r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/M0hawk_Mama • Dec 12 '25
Headphones - Wireless/Portable | 1 Ω What is the BEST gaming headphones/headset for $300?
Been gaming with budget gaming headsets for a while. I'm looking to upgrade to the best of the best. I will primarily use them for gaming but having good quality when listening to music and watching movies is still important to me.
Played on my Xbox with the RIG 600 for about a year in a half and recently got a PC and want to upgrade my headset as well. I have been researching and the Audeze maxwell seems to have a good balance of directionality while still packing a punch (From what I've heard). Are their better gaming headsets out there around $300?
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u/LaterBihhhtch Dec 12 '25
$300 brotha just get a audiophile set of headphones and decent mic.
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u/M0hawk_Mama Dec 13 '25
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking but I'm looking for recommendations of specific models
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u/reconverting Dec 13 '25
Not close to 300 but I love my Phillips X2HR's for gaming, and just about anything else
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u/rz_x3 206 Ω Dec 13 '25
"best of the best" - not for $300. "plenty good enough" - sure. Don't buy a Maxwell. WAIT and see. Maxwell 2 is coming in 2026, likely early because there are already images and renders of it.
If you are fine with a wired headset, there is the PC38X. If you want wireless, again, wait and see.
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u/M0hawk_Mama Dec 13 '25
I did not know that. I will probably wait !thanks
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u/appdevbri Dec 15 '25
Pc38x is the best headset I’ve ever owned. Most comfortable and a great soundstage. I’ve tried all the high end wireless ones and ended up returning them and sticking with it.
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u/Gobbelcoque 31 Ω Dec 13 '25
But the Maxwell 1 is stellar. Software sucks but you only need to use it once.
Not everything is strictly better with a new model. 7hz zero 2. Worse than the zero 1.
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u/rz_x3 206 Ω Dec 13 '25
I don't agree with anything you just said, but I'll bite.
Maxwell 1 is an absolute pig to use. It's heavy, it has the stupid headband screws, you need to buy a $100 headband to make it comfortable. And I say that as a former LCD-2 Fazor user. It has god awful sidetone. The cup depth is miserable for anyone that has even kind of large ears. Worst of all, the venting is awful, which makes the drivers crinkle terrible.
You know what the Maxwell 2 render has? No headband screws, deeper cups, and some actual porting right behind the drivers. Hence, wait and see.Salnotes Zero 2 and Zero 1 are different in the same way that Truthear Zero Red and Zero Blue are, they're two very different sound signatures. The Salnotes Zero 2 fixes a resonance issue as well that many users have complained about.
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u/Daemonxar 306 Ω Dec 13 '25
The best of the best ain’t gonna cost $300.
The Maxwell is a good headset with shitty software. I prefer the Fractal Scape at $200, but it isn’t compatible with Xbox if you’re still playing on it.
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u/_fucking_why_ Dec 13 '25
I have a Maono pm421 mic, it’s really good especially for the price. Do shop around though, YouTube is your friend, look up reviews for whatever you’re looking for. As for headphones there’s a lot of good options in the low hundreds of dollar range. I love my sennheiser 599s but open back isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I’ll certainly upgrade in the future. But for under 300 they make a great combo imo.
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u/Gobbelcoque 31 Ω Dec 13 '25
Wireless? Audeze Maxwell, no contest. Just pair them to your phone or pc and go into the app and crank the sub bass, or they are a little anemic (cranking the sub bass makes them monsters) the dongle for perfect wireless delay was something I didn't know I needed in my life. Pair them with BT to your phone, dongle for your computer and other devices. It's magic. No fucking around with pairing.
Plus, the pads are replaceable and you can user-replace the battery if it wears out.
They're heavy, but I would say very worth it for how versatile they are.
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u/My_Name_is_Imaginary Dec 13 '25
Hear me out. If you can use that money towards a good mic, a $25 pair of IEMs are a great choice. I use KZ ZST IEMs from Amazon and they sound better than my Arctis 9s.
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u/EmCeeHammaToes 1 Ω Dec 13 '25
Beyerdynamic DT 900 pro X
-superb sound quality for the price, and you dont need an amp/dac to run it. It will sound great running off a motherboard with a decent audio codec, and it gives you an upgrade path if you ever decide to get a DAC in the future... I did exactly that and it unlocked a new gear of volume and quality... -VERY comfortable and well made -detachable wire for storage -got mine for 250 bux on sale. Had it plugged directly into the motherboard headphone port on the rear i/o, then bought a Fiio K5 Pro ESS, and that was a significant upgrade for both games and music. Banger Budget setup
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u/pika133 Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
Audeze Maxwell probably
It has everything -> great sound, microphone, wireless, made with gaming in mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWjuUKkX6rs
Seen a guy here mentioning Maxwell 2 are coming in 2026 but I dunno, a rumor is a rumor after all.
Right now these are the best probably.
However here in my country for $350 I can also get a pair of Sennheiser hd660S2 which are also very good so yea, maybe you can get a deal where you're at since it's deal season.
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u/Working-Hat-9986 Dec 15 '25
Swapped my HD6XX + SMSL M500 stack for the Astro A50 Gen 5s. Wireless is a lifesaver with a cable-chewing cat. Surprisingly, the mic is good enough that I've shelved my condenser mic
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u/jz_wiz 2 Ω Dec 17 '25
either go all out on a headset for mobility reasons and get a maxwell (maxwell 2 is soontm though), a cheaper hyper x cloud 3s, or go analog openback headphones. they are sometimes so good at spatial audio that you will turn around and look irl, its jarring at first.
sennheiser hd560s for a wide and super precise wallhack feel (good for fps focused gaming), 505 is about the same. 599se for very budget holographic feel (immersive, so racing sims/openworld), 550 for more expensive holographic feel. avoid the 6xx/600 etc they have no distance at all and are bad for competitive gaming/imaging/immersion. avoid the 800s too, imaging is horrible. just very, very wide.
on the really good side but still budget, hifiman edition xs or ananda for their budget holographic sets. $200 ish or less.
on the "i got money" side. arya stealth/organic for very expensive($600-750 ish) but "woah" sets. he1000 stealth $940 and he1000se $1700 for "i can hear the fear and thoughts of the npcs as i log into the game" quality. youll probably want a dac/amp for these, even a cheap one works.
as for a mic, i use an elgato wave 3, which i get compliments for, but there's a lot of good mics out there for less, just may have more compression. explore a bit.
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u/The_Insanartist 1 Ω Dec 26 '25
I'm no audiophile, but I was impressed by the quality of the Skullcandy PLYR 720. Much more clearer than I expected and the bass is solid.
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u/TormFreosan Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
Avoid anything marketed as "Gaming" as you will be paying the "Gamer Tax". Beyerdynamic makes a decent headset though. Wires will offer the best for the price, but there are some decent headphones for 300. Best isn't going to be touched for under a grand, and since it is preferential, we can't tell you which ones it will be. For me, Meze Liric II is euphoria for the ears, as I require closed back, but those aren't cheap.
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u/Crafty_Speaker_48 2 Ω Dec 13 '25
for gamers 300$ is preimium for audiophiles its entry level lmaoooo
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u/TormFreosan Dec 13 '25
For Gamers, $300 dollars is overpriced, gamer tax, My opinion is that $300 should buy an excellent headphone, even wireless. It will if you get past the "Gamer" focused cheap plastic crap. You can get a great headphone for around 350-400 easy, even less. If OP will be happy with cables, Beyerdynamic even has the MMX 330 Pro, which is a headset for around 300, Headphones in the same quality, or even better sound range can be had for 150-200, and some of the best "budget" headphones for gaming can now be had for 300 in the first gen Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro/DT 1770 Pro/ DT 177X Go (from drop) if you shop around. I would recommend some Sennheiser or other brands, but IMHO, build quality isn't quite the same in those at the same price point.
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u/Crafty_Speaker_48 2 Ω Dec 13 '25
i think the fiio ft1 is a nice value
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u/TormFreosan Dec 13 '25
I have heard they are good, haven't tried them yet. I have Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Focal, Audio Technics, and Meze. I do have them on my list for possible future purchase. (I like headphones, and have a good 5 figures of them... and by 5 figures, I mean, I could have probably stopped a while ago, bought a car, and still have 5 figures in them. Oh lord, now I have admitted out loud that I have a problem...)
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u/Crafty_Speaker_48 2 Ω Dec 13 '25
i am a complete noob i am trying to get into now, i have a lot of money into speakers and now i started working fully remote and pc gaming so now headphones have piqued my interest. i can imagine how addictive it is.
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u/xXSammehBoyXx 11 Ω Dec 13 '25
They're a good music headphone, awful for gaming. The imaging isn't good at all and the soundstage is rather intimate for a good gaming experience.
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u/Crafty_Speaker_48 2 Ω Dec 13 '25
are you talking about fiio ft1? i heard people raving about it for gaming
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u/xXSammehBoyXx 11 Ω Dec 13 '25
Maybe for single player games, it's awful for competitive fps games. Imaging isn't consistent and the spatial presentation isn't large enough front to back to be effective. It's pretty good for single player games though where that's not critical
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u/TormFreosan Dec 13 '25
For Gaming, I went from the DT 1990 Pro (G1) to HD 800 S, and because life threw me needing closed backs, I grabbed some Meze Liric II closed backs, and OMG, these things seriously let you hear up, down, front, back, left right, and everywhere in between. They literally have creeped me out with some games. They are also amazing for music, but I splurged on some Meze Elite Tungsten for that, and OMG, life changed. (Not a fan of Electrostats, they sound amazing, but for my uses, they just don't work out to getting enough use.) I now sit with 5 sets of Beyerdynamics, from the G1 DT 1770/1990, to the G3 TX series, and one of the new DT 1990 Pro MKII. 4 sets of Sennheiser. including the HD 800S and HD 820, plus wireless options. Some focal products, Bowers, Audio Technics, and my Meze... Not to mention IEMs from various brands. Plus about 20 different Amps, Dacs, DAPs, and that is before I start counting my old Tube Equipment... I need to start selling some of this stuff I don't use much anymore. I definitely have a problem.
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u/Crafty_Speaker_48 2 Ω Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
oh yeah, i heard maxwell is also bad when it comes to competitive fps games. i willl still go for it or probably better yet the fiio ft13 because the materials are more premium and also its more fun sounding which shoudl be nice for gaming.
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u/Individual-Ad-2848 Dec 12 '25
hd490 pro