There are so many headsets to choose from, from varying brands to models within the brands. You can spend nearly a grand on some headsets, or less than a hundred bucks. So knowing where you should spend that money, and when it is actually worth the money, can be a challenge. Well, I checked out the new JBL Quantum 520 Wireless headset which comes in at a shockingly reasonable $170, and at that price I can say it is well worth it.
What does the JBL Quantum 520 Wireless offer?
This simple headset will plug into any device that isn’t an Xbox and go. The best way to do this is with the sweet USB-C dongle in the box. Plug it into your PS5, your Switch, or your PC, and it goes. This is the first thing I tried, and it worked out of the box.
From an aesthetic perspective, I got the black version of the headset. This one looks like a classic premium headset not dissimilar to the 950. It’s not quite as fancy or bells and whistled up, but from a style perspective it’s quite similar. If you want a bit more out there style, you can even get it with a few different coloured transparent plastic, they look wild!
Sound quality wise, it’s fantastic. It doesn’t quite hit the levels of the other headsets like the 950, but at a third of the price I wouldn’t expect it to. When testing extremes, I found the bass struggled a little bit, but when using normal settings, honestly sounded excellent. With all the hard work JBL has put into their software and hardware, it sounded way too good for the price.
The controls on headset controls are plentiful too. There is a wheel for volume, and one to adjust the game to voice audio balance. Then there are a few buttons for tasks like muting and on and off. It’s pretty simple, but that’s what you are looking for in a gaming headset.
Surely there has to be something wrong with it?
The only issue I found was comfort. It has super comfy ear cushions, but I found it was tight around the head no matter how much I adjusted it. Like not painful, but uncomfortable, especially when wearing glasses. Now this may loosen up over time, but with use so far, I find it not quite right. I also have a massive head, so potentially this is an issue that you should try one on first before you buy if you also have a large noggin.
Then there is the battery life. I know I am in the something wrong part of the review, but because I didn’t have enough things to write about here, I thought I would throw in another pro here. It offers up to 37 hours of battery life. Given I can’t game for 37 hours straight, I couldn’t test this directly, but given the sessions I gamed and added together, this seemed pretty damn accurate. So, unless you are doing a two-day gaming session with no sleep, this is more than enough for a headset.
Should you buy a JBL Quantum 520?
If you are looking for a gaming headset under $200, then I think you will struggle to find better. There is a JBL Quantum 520X option for Xbox gamers, though I haven’t found a store selling that model in NZ. But aside from the Xbox aspect, JBL has kinda smashed this one out of the park. When comparing price to quality here, the quality certainly outstrips the price.
