Thursday, March 28, 2024

9 of the Best Gaming Headsets Under $100 in 2022

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions remain my own. You can learn more about our editorial policies here.

Finding the best gaming headsets under $100 does not have to leave with with a substandard set of headphones. In fact, thanks to advances in technology, some of these sub $100 headphones rival high end gaming headsets from just a few years back. If you are looking for a great gaming headphones that will not break the bank read on to see our top recommendations.

1
Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset
Best Wireless Gaming Headset Under $100
Check Price Amazon.com
2
Razer BlackShark V2 Gaming Headset: THX 7.1 Spatial Surround Sound
Wired - Best Gaming Headset Under $100
Check Price Amazon.com
3
HyperX Cloud Alpha S
Runner-up Best Wired Gaming Headset
Check Price Amazon.com
4
HyperX Cloud Stinger – Gaming Headset
Best Gaming Headset Under $50
Check Price Amazon.com
5
Logitech G335 Wired Gaming Headset
Runner up: Best Gaming Headset Under $50
Check Price Amazon.com
6
Sennheiser GSP 370
Best Travel Wireless Headset Under $100
Check Price Amazon.com
8
Xbox Wireless Headset for Xbox Series X|S
Untested: Other Considerations
Check Price Amazon.com
9
Sony PULSE 3D Wireless Headset
Untested: Other Considerations
Check Price Amazon.com

What to Look for in Gaming Headsets Under $100

Sound Quality

At the top of any headphone list of things to look for is always sound quality of for game audio. What good are the headphones if they do not reproduce sound in the way we want. For lower priced headphones this is very important as many gaming headphones will emphasis frequencies for demo purposes to get consumers to buy the headphones only to find out once they listen to real world, non-demo track sounds the sound quality is not up to par. Finally, if you are looking to get the most out of your headset, adding a USB DAC for gaming may be the perfect addition.

Comfort

Comfort is imperative as what good is a great sounding pair of gaming headphones if we hate wearing them. For this, we are typically looking at the headband, ear cups and materials used for both. Taking it a step further, when testing we consider items such as the volume wheel and heat (no one likes sweaty ears).

Build Quality

The durability of your headphones is important as we want them to last and if you are anything like me, we want our gaming headset to be able to stand up to some abuse. I cannot count the number of times I have dropped (also read as slammed) down my gaming headset after a tough loss.

Mic Quality

We want our boom mic on our gaming headphones to offer clear, crisp audio that is accurate to our voice in real life. In addition, some gaming headset mics will feature active noise-cancellation which reduces background noises picked up by the mic (also read as me pounding away on my mechanical keyboard or tapping my mouse like a madman).

Surround Sound

Many gaming headsets will offer a variety of virtual surround sound processing. This can vary but almost all headphones in our list of best gaming headsets under $100 feature at least 7.1 surround for great spatial sound processing. Some offerings also include Dolby Atmos and DTS processing for even more sound immersion and greater positional audio.

Wired vs Wireless

Due to the advancements of technology, wireless headphones often have pretty low latency and stable connections which use to be one of the main drawbacks. Due to this, wired gaming headsets vs their wireless counterparts are often personal preference. One are where I would recommend a wired gaming headset is for rhythm video games such as RockSmith or Rock Band.

Design and Style

Here we of course want our headphones to look as good as they sound. Whether you prefer slim or chunky designs, bright RGB lights or a minimalist approach, our list includes something to fit your style.

Compatibility

You will want to make sure the gaming headset you choose is compatible with your device. Most of the gaming headphones on our list will be compatible with all devices regardless if you are a pc gamer or a console gamer.

Now that we covered our bases, let’s jump into our list!

Best Wireless Gaming Headset Under $100 in 2022

Corsair HS70 Pro – Best Wireless Gaming Headset Under $100

Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Best Wireless Gaming Headset Under $100

The Corsair HS70 Pro has a lot going for it in the sub $100 price range and is tops in our list for wireless gaming headsets under $100. Often times when looking under $100 for wireless options you are going to sacrifice sound quality or have a lot of wireless latency or connectivity stability issues. Luckily for us, Corsair hit a homerun with the HS70 Pro and it offers great wireless gaming sound at a budget price.

It has good audio reproduction for both virtual surround sound and stereo sound. The build is a comfortable, simple design. It rivals the sound quality on our top wired picks, the Razor BlackShark V2 and HyperX Cloud Alpha while being able to deliver wireless audio. In addition to the great sound, it has a decent battery life that we clocked in for over 16 hours.

A USB dongle is used for the wireless gaming connection and was a breeze to setup and for the price performed better than expected in regards to latency. As a note, the USB dongle is required for use, these headphones do not offer any form of passive playback. The HS70 Pro is compatible with the  iCUE software. This can be used to EQ the sound and also turn on / off the surround sound features. You are sure to take your favorite game to the next level with this great wireless gaming headset.

Corsair HS70 Pro Pros

Top notch audio quality not usually found in wireless headsets in this price range

Low latency wireless on a budget.

Comfortable and durable build.

Good microphone quality

Corsair HS70 Pro Cons

Ambient noises are a problem as the noise isolation was lacking

Requires the USB dongle, unable to passive playback

Razer BlackShark V2 – Best Wired Gaming Headset

Razer BlackShark V2 Gaming Headset: THX 7.1 Spatial Surround Sound

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Wired - Best Gaming Headset Under $100

We call this a budget friendly vs a cheap gaming headset. Razer did a great job with the update to the BlackShark headset. They fixed all of the concerns around the first version while keeping what made it a great sub $100 gaming headset.

The new 50mm TriForce titanium drivers do a great job providing deep, punch bass bass while not overpowering the mids. in addition, the treble clarity is remarkable for a gaming headset in this price range. Both the virtual processing and stereo sound was good. The audio quality improvements was enough for us to push the BlackShark V2 over our prior top pick in this range, the rival HyperX Cloud Alpha.

The Razer BlackShark V2 combines excellent audio with a clear, crisp mic audio output all packaged in an affordable package that you can pickup for right around $100. You can also upgrade to a wireless version that includes a  wireless dongle but the price point jumps quite a bit.

This gaming headset bumps up a bit over our budget but it often goes on sale and we are grouping it into our under $100 gaming headset list.

The Razer BlackShark V2 stacked up very well vs a lot of higher priced pair of headphones in our shootout without budget article Best Gaming Headsets in 2022.

Razer BlackShark V2 Pros

Excellent audio and the best we found in this price range

Light sturdy design with a comfortable fit

Great boom microphone quality

THX Spatial Audio software included

Razer BlackShark V2 Cons

Cable is hardwired to the headset

No wireless connectivity unless we go up in price for the wireless version

HyperX Cloud Alpha – Runner-up Best Wired Gaming Headset

HyperX Cloud Alpha S

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Runner-up Best Wired Gaming Headset

Prior to the V2 release of the Razor BlackShark the HyperX Cloud Alpha was our top pick for a wired gaming headset in this budget friendly area. The headset has a great frequency response that produces high quality sound. 

Most of the audio adjustments are handled by an attachable USB dongle with the exception of the bass. The HyperX Cloud Alpha features a slider on each ear cup that allows you to adjust the bass.

The mic on the HyperX Cloud Alpha is noise-cancelling and does an amazing job blocking out background sounds such as the keyboard sounds with Cherry MX switches. The audio quality of the mic is clear and we had no complaints with over sibilance seen in a lot of low and mid-range gaming headsets. 

HyperX Cloud Alpha Pros

Great boom microphone and sound quality

Durable and comfortable design

nice addition of including onboard bass sliders

Excellent build quality.

HyperX Cloud Alpha Cons

We found the bass and treble of the updated Razer BlackShark V2 to be superior

HyperX Cloud Stinger – Best Gaming Headset Under $50

HyperX Cloud Stinger – Gaming Headset

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Best Gaming Headset Under $50

If you are on a tight budget we cannot recommend the HyperX Cloud Stinger enough for a high quality budget headset. This gaming headset features a lot of features in higher priced headphones such as on-ear volume controls, comfortable, plush earcups and a solid boom microphone at a fraction of the price.

One of the best gaming headset deals on the market offering immersive audio very few gaming headsets at this price can match.

Of course you are going to give up some sound quality at this price along with no RGB. The main issue we had is if you crank the sound it results in some distortion. Overall the HyperX Cloud Stinger offers premium features without a premium price. It is a worthy addition to our list and for the price it cannot be beat.

HyperX Cloud Stinger Pros

Great performance for a cheap gaming headset

Good audio for game sound and mic quality

Comfortable, plush ear cups

HyperX Cloud Stinger Cons

Some distortion at high volume levels

No RGB lighting

Logitech G335 – Runner up Budget Headset Under $50

Logitech G335 Wired Gaming Headset

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Runner up: Best Gaming Headset Under $50

The audio and mic quality of this wired headset is average but being found often under $50 it is one of the best budget gaming headset. The gaming headset is comfortable to wear and features a flip mic that mutes when flipped upwards.

Again as we start to see in the low priced gaming headsets, distortion can be an issue at high volumes. We placed it behind the HyperX Cloud Stinger as we found the Cloud Stinger to produce higher quality audio and it has a more accurate microphone.

Logitech G335 Pros

Flip mic for muting voice

Solid performer for the price

Comfortable and well built

Decent sound isolation from low ambient sound

Logitech G335 Cons

Some distortion at high volume levels

Average audio quality

Kinda clunky lookin’

No detachable boom mic

Sennheiser GSP 370 – Best Travel Wireless Headset Under $100

Sennheiser GSP 370

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Best Travel Wireless Headset Under $100

Coming in a bit over budget is our top pick for a wireless connectivity in a travel headphone. The Sennheiser GSP 370 has a lot going for it, from the great sound reproduction that rivals premium headset to the amazing wireless battery life.

One of the best features is the foldable design and detachable boom microphone of these headphones. They pack up great for taking to a friends house for a mobile gamer. They also feature a super efficient battery that can go for 100 hours of battery life. The sound quality is nicely balanced offering up some nice bass without sacrificing the mids or high frequencies and matches the quality heard in some premium gaming headset. 

The all plastic design keeps the headphones light for both travel and while gaming. Although we normally would want to see aluminum and steel headband in a gaming headset, the plastic seems be a durable design and we did not feel it offered a major durability issue.

One issue I had with this gaming headset are the oval ear cups. They are covered in a faux leather and inside feature memory foam ear cushions. They sounded very comfortable with the memory foam ear cushions but I found them a bit narrow for me so you may want to try them on ahead of purchasing to make sure they are a good fit.

Sennheiser GSP 370 Pros

Ear cup volume wheel

Great audio

Long battery life

Portable with wireless connectivity

Sennheiser GSP 370 Cons

No wired headset connection option

The microphone is a bit lacking compared to our top wireless picks

Narrow ear cups may not be for everybody

Looking to take your headphone sound to the next level, see our Schiit Magni 3+ vs Heresy Headphone Amp Review

HyperX Cloud II – Best Value Under $100

HyperX Cloud II - Gaming Headset, 7.1 Surround Sound

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Best Value

The HyperX Cloud II has a lot going for it including an amazing price for the features. This closed-back headset offers good passive sound isolation while sound quality is good, a quality detachable microphone. It has 7.1 virtual surround sound for PC and Mac (only stereo for console) to truly immerse yourself in your game.

For the price we would expect a low-quality plastic build but the frame is durable aluminum and should hold up well.

HyperX Cloud II Pros

  • Great price to performance ratio
  • 7.1 virtual processing for spatial sounds on PC and Mac
  • Solid aluminum construction

HyperX Cloud II Cons

  • Only Stereo sound for consoles
  • Some issues with the sound quality but not complaining for the price.

Other Considerations

We ran out of time to test but will be doing full reviews on both Microsoft’s and Sony’s new console gaming headsets. We expect both of these gaming headphones to be top contenders for the best gaming headsets under $100. First impressions are both will be strong contenders in this price range.

Xbox Wireless Gaming Headset for Xbox Series X

Xbox Wireless Headset for Xbox Series X|S

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Untested: Other Considerations

Surround yourself with spatial sound technologies including Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone:X with the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Headset. The Xbox Wireless headset looks to have a lot of great features with true surround sound and excellent directional sound processing. We are excited to do our full test.

Sony PULSE 3D Wireless Gaming Headset

Sony PULSE 3D Wireless Headset

Amazon.com
as of March 28, 2024 1:36 pm

Untested: Other Considerations

Features Fine-tuned for 3D Audio on PS5 consoles for excellent sound and directional sound processing. The Sony Pulse looks to be one of the best gaming headphones with great virtual surround sound processing. We will do a full review along with a comparison of the Sony Pulse vs Xbox Wireless Headset soon.

Conclusion

There are many gaming headsets in this price range and many more that we could have added to our list. The nine selections for the best gaming headsets under $100 we have for you were picked out not only for their performance but also for their durability and build quality. There are times when you want a simple gaming headset with a boom microphone and nothing else. There are other times when you want to pick up a surround sound headset with RGB lighting. Personal preference will have a lot to do with which headset best meets your needs.. If you are in the market for a new headset than these recommendations should help you find your next gaming headset.

If you have any questions regarding our best gaming headsets under $100 please feel free to leave us a comment below. We are always happy to hear your feedback and opinions!

Quinn
Quinnhttps://www.thesoundawards.com
Hi, I am Quinn. I am an experienced audio engineer who has worked in the audio field for the past 20 years. I enjoy most genres of music and enjoy home recording and learning about new recording techniques. In my free time I enjoy reviewing the latest audio gear and gaming.

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