The best hi-res gaming headsets 2024: top high-resolution cans for gaming (2024)

The best hi-res gaming headsets let you experience a game's audio as its designers intended. You don’t need to be a seasoned gamer to know that good audio is one of the most important aspects of the experience, especially if you’re playing games online. Hi-res audio can enhance your single-player games immeasurably, allowing you to get fully immersed in whatever you might be tackling.

You know that perfect audio is the difference between hearing an enemy creeping up on you and being taken by surprise. A PC gaming headset that delivers hi-res audio will certainly help for immersion in single-player games.

There's also that added benefit of enjoying your favorite tunes and the latest blockbusters when you put your controller down. With hi-res audio and services like Tidal and Qobuz, a hi-res headset will let you hear music the way an artist intended, with no compression and all the detail straight from the studio mixes.

We've tested most top PC gaming headsets on the market, suffering through bad audio so we can find you the best-sounding ones. And, we gathered the top gaming headsets that can deliver audio at a higher sampling frequency. Just bear in mind that you aren't likely to find a lot of budget gaming headsets on our list, as hi-res audio devices tend to me more expensive.

Not to worry; we'll help you find the best hi-res gaming headsets that will meet your needs and is within your budget. Take a look at our picks below.

The best hi-res gaming headsets 2024

Getting hi-res quality audio over a wireless connection is a tough ask. So, when Corsair managed to do just that with the Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT, we were impressed. The audio quality is crisp and detailed, performing well when tested regardless of whether we were listening to music or playing Cyberpunk 2077.

This Corsair headset also comes with some useful features such as being able to connect to a Bluetooth and Wireless source simultaneously. Of course, there are some limitations with its wireless performance as its battery life is a bit underwhelming and its wireless range is rather short. But, considering that the headset reproduces much more detailed audio than the typical headset, it’s part of the trade-off for that higher resolution audio.

A little more unfortunate, it can’t connect to a Switch or Xbox wirelessly. That said, PC, Mac, and Playstation 5 gamers will appreciate the wireless Hi-Res performance. And, PC users in particular can take advantage of the Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT’s Dolby Atmos support.

Read our full Corsair Virtuoso RGB Wireless XT review

Nearly all gaming headsets come with some form of a drawback. The microphone is bad, the inbuilt lights look tacky, or the audio isn’t up to snuff… which is what makes the SteelSeries Arctis Pro something of an anomaly. It sports an understated design, boasts exceptional sound quality, and the earpads will cradle your precious head in a comfortable embrace. Truly, we’re dealing with a product of aural legend.

Not only is the headset good to go by itself, but there are also plenty of input options, great virtual surround sound, and accessibility. Its sound performance is of audiophile quality when paired with its DAC, pulling together exceptional detail in games and classic albums. Whether you're sitting down with an audiophile-tempting album like Bitches Brew or What's Going On?, or rushing through a bustling Egyptian market in Assassin's Creed Origins, you'll hear more with these cans than with any competition.

If we had to pick out a flaw, it would be that the surround sound functions could be better and the soundstage doesn’t have the widest field. However, at this price point, you won’t notice the difference.

Read our full SteelSeries Arctis Pro Headset review

We’re big fans of the Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. From its hot-swappable batteries to keep you going for extended gaming sessions to its (admittedly mediocre) active noise cancellation for blocking out unwanted roommate-related noises, it’s one of the top headsets we’ve reviewed in recent memory.

And, while it already sounds fantastic when connected via Wireless or Bluetooth, it really shines when physically connected to a PC, Nintendo Switch or a next-gen console. Via a USB connection, the Arctis Nova Pro’s frequency range extends from the 20-20KHz it has when untethered to a much broader 10-40KHz frequency range. That means you’ll hear that deep sub-bass extension as well as incredibly detailed audio for an immersive audio experience that most headphones can’t touch.

On top of that, the Arctis Nova Pro works seamlessly with Spatial Audio even on next-gen consoles. PC gamers can also tweak the headset’s audio very extensively thanks to SteelSeries’ Sonar add-on which has 10-band parametric EQ.

The wired Arctis Nova Pro may be a bit more limited in connectivity than its wireless sibling, the highly-rated Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, but, if all you care about is audio quality, it’s worth putting at the top of your list.

Read our full SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review

If you can get past a less-than-attractive design, complete with obnoxious logos, then you’ll probably enjoy your time with the JBL Quantum One headset. Not only is it compatible with all consoles, but it can also deliver clear, clean sound on all of them. To top it all off, it has a handy USB audio mixer which is, thankfully, easy to use for those who want to mess around with the sound settings.

In terms of performance, the JBL Quantum One gives a perfect fit around the ears and does a great job at sealing off most outside audio. Moreover, the sound is close to the best we’ve ever heard in a gaming headset, with every minute detail coming through crisp and clear thanks to the amazing customizable surround sound.

As something of a jack-of-all-trades, the Quantum One is tragically a master of none. If you play games on every available format then this is a solid investment, though it does fare slightly better on PC. The console experience is slightly rockier, but the headset still performs well.

Read our full JBL Quantum One Gaming review

The Audeze Penrose X may be a mixed bag to some degree. It doesn’t have the best mic, its controls can be finicky, and, most importantly, its fit is too tight – tight enough to pop a balloon or at least give you a pressure headache if you don’t stretch it out.

However, that all goes away when you hear them. When we tested them, we may have been miffed by the Penrose X’s other shortcomings, but we were blown away by its sound quality. After all, it has a 10-50k Hz frequency range which is much wider than those of other hi-res headsets.

Add in Audeze’s use of Planar Magnetic technology for the 100mm drivers and you get an incredibly detailed audio that’s tough to beat. If you care about spatial audio, the Penrose X does extremely well in that department as well. It’s compatible with just about any Spatial Audio.

Read our full Audeze Penrose X review

The ROG Strix Go is easily one of the most attractive and convenient headsets out there. It’s extremely comfortable to wear (even for us bespectacled lot) and it could easily double up as a headset you’d wear outside the house due to its lightweight and generous leather padding. Throw in the headset's excellent, crystal-clear microphone, and you’ve got a strong contender for your next purchase.

With all this comfort in mind, we come to the biggest problem with the Strix Go: it suffers from lacklustre audio quality, notably sibilant hissing. You’ll find headsets with better audio and while the Strix Go does offer a full sound, your experience will be notably sullied by hissing and interference when using them wirelessly.

Read our full Asus ROG Strix Go 2.4 review