I’ve tested gaming headsets for nearly a decade, and these 5 sets of audiophile headphones have made me reconsider everything

The Sennheiser HD 550 headphones on a wooden surface in front of a white brick background

(Image credit: Future/Rob Dwiar)

I’ve been fortunate enough to see many great gaming headsets pass across my desk in the nearly-decade I’ve been reviewing hardware. However, in the past year or so, I’ve been seeing more and more audiophile-focused gaming headsets, and also more audiophile headphones being pitched at gamers by big brands.

It’s not news that high-end headphones from the likes of Sennheiser, Bose and Sony can also lend their audio prowess to games and gaming devices. However, from my personal perspective, it’s been a real joy to explore and compare products – and see the Venn diagram overlap more and more as the lines between the products get increasingly blurry.

Now more than ever, there’s a whole range of audiophile headphones to consider when looking at an audio upgrade for your gaming setup, and also a few top-quality gaming headsets that offer something like audiophile audio quality. To highlight this, below I’ve listed a few of the best headphones and headsets that I’ve been hands-on with or reviewed in depth, or which others at TechRadar have tested.

To be transparent, I’m slightly bending the definition of ‘audiophile headphones’ here – or using it a little loosely at times – but these are all quality picks for those looking to add top-tier audio to their gaming experiences and setups.

Sennheiser HD 550

The new Sennheiser HD 550 headphones have been somewhat of a revelation to me this year, and have become my go-to device on PC for work, music, and gaming.

There’s nothing quite like Sennheiser audio quality, and the HD 550s channel all that pedigree and quality – and they’ve made my games sing, my music soar, and my meetings a dream. They’re a super-simple proposition – as most Sennheiser headphones are in a way – but the sheer audio prowess is absolutely wonderful.

You can go down an entire rabbit hole of great Sennheiser audiophile headphones, but the HD 550s are some of the best going in 2025, and I wholeheartedly endorse them for gaming on either PC or console.

I’ve also been using them in combination with a Creative Sound Blaster X4 USB sound card, which has proved a joy, and brought added flexibility to the HD 550s – so if you’re looking for something that offers a bit more than plug and play from such a set of headphones, then you can still have this cake and eat it with the likes of USB sound cards.

Drop + EPOS PC38X

Coming in a close second to the HD 550s above for me is this slightly older model and collab headset, which is (rightly) often hailed as one of the best audio-quality-first gaming headsets.

I’ve been using the Drop + EPOS PC38X on my PS5 a lot, and it’s fabulous in every way. I’ll be doing further testing on PC with it – though early signs are that it excels there too.

The microphone is fantastic, and gives the mic on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless a run for its money (it’s one of my favorites on a gaming headset), and the audio is supreme; I’ve enjoyed it particularly when playing Diablo 4 with a pal online, and when playing Death Stranding and the recent Indiana Jones DLC, in particular.

It’s also blissfully simple to use, offering a plug-and-play audio jack connection and a simple volume wheel control on the right ear cup. It also offers a split connection option for headphone and microphone jack, which has been super too, as I’ve been able to plug it into a Creative Sound BlasterX G6 to squeeze even more audiophile quality and audio enhancements out of it, utilizing that device’s twin ports on the front. Dreamy.

Look out for my full review of the Drop + EPOS PC38X, which will be coming in the near future, for more info.

Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro

One of the best things about this headset is that it channels all of Beyerdynamic’s audio prowess and keeps things incredibly simple. It focuses on audio quality and comfort, and delivers to the nth degree on both.

There are no fancy features or adjustments here, just streamlined audio excellence in a headset that you can wear for hours at a time. In our review of the set, my colleague Lewis got straight to the point when it came to performance: “The STELLAR.45 drivers render all frequencies with clarity, especially the highs and upper mids. The closed-back design helps to improve the sense of space and immersion as well.”

I’ve had some time with the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro too, and it really is a top-quality wired audiophile gaming headset – it’s a great example of an audiophile brand going big and hard on translating all its expertise into a gaming headset, and it really delivers.

Audeze Maxwell

I’ve used the Audeze Maxwell a bit for testing in recent months, and it’s a diamond of a headset. I was also a big fan of its predecessor in the Audeze Penrose, and the quality of the brand continues to shine through in the premium Maxwell.

In our original review, we summarized it as being “a fantastic-sounding, detailed gaming headset that has a wide soundstage, accurate imaging, and long battery life.” It’s a robust and brilliant audiophile-level gaming headset, and while it treads the balance carefully with a couple of compromises here and there, it’s worth highlighting here as one of our favorites for sure.

The Maxwell successfully builds on everything the Penrose started, and the former is now the flagship gaming model from the audiophile brand, and represents one of the strongest wireless options for audiophile fans looking to cut the cord.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro

If you really must have maximal gaming headset qualities, then the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro is a must-consider. The wired variant in particular can get you closest to the audiophile level, as that model is Hi-Res Certified (though the wireless one is no slouch, to be fair).

And that label is well earned, too, as the wired Arctis Pro is a beauty of a headset that offers high-quality audio for all media, right out of the box. Whether I’m listening to classical music or Slipknot, playing chaotic matches in Apex Legends or building settlements in Frostpunk 2’s wintry tundra, or just logging into multiple work meetings, the Arctis Nova Pro has given me supreme audio. You also get the excellent DAC unit to use (on PC and console), which grants you some extra features and enhancements.

If I were without my Sennheiser HD 550s on my PC, this is the headset I’d be plugging in.

If you're looking for a bird's eye view of the prices of all these excellent audio-givers, then here is our price-comparison tech once more.

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Rob is the Managing Editor of TechRadar Gaming, a video games journalist, critic, editor, and writer, and has years of experience gained from multiple publications. Prior to being TechRadar Gaming's Managing Editor, he was TRG's Deputy Editor, and a longstanding member of GamesRadar+, being the Commissioning Editor for Hardware there for years, while also squeezing in a short stint as Gaming Editor at WePC just before joining TechRadar Gaming. He is also a writer on tech, gaming hardware, and video games but also gardens and landscapes, and has written about the virtual landscapes of games for years.

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