The 6 Best Headsets For PS5 - Fall 2023 Reviews

The Audeze Maxwell Wireless is the best PS5 headset we've tested. These over-ears come in a PlayStation variant and offer a premium gaming experience thanks to their planar-magnetic drivers. These allow for a deeper bass extension, less distortion, and a better soundstage when compared to dynamic driver headphones, like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. While this makes them a little bulky and heavy for long gaming sessions, their nearly 78-hour battery can get you through many sessions without recharging.

These gaming headphones have a neutral sound profile on their default setting. The bass range delivers adequate thump and punch to make sound effects like explosions and gunfire immersive without overpowering the mix. If you want to change the mix, you can use the Audeze HQ app to switch between EQ presets, like the 'Immersive' preset, which makes the sound profile even flatter and better suited for high-res audio. Plus, your voice sounds very clear and natural via the boom mic, and voices from teammates sound detailed and understandable, so you won't miss a thing during an intense game. Unfortunately, these headphones are on backorder, so you may have trouble getting a pair.

The best headset for PS5 in the upper mid-range price is the Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless. These headphones are an updated version of the Logitech G PRO X WIRELESS LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset and offer a better build quality, with more range of motion for the earcups. They offer low latency, a comfortable fit, and nearly 100 hours of continuous battery life, so you don't need to worry about recharging daily. These headphones also support Bluetooth, so they can pair with your phone or Bluetooth-enabled computer. However, unlike the Audeze Maxwell Wireless, they can only connect with one source at once, so you can't hear audio from your console and phone simultaneously.

They have a detachable boom mic that makes your voice sound clear and understandable, though robotic and bassy. Fortunately, it'll prevent your voice from being drowned out by background chit-chat or a passing car. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro cost around the same and have a mic that makes your voice sound more natural. However, it doesn't perform as well in noisy environments, and the headphones aren't quite as comfortable for most people.

If you want a less expensive option, consider the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless. Once again, the lower price comes with a step-down in mic performance, making your voice sound less natural than their pricier counterpart, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro. Fortunately, these headphones have sturdy build quality, a comfortable fit for most, and a similar bass-rich sound profile to the Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Wireless. They also work with companion software that has a parametric EQ for sound customization. Unlike our previous pick, you can transfer the EQ settings directly to your SteelSeries headset, meaning they can work on your console without changing the mix.

When connected to a PS5, you can also use PlayStation's Tempest 3D AudioTech, which is meant to help situate sound effects like footsteps properly in the soundstage. They come in console-locked variants, so get the 7P variant for the best performance with PlayStation consoles. We tested the 7X variant, which provides a low latency connection with consoles, and we expect the 7P variant to perform similarly. Their roughly 30-hour continuous battery life can last through long gaming sessions, and they have an auto-off timer to save power when they're not in use. You can also use them wired with most consoles to avoid latency and battery drain altogether.

For PS5 gamers wanting to stick within a budget, the Logitech G535 LIGHTSPEED Wireless are the best headphones for PS5 that we've tested. Unlike the pricier options on this list, you can't use these headphones wired. They also don't support Bluetooth but come with a USB dongle that provides a low-latency connection via non-Bluetooth wireless. Their well-balanced sound adds a touch of extra boom to mixes without drowning out dialogue and instruments. That said, while they have companion software, you can't directly access it when using it on a console. On the upside, you can still use the PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech for a more immersive audio experience.

They're decently well-built and have a comfortable fit as well. They last for around 35 hours of continuous use off of a single charge, and even though they don't support an analog connection, they can receive audio while charging. However, the mic makes your voice sound thin compared to previous picks, including the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7, which will affect you if you play multiplayer games.

Here's a cheaper, more bare-bones option if you're looking for a basic headset. The Logitech G432 are wired headphones designed primarily for PCs, but they're still PS5-compatible by plugging them into a controller or with the USB dongle for low latency wireless gaming. They offer a comfortable fit and a good overall mic performance that outperforms the more expensive Logitech G535 LIGHTSPEED, so your voice sounds clear during online games, even with some noise in the background. Unfortunately, they have a cheap, plasticky build quality that doesn't feel solid.

Their sound profile is reasonably well-balanced. They can't reproduce as much rumble and thump from the low-bass range as the Logitech G535 LIGHTSPEED Wireless, but the audio still sounds warm and full. Elements like voices in dialogue also sound clear, though a little veiled. Their companion app lets you adjust the mix with a graphic EQ and presets, but the headphones won't save these settings when you disconnect them from your PC. As such, you're stuck with their default sound profile when using them on PS5.

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X are the best headphones for PS5 with an open-back design that we've tested. They're priced in the mid-range, like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless, but offer different advantages and drawbacks. Open-back headphones are only suitable for use in quiet spaces since they don't block out ambient sound and leak a lot of noise. However, if you like to immerse yourself in your game's audio, their open-back design helps create a wider and more open soundstage.

Their sound lacks low bass, like most open-back headphones, but there's a touch of extra boom to help bring out sound effects like footsteps in games, while voices and dialogue reproduce clearly and accurately. Unfortunately, unlike most other headsets on our list, it doesn't have a companion app or sound customization features, like an EQ or presets. Fortunately, they're well-built, very comfortable, and include a choice of velour or microfiber ear cup pads. The boom mic makes your voice sound clear and natural, even if you're playing in a moderately noisy environment.