The 6 Gaming Headsets with the Best Mic Quality

Most of the conversation about gaming headsets is centered around how they sound. Yes, the sound quality is essential, but the other half of an excellent gaming headset is a mic that teammates and people online can easily hear. A good gaming headset mic can be used for content creation or streaming. A dedicated microphone typically provides the best results for gamers looking for a high-quality mic, but these gaming headsets offer mic quality that rivals some high-end dedicated mics, plus the convenience of a gaming headset.

Key Factors For Choosing The Best Headsets With The Best Mic Quality

• Pickup Patterns: The type of mic is crucial to deciding whether it is a good fit. Most gaming headsets use a cardioid or hyper-cardioid pickup pattern. Cardioid microphones are great for picking up sounds directly in front of them and not much else. This is the ideal pickup pattern for most gamers because outside noise, like other people talking or mice and keyboards, will not overpower the call.
• Mic Placement: Mic placement plays hand in hand with the pickup pattern. Most gaming headsets have mics attached to boom arms that can get the mic right in front of the speaker’s mouth. But everyone’s head shape is a little different, so headsets that might line up perfectly for one gamer might not for another. Looking for a headset that has a flexible yet rigid boom arm will typically yield the best results, regardless of size.
• Overall Sound Quality: Even if the mics have the same pickup pattern and placement, they are not always guaranteed to sound the same. When looking for headsets with the best mic quality, try to find videos of people testing the mic to hear how the mic sounds.

The Best Gaming Headsets With The Best Mic Quality

To earn the title of best overall headset with excellent mic quality, there are quite a few boxes to check. The Razer Blackshark V2 Pro is able to check all of those boxes and then some. This headset is perfect for gamers who want a wireless gaming headset that sounds great, is pretty comfortable, and offers exceptional mic quality.

The Razer Blackshark V2 Pro looks a lot like its wired predecessor, the Razer Blackshark V2, and for the most part, the two headsets offer very similar performance, but where this headset sets itself apart is the mic quality. The microphone on this headset picks up accurate and natural-sounding voice recordings regardless of the frequency of the user’s voice. There is still a bit of de-emphasis for people with very low voices, but for the most part, people will be happy with how they sound using this headset.

With this being a wireless headset, Game Rant didn’t have the highest expectations for the mic quality, but this mic even competes with dedicated mic quality. The Blackshark V2 Pro can easily be used as a mic for content creators and streamers. Thanks to Razer’s suite of customization options, people can even set their EQs with this mic to nail down the mic quality for a specific user.

Corsair has been making some excellent gaming headsets for some time now. The Corsair HS80 RGB brings the same sound quality and wireless stability that gamers expect from Corsair headsets but at a more affordable price. Even though the HS80 RGB is part of Corsair’s budget lineup, the mic on this headset sounds so good that it is well worth looking at, even for gamers looking in more premium price ranges.

This headset uses an omnidirectional broadcast-grade microphone, unlike the cardioid microphone of the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro. While this mic does let in a bit more background noise, it does not detract from the overall quality of this mic. Voices sound natural, no matter what frequency the user is speaking at. However, gamers will probably want to turn up the gain in Discord or Corsair’s iCue app because the mic is a bit quiet.

When it comes to sound quality, the HS80 RGB does fall a bit short. The mids and highs are pretty flat and faithfully recreate those frequencies, but the lows are de-emphasized. This is not a total deal-breaker, especially with some EQing, but out-of-the-box gunshots and heavy action scenes don’t have the same immersive quality as other headsets.

Audio-Technica is probably most known for the ATH-M50X headphones with their chunky oval earcups and retro design. Well, the ATH-G1 headset does not deviate too far from this path looks-wise, and even though the ATH-G1 has a frequency response more similar to a gaming headset than a set of reference headphones, the excellent sound quality that Audio-Technica is known for is still here.

The detachable condenser microphone is spectacular. The hyper-cardioid pickup pattern is precise and only picks up the voice directly in front of it. Voices sound natural no matter the frequency spoken, but because condenser mics need a bit more power than dynamic mics, it is a bit too quiet without any gain. Thankfully, adding a couple of dB of gain doesn’t introduce unwanted noise or loss in quality.

With the ATH-G1 being a wired headset, using it on any platform that supports audio and mic over a single port is very straightforward. Because of Audio-Technica’s reputation for products that are easy to repair, it is weird that this headset doesn’t have a removable cable, but it feels sturdy enough that it is not too much of a concern.

Just like Audio-Technica, Beyerdynamics is getting into the gaming headset world after being a mainstay in the professional audio equipment world for years. The MMX 200 offers excellent sound and mic quality, a low-latency wireless connection, and a comfortable design that can easily be worn for long gaming sessions. However, all of this does come at a premium price.

The Logitech G Pro X 2 and Audeze Maxwell wireless sit at a similar price point, but neither offers as outstanding mic quality as the MMX 200. The relatively large condenser capsule does an excellent job of picking up the user’s voice, no matter the frequency, thanks to its extended frequency response range of 50Hz to 18kHz. Most other gaming headset mics offer 100Hz to 10KHz. This more comprehensive range allows the mic to capture a much fuller sound.

Compared to Beyerdynamic’s professional headphones like the DT 770, the MMX 200’s sound quality doesn’t really hold up, but compared to other gaming headsets, the MMX 200 sounds incredible. Just don’t expect to be able to mix and master audio files with this headset.

Most of the headsets in this guide do not qualify to be listed as a budget option, excepting the Corsair HS80 RGB. The Logitech G432, while not the flashiest headset out there, is perfect for gamers looking for a headset that won’t break the bank but still provides decent sound quality and a mic that is intelligible enough to talk on Discord. This headset’s predecessor, the Logitech G430, has been a fan favorite for years, and the G432 offers an excellent way for gamers to get that same experience with a brand-new headset.

This is not the best headset mic available, but gamers would be hard-pressed to find a better sound for this price. However, the lower frequencies are relatively de-emphasized, so gamers with lower voices will find their voice sounds clipped and tinny with this headset. At this price range, gamers with lower voices will probably have more luck finding a dedicated mic that sounds better for their voice than a headset. But for gamers with a voice that fits in the mid or high-range, this headset is very clear and quite natural sounding.

Sound quality-wise, the G432 actually outperforms its price point, especially with its support for 7.1 surround sound. Action scenes feel immersive, and picking up the direction of sounds is fairly easy. However, the soundtrack can sometimes interfere and override the game’s audio.

Drop has been pairing up with well-known headphone brands to produce more affordable fan favorites with input from the community on how to make them better. These partnerships have brought forth headphones like the Drop+Sennheiser HD6XX and now the Drop+EPOS PC38X. This headset combines amazing open-back headphones, a comfortable, lightweight design that can easily be worn all day, and a microphone that sounds like it belongs in a recording booth.

Unlike many gaming headsets that focus on creating a good-sounding gaming experience, the EPOS PC38X sounds terrific when used for listening to music, watching movies, and, most importantly, playing games. Thanks to its open-back design, this headset has a very wide sound stage that makes anything played through it feel immersive and like a surround sound experience without using software.

Besides struggling with plosives, which are when some speaking emphasizes Ps and Bs, this mic sounds absolutely incredible. The somewhat rigid arm makes it easy to position this mic properly without having to fuss too much, plus it has the convenient flip-to-mute function. The mic frequency response range is just a bit narrower than the Beyerdynamic MMX 200 at 50Hz to 16 KHz, but in real-world testing, that slight difference is not that noticeable.

Gaming Headsets That Come Through Loud & Clear

Gaming headsets are more often than not a jack of all trades and a master of none, but that doesn’t mean gamers have to settle for subpar quality for better sound quality or vice versa. There are plenty of options out there that offer immersive sound quality but also allow gamers to communicate with their teammates. As long as gamers follow the three key factors when looking for a gaming headset with the best mic quality, they will find one that works perfectly for them.

• Pickup Pattern: Cardioid is ideal for most gamers because outside noise, like other people talking or mice and keyboards, will not overpower the call.
• Mic Placement: Looking for a headset that has a flexible yet rigid boom arm will typically yield the best results, regardless of size.
• Overall Sound Quality: When looking for headsets with the best mic quality, try to find videos of people testing the mic to hear how the mic sounds.

NEXT: Best Surround Sound Gaming Headsets

FAQ

Q: What type of microphone is best for gaming?

Gaming headset microphones need to transmit the user’s voice clearly and with enough volume so everyone can hear them. Typically, cardioid or hyper-cardioid microphones are the best for this because they have a very narrow pick-up pattern so that the gamer can be heard clearly, but the noises around them are not picked up.

Q: Is A Dynamic or condenser mic better for gaming?

One is not always better than the other. Dynamic mics are good at not distorting louder sounds, whereas cardioid mics are better at picking up quieter sounds with more detail. So if the gamer is yelling a lot or has a naturally louder speaking voice, a dynamic mic will sound a bit better, and for gamers who don’t talk very loudly, a cardioid microphone will probably sound better.