Top Headsets of 2020 – Holiday Guide
We have had the ability to test drive a wide variety of headsets this year, and we wanted to highlight our favourites as part of our holiday guide set for 2020! All of the times on this list have been personally used by our staff, and come with our highest recommendations. There are a lot of great audio accessories here to look at, so let’s dive right in!
Astro A20
More and more companies are starting to brand their products for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and that goes for Astro as well. We’ve been using the Astro A20 around the office and are very impressed with both the comfort and audio capabilities of this headset. It is an Astro product, after all!
At around $160 in Canada, the Astro A20 reflects a mid-range Astro product, but we felt when compared to our more expensive Astro setups, this one comes really close in audio performance, minus a few bells and whistles of the more expensive products. While lacking a great surround sound audio experience, it does out-perform it’s competitors in other ways. It should, however, as this comes in slightly higher than other companies mid-ranged units.
Being a completely wireless setup makes this a great solution for those who don’t want cable draped all over.
EPOS GSP 601 Headset & GSX 300 Soundcard
EPOS | SENNHEISER
Epos has recently demerged from Sennheiser to focus exclusively on audio equipment for PC and consoles, and have recently launched fantastic products that would be a great addition to any gaming setup this holiday season.
EPOS | SENNHEISER 601 Gaming Series (Wired)
The GSP 601 and 602 are coloured variants of the legendary GSP 600 gaming headset. The 601 (white) and the 602 (black) are engineered to produce excellent audio quality for all your games, weather on console or PC. The noise canceling microphone keeps your chats crips and clean, and the adjustable headband will make sure that during those long gaming sessions, you will be comfortable throughout. The ear pads are shaped to fit around the average person’s ears, and should block out almost all outside noise, enhancing your experience. With a strong plastic and metal hinge design, the GSP 600 series headsets should last a considerable amount of time.
We’ve only had the EPOS 601 for a limited amount of time, but are pleasantly surprised with the quality and sound. For PCs. the headset includes a 2.5 meter cord, giving you ample room to move about around your setup without suddenly ripping the headset from your head. An included 3.5 auxiliary cord will allow you to quickly hook the headset into your Xbox One or PS4 controller, with ease. WIth no additional software to worry about – as EPOS and SENNHEISER are building on a natural audio experience – this fantastic headset is plug-and-play right out of the box!
EPOS | SENNHEISER GSX 300
For those looking to purchase the GSP 600 series headsets for their PC setup, we strongly advise grabbing the GSX 300 Gaming Series External Sound Card to boost their audio experience. As we said on our review of the GSP 600 series, we think the natural audio sound that you get right out of the box is going to be perfect for most gamers. However, the GSX 300 allows you to take that audio experience to the next level.
With the GSX 300, fans of any headset can begin to take advantage of more in depth audio options. EPOS and SENNHEISER have added great PC software which provides extensive customization and 7.1 surround options. The device itself is also very stylish, and won’t look out of place in any gaming setup. All the controls on the device are illuminated for when in the dark, including the customizable button that can be mapped however you see fit!
You can buy the GSP 601 here and the GSX 300 here direct from EPOS
ROCCAT Elo Headsets
ROCCAT, Turtle Beach’s PC gaming accessory brand, released its Elo line of gaming headsets that provide a solid option for players of every budget and preference. Available in 3.5mm Stereo, USB 7.1 and Wireless 7.1, there really is an Elo headset for everyone!
ROCCAT is heavily focused on PC peripherals, so it should come as no great surprise that the 7.1 Air and 7.1 USB are solely compatible with PCs. Simply enough that means that if you are looking for a new headset for your console gaming – the X Stereo is the one for you. Again, you are still benefiting from the exact same comfort and features of the other headsets, just with stereo audio. With our testing, we did notice a slightly lower sound quality on the X Stereo than the 7.1 models, namely the dynamic range and overall volume were somewhat lessened on the X Stereo.
Overall, the Elo headset lineup is very impressive. Considering also how reasonably priced they are, the comfort and audio quality are superb. My recommendations for this are the opposite of what they usually would be, which is to start at the bottom and stop once you’ve reached all of your desired features. Instead, I would begin by looking at the Elo 7.1 Air and work your way down if you either do not enjoy wireless headsets or need console compatibility.
Whichever one tickles your fancy you cannot go wrong with any headset in this lineup – they are all very comfortable and reliable gaming headset options!
Read our full review of the ROCCAT Elo series here.
You can purchase your Elo headset direct from ROCCAT here!
Turtle Beach Gen 2 Stealth 600 & 700
This year, Turtle Beach released the second generation of both the Stealth 600 & 700 models. These headsets feature a host of upgrades to performance, comfort and style on their predecessors. The game audio fidelity on the Stealth 700 Gen 2 has been tuned and refined to deliver even more detailed and precise sound, giving gamers an even bigger advantage on the in-game battlefield.
From Turtle Beach:
“With our Stealth 700 and 600 Gen 2 wireless gaming headsets, we’ve delivered a stunning level of high-quality audio, comfort, and features that take these already best-selling products to an even higher level,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach. “We fully expect the Gen 2s to continue as top-performing products in the market, as the Stealth 700 Gen 2 provides the ultimate premium wireless gaming audio experience for $149.95, and the Stealth 600 Gen2 looks and sounds amazing and delivers everything gamers could ask for at $99.95.”
It is safe to say that the next-generation versions of Turtle Beach’s best-selling wireless gaming headsets designed for Xbox One and Xbox Series X, and for PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5, as the successors to the brand’s highly acclaimed Stealth 700 and Stealth 600 headsets, take the best-selling products to a whole new level. Since the PS5 and Xbox Series X have just dropped – this is a perfect gift for the gamer in your life who is looking to grab a next-gen console soon!
Read our full article on the Stealth 600 & 700 Gen2’s here.
You can buy your Stealth headset directly from Turtle Beach here!
SteelSeries Arctis 7P & 7X
SteelSeries swooped in at the perfect time to release its newest additions to the award-winning Arctis lineup of headsets. Styled the 7P & 7X, these headsets are, naturally, based off of the Arctis 7 wireless headset, equipped with a 24-hour battery life, killer audio quality and superb comfort. The subtle style and unrivaled compatibility means that you could actually have your 7P or 7X double as your day-to-day work and music headset as well as your gaming headset.
The Arctis 7P & 7X sport some of the only Discord-certified mics on the market. The retractable, bidirectional ClearCast microphones use the same design as microphones used by aircraft carrier deck crews, allowing for superior noise cancellation and projecting your voice in a clear and natural way. Upgrade your next-gen readiness with the SteelSeries Arctis 7P & 7X, the perfect headsets to match with your gaming experience, no matter which console you decide to play on!
Ultimately, it’s easy to recommend the SteelSeries Arctis 7P and 7X devices, although we give a slight nod to the 7X over the 7P. For whatever reason, Xbox requires special connectivity between headsets and the console, which obviously is included with the 7x but not available in the 7P. If you purchase the 7P, you’ll never be able to use it as intended on any of the Xbox family of consoles. If you purchase the 7X, however, it will be compatible with PlayStation devices – something to keep in mind as you prepare your gift ideas!
Read through our entire review of the SteelSeries 7P & 7X here.
You can buy your Artcis 7P or 7X directly from SteelSeries here!