament Edition flavor as well. But as far as comfort goes, they’re all great.
The overall design is quite similar to the HyperX Cloud, as you’ll see down below. Thick memory foam padding adorns the steel headband. It’s more padded than the HyperX model.
The ear cushions are big and soft and fully enclose your ear, with a hole that’s just shy of being rectangular.
The padding used is softer than HyperX’s memory foam, while still itself being memory foam. It’d be great if someday we got more specs about ear pad foam other than “It’s Memory Foam!” or “It’s Not Memory Foam!,” but until that day these sorts of awkward descriptions will have to suffice.
Weight and clamping force are both just about perfect. The range of adjustment is a touch small for my tastes: I have a large head and I have to wear them fully extended.
The sound signature is probably a little bass-light for most gamers…but the comfort is world-class. If you’re looking for the most comfy traditionally-styled gaming headset that’s not AT ALL a ripoff of the Beyerdynamic DT770…ahem…then the H5/H7 is your pick.
HyperX Cloud
The HyperX Cloud family of headsets is wonderful. They put Cloud right there in the name, so you know they’re going to be comfy. They’re a whole lot like the H5/H7 above, but with slightly denser foam on the pads, less headband padding, and slightly less room for your ears in the cups.
The Cloud is on the left, the H5 is on the right.
Look similar, don’t they?
The Cloud’s pads are more rounded and elliptical than the H5’s. The holes are just a tiny bit smaller, though they should still fit around most ears. The foam, a stiffer memory foam, is not quite as magically floaty as the H5’s foam.
However, this denser foam allows for slightly better isolation and a stiffer, punchier bass response.
The Cloud will make your ears a little warmer and sweatier than the H5.
HyperX Cloud Stinger
Want something cheap and light with big ear cups? Then get the $49 Cloud Stinger!
I don’t seem to have a picture of myself wearing these.
The leatherette on the pads is a little scratchy and rough compared to the two headsets above. And the foam isn’t as premium-feeling.
But the ear holes are quite large and the cups are quite comfy overall. The headband pad is pretty basic, but the light weight of the headset means it fares just fine.
HyperX Cloud Revolver
Boy, there sure are a lot of HyperX products here, huh?
It’s almost like they’re the only headset company that tries to make sure every one of their models is comfortable.
The Cloud Revolver is their heaviest headset. It has their biggest ear pad openings and their nicest foam. It also uses a suspension headband system you might hate, which is why it’s this far down the list.
Some folks don’t like the headband here, as it won’t properly distribute the weight on all heads and the cups might end up pushing into your face a little. The new S model of this headset widens the headband, and I’ve found that it’s more comfy as a result.
If you want to try a very comfy, radically different suspension design and you don’t mind sacrificing some isolation then you need a…
SteelSeries Arctis Family
The Arctis is a stupidly comfortable headset. It takes a radically different approach. The headband is a ski goggle strap with no padding whatsoever, and the ear cups are made out of athletic shirt fabric.
The clamping force is super light, as are the headsets.
Why isn’t this at the top of the list then?
Because the radical design is not as safe for every user.
The ski goggle strap practically guarantees a good fit on all head sizes. But, it’s a little bit too elastic at times and feels like it’s pulling the headset off the top of my face. Adjustment can fix that, but that’s not an issue with the top headsets here.
I wish the cups were just a touch deeper and that the isolation of the default included pads was a touch better. Then these would be perfect. I’ve gushed about these a lot in the past, and they still deserve all that praise. They’re perfect for more adventurous folks that are sick of traditional designs.
They’re also the only good headset Steelseries has made, comfort-wise.
The Worst
Steelseries Siberia Line
These reviewed really well. But I’ve tried a couple of different models and they never fit my head. They’re tiny. If you are perhaps a kid or you have a small head, you might love a Siberia headset, but otherwise I’d go with the Arctis ten times out of ten, if you want a Steelseries product.
Anything from Turtle Beach that isn’t the Elite Pro
Turtle Beach, like Steelseries, makes really tiny headsets that barely fit or don’t fit my head.
I really like their new Elite Pro…but it’s priced just high enough that I haven’t been able to talk myself into the purhcase.
Most of Turtle Beach’s product line has a very cheap feeling to the padding covers and the headband materials. Avoid!
Unless you find a deal on the Elite Pro. That one is good. The Elite 800’s are also okay. They barely fit me. And the ear cups are really deep and sweat-inducing.
Sony Playstation Silver Headset
Ugh.
While everyone praises the Gold and Platinum PS4 headsets from Sony…we’ve all thankfully forgotten the awful garbage awful bad Silver model.
It comes with a wired USB surround dongle. That part is just fine.
But the actual headset is a clampy awful bad terrible cheap mess with scratchy ear pads that can’t decide if they’re on-ear or over ear. And the whole thing was so rigid that it refused to seal properly over my ears. I had such an unpleasant experience with these that I returned them to the store an hour after I bought them.
I haven’t thought about these in ages. I don’t intend to think about them ever again!
Final Thoughts
Don’t settle for an uncomfortable headset! Every choice in the Best category above will serve you well for long sessions, and with great audio. I’m sure there are some other good ones out there I haven’t used.
