The Xbox Wireless Headset are gaming headphones designed for Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X consoles. The manufacturer previously released the Xbox Stereo Headset, a wired headset, and this is their first wireless pair of headphones. It has Xbox Wireless technology built-in and can connect to your Xbox console without a cable or dongle. It also supports Bluetooth, which makes it easy to connect with your phone.
Our Verdict
The Xbox Wireless Headset is disappointing for neutral sound. Out-of-the-box, these headphones have a bass-heavy sound profile that can overwhelm your mixes. They're also very prone to inconsistent bass and treble delivery, and their passive soundstage is perceived as closed-off and unnatural, which doesn't make for a very immersive audio experience. You can customize them using the graphic EQ or presets to help achieve a more neutral sound profile.
- Graphic EQ and EQ presets available.
- Inconsistent bass and treble delivery.
- Poor passive soundstage.
- No call or music controls.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is passable for commute and travel. These headphones aren't designed for this purpose and have a gamer-centric design. They don't have onboard call or music controls, can't fold into a more compact size, and don't come with a carrying case. They also block out virtually none of the rumble from bus or plane engines and struggle to reduce mid-range sound like ambient chatter. On the upside, they have a long-lasting battery life and are comfortable to wear for a few hours.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Great battery performance.
- No call or music controls.
- Poor noise isolation.
The Xbox Wireless Headset isn't designed for sports and fitness. They're gaming headphones and don't have a very breathable or portable design. While they won't shift in positioning if you're sitting down, they can easily fall off with moderate physical activity. They also don't have an IP rating for water resistance, but that's the norm for gaming products.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- No call or music controls.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is just okay for office use. If you don't mind their gamer-centric design, these well-built headphones have a comfortable fit and deliver over 19 hours of continuous playback time. However, they won't block out ambient chatter around you, and they aren't the most breathable, so they can warm your ears when worn for long periods.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Great battery performance.
- No call or music controls.
- Poor noise isolation.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is just okay for wireless gaming. These comfortable headphones are for Xbox consoles, so you'll want to look elsewhere if you game on other consoles. Their default sound is bass-heavy and can be overwhelming, but their companion software offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust it. They also have over 19 hours of continuous playback time. Their boom mic does a great job recording your voice, meaning you won't have problems being understood. However, they have high latency, which can cause audio lag issues during gameplay.
- Graphic EQ and EQ presets available.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Great recording quality.
- Inconsistent bass and treble delivery.
- Poor passive soundstage.
- High Xbox Wireless latency.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is fair for wired gaming. These headphones can connect to Xbox consoles and PCs with their USB-C to USB-A cable. While some users may find their bass-heavy sound overwhelming, you can tweak their sound using their graphic EQ or presets. Their boom mic also does a great job recording your voice, although it struggles more to separate speech from ambient sound in noisy environments. Unfortunately, their passive soundstage isn't very immersive, and the headphones are prone to inconsistent bass and treble delivery.
- Graphic EQ and EQ presets available.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Inconsistent bass and treble delivery.
- Poor passive soundstage.
The Xbox Wireless Headset is fair for phone calls. Its boom mic has great recording quality, so your voice sounds natural and clear. However, it struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise in moderately loud environments like a subway or busy street. The headphones also have poor noise isolation performance, making it hard to hear the person on the other end of the line.
- Comfortable and well-built design.
- Great recording quality.
- No call or music controls.
- Poor noise isolation.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 26, 2024: The following test groups have been updated following TB 1.6: Wired Connection, Bluetooth Connection, and Wireless Connection (Dongle). There have also been text changes made throughout the review, including to the usages and product comparisons to match these results.
- Updated Jan 26, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.6 , which updates how we measure latency. We've updated and renamed the following test groups: Wired Connection, Bluetooth Connection, and Wireless Connection (Dongle). We've also added new codec latency measurements and provided an audio sample of recorded latency.
- Updated Sep 29, 2023: We incorrectly reported the wrong codec used in testing and have updated Test Settings to reflect that 'PCM, 16-but, 48kHz' was used.
- Updated Aug 08, 2023: We've updated this review's text to keep it up-to-date and accurate. There hasn't been a change in our results, though.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Xbox Wireless Headset comes in one main color variant: 'Black'. These headphones also come in a limited edition called 'Starfield', which has a white, gray, and red look. If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Xbox Wireless Headset is meant for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. These comfortable and well-built headphones have Xbox Wireless built-in and support Bluetooth for more casual use. Unlike the Razer or the SteelSeries, they offer mic and audio support with Xbox and PC via USΒ. However, they have higher latency via Xbox Wireless than headphones like the Razer Kaira Pro Wireless or the SteelSeries Arctis 9X Wireless. While some users may find their especially bass-heavy sound profile overwhelming, their companion software offers a graphic EQ and presets, meaning you can customize their sound to your liking.
Check out our recommendations for the best headsets for the Xbox Series X|S, the best Xbox One headsets, and the best gaming headsets under $100.
The Razer Kaira Pro Wireless are better wireless gaming headphones for Xbox consoles than the Xbox Wireless Headset. The Razer are better-built, have a better overall performing boom mic, and have significantly lower Xbox Wireless latency. However, the Xbox can also be used wired with their USB-A to USB-C cable for full audio and microphone compatibility.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2 Wireless and the Xbox Wireless Headset are similar gaming headphones for Xbox consoles. The Turtle Beach are better-built and have a more stable fit. They reproduce audio more consistently, have a more neutral default sound profile, and their boom mic offers a slightly better overall performance. They also have lower wireless latency. However, the Xbox are more comfortable, have a longer-lasting battery life, and can be used wired via their USB-C to USB-A cable with full mic and audio compatibility.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7X Wireless are better gaming headphones than the Xbox Wireless Headset. The SteelSeries are better-built, have a more neutral sound profile out of the box, which some users may prefer, and have a better overall mic performance. They have a longer continuous battery life and lower wireless latency and can be used wirelessly on PCs and PlayStation consoles in addition to Xbox consoles.
The Xbox Wireless Headset and the Xbox Stereo Headset are similar gaming headphones with different strengths. The Wireless support Xbox Wireless, although they have high latency, causing lip-sync mismatch. They also have a channel mixing dial, a better overall boom mic performance, and are compatible with Xbox Accessories software, which offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound. However, some users may prefer the Stereo's wired 1/8" TRRS design. The ear cups are also more breathable.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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