Head to head
Headsets vs speakers vs headphones
What’s the best audio solution for PC users? Audiophile headphones are designed with music in mind, aiming to deliver the ultimate audio quality for professional and enthusiast users, while speakers – that’s proper 2.1 speakers, not the tinny ones built into your monitor – are more about loud, room-filling sound. Then there’s gaming headsets, brimming with cool features and designs to benefit PC gamers. All are good, but which option is best?
Value
This is a tricky one, since there’s a broad price range for all three options. The more you spend, the better quality you get – mostly, anyway. So we’re going to consider price against purpose, and price against performance. Gaming headsets take an early lead here, as they almost always include a built-in or detachable mic, and can be used for work, music, or gaming.
Audiophile headphones and speakers are typically more limited, and have a significantly higher ceiling for the amount of money you can spend. A somewhat high-end pair of Sennheiser headphones will run in excess of $1,500, while Razer’s most expensive headset, the Nari Ultimate, is less than $300.
Speakers aren’t too bad, with Razer’s own high-end 2.1 sound solution (the Nommo Pro) costing around $900. The lower end of the price spectrum is kinder to audiophiles, with both headphones and headsets offering budget-friendly options, but if you work with music professionally, you may find that cheaper headphones just don’t cut it.
With gaming, pitch-perfect audio clarity isn’t quite as important compared to elements like mic quality and surround sound, so a less expensive headset will often suffice.
Winner: Headsets
Performance
Again, money talks here, but we think there’s a clear winner – or at least, a clear loser. In terms of pure audio quality, gaming headsets just can’t measure up against either audiophile headphones or 2.1 speakers. Yes, some audio will sound better on a headset– the punchy impact of a grenade detonating in a game might carry more weight – but broadly, gaming headsets aren’t required to have the absolute best-quality drivers and materials.
To a certain extent, nor are speakers, but a 2.1 speaker setup has the advantage of size, with a separate subwoofer that allows for richer, more intense bass notes. In terms of raw volume, it’s easy for 2.1 speakers to blast out audio, although many users will argue that surround sound is best experienced with headphones.
Musical professionals demand a higher quality of sound; the average musician is more likely to appreciate subtle changes in audio than the average gamer. In order to appeal to audiophiles, headphones need to offer the best sound possible. Brands such as Grado, Denon, and Sennheiser know this: other features are always secondary to the sound, and optimising audio quality is the way to go.
Winner: Headphones
Versatility
We’re starting to feel sorry for speakers now. They serve a purpose, but versatile they ain’t. Headsets and headphones can be carried around either on your head or in a bag; many come with a carry case and compact, foldable design. Tape a 2.1 subwoofer to your head and you’ll get some weird looks on the train.
So, with speakers out of the running, we decided to look at connection standards; audiophile headphones are rarely wireless, and often use the chunkier 6.3mm audio jack as opposed to the more common 3.5mm connector. This necessitates the use of an adapter for many devices, including computers, phones, and consoles. There’s no significant boost to sound quality from either connector, but using an adapter is likely to impact performance by a small amount, which isn’t ideal.
Gaming headsets are more likely to be wireless (either using Bluetooth or via a USB dongle), so nothing gets in the way of the audio experience. Wireless connections – perhaps with the exception of 2.4GHz connections – tend to cause a small drop in sound quality. This isn’t a concern for most gamers but will be for musicians, hence the scarcity of wireless headphones from key manufacturers. Overall, headsets win.
Winner: Headsets
Comfort
If you’re willing to shell out a significant amount of money, it’s not hard to find a comfortable gaming headset. They’re designed to be used for extended periods under potentially stressful conditions, often using breathable fabrics to keep your ears cool. Cheap out and you’re going to be uncomfortable after an hour or two, though. Gaming headsets also tend to be heavier than audiophile headphones, due to the presence of a microphone and any other additions.
The stripped-back designs of many headphones mean that the manufacturer can focus on comfort, which is evident in many models: many Grado headphones use lightweight materials with open-backed ear cups designed for easy and comfortable listening. Gaming headsets almost always use closed-back cups, which leak less sound but cover the ear more completely, which can get warm and uncomfortable after a while.
Here’s the thing, though. No matter how plush and impossibly soft the ear cushions are, it’ll never compare to simply not wearing anything on your head and still being encompassed by rich, room-filling audio that can be enjoyed with friends: Nothing to wear, no cables running to your PC. This round is a shoe-in: Speakers win.
Winner: Speakers
Features
When it comes to features, headphones fail hard. Sacrificing add-ons (and often aesthetics) for pure, unadulterated audio quality means that many offer a strippedback experience; ideal for the person who just wants to listen to music, but not so helpful if you want to play games or use Skype. In-line microphones are a rare sight, while they’re virtually mandatory for gaming headsets. Integrated media controls are also significantly more common on headsets. Speakers lose points here too due to their purpose-built nature, but claw back second place by virtue of features such as home assistant integration and voice controls.
So, headsets win again. With features such as hi-res audio and 7.1 surround sound making the jump to gaming headsets, a high-quality gaming headset is now packed with features. Tools designed to work in conjunction with a mic, such as chat mixing and background noise cancellation, are also becoming common. Gaming brands are also more likely to explore other gimmicks, like the HyperX Cloud Flight S and its wireless Qi charging capabilities. We could go on, but while not all of them are actually that useful, headsets surge to victory for sheer breadth of features.
Winner: Headsets
And the winner is…
It’s gaming headsets! The most versatile of the three, they offer portability and a wealth of features. Speakers and headphones are pretty useless for online gaming without a mic, whereas a quality gaming headset can be used for listening to music or taking part in video calls.
If you need a multipurpose headset, don’t dismiss gaming brands. Sure, RGB lighting won’t add anything to your home audio experience, but a Discord-certified microphone and customizable media controls might. It’s also not hard to find super-portable headsets that can be packed into a carry case when you’re on the go, and can connect to your devices wirelessly or with a cable.
However, this is a case of shopping with purpose; if you’re not a gamer but work with music, high-end headphones will serve you better than anything Razer or Steelseries can offer. If you live alone (or with music fans), consider 2.1 speakers – just don’t be that person in Zoom who sounds like they’re underwater because they don’t have a noise-cancelling microphone!
“When it comes to features, headphones fail hard. Sacrificing add-ons for pure, unadulterated audio quality means that many offer a stripped-back experience.”