Budget Wireless Headsets (1 Viewer)

[Laiders]

I'm on the lookout for a new headset, I need to replace my current one to go wireless (an extra wire is just too much of a faff with VR) and to get a reliable mic (that works with voice activation without making random static noises...).

It seems to be a bit of a minefield to sort through as there's a lot of choice at wildly different price points and I'm not really sure what I need.

Ideally I'd like something under £100, has to be wireless, have a reliable mic and be ok with a VR headset. I'm no audiophile so I'm sure anything will be fine for me so long as it's reliable. I find the sound quality fine on my current budget wired headset (Turtle Beach X12), it's just the wire and unreliable mic that are a problem.

The Corsair HS70 seems to be the cheapest option (it's £70 from Currys if you put up with the gold colour...) but seems to have mixed reviews (good on the paid for tech websites, some complaints on user reviews). Is this going to be good enough for me, or is there something else that would be better?

 

[Tom]

This popped up in my youtube subscriptions yesterday, pretty well timed!

 

[RdMracer]

I use a wireless pair of JBL headphones and a lavalier type microphone with steel clip.
If you don't mind the mike snapping off occasionally when you get out of your rig, it's a fine solution.
With the option, that after the lockdown you can use them in public transport or the library without looking like a complete .

It has the additional advantage that no one will accidentially hear you on the toilet when you forget to mute the mike. (Though, that's not an issue when you use puss to talk like you're supposed to.)

JBL E55BT headphones
Trust Lava mike

 

[miagi]

That is a very interesting topic I was thinking about that for some time now. Since I bought the Corsair HS70 for simracing, I now know that for simracing at my simrig I want a wireless headset!
However the HS70 looks nice and is okay but for shooters the imaging is simply not good enough and just because of that I wouldn't recomment them even if they were the most comfy headset ever, what they aren't. The clamp is a little bit too tight but my main problem is that it could be more comfy and esp. at simracing my ears sweat really badly in those closed cups with leatherette ear pad. I'd much rather wear my Philips SHP9500 headphones, without mic but so incredibly comfy, airy and light. But the ear pads are not meant to be replaced and I don't want to soak em in sweat while racing :/

If we are talking about a wireless Headset dedicated for Simracing (only) like I'm thinking about, the attributes I'm considering are:

1. airy, breezy ear cups resp. ear pads.
2. easy swappable ear pads to wash em, replace em or even change em to better 3rd party ear pads
3. high comfort for longer races, test sessions
4. features and software
5. imaging
6. microphone quality
7. music sound quality

So the question is how to achieve point 1. What makes a headphone more "airy","breezy" so that the ears sweat less? Is it a open back, or is it a leaky fabric ear pad. Theoretically even open back headphones can be gas tight cans if the diaphragm is a unpermeable film and there are no openings around the diaphragm. On a closed back, if the ear pads are breezy, you can be sure there is something that lets the ears breath and leak out. Leaky ear pads can be fabric(textile), velour, velvet. The sound quality far down the list is because imo the sound doesn't need to be that great for simracing, engine sound and some nasty tire sound effects, maybe some crash sounds on T1, that's it. Trying to squeeze good music sound quality into the mandatory attributes will A. blow the budget or B. minimize the selection. Also imaging would be nice but is also not such a must have just for sim-racing, for shooters it is.

According to Geizhals.at there is only one Wireless, open back Headset with a Microphone arm. Razer Thresher and there is one on german azon for 87€. But that has fake leader ear pads so maybe it is not airy at all. There are replacement ear pads for the Razer ear pad mounting but I just see ones with protein-leader sides.

Not knowing how leaky the Razer Headphones can get and how much the sound signature would suffer from a breezy ear pad, if that is even possbile. For simracing I guess I would recommend the SteelSeries Arctis 7 out of the box those are probably the most breezy wireless headset, they have nice fabric ear pads and they are easily swappable with a very simple mounting method so that you'd get a big verity of 3rd party ear pads. Or just use the stock, and wash ear pads and head band if you need to, both are easy to take off. I'm thinking about replacing my Corsair HS70 with the SteelSeries Arctis 7 or go for the killer option, see below.

Another option is to take a Headphone and make it a Wirless-Headphone with a Mpow Bluetooth Receiver (BH298A) for about ~18€. In doubt pairing it with a Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth (~30€) transmitter with aptX Low Latency. Like I did with my Philips SHP9500 and using it for playing Nioh1 all day long . That opens the possibility to set up a wireless headphone choosing from any sound device on the market, like (open back) headphones, wired headsets, IEMs or even bone phones could be used. Picking a Headphone that has all the attributes needed like open back, airy ear pads or swappable ear pads, great comfort and great sound is possible with this option. This might be the very best solution but not necessary the cheap solution. Adding the wireless microphone is a bigger problem. The Mpow Bluetooth Receiver has a microphone but you can only output sound + microphone if you set your sound to "Hands-Free" telephone quality, what you don't want. Also the build in Mpow-Reciver-Mic picks up the whole room, even ppl that are talking next room, and that thing has bit of a delay with basic bluetooth. For 31€ there is Mpow Bluetooth Adapter Audio 5.0 Transmitter. The Transmitter version of the Mpow is meant to take analog inputs from e.g. TV or old cassettes-players and send it to bluetooth headphones, so it can take microphone analog signlas, convert it to digital and send it over bluetooth to your pc. So sticking a microphone with 3,5 mm jack into that Mpow Transmitter creates a wirless microphone. (I have not tested that yet but it should work). Such mics go for 6,99 to 40 €. Or there is the dedicated solution the AntLion ModMic for ~140€ it is expensive but a great product with good quality that you also can easily swap between Headphones, once you go down the Headphones go bluetooth root.

Post automatically merged: Apr 12, 2020

Some more reviews:
2018:

2019:

The true King of wired Gaming Headsets:

 

[miagi]

Just check the Headsets from the 2018 Review, some of them are discontinued, replaced with a follow up or updated since 2018.
Corsair VOID (105€ atm fair price) - fabric airy ear pads, replaceable and you get new ear pads online
Logitech G533 (88€ atm, 70€ would be a good price)- fabric airy ear pads, replaceable and you get new ear pads online
Logitech G935 (124 € atm, were seen for 100€ already) - protein leather ear pads but replaceable, you get fabric ear pads online and G933 had fabric ear pads stock
HyperX Cloud Flight (115€ atm, were seen for 97€ already)- replaceable ear pads, simple mounting system, simple cup shape unlike the ones above, there are velours ear pads but possible messing up the sound signature, who knows.
Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 600 (72€) - fabric ear pads and replaceable with an simple mounting, know nothing about those but have a few good reviews and they are focused on competitive gaming.


The Corsair HS70 had an ear pad mounting that needs a plastic ring and has some teath holding it, not good for pad changing or replacement pads. You could just stick or tap other pads to the cups. An ear pad falling off, could be the end of a race or at least end of racing pleasently.

 

[RdMracer]

Adding The Transmitter version of the Mpow is meant to take analog inputs from e.g. TV or old cassettes-players and send it to bluetooth headphones, so it can take microphone analog signlas, convert it to digital and send it over bluetooth to your pc. So sticking a microphone with 3,5 mm jack into that Mpow Transmitter creates a wirless microphone. (I have not tested that yet but it should work). Such mics go for 6,99 to 40 €.

Those transmitters are often very directional, so be careful with just buying it.
If you want to go wireless on the microphone, it might not be such a bad idea to buy a static mike instead of a headset mike. As you will still be free of any cables. The downside is that this would only work for seated games.

 

[miagi]

Those transmitters are often very directional, so be careful with just buying it.

What do you mean by that? I'm not sure if I get that. I had a cheap bluetooth mini usb dongle that I put in a different orientation because it was breaking up even though the distance was short. But the MPOW Receiver I have is great, and now with the Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth the signal is even better and it adds a feature. Because the Leaf is marked as a sound device and is pairing internally between Leaf and Bluetooth device. This might seam insignificant and it mostly is. But before, if I switched the Bluetooth device, windows would switch the sound device, that would cause the sound on games like Nioh1 to be gone, until I restarted the game. Now I can change devices for the Leaf, and Windows does not notice anything of that. A small feature on top of aptX LL, but a neat one.

If you want to go wireless on the microphone, it might not be such a bad idea to buy a static mike instead of a headset mike. As you will still be free of any cables. The downside is that this would only work for seated games.

I took static mics into account, sure and not just because the ModMic wireless is so expensive. But for Simracing in particular, static mics are in a disadvantage compared to e.g. shooters, at least that's what I believe. The steering wheels makes too much noise and the new magnetic shifters are really loud. Not that it's not possible, but a mic closer to your mouth than to your wheel does offer a technical advantage. Sure even that can be solved with push-to-talk, but again simracing games have the quirk to require and offer so many options that it usually is no problem filling all the bottoms on the wheel with game features. Esp. the ones that are easy to reach even in corners
Everyone needs to consider the pros and cons for their own situation and budget. But I do like my wireless microphone on my wireless headset, and I'm at one gaming pc, one keyboard and even one gaming monitor that I swing on an arm to my simrig or to my "gaming desk"... I did buy a wireless mouse that I keep at the simrig after killing two cables of wired mouses. I just want my wireless headset to be more comfortable as a headphone ^^;

PS: My "gaming desk" is really just a normal desk it does NOT contain any RGB, I mean nearly no RGB, I repeat NO RGB!

 

[Laiders]

Thanks for the detailed feedback and thoughts!

Useful to know the HS70 is not the right choice for sim racing.

I’ve ordered the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 now, seems to have good reviews and it’s a lot cheaper than any of the other options at the moment, £74.99 from Argos.

 

[RdMracer]

What do you mean by that? I'm not sure if I get that. I had a cheap bluetooth mini usb dongle that I put in a different orientation because it was breaking up even though the distance was short. But the MPOW Receiver I have is great, and now with the Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth the signal is even better and it adds a feature. Because the Leaf is marked as a sound device and is pairing internally between Leaf and Bluetooth device. This might seam insignificant and it mostly is. But before, if I switched the Bluetooth device, windows would switch the sound device, that would cause the sound on games like Nioh1 to be gone, until I restarted the game. Now I can change devices for the Leaf, and Windows does not notice anything of that. A small feature on top of aptX LL, but a neat one.

What I mean is that those boxes are only made to connect with headphones so they might have difficulty getting found and connected by a PC.

 

[Laiders]

So had the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 for a couple of days now. Must say I'm very impressed, they're comfortable and have made racing in VR so much less hassle. The PS4 version with the USB is just simple plug and play on the PC.

 

[miagi]

Have you tried it already in simracing? Please post your experience.

 

[Laiders]

Yes been trying it out in race sims. Very pleased so far, no complaints.

It has foam ear pads that are comfy and don’t seem to get sweaty. It’s reasonably comfortable to wear with the DK2, nothing is ever going to be perfect with the DK2 as the VR headset straps rub against the ears.

Some of the build quality feels a little on the flimsy side when you pick them up and play with them, but they are at the budget end of the price range and not noticeable once wearing them. I’d have thought based on my experience with the wired Turtlebeach X12 the build quality will be fine (and without the wires to trip over I’ll probably chuck them about less often!).

The adjustments and controls are all suitable for sim racing (ie. they don’t get in the way when seated). There are manual controls on the back for volume and mic volume, they don’t get in the way, just got to remember which is the volume one to not accidentally blast everybody with the mic on TS. There’s two other buttons, one for power and then a single button that goes through the preset modes (and hold for surround on/off), just simple and works, exactly what I’m after.

The mic is a flip type, three positions down, holstered on mute and tucked away when not using the mic at all. That seems to work really well, there’s no other adjustment but I don’t find it needs it (also the length is short enough that it goes up and down without hitting the DK2).

In terms of audio quality it’s fine for me, but like I said I’m no audiophile. Music sounds good through them and watching the Skippy trackside from the Nordschleife pits certainly allows accurate placement of an approaching car with the surround on.

Some of the reviews complain about the maximum volume being too low. I’ve not found this a problem, max volume is still is far louder than I’d ever want!

 

[UnstopaPaul]

My problem with wireless headsets is the lag between visuals and sound. I find it intolerable for racing (or even watching youtube where you can see the mouth of the speaker). If any of these headphones is confirmed to have <5ms lag then I'd consider them.

 

[FuBii]

I've had my wireless headset for a long time now & never had an issue with audio lag.... (steelseries H wireless, I believe its been updated to the arctis pro wireless now). Probably on the higher budget end for most people but has been worth every single penny.
Biggest benefit for me was optical in & out & the battery system they have.
My only issue after owning them for a number of years now is that the kids have cracked the plastic on the right ear cup so every so often it 'pops' out of alignment causing it to sit at an awkward angle which screws with the audio balance.

Waiting for Beyerdynamic to make a relatively cheap wireless headset - I'll be waiting a long time

 

[miagi]

My problem with wireless headsets is the lag between visuals and sound. I find it intolerable for racing (or even watching youtube where you can see the mouth of the speaker). If any of these headphones is confirmed to have <5ms lag then I'd consider them.

<5 ms lag for the sound would mean that on average non-gaming Monitors you hear the sound ~15-20 ms before you see the corresponding picture. And that even depends on the measuring method. On the same device it can be around +14 ms more input-lag, depending how the lag is quantified. And even with one dedicated testing device input-lag at the top of the screen can be 5 ms, in the middle of the screen 13 ms and 19,5 ms at the bottem of the screen at 60 Hz. Only the very fastest Gaming-Monitors at 120+ Hz manage to get a total input-lag of close to 5 ms.
A lag between visuals and sound might be crucial in competitive FPS. Racing is really not sensitive to that. When you drive you plan ahead and can adapt to lag of any kind, be it steering intput or visual output or force feedback. Not every car is as direct as a F1 car but still perfectly drivable. Pressing the throttle should have a delay to the engine responds and sound anyway. Pulling the shift paddle should have a delay of ~30 ms until the next gear is in, and that is on the very fastest shifting mechanisms that use pre-tension to get the gears out and in.
Usually when you encounter noticable sound lag, it has to do with the software. I once had a pretty big lag on my microphone input. Closing the software and booting it back up solved the issue.

 

[UnstopaPaul]

Racing is really not sensitive to that

I personally disagree. Listening to rev tone and tyre noise is crucial to reaction time when you don't have other physical characteristics to rely on.
To be clear what I really mean is <5ms difference to video, you are correct. but even that requires a min of sub 30ms, and the lag on various headphones I've tried feels more into the 100-200ms range.This is pretty substantial. For reference 30ms of time is 2 metres at 240kph, which is the difference between making your braking point and not. I have BOSE QC35s.

They are far from cheap. I've tried them on multiple computers and devices and multiple pieces of software with the same consistent lag which makes it painful to watch a news presenter talk. Unfortunately while response time testing is common for monitors, it doesn't seem to happen for headphones. Perhaps I've been unlucky with mine and those of friends I've tested, and there is no need in general to measure this, but generally I'm very cautious of wireless.

 

[miagi]

There seams to be an issue on your output device or on the connection. I just tested my Sony MDR-ZX770BN Bluetooth Headphones that I bought mid 2017 for ~100€. With this video on my Smartphone:

And I have no noticeable de-sync between video and audio. And if it's not really noticeable in this video, it will be no issue in watching ppl talk or racing.
In doubt a Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth Dongle for about 30€ and a Bluetooth Reciver for around 16€ make a aptX Low Latency pair, that will be good enough for any common application esp. racing.

If it's 1, 2 or 4 m at 240 kph really doesn't make much of a difference as long as the lag is consistent, you can work with it.

 

[Laiders]

There seams to be an issue on your output device or on the connection. I just tested my Sony MDR-ZX770BN Bluetooth Headphones that I bought mid 2017 for ~100€. With this video on my Smartphone:

And I have no noticeable de-sync between video and audio. And if it's not really noticeable in this video, it will be no issue in watching ppl talk or racing.
In doubt a Avantree Leaf USB Bluetooth Dongle for about 30€ and a Bluetooth Reciver for around 16€ make a aptX Low Latency pair, that will be good enough for any common application esp. racing.

If it's 1, 2 or 4 m at 240 kph really doesn't make much of a difference as long as the lag is consistent, you can work with it.

This video looks fine to me as well, I can't see any lag.

I think if it's so bad that watching a news presenter looks out of sync then something must be wrong with the headphones. I use a pair of Sony bluetooth headphones with my iPad when travelling and have never noticed any lag watching TV or movies on it.

 

[FuBii]

Light travels faster than sound.... In all known environments (to my knowledge).
There's always gonna be an inherent delay with audio. Especially since it has to go through several digital processes before you hear anything.