7 best gaming headsets in Australia 2020: From $99 | Finder
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The best gaming headsets in Australia for 2020

We’ve chosen the six best gaming headsets in Australia to help you get an edge over the competition.

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David Milner
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The best gaming headsets in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on our own experience, customer reviews and professional reviews. For each category, we carefully selected parameters based on our research and identified the products with the highest review score within those parameters.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best overall gaming headset: ASTRO A40 TR + MixAmp Pro TR

Pros

  • Does everything well
  • High degree of control over sound mix

Cons

  • Expensive
  • MixAmp is more convenient at desks than in living rooms

Price (RRP): $449.95

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia

Why we chose it

If you're after a high-end pick that does everything exceptionally well, the ASTRO A40 TR + MixAmp Pro TR has you covered. The A40s have picked up countless critical accolades and they hold a 4.6 rating on Google from 790 reviews.

The A40 is one of gaming's most enduring gaming headsets, having undergone numerous generational upgrades since it launched more than 10 years ago. It's near-ubiquitous in the esports and streaming spaces – and for good reason.

From our own testing, we found that the 40mm drivers sound fantastic and deliver clear positional audio. It's a comfy, sturdy headset too, if slightly on the firm side. And the MixAmp Pro TR delivers a high degree of control over the audio mix, allowing you to not only set chat and game volume separately but also to utilise and create your own mix presets to suit different games or situations.

Best cheap headset: HyperX Cloud Stinger

Pros

  • Good audio quality
  • Great value

Cons

  • Loses clarity at very high volumes
  • Not customisable

Price (RRP): $99

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia

Why we chose it

You'll struggle to find a better gaming headset for less than $100 than the HyperX Cloud Stinger. It's a regular inclusion in professional critic's headset round-ups, and it has a Google rating of 4.5 from more than 3,000 customer reviews, the highest of any headset in this price bracket that is readily available in Australia.

This is a headset that nails the fundamentals. The sturdy lightweight frame and generous ear padding make it comfortable over long sessions. On-ear controls are easily manipulated during play, and the microphone is surprisingly clear and consistent. Most importantly, the audio quality is far better than you'd expect at such a reasonable price. If you're on a tight budget, this is well worth considering.

For more information, check out our full review of the HyperX Cloud Stinger.

Best mid-range headset: HyperX Cloud II

Pros

  • Comfy
  • Pretty good audio quality, and optional 7.1 surround sound

Cons

  • Lacks low end
  • Not customisable

Price (RRP): $169

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia

Why we chose it

The HyperX Cloud II holds the highest Google rating of any gaming headset priced between $150 and $250, with a score of 4.6 from nearly 5,000 reviews. It's also the top-selling PC headset on Amazon Australia (it works on consoles as well) and holds a rating of 4.4 from more than 20,000 Amazon reviews.

Both users and professional reviewers praise how comfy the memory foam ear cups are – they can be covered with included leatherette or plush coatings. Reviewers also note how sturdy and snug the lightweight aluminium frame feels.

The headline feature is the optional 7.1 surround sound that works via a sound card onboard a USB dongle attached to the headphone cord. Customer reviews repeatedly cite how well this works, highlighting its utility for locating enemies in multiplayer FPS and enhancing the cinematic experience in story-driven games. The sound profile is clear and precise, though professional reviewers have mentioned that it lacks some low-end bass.

Best headset for audiophiles: SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC

Pros

  • Stunning audio
  • Great build quality

Cons

  • Expensive
  • On Xbox One, you cannot simultaneously use the microphone and the GameDAC

Price (RRP): $440

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia

Why we chose it

If you're a true audiophile and sound quality matters more than anything else, The SteelSeries Arctis Pro + GameDAC is your best pick. It's revered by critics and features on several lists as the best audiophile headset. It also holds a 4.5-star rating from more than 1,000 customer reviews on Google.

The secret to its audio quality is the attached USB GameDAC (digital to analogue converter), which allows it to deliver high-resolution audio at 96-kHz/24-bit with no downsampling – a first for gaming headsets. This means it's also capable of outputting lossless audio, so even when you're not gaming you'll be able to experience FLAC music files in all their high definition glory.

Best headset for streamers: Logitech G Pro X

Pros

  • Excellent microphone
  • Solid value

Cons

  • Difficult to adjust headband size setting while wearing
  • No audio controls on ear cups

Price (RRP): $249.95

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia
Buy now at Bing Lee

Why we chose it

Gaming headsets often cut corners in the microphone department because, for most of us, they're just not that important. However, for streamers, being heard clearly is just as crucial as hearing clearly.

Gamers, critics and professional streamers praise the Logitech G Pro X for having an unusually good microphone for a gaming headset. It comes with a built-in pop filter, a rarity in this space, and its "Blue VO!CE" software has a number of real-time voice filters that let you reduce unwanted noise and add compression and de-essing. The result with the software running is crystal clear voice chat that a streaming audience will appreciate. The microphone is also detachable should you decide to upgrade to a professional-grade standalone mic.

Aside from the excellent microphone, it's also a good quality headset with powerful sounding audio and solid, relatively lightweight construction.

Best wireless headset: Sennheiser GSP 670

Pros

  • Excellent audio quality
  • Solid battery life

Cons

  • Expensive
  • A little on the chunky side

Price (RRP): $469

Buy at Amazon
Mwave Australia

Why we chose it

All the other headsets on this list are of the wired variety because they tend to sound better and don't suffer from latency issues. The Sennheiser GSP 670 headset takes our pick for best wireless headset because it doesn't suffer from any of the limitations usually associated with wireless design.

It's a fantastic sounding headset, praised by professional reviewers for its warm bass and clear mid- and high-range. It has true 7.1 surround sound for positional audio. The battery lasts up to 20 hours on a single charge over Bluetooth (or 16 hours on the low-latency connection). It also maintains its wireless connection admirably well, without any annoying dropouts, making it almost as reliable as its wired competitors.

It's a little on the bulky side, but the audio quality and freedom of wireless without the usual limitations more than makes up for any aesthetic shortcomings.

For more information, check out our full review of the Sennheiser GSP 670.

Best Xbox headset: Xbox Wireless Headset

Pros

  • Well-balanced Dolby Atmos sound
  • Comfortable and easy to use

Cons

  • Full Dolby Atmos support paywalled
  • Maximum volume a little low

Price (RRP): $149.95

Buy at Amazon

Why we chose it

Despite what it may look like, opting for the official headset in this category wasn't a lay down misère. However, Microsoft really kicked it out of the park with the Xbox Wireless Headset. It delivers a richly detailed soundscape across all ranges, is extremely comfortable to wear and offers a truly wireless set up (no dongle!) that takes just seconds to sync.

It provides no audio lag whatsoever and it's easy to use. Expect nice big volume controls, strong headband height adjustments and a short, supple mic with good voice pick-up. The 15-hour battery life is welcomed, too.

The 40mm drivers are probably its weakest point in comparison to the more expensive premium brands, and you do wish for a little more reach with the max volume and oomph in the low range. But still, at its price point, it punches well above its weight. Plus, it's compatible with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC and mobile devices.

You can read a more detailed analysis in our Xbox Wireless Headset review.

Methodology

  • Our editorial team compared gaming headsets found at major retailers and online stores across Australia.
  • We examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings and cross-referenced our selections with expert reviews.
  • Where consumer sentiment was similar, our personal experience with the relevant headsets was used as a deciding factor.
  • The products on this list were chosen by our editorial team and were not selected based on commercial relationships.

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