Become a TechRadar Insider
Upgrading any area of one's gaming setup is something I can always get behind, and regardless of budget, need, desire, or platform, I'm often able to find recommendations across all kinds of gear.
Shop more early Prime Day deals at Amazon US
However, audiophile or high-end gaming headsets is one of my favourite areas in which to delve and recommend. We've seen a surge of new products in recent years either targeting the audiophile market directly or at least the audiophile-adjacent, premium and high-end part of the spectrum. As such, there's now a good few products to choose from nowadays.
But there's only a few I recommend over the others. Each offers something slightly different, but all are excellent and are my personal picks for the best audiophile gaming headsets going right now. They're so good, they justify their price tag even when at full price, I believe, too. So if you're looking to enhance your gaming audio ahead of GTA 6 pre-orders starting this Thursday, then check out my recommendations below.
Planar-magnetic drivers FTW
For me, the Audeze Maxwell 2 is the greatest-sounding gaming headset money can buy right now. It is now my default go-to set of cups for all gaming, no matter the genre or type of game I'm playing, and I absolutely love it.
At the core of the headset are its 90mm planar magnetic drivers, which are frankly absurd. I am a big fan of a lot of brands' default audio quality, but I have never had better audio out of the box than the Maxwell 2's. It's the best going right now, and literally can't speak highly enough about it.
The science and philosophy of Audeze really make it exquisite for those looking to get better audio for single-player games, stemming from the company's history in making premium headphones for music and media. The reality is that it is still brilliant for multiplayer games, and you also get some flexibility via the Audeze app for tweaking your own EQ settings if you need to.
There are very few chinks in the armor, but some things to be aware of might be its good but unspectacular mic, and its overall bulkiness — though I think we are all a bit too scared of headsets that are big and that weigh more than others; it's genuinely OK if a headset weighs a few more ounces or grams, don't worry! I really like the chunky feel and slightly heavier feel of the set myself, and find the set incredibly comfortable.
Otherwise, I simply cannot reiterate this again: if you really want to get the best gaming audio, and something that'll make GTA 6 sing beautifully no matter the scenario, then this is the audiophile gaming headset to buy right now.
An Elite experience
While the Maxwell 2 rules on the driver and audio quality front, if you're looking for an audiophile-level, premium headset that offers a complete solution and all the bells and whistles — along with some excellent audio, of course — that you need from a headset on any platform, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is worth considering.
It's pricey, I know, but as I said in my review, it really is the best gaming headset I've ever tested. It simply offers it all in one truly excellent package, from audio quality and versatility — you can use it across every platform, simultaneously — to feature set, build quality, comfort, and microphone performance — literally everything.
If you really want one high-grade headset to rule them all while offering audiophile-level gaming audio, then this is the upgrade to make this year, ahead of GTA 6.
It's an old one, but a great one
The PC38X is a wonderful wired audiophile-level headset which I have loved using on both PC and PS5. It sounds fantastic, and is a pretty no-nonsense gaming headset with genuine pedigree behind it.
You might see it styled as Drop + Epos PC38X or just a Drop PC38X, but whichever title you see it under, I really recommend this as a wired set for anyone who wants to keep things simple and get a brilliant-sounding open-backed set of audio givers.
It is a bit old now, but you know what they say: class and quality endures (or something like that. Now, there is one caveat with this headset, and one that is directly related to it being a slightly older model: its availability is a bit spotty. Our automatic price-finding tool below should surface the headset, however, and I have seen it with my own eyes at Amazon US and Amazon UK this week.
However, if you are looking for some wired audiophile gaming headset alternatives to the PC38X if it's not available in your region, then I have some picks for you too.
The Audeze LCD-GX is an open-back premium set of headphones that have been built for gaming. Channeling all that planar magnetic goodness that the brand is known for, these are a seriously high-end set of cups. The massive 106mm drivers pack an almighty punch and offer immense detail, while it comes with a mic, so it's a genuine wired headset option.
The Sennheiser HD 550s are one of my favorite sets of headphones from recent years, and while they may appear as another headphone offering from Sennheiser, these are definitely targeted at gamers who want higher quality audio. You'll need to buy a mic attachment separately to elevate it to a full gaming headset offering.
The Asus ROG Kithara is another option, and is a recent release into the audiophile market. Developed with HiFiMan, this headset has huge 100mm planar-magnetic drivers (not too dissimilar to the Maxwell 2), an open-backed design, and sounds wonderful.
And while not an audiophile gaming headset in the truest sense, per se, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro wired gaming headset is an excellent option for those looking for a complete wired gaming headset experience, with brilliant audio and all the features to boot.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
➡️ Read our opinion on the best audiophile gaming headsets going
1. Best overall:
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
2. Best wired headphones:
Sennheiser HD 550
3. Best value:
Drop + Epos PC38X
4. Best wired headset:
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro
5. Big, beautiful drivers
Audeze Maxwell 2
6. A great open-backed option:
Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro
