The SteelSeries TUSQ are simple, wired gaming headphones with a detachable boom mic. The boom mic's recording quality is excellent, so your voice sounds clear, natural, and accurate. These decently comfortable headphones also have an in-line mic, which is nice if you want a less gamer-centric look while you're on the go. That said, while they have a very excited sound profile that can help emphasize sound effects in games, it also muddies dialogue and lead instruments. Unfortunately, the buds lack an EQ to help adjust their sound to suit your tastes.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries TUSQ are sub-par for neutral sound. They have a very excited sound profile that delivers intense thump, punch, and boom while vocals and lead instruments are bright. However, their extra bass muddies vocals and lead instruments. Sibilants are also piercing and painful. Unfortunately, they lack an EQ or presets to help customize their sound to your liking.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Bad passive soundstage.
- No EQ.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are disappointing for commute and travel. While they have a decently comfortable fit, they struggle to block out the low rumble of bus and plane engines. They also lack volume controls, which is a little disappointing. On the upside, they come with a small pouch to help protect them from light water exposure when you're on the go.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Sub-par noise isolation performance.
- Sub-par controls.
- Bad passive soundstage.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are okay for sports and fitness, although they're not designed for this purpose. They're comfortable and have a stable-in ear fit, thanks to their flexible ear-hook design. However, they have a non-detachable audio cable, which can snag on something and pull them off of your ears. They also lack an IP rating for water resistance.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Sub-par controls.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are middling for office use. They have a decently comfortable and well-built design. They also don't leak too much audio at high volumes, so if you like to crank your music up, you shouldn't disturb others around you. While they struggle to block out some background sounds, they do a good job of passively isolating you from office chatter.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Able to block out a good amount of mid-range noise.
- Sub-par controls.
- Bad passive soundstage.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are wired-only headphones, and you can't use them wirelessly.
The SteelSeries TUSQ In-Ear are fair for wired gaming. These simple, wired gaming headphones have a comfortable fit and a boom microphone that can capture your voices clearly and accurately. However, the mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you. The buds also lack any sound customization features, so you won't be able to change their sound to your liking.
- Excellent recording quality.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Sub-par controls.
- Bad passive soundstage.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are alright for phone calls. Their detachable boom mic can record your voice clearly and naturally. However, if you're talking in a moderately noisy environment like a busy street, your voice may get drowned out. Unfortunately, the headphones struggle to block out background noise, and it may be hard to hear what the other person on the call is saying.
- Excellent recording quality.
- Decently comfortable and well-built.
- Sub-par noise isolation performance.
- Sub-par controls.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The SteelSeries TUSQ are wired gaming headphones. Like the Turtle Beach Battle Buds, these headphones have a detachable boom microphone, and it offers an excellent recording quality, so your voice sounds clear and accurate to your teammates. They also have an in-line mic, which is nice if you need to take calls on the go. However, their sound profile is very excited and bass-heavy, which can muddy vocals and lead instruments. They also lack sound customization features, so you won't be able to customize them to your liking, and they're not as comfortable as the Logitech G333.
Check out our recommendations for the best earbuds for gaming. If you're looking for more gaming headphones, try our recommendations for the best gaming headsets and the best gaming headsets under $50.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are better wired gaming headphones than the Turtle Beach Battle Buds. The SteelSeries are more comfortable, feel better built, and have a more neutral sound profile, although it's still very excited. The boom microphone also has a significantly better recording quality. However, the Turtle Beach have volume controls, and their mic is significantly better at separating your voice from ambient noise around you.
The SteelSeries TUSQ are a better choice for wired gaming than the Logitech G333 if you like to chat with others, but the Logitech are more versatile. The SteelSeries have a better overall mic performance, thanks to their detachable and flexible boom mic. However, if you don't prioritize mic quality, the Logitech are more comfortable, feel better built, and have volume controls. Their sound profile is more neutral too, which some users may prefer, and they come with an AUX to USB-C adapter.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Truly Wireless and the SteelSeries TUSQ have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The EPOS are wireless gaming headphones that support Bluetooth. Their USB-C dongle offers fairly low latency. They feel better built, have a more comfortable fit, their sound profile is more neutral, which some users may prefer, and they support Dolby 7.1. They're also able to block out more background sound, and their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you customize their sound to your liking. In contrast, the SteelSeries are wired gaming headphones, ensuring virtually no latency, and they have a detachable boom mic that offers a significantly better overall performance.
The 1More Triple Driver are somewhat better gaming headphones than the SteelSeries TUSQ. While both are decently comfortable and well-built, the 1More have a significantly more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. They're also able to block out a bit more background noise, and their in-line mic has a better noise handling performance. However, the SteelSeries have a detachable boom mic, which some users may prefer, and it offers a significantly better recording quality.
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