Best Open Ear Gaming Headsets – All the best open back headphones on our list will do a great job if you put them in the right place. The open-back Audio-Technica ATH-ADG1X is the pair of choice for hardcore gamers who don’t mind spending so much on a headset. This pair stands out as a great pick for streamers who know they’ll be getting back the money they invested in no time. Also, if you are in to SteelSeries brand, you might also want to check out our comparison of Arctis 7 vs Arctis Pro headphones.
Other gaming headphones can do a decent job and aren’t as expensive. The open-back Sennheiser PC 373D is amazing when it comes to high sound customization. It certainly gives you a perk compared to other headphones, thanks to the included Dolby dongle.
ROUND UP
The Samson SR850 headphones and the GRADO SR80E headphones are the cheapest headphones on our list, but you’ll be settling for average sound quality. On the other hand, the Philips SHP9500 is an affordable price option that never compromises high-fidelity despite the low price tag.
1.beyerdynamic
Features
- Open over-ear headphones for Professional mixing, mastering, editing, and listening at home or in the studio
- Perfect for studio applications thanks to their transparent, spacious, strong bass and treble sound
- The soft, and replaceable velour ear pads ensure high wearing comfort
- Hard-wearing, durable and robust workmanship - made in Germany
2.Samson
Features
- Professional studio Reference semi-open headphones designed for tracking, mixing, mastering and playback.
- Proprietary large 50mm drivers with rare earth magnets deliver an extended frequency response and great dynamic range
- Circumaural, over-ear, design with velour cushioning provides outstanding comfort for long listening sessions
- Self-adjusting headband for optimal fit
- 1/4" Stereo Adapter included
3.Sennheiser PXC 550-II
Features
- Superior sound quality and active noise cancellation: The PXC 550-II Wireless delivers Sennheiser legendary sound quality. Active noise cancellation reduces the ambient noise around you and can be adjusted to your preference
- Exceptional battery performance up to 30 hours: The PXC 550-II Wireless delivers up to 30 hours of battery life. You can travel from London to Hong Kong and back with just one charge
- One touch access to voice assistant: With the touch of a single button you have access to your AI helper: Siri, Hey Google and Alexa
- Touch pad control: A touch pad on the right ear cup provides volume, play, stop, pause and track skipping control. Touching the ear cup allows you to take an incoming call. Controlling this headset is instinctive and easy
- Smart pause (activated via the app), auto on:off: Swivel the ear cups to turn off, sensors detect when you wear the headphone and play, pause music
- Included Components: Pxc 550-Ii Headphones, Carry Case, USB Charging Cable (USB-A To Micro-USB), Audio Cable, Flight Adapter
4.Philips Audio
Features
- 50mm neodymium drivers deliver full spectrum of sound
- 1.5m cable gives you freedom of movement for indoor use
- Comfortable double layered headband cushion, breathable ear cushion for longer wearing comfort
- Finishing of connector: gold-plated, acoustic system: open, Magnet type: neodymium
5.LyxPro HAS-30
Features
- Experience and enjoy your music, you will start hearing details that you haven’t heard before
- Premium leather headband with comfortable ear-cups offering endless hours of listening without suffering of ear fatigue, Ear-cups are replaceable
- Foldable design offers easy storing and carrying from home to DJ, studio and stage with a sturdy carrying case that keeps the headphones safe
- Included are 2 removable cables a straight and a coiled with supra-durable connectors, comes with a 3.5mm to a 1/4” adapter
- One year warranty
6.Audio-Technica
Features
- Newly designed 53 mm drivers with CCAW voice coils reproduce remarkably natural sound, with deep, impactful bass and outstanding vocal projection
- Open-air headphones produce no sense of pressure on the ears, resulting in a completely natural sensation
- Lightweight honeycomb aluminum casing
- Self-adjusting 3D Wing Support Housing provides comfortable support for a more enjoyable listening experience
- Flexible raised-fabric earpads offer excellent wearing comfort and durability
- Highly conductive OFC (oxygen-free copper) single-sided cable with elastic TPE sheath to prevent tangles
- Gold-plated stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) connector with 1/4" (6.3 mm) adapter
- Connectivity technology: Wired
7.AKG Pro
Features
- Professional studio headphones
- Semi-open
- 3 m replaceable cable
- Audio Interface type: Stereo plug – 3.5mm (1/8-inch) with 6.3 mm (1/4”) screw-on adapter
8.Audeze EL-8
Features
- Top Choice Open-Back Headphones - The clear choice for anyone looking for audiophile and pro-grade sound in a portable, planar magnetic headphone
- Innovative design features a near weightless diaphragm, plus patented Uniforce voice-coil technology, Fluxor Magnet Arrays and Fazor Elements
- Also offers a SIRI-compatible microphone for voice calls
- By Audeze - From the makers of the elite Audeze LCD 3 and Audeze LCD 2, the award-winning EL-8 planar magnetic headphones offer affordability, stellar design, usability and Audeze's signature sound
- Made in the USA, Designed With BMW - EL-8 Open Back Planar Magnetic Headphones are designed, engineered and handcrafted in our Southern California factory. Custom aluminum frame, floating headband and open-back headphone style designed by our strategic partner Designworks, a BMW group subsidiary.
9.Monolith M1060
Features
- Planar Drivers: Not your typical headphone driver! A planar magnetic driver is a flat membrane that is surrounded by magnets.
- Open Back Design: Instead of an "inside your head" isolated experience that traditional closed-back headphones provide, open-back headphones provide a holographic listening experience.
- Comfort: The Monolith M1060 has been engineered to be comfortable for extended listening sessions. Large, comfy earpads are designed to keep you comfortable as you listen.
- Quality at a Fair Price: Monoprice's rugged design and rigid quality control standards deliver high quality products at fair prices. Impedance: 50 ohms
10.NUBWO U3
Features
- 【UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY】Support PlayStation 4, New Xbox One, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Switch, Laptop, PSP, Tablet, iPad, Computer, Mobile Phone. Please note you need an extra Microsoft Adapter (Not Included) when connect with an old version Xbox One controller.
- 【SUPERIOR SOUND QUALITY】With high quality stereo and intelligent extreme bass enhances sound clarity, bring you amazing audio experience.
- 【NOISE-CANCELING MICROPHONE】 The mic is flexible for exact positioning to clearly collects desired voice for prompt & clear teammate communication, meanwhile removing unwanted background noise. The long flexible mic is designed very convenient to adjust the angle of the microphone.
- 【HUMANIZED DESIGN】Soft skin-friendly leather ear pads and adjustable ergonomically designed headband make the headphones comfortable for long-time wearing.
- 【Adjustable Volume Mute Control】The adjustable volume mute control allows you to control the volume freely, and you can also choose to switch the mute mode to give the user a quality experience.
Best Open Ear Gaming Headsets – BUYER’S GUIDE
Soundstage
The soundstage is, in my opinion, the most important factor in a pair of gaming headphones.
A soundstage is an imaginary three-dimensional space created by the high-fidelity reproduction of sound. A wide and open soundstage means you can feel that different sounds are coming from different locations. This could be to your sides, above and below and close or far away.
For obvious reasons, having this notion of locality is important in gaming. In competitive FPS, it can even have some advantages, like being able to determine where the footsteps are coming from.
Open-back headphones are naturally better at creating bigger soundstages than closed-back headphones. So by picking open-back ones, you’re already off to a good start.
Sound Profile
Sound profile is an important factor in choosing your headphones. It describes how the headphones emphasize certain frequency ranges.
There are various types of sound profile:
- Flat: This is the most neutral sound profile. Treble, Mids and Bass are true to source.
- Balanced: The treble, mid and bass and slightly tweaked in a balanced manner to make the audio more pleasurable to listen to.
- Bright: The treble and mids are boosted for a ‘brighter’ sound.
- Bassy: The bass is cranked up for a more noticeable low end.
- V-shaped: The treble and bass are artificially increased so everything sounds more exciting.
In gaming you’ll typically want to stick with balanced or bright headphones. Bright headphones are great for cinematic and gaming audio, where dialogue and crashing sounds are common.
Comfort
Gamers generally don’t game for short amounts of time. In my experience, gamers will often not leave their chair for hours at a time. This means they need headphones that are comfortable for extended periods.
Generally, the best way to determine headphone comfort is to look at the features of the headphones.
Comfortable headphones are highly adjustable, are lightweight, and have lots of padding on the earcups and headband. Most of them should have plenty of room for your ears, too. But you will have to check out the reviews to determine that. Keep in mind that comfort is subjective. If you have bigger ears or a big head, you will have a harder time finding comfortable headphones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Open Back Headphones for Listening to Music?
Many headphones gamers want to get a 2-in-1 deal and buy high-quality headphones for both gaming and listening to quality classical music. This is feasible due to quality open-back headphones’ spatial and soundstage capabilities. It’s worth noting that you wouldn’t want to listen to music with these outdoors because of sound leakage.
Is it Essential to Buy best open back headphones With Microphones?
Although it’s a matter of personal preference, it’s better if you do, especially if you do quality gaming with your friends and have in-game voice chats. On the other hand, if you play on your own or have a separate microphone, then you can compromise getting headphones that feature microphones to pay less money.
Is it Better to Go for Wireless Open-Back Headphones?
If you use multiple gaming setups or use the best open back headphones for gaming on your computer as well as other gaming consoles, then long wired headphones will be more practical. Otherwise, wireless headphones will get the job done and won’t cause much of a hassle.
What’s the Ideal Length for Open-Back Headphones’ Long Cables?
It’s great if you stick to 1.5 to 2 meters. This quality headphones wire length will allow you to move freely without getting tangled while gaming.
WRAP UP
It’s impossible not to be blown away by how far PC and video games have come over the last few decades. But it’s not just the graphics. The improvements to audio are just as important when it comes to creating the most immersive experience possible.
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