All Discussions > Steam Forums > Off Topic > Topic Details
What are some good gaming headphones for $100 or less?
My Razer Kraken X headphones broke recently, and by broke, I mean the head band piece of plastic snapped in 2 places and just recently stopped playing sound in the right ear. Looking for a good pair of headphones, don't really care about noise canceling, don't care about mic quality, Would like 7.1 surround sound, all I really care about is durability and sound quality. I don't know where to ask this, so if this is the wrong section to post it, tell me and I'll move it.
Last edited by ProfessorParker; May 13, 2023 @ 9:18am
< >
Showing 1-15 of 20 comments
GloriousZote May 13, 2023 @ 9:28am 
Corsair void pro.
Tonepoet May 13, 2023 @ 9:35am 
Sony MDR-7506[www.kenrockwell.com]. It's a variation of the MDR-V6[www.cnet.com], which has been used as an industry standard studio monitor since its introduction in 1985 and usually brought up as one of the best sets in this price range. I have seen the M.D.R. V6 as low as $40 on Amazon, but I never saw the supply chain get that low again ever since the Taiwanese factory suffered from a flood a few years ago, and for the time being, the MDR V6 itself is out of production, so the 7506 is as close as you can get.

It should be noted that the ear hangers have broken on me in the past and the Pleather will degrade with time, but you can buy replacement parts[sony.encompass.com] if that happens. A popular modification is to replace the pleather earpads with third party velour or sheepskin earpads. Sheepskin would probably be better because Velour won't produce as good of a seal.
Last edited by Tonepoet; May 13, 2023 @ 9:39am
Lune May 13, 2023 @ 9:36am 
2 dollar wish.com headphones
Last edited by Lune; May 13, 2023 @ 9:36am
harley May 13, 2023 @ 9:38am 
I'm just using a turtle beach headset that I got like two years ago from dollar general. I've never had any problems with it and my games sound great. They were somewhere around $35.
Last edited by harley; May 13, 2023 @ 9:38am
Shodan 2.0 May 13, 2023 @ 9:46am 
There is no such thing as "good gaming headphones" and there is no such thing as "good headphones for $100 or less", sorry.

I recommend this:

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hd-600/
Last edited by Shodan 2.0; May 13, 2023 @ 9:46am
GloriousZote May 13, 2023 @ 10:07am 
Originally posted by Shodan 2.0:
There is no such thing as "good gaming headphones" and there is no such thing as "good headphones for $100 or less", sorry.

I recommend this:

https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hd-600/
You're like one of those "looking for a house" shows where they show off a house 3 times the budget of the clients.

Instead of sending links to overpriced headsets, try linking the best stuff you can get for $100
Tonepoet May 13, 2023 @ 11:11am 
Well, good is a relativistic term and different people have different thresholds. I'm doubtful that you need headphones which are much better than what the pros. use to engineer the mix though, and like I said, MDR-V6 family headphones are used everywhere. I am pretty sure these are MDR-7506 headphones for example. The blue label on the earcup is kind of a dead giveaway.

That having been said Shodan has a bit of a point, marketing something as "gaming" is usually a gimmick done for at least one of two reasons. The first is to make something seem higher quality than it really is, and the other is to overcharge for it. Oh, and they also tend to try to give it some sorta goofy aesthetic. This is especially true in the audio-space.

For all practical intents and purposes, gamer headphones are just an ordinary headset, with a mic for voice chat. Speaking of which, I suppose I should mention if you do get the Sony headphones I mentioned, that you might need to buy a separate mic. for voice chat. The Zalman ZM Mic1 is designed to clip onto thick headphone cables of the sort like the MDR V6 has.[www.amazon.com]. They add $7 to the price, but given that the present price of MDR-7506 headphones is about $80 right now, you stay under budget.

As for 7.1 surround, critically speaking. you only have two ears, and 3D positioning is believed to be achieved through positioning the sound between the two ears. You're probably not going to get true surround from a pair of headphones, since there are only two earcups.


I have seen some that come with a virtual surround processor, but if you primarily play games on Steam, then you might be able to just get away with enabling Spatial Sound for Windows.[www.pcmag.com]
Y1N9 May 13, 2023 @ 11:43am 
Audio Technica mx series are pretty good imho. I've got the m50x.
Win2000Fan May 13, 2023 @ 11:52am 
Go to Marshalls and look for the the Black Phillips cordless earpods for twenty dollars. They come in their own little black recharge box. Charge them, then link them to the bluetooth device you are using, then put them in your ears and your life will change forever. My best Koss Pro 4 A headphones, (look them up) did not sound this good and for twenty dollars.
Hammer Of Evil May 13, 2023 @ 11:55am 
i was about to talk some major crap here but i realized i bought my headset during last years november clearances for over 70% off, so the regular price is just too high. the microphone isn't good though, so i guess its not ideal overall.
Last edited by Hammer Of Evil; May 13, 2023 @ 11:55am
aka May 13, 2023 @ 2:01pm 
Soon you people will have a tiny epoc transceiver injected right inside your auditory cortex, using retinol binding proteins it will become part of you.

The device will permit you to tune into anything electronic or physical. No one will ever need headphones again for anything ... you wont even need ears, you will actually be able to direct your hearing to listen to winds blowing on mars, while being at a rock concert.

If I just saved you 100 dollars... You're welcome
AlienTestosterone May 13, 2023 @ 6:03pm 
sony xm4
kilésengati May 13, 2023 @ 6:19pm 
Tbh, anything "gaming" is probably overpriced.

As for surround sound in sub-100 headphones: It's all software anyway (i yet have to see a physical surround headphone at that price point). And for purposes other than competitive gaming, I'd like to have two big drivers rather than a couple small ones.

From my experience, Sennheiser had a couple of decent sub-100 headphones in the past. Some people like Teufel as a less expensive alternative.
< >
Showing 1-15 of 20 comments
Per page: 1530 50

All Discussions > Steam Forums > Off Topic > Topic Details
Date Posted: May 13, 2023 @ 9:16am
Posts: 20