In A Rare Deal, My Favorite Gaming Headset Is 28 Percent Off For Black Friday

The truth is, astir gaming headsets aren’t awesome values. I’ve tested a ton of them for our buying guide, and while nan abstraction has improved complete time, it remains acold excessively centered connected branding and marketing. Too overmuch of what passes by my table comes disconnected arsenic overpriced compared to a bully group of “normal” headphones successful nan aforesaid range, some successful audio and build quality. If you person a brace you love, much powerfulness to you. But mostly speaking, these things taxation you for nan perception of being specialized for gaming. In reality, astir are conscionable OK headphones pinch a mic, a logo and possibly immoderate fancy RGB lighting attached.

All that said, location are ever exceptions to nan rule, and a fewer headsets person stood retired arsenic really being worthy nan money. My existent favourite is nan Turtle Beach Atlas Air, which is presently connected waste for $130 astatine various retailers arsenic portion of a Black Friday deal. That’s nan cheapest it’s been since February, $50 disconnected its MSRP and $20 beneath its thoroughfare value complete nan past month. When it’s discounted to this extent, it’s nan uncommon gaming headset I’d telephone a coagulated bargain.

The hook pinch nan Atlas Air is that it’s 1 of nan fewer wireless headphones (let unsocial headsets) pinch an open-back design, meaning its receptor cups don’t wholly seal disconnected your ears from aerial and extracurricular noise. Pairs for illustration this aren’t for everyone: They some fto successful and leak tons of ambient sound, truthful if you don’t usage them successful a quiet room, you and anyone adjacent will astir apt beryllium distracted. On nan flipside, this tin beryllium a affirmative if you don’t want to beryllium wholly unopen disconnected from your surroundings. More notably, they tin nutrient a acold much freely and earthy sound than closed-back models. Games consciousness much for illustration they’re happening astir you alternatively of being confined to a abstraction successful your head.

All of this holds existent pinch nan Atlas Air. Going from this brace to a accepted headset often makes it consciousness for illustration a chunk of nan world has been lopped disconnected — elephantine leader fights successful games for illustration Elden Ring aliases Final Fantasy XVI sound much narrow, and it becomes harder to gauge wherever precisely an force is coming from successful a competitory shooter for illustration Counter-Strike 2. It helps that nan Atlas Air is besides tuned well. It’s not arsenic move arsenic nan champion non-gaming unfastened headphones, and for illustration astir open-backs it doesn’t get ace heavy bass, truthful explosions and gunfire deficiency a small boom. But it’s balanced and easygoing, pinch a jump successful nan treble that helps speech and footsteps sound clearer.

The headset itself is exceptionally comfortable beyond that. It’s lightweight astatine 0.66 pounds, and nan large representation foam earcups clamp down mildly without trapping overmuch heat. The artillery lasts a coagulated 50-60 hours connected a charge, and while nan mic isn’t nan absolute champion I’ve tested, it still lets you travel done clearly. It each useful pinch PC and PS5 by default, and you tin brace pinch a Switch aliases Switch 2 complete Bluetooth. There’s nary Xbox wireless support, unfortunately, though you tin astatine slightest usage an included 3.5mm cable. And though nan integrative creation isn’t precisely “premium,” it hasn’t developed immoderate benignant of cracks aliases creakiness successful nan months I’ve utilized it. For $130, it’s wholly fine.

There are different things to nitpick: You can’t perceive to 2 devices connected complete nan USB dongle and Bluetooth simultaneously; you want to disregard Turtle Beach’s companion package arsenic soon arsenic you update nan firmware; and location isn’t overmuch room to set nan headband, truthful definite heads whitethorn struggle to find nan champion fit. The creation is besides benignant of ugly, if I’m being honest. Still, successful an samey market, nan Atlas Air stands out. If you cognize you tin unrecorded pinch nan trade-offs that travel pinch immoderate open-back headset, it’s a unsocial worth astatine this price.