5. Astro A50
Best Xbox Headsets 2022
If you’re looking for the absolute best in audio quality, the Astro A50 headset is easily the best you can get for the Xbox One and Series X|S. Without going overly bass-heavy, the A50 ensures there’s a satisfying rumble and boom to explosions and gunshots, while also ensuring that dialog and footsteps aren’t drowned out in the mids section.
What’s more, it’s also one of the most comfortable headsets around, though its love-it-or-hate-it design is the trade-off for that. There’s an impressive amount of customization here too, with users able to switch between the velour-style ear cushions for a leather-like finish easily thanks to the magnetic ear cup system.
“So why isn’t this topping our list if it’s so amazing, Chris?” I hear you (and my editor) ask.
Well, for the incredible sound and comfort your ears are going to be basking in, the A50’s are a little disappointing when it comes to the microphone quality. Similarly, there’s no real noise cancellation here, and part of the reason the A50’s are so comfortable is due to the fact the headset doesn’t clamp too tightly around your ears. This means you do get a lot of exterior noise leaking in, which can pull you out of the action during quieter sections or conversation-driven cutscenes in games if you’ve got a lot of background noise in your real-life surroundings.
The A50’s charging station does help add to that ‘premium’ feel you’d expect to get from its $300 price tag, offering up a neat way to store and charge your headset, while also acting as the ‘receiver’ for all the wireless magic at work here. Even if you don’t dock the headset after every play session, the A50’s should last you up to around the 15-hour mark again, which should be more than long enough for even the most seasoned gamers.
