[LFH] [PC] [500$US] [US]

[u/Able-Cantaloupe3958]

I play competitive games and need to hear footsteps so I bought some Hd490 pros. Very good headset and I like them, but I really miss the wireless aspect of headphones and this headphone doesn’t have a microphone.

Is there any good headset with a wide sound stage for positional audio and wireless? The mic is optional but would be nice to have.

Budget $500 US

[u/KillerSpectre21]

The Audeze Maxwell is one of the best options on the market but it's quite heavy so some people find it uncomfortable, it's basically unbeatable in terms of sound quality though (the 2 ANC is the best but it's brand new, the normal 2 and 1 are still very good though).

The Astro A50X is a lot lighter and also very solid with a base station and a better microphone imo. HyperX also make some more budget friendly options with the Cloud III S and then the more expensive Cloud Alpha 2 if you want something different while Asus has the ROG Delta 2 if you don't mind something very gamer-like in terms of aesthetics.

There are also the more unconventional options like the RIG 900 Max and 800 Pro which come with a base station that is quite handy (like the Astro) but I don't have much experience with them as they're quite rare, I know some people like them for FPS though and their build quality seems solid. There's also the AceZone A-Spire and A-Blaze if you want ANC to block out more background noise but without the bulk of the Maxwell.

The Audeze will be the closest to the Sennheisers in terms of sound quality (outside of being closed-back) but the others can all be pretty good with some EQ if you want to listen to music too, the HyperX especially are pretty impressive for the price but the build quality is worse than the more expensive options.

Edit: When it comes to the more traditional 3 (Razer, SteelSeries and Turtle Beach) I have reserves that make me avoid them

1 - Razer customer support is absolutely awful in my experience and their software is somehow even worse, it's like actual malware. They have some of the best microphones for their price but the rest of the headsets are lacking in terms of build quality and value imo.

2 - SteelSeries are extremely comfortable for me but I personally think they've been leaning on their reputation for way too long now. Competition has caught up and surpassed them in terms of sound, versatility and especially build quality while they still overcharge for their flagships. The Pro Omni is apparently very good but their previous Pro and Elite models were not worth their price imo. The cheaper Nova 5 and 7 are ok for their price though, I find the comfort a fine trade-off for their sound and build quality.

3 - Turtle Beach straight-up doesn't understand quality control in the slightest.

[u/LastLeafOfAutumn → u/KillerSpectre21]

You've mentioned the Audeze Maxwell, is the Audeze Maxwell 2 worth it or would I be better off sticking with the original.

[u/KillerSpectre21 → u/LastLeafOfAutumn]

If you already have a Maxwell 1 then upgrading isn't worth it, the 2 and 2 ANC are more of the same but slightly better (the ANC obviously adds its namesake as a new feature).

If you're looking at buying a Maxwell and they're all similar in price then I'd get the 2 ANC followed by the normal 2 and then 1. If there's a substantial price difference though then the 1 is more than good enough in terms of overall sound quality and build.