Was messing around with Reddit data on gaming headsets recs. Thought I’d share the results.
Its part of my side project to tinker with Reddit data and LLMs. Wanted to create something useful for the community while levelling up my coding chops.
The idea is to highlight which gaming headsets got the most love. Obviously most love =/= best. But I think its a useful data point nonetheless, especially for those overwhelmed by all the info out there.
I actually posted a version of this list ~4 months ago. Unfortunately there were some naive mistakes in how I did the analysis that ppl helped point out. I’ve since fixed a lot of those issues. Improvements include no longer being limited to models on Amazon, better model attribution, less duplications. Lemme know what you think!
Methodology in the comments. If you wanna see more, the full results and data analysis including analyzed comments can be found on RedditRecs . com (or google RedditRecs)
30 Comments
Nice list! I love my Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. One of the best purchases I made as it’s not only an incredible gaming headset but also great for actual work. I use a dialer on my PC and having the ability to be connected to the PC and my phone at the same time is awesome. And the mic audio quality is superb for others on the receiving end.
Sennheiser ftws, I dont use a gaming headset but I have a DAC and Senn HD650s and life is perfect
Good job.
Generally speaking I’d simply avoid gaming headsets, but the PC37X / PC38X models seem to be pretty decent.
Of course if you need wireless then there are very few, if any, options in studio headphones. But if wires are okay, I’d try to look for a pair of those and get a dedicated mic.
Methodology:
Data collection: I wrote a script that uses Google and Reddit search to search keywords like “best gaming headsets”, filtered for the past year, sorted by relevance. LLMs were used to analyze each search result, extracting reviews from the comments and performing sentiment analysis. I kept going until the relevant results analyzed dropped below 40% of all the results analyzed so far. A total of 215 relevant threads and 2479 users were analyzed (working on increasing the dataset!).
Scoring: Each user contributes up to 1 “vote” per model, regardless of no. of comments on it. Some users do not specify the model. I still included them but they account for less than 1 “vote”, weighted by the popularity of the model from other comments / the number of possible models that could be it.
Ranking: I calculated the normalized positive sentiment score and normalized positive:negative ratio, and used that to determine the final score for ranking (weighted 75%-25%).
Caveat: Handling and merging different model namings, brands, abbreviations etc is non trivial so a 100% LLM approach wasn’t sufficient. I did some eyeballing and manual clean up but there may still be mistakes. Let me know if anything seems wrong or surprising!
[Source and full data including analyzed comments](https://redditrecs.com/gaming-headset/)
I can personally attest to the quality and consistency of the arctic nova pro wireless headphones i love them so much.
The ear pads are ok but a company called wicked cushions makes after market ear pads that are just heavenly and worth the upgrade.
Hyperx cloud. Wireless or not. Amazing sound and comfort for their price point. Plus they take a beating. I’ve gone through 2 pairs in a decade.
After trying numerous cheap and expensive headset, I came to conclusion that normal high quality headset will do the job always better. Nice pair of ath m50x with some external mic and I’m golden
I got the Logitech G pro X on super sale and it’s amazing for the price I paid.
have the audeze maxwell’s. the planar magnetic tech is insane at that price point. music, tv, games. everything sounds phenomenal.
One thing to help would be to include the activity of the accounts posting the comment. Lots of bots that are used for guerilla marketing.
HyperX stays winning. Been using mine for years
The pc37x/pc38x are basically legendary.
Also, the Cloud II’s are legendary at this point. I believe I bought mine in like 2018, still going strong. They’re amazin.
I enjoy my Cloud 3 wireless but it was some work to get them to sound good, had to install an equalizer app along with Atmos. I ordered a second pair for a build I’m doing this week and they randomly shut off even at 90% battery. I’m going to update the firmware and if that doesn’t fix it I’ll return them.
What about a value column? Up boats per dollar.
I got the Maxwell’s recently and am really enjoying them. Was a bit worried about the weight which I really felt when I first put them on but I got used to them quickly. They sound great for both gaming and music. I also got a few addons for it to level them up a bit and address some concerns from reviews: [CapraAudio](https://capraaudio.com/products/audeze-maxwell-mm100-comfort-strap) 3D printed headstrap, [Dekoni Sheepskin](https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-sheepskin-replacement-ear-pads-for-audeze-maxwell/) ear pads and [Immerse HIVE](https://embody.co/pages/gaming-hive) spatial audio. The stock headstrap and pads ended up being okay but the upgrades improved comfort and fit. The spatial audio is helpful for games and I found it added some magic to music by increasing the soundstage. Everything sounds fuller with it on vs off.
Hyper X cloud series has always been consistent with me
I have the corsair virtuoso. They sound quite well, mic is pretty good for a headset, but the software is terrible, there’s some issues that are quite inconvenient to have after a year. The first months I found them to be a good recommendation but as of now I would avoid them.
How the hell do I have the most recommended headset? Stuff like that never happens.
I have a PC38X. It has been good to me for quite a while but the volume dial has become loose and creates static and mismatched volume levels between sides sometimes.
I have the Cloud Alpha, and I bought it because I enjoyed the cheaper Stinger in the past. It fits my head well, it sounds amazing, the mic comes off, and it’s comfortable….
….but the wire was loose within 2 weeks of buying it. It’s very upsetting because I would be 100% satisfied except for the thing I need to work the most is already lose and causing the sound to cut out.
I still have a razer blackshark v2.0 from 6 years ago. Still holding up, no breaks, works. I tried a lot of wireless headsets before buying it, it was the best sound and most comfortable at the time
I have about ten recent-gen headphone sets around the house for various reasons and TBH the Arctic 7s are the ones that have lasted the longest with the least trouble.
I’ve used gaming and audiophile HP’s/HS’s for 20 years and recently switched to IEM’s, not realizing how amazing they are for the price. I’ve just been using Simgot Supermix 4’s with a FiiO K11 R2R for a year now. You can have them on for a day and forget they’re even there.
Arctis Nova Pro is fantastic
I have the pc38x. They sound great and perform well. But quality is such that I wouldn’t recommend them. The volume rocker sucks and when you touch it screws up audio for me. Lots of others have reported issues with it. Maybe there is a revision out there that fixed it.
Epos h6pro gang
Nah. Beyerdynamics
Just get proper audiophile headphones.
I would be one of those that have recommended the Corsair HS80 Max. Not a huge fan of the brand, but this headset is so damn good. Truly an underrated gem.
Do not buy a headset i swear to god, just by a decent air of headphones/iems with a decent mic its far cheaper, less likely to break and you get far greater quality in both.