JBL Quantum One Gaming Headset
Is the new flagship headset from JBL worth the money?
A new challenger enters the gaming headset ring with the JBL Quantum One, a brand-new flagship model of JBL’s new Quantum range of audio options. It’s a bit on the pricey side at $499, but the JBL Quantum One provides studio-level sound at an affordable price.
And not just for one console, either. Interchangeable between the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, this headset is adaptable to however you play with both a 3.5mm headphone wire and a USB audio mixer included in the box.
The look and feel of the headphones are sure to impress right out of the box: Despite packing so much audio power, the JBL Quantum One is light and comfortable on the head, never feeling like it’s weighing you down or hurting your neck.
Aesthetically, the sleek design of the Quantum One is really eye-catching, with the JBL logo prominently displayed on both earphones. Plugging in the USB mixer and seeing them light up with every colour on the spectrum only made them even more impressive. We only wish that feature would come across when wearing them on console, but as it stands the USB mixer won’t work Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
In terms of performance, the JBL Quantum One reminds us of the LucidSound LS50X, fitting perfectly around my ears and sealing off most outside audio. Moreover, the audio is close to the best we’ve ever heard in a gaming headset, with every minute detail coming through clean and clear thanks to the amazing customisable surround sound.
The spatial audio tech that the Quantum One hangs its hat on is certainly cool, but it wouldn’t always match the direction I was facing which definitely hurt the immersion. Thankfully there’s a small button on the device that adjusts the feature back to center, so all we had to do was look straight ahead, touch the button, and problem solved.
Unfortunately that wasn’t the only problem we experienced with the headphones, though: the right headphone would cut out at times, requiring us to readjust the jack in the controller’s port, and the microphone wouldn’t pick up our voice unless we were practically eating it.
The in-game audio always sounded incredible when it was functioning properly, the surround and spatial sound fully intact, but these minor hiccups kept the JBL Quantum One headset from being the best all-around choice for consoles.
The JBL Quantum ONE is a versatile headset that works for every gaming format, but because of the accompanying USB audio mixer, it’s a better PC headset than a console one. That said, crisp sound, easy to use accessories, and a comfortable fit on the ears give this headset a lot of bang for its buck. Jason Fanelli
The spatial audio tech that the Quantum One hangs its hat on is certainly cool, but it wouldn’t always match the direction I was facing.