Windows Central is made up of hardcore techies from across the spectrum. Many of us are also hardcore gamers and know that sometimes, gaming with wires can be a hassle. Cables are especially problematic if you like moving around or want to leave the room for a quick minute. The best wireless Xbox One headset on the market right now is the incredible LucidSound LS35X, owing to its premium build quality, great audio, and direct-to-device wirelessness.
Best Overall – LucidSound LS35X
The LS35X is in a league of its own when it comes to building quality and comfort. Packed full of coolant gel, with premium fabrics and generous memory foam cushioning, wearing the LS35X is a pure pleasure, even when you’re not using it for sound.
Using the LS35X is a pure pleasure with memory foam cushioning and audio tuned for gaming.
While there are better soundscapes to be found at higher price points, the audio offered by the LS35X is incredibly competitive and well-tuned for gaming, accentuating important audio cues to give you a tactical edge. Adding in Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos via your Xbox One or compatible Windows PC can also add a surround experience, too. The LS35X also has a surprisingly great voice-monitoring microphone as well, which is one area headset manufacturers often cut corners on.
While it had some issues with its wireless signal at launch, a firmware update has fully repaired them. The “Xbox wireless” signal is powerful enough to cross huge rooms and isn’t susceptible to interference from other wireless devices. The protocol also makes it compatible with some PCs directly, like the Surface Book 2, and more via the cheap Xbox wireless USB dongle.
It also has a great price point, which puts it in league with far more expensive headsets.
Pros
- Signature sexy LucidSound design
- Premium construction, materials, and comfort
- Great audio
- Rock-solid wireless signal
- Detachable mic and optional 3.5mm cable
- 15-hour battery life
Cons
- No dock can make recharging a hassle
- 3.5mm connectivity doesn’t work well with mix amps
Best Overall
LucidSound LS35X
Ultra convenience meets ultra comfort
Boasting premium sound, supreme build quality, and direct-to-Xbox wireless connectivity, this is our choice for the best wireless Xbox headset.
Best Versatility — Steelseries Arctis 9X
The Steelseries Arctis 9X is an excellent new option for wireless headset fans, complete with direct-to-Xbox connectivity similar to the LS35X. The 9X also comes with Bluetooth support with audio mixing. It allows you to feed in sound or chat from a separate device while mixing game sound in from your Xbox One or compatible Windows 10 PC. It also has a 3.5mm jack for use with mobile devices, PCs, or audio controllers, if that’s your fancy.
The sound quality on the Arctis 9X is stellar too, tuned for tactical sound and emphasizing audio cues in the high ranges like footsteps and other types of player movement. It also has good separation between the channels, adding an excellent sense of immersion. Bass suffers at higher volumes, however, producing a bit of distortion.
The Arctis 9X rocks 20 hours of battery life, making it by-far the longest-lasting option on this list. It also has a very sleek retractable microphone that also boasts high quality. The well-made PC app allows you to finetune the sound features further. You’ll be able to increase or decrease the sidetone mic monitoring (which is a bit quiet by default).
The main downsides of the Arctis 9X pertain to its headband, which I found to be uncomfortable and a bit unstable. The floating headband adjusts with a velcro tab, and the felt-like fabric doesn’t produce a significant amount of friction against your head. Moving around too fast can offset the headset on your skull, which can be a tad annoying. But it’s a minor issue. At the time of this writing, the Arctis 9X is also sold out at a lot of retailers, making it a tough buy, but that proves how popular they are.
For the most part, the 9X is a stunning product that will not disappoint.
Pros
- Great sound
- Excellent subtle visual design
- Innovative retractable microphone
- Xbox Wireless convenience
- Massive battery life at 20 hours
- Bluetooth option
Cons
- Headband solution isn’t the most comfortable or intuitive
- No recharge dock option
- Sold out at a lot of retailers
Best Versatility
Steelseries Arctis 9X
Incredible versatility meets incredible quality.
Arctis headsets are regarded as some of the best on the market for good reason: stunning sound, excellent build quality, and 20-hour wireless.
Best Value — Turtle Beach Stealth 600
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 packs a considerable number of features into a cheap and cheerful price package, including true wirelessness, decent sound quality and materials, a comfortable design, and excellent battery life.
The Stealth 600 also packs mic monitoring and Turtle Beach’s “SuperHuman Hearing” sound preset, which emphasizes enemy actions like footsteps and reloads on the higher ranges. It doesn’t have 7.1 surround sound, however, but the stereo experience is decent, elevated further with Dolby Atmos or Windows Sonic. The microphone has satisfactory quality for chatting too, with a handy flip-to-mute feature.
While the headset is comfortable, it lacks the build quality of some of Turtle Beach’s higher-end headsets. The audio quality also isn’t the best out there, particularly against wired headsets in the same price range. The price is right though, and you can’t beat the wireless convenience on offer since the Stealth 600 connects directly to your Xbox without taking up a USB port for a dongle or a dock.
Pros
- Great price
- Full “Xbox Wireless,” dongle-free
- Flip-to-mute mic with audio monitoring
- 15-hour battery life
Cons
- Build quality isn’t the best
- Audio could be better
- No recharge dock option
Best Value
Turtle Beach Stealth 600
A value option for the budget-conscious.
Cheap and cheerful, the Stealth 600 packs all the most essential wireless audio features into an affordable package.
Best Premium — Astro A50
This is the best of the best if you can afford it. The Astro A50 is a Dolby surround headset complete with its charging dock, crystal-clear sound, mic monitoring, and immense comfort.
The large over-ear speakers are dreamy to wear, and complete with soft fabric cushioning that is breathable and more than adequate for lengthy sessions. The sound quality is also among the best out there, with crystal-clear reproduction atop a powerful wireless signal. The microphone is also decent too, complete with mic monitoring feedback so you can hear yourself. The headset works on both Xbox One and PC, with a comprehensive PC app for fine-tuning.
Previous generations had issues with battery charging and docking, alongside gaudy neon-green accents. The 2019 version does away with these faults, creating what is arguably the best wireless Xbox headset on the market if you can stomach the price tag.
This is the headset you buy when you want the best of the best, and it has a price to match.
Pros
- Comfortable
- Solid build quality
- Excellent 7.1 audio
- Great wireless signal
- Convenient docking station
- 15-hour battery life
Cons
- Very expensive
Best Premium
Astro A50 (2019)
Premium option with a docking station.
Complete with a convenient charging dock, great sound, mic monitoring, and 7.1 surround sound, this is the best wireless Xbox headset bundle on the market.
Bottom line
All of these headsets will liberate you from the confines of a wired headset, with enduring battery life, excellent comfort, and robust audio. The more you pay, the better the overall experience you’ll get. But you might not need the more “advanced,” features like 7.1 or mic monitoring, for example.
Dollar for dollar, the LucidSound LS35X leads the pack in our view, for its design, great sound, convenience, and supreme comfort.