This is already a pretty saturated market, with a lot of established players offering great products for even the most modest budgets. Launched last summer, JBL’s Quantum line looks to shake things up and offers variously premium features for less than a company like Razer, HyperX, or SteelSeries will charge.
Editor’s note: This review was updated on July 2, 2021 to include a microphone score based on the results of our reader feedback poll.
Most of the headset’s features are controlled by two dials and three buttons, the bulk of which are clustered together on the back of the left headphone. You can activate the TalkThru feature with a quick tap to the ANC button, and it’s very easy to enable this by accident while you fumble around with the controls. The JBL QuantumENGINE app is necessary if you want to use either included surround sound standard, customize the LEDs, or just have a more visual interface for controlling everything.
JBL claims the headset can last 14 hours on a single charge of playback with the LEDs off, which is largely consistent with our test results. With LEDs, surround sound, and ANC switched off the JBL Quantum 800 can last up to 14 hours, 13 minutes of consistent playback. If you listen at a lower overall volume than 75dB(SPL), you might find you get better results than us, but all the settings we turned off have a pretty significant effect on performance. Playing games like Overwatch and League of Legends on PC, as well as Dauntless on PlayStation 4, worked like a charm. It handled the varied soundscape of swinging through New York City in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales very well on PlayStation 5—even while connected via USB, the headset didn’t have any issues with PS5’s spatial sound features. With QuantumSURROUND, the sounds of gunfights and different character conversations and vocal cues in Overwatch never felt segmented like that.
It may look a little wonky, but the JBL Quantum 800 actually have pretty typical sound for a pair of gaming headphones. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you’re a big fan of EDM or even just songs where the rhythm section really drives the momentum. However, the slightly distorted orchestral samples that play in the background of the song are a little harder to hear distinctly than they would be on a more neutral-leaning headset.
The boost in the bass will probably make the rumble of explosions more prominent, but they were always going to be the loudest thing in a given scene, so you may not even notice.
The accurate mids are pretty important though, as it means the sounds of character and player speech are less likely to be drowned out by other sounds—same deal with subtler audio cues like footsteps in games like Fortnite. Both the QuantumSURROUND and DTS:X 2.0 settings noticeably alter the audio profile of the headset, and not always in flattering ways. Turning on either setting means two things to varying degrees: mids get less emphasis, and everything else gets boosted, in slightly odd ways. Remember, this isn’t a pair of commuter headphones, it’s a conspicuous gaming headset with all the gaudy flashing lights and the lengthy attached boom mic you’d expect.
This won’t block out the sounds of a doorbell or someone actually talking to you, but it will pretty well erase the hum of a refrigerator or PC, or even noisy neighbors. However, when you boost highs and de-emphasize everything else, you make basically every kind of voice sound like it’s coming out of a tin can on a string, and that’s just the problem we have here. It’s got a very comfortable build, noise cancelling, wireless audio, multiple surround sound options, and Bluetooth, all for $200. However, if you’re willing to prune a few features off your list of requirements, you don’t have to look very far to find gaming headsets that handle the basics better, and offer a lot of the same frills—often for less money.
JBL Quantum 800 Review
JBL tried to do a bit too much with its flagship Quantum One gaming headset, offering programmable lighting, active noise cancellation, and simulated surround sound enhanced by head tracking in a $300, wired package. The Quantum 800 tries to do a lot, too, but by foregoing the head tracking it manages to offer most of the same features in a much more convenient wireless package for just $199.95.
The left earcup holds the flip-down boom mic, a foam-covered capsule mounted on a stiff but bendable black rubber arm. The microphone menu offers few options, but you can adjust the sidetone (how much of your voice comes through the headphones when you talk) in addition to mic volume. Typically, you need to spend a hefty chunk of money to get headphones with good ANC, and the feature is rarely found on gaming headsets at all. In this price range, if you want good ANC (and don’t need a boom mic), the Sennheiser HD 450BT is an excellent pair of headphones with audiophile-pleasing sound.
The mode boosts treble to match the strong bass, and while the result is a somewhat scooped signature that isn’t particularly accurate, it’s an exciting and balanced sound. The steady bass drum in Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” sounds full and weighty, without any distortion even at maximum (and unsafe) volume levels. The opening acoustic guitar plucks in Yes’ “Roundabout” get plenty of resonance and a good amount of string texture, and when the electric bass kicks in it sounds punchy.
The driving, ominous backbeat of the track sounds full and almost thunderous, and the guitar riffs and shrieking vocals get enough presence to stand out in the mix.
The simulated surround effect offers good positional imaging when dealing with a crowd of enemies around you, and the different sounds of weapons come through distinctly. If you’re a console gamer, the Astro A50 remains a strong choice, and if you want to save money, the $100 Razer Nari Essential offers surprisingly good performance.
For $200, though, the Quantum 800 packs a lot of features and very strong performance into a package that doesn’t quite hit flagship prices, and that’s enough to earn it our Editors’ Choice for wireless gaming headsets. Sculpted sound signature isn’t particularly accurate The Bottom Line The JBL Quantum 800 wireless gaming headset does a bit of everything, and does it all surprisingly well.
JBL Quantum One Gaming Headset review
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. 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. 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. 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 fact, that’s probably the biggest issue we had with the JBL Quantum One headset: it’s compatible with all consoles, but it’s not as stable and doesn’t sound as good as it does when used with a PC. That said, the 3.5 mm headphone jack will allow for voice chat on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (not the Nintendo Switch), but we experienced far more technical issues on the console than when we had the USB mixer plugged into the PC.
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 customizable 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. Clean audio, an easy-to-use mixer, and a powerful microphone make this headset an instant heavy hitter in the PC gaming sector.
JBL launches new Quantum headset or PS5 and Xbox Seris X/S gamers
The set-up should also hopefully be pretty simple, as the headset connects through a USB-A wireless dongle, so it should work on most PCs and consoles like the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5. And if you are someone that likes to game with friends, JBL claims that this headset works with Skype and TeamSpeak, so it shouldn’t be a problem if you want to start a new multiplayer mission.
JBL Quantum One Gaming Headset review
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. 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.
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. 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 fact, that’s probably the biggest issue we had with the JBL Quantum One headset: it’s compatible with all consoles, but it’s not as stable and doesn’t sound as good as it does when used with a PC. That said, the 3.5 mm headphone jack will allow for voice chat on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (not the Nintendo Switch), but we experienced far more technical issues on the console than when we had the USB mixer plugged into the PC. 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 customizable 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.
Clean audio, an easy-to-use mixer, and a powerful microphone make this headset an instant heavy hitter in the PC gaming sector.
JBL Quantum 600 Gaming Headset Review: Inconsistent to the Very End
JBL usually doesn’t contend with the gaming-market in general or full-on microphones, which makes you wonder how good something like the Quantum 600, a $150 wireless headset, actually is. You can disable the lighting, but I would’ve preferred to see some more subtle RGB elements on this headset instead of such an overused and in-your-face style. The headset is easy is adjust to your head size, it’s fairly flexible while remaining sturdy, and the microphone has a nice satisfying click when you fold it up and down.
The earcups are rather shallow and I could feel my ear piercing through the minimal cushioning to the innards of the headphones frequently, requiring me to readjust the headset.
The actual cushioning used around the brim of the earcups and the headband are nice to the touch (even if they get a bit hot), but there’s only a thin layer protecting your ear from the insides. In “Chat” mode, things sound much flatter, but that’s to be expected, and it works fine for speaking to people in voice calls. The real issue this headset has with audio is when you want to listen to music or watch a movie, as it doesn’t fare great in either of those scenarios. This headset has the potential to be great in these scenarios with the right settings, but I don’t think you should be expected to dive into the software to fix such a basic issue—especially since console users won’t have that privilege.
You can skip some of these issues by plugging in the headphones via an AUX cord, which removes compatibility with the QuantumEngine software and just uses a default sound profile.
At the very least, it does automatically cut out if you’re not talking, which is nice for voice calls so people don’t need to hear the white noise all the time. I wouldn’t say the microphone is particularly bad or good, just ok, which for a gaming headset is about what you’d expect—I’ve definitely heard better from other models in the price range though. It passes the aesthetics category with flying colors, featuring plenty of cool design elements, but functionally it does everything you need it to as well.
The audio is great for gaming, the construction is solid, and the software is good, but the uncomfortable design and weaknesses when it comes to non-gaming media are really a letdown. I don’t think you should need to dig into the software just to make a headset work well with movies and music, but you’ll likely need to here if you care about audio quality.
If you’re only going to be playing games and talking to people over comms or stuff like Discord, I think the Quantum 600 is a great headset for you, that’s where this thing shines.
JBL Quantum 800 review
The other 10% of the time, the headset proved difficult, whether it was forcing me to listen to obnoxious startup sounds or flat-out refusing to play audio through the proper input. I’ve gotten on my high horse before about putting the chat and volume dials right next to each other, but I think the point still stands.
This switch was one of my first and most consistent points of frustration with the device, as the differences between the “on,” “off,” and “pairing” modes are subtle, at best. (Re-pairing it requires you to press a button on the dongle itself, so good luck if it’s in back of your PC.)
There are cheaper wireless headsets that look and feel much better — the SteelSeries Arctis 7 ($150) and the Turtle Beach Elite Atlas Aero ($150), for starters. With plush foam earcups and a padded, airy headband, the JBL Quantum 800 is very comfortable, even over long stretches of time.
The earcups make a surprisingly tight seal around the ears, but in my experience, this didn’t cause any discomfort or pain over time. I found the Quantum 800 comfortable and relatively easy to get a good fit, but if you prefer headsets on the looser side, it might not be for you.
The Quantum 800 did a fantastic job balancing voice work, sound effects and music, whether it was listening to Lara Croft’s groans of exertion while scaling a stony edifice, or the rapid discharge of bullets tearing a demon’s guts apart. I especially enjoyed playing Age of Empires II, though, as the Quantum 800 let me focus on the gorgeous soundtrack and zone out to the chill medieval tunes. I’ve already discussed the mercurial power button, but turning the system on and off is a breeze compared to getting a computer to actually recognize it. Sometimes, I’d be sitting quietly, feeling calm and collected, and then get scared out of my wits as the annoying notifications started buzzing in my ears.
The Quantum Engine software lets you toggle surround sound, select equalization profiles and adjust mic options. But you can’t set up profiles for individual games and apps, which would have saved a lot of unnecessary fiddling around. When it comes to music quality, the JBL Quantum 800 succeeds where a lot of gaming headsets fall short. Like JBL’s audiophile headsets, the Quantum 800 provides rich, detailed soundscapes that deliver a healthy amount of bass, robust trebles and crystal-clear voices. It’s a shame that you can’t remove the microphone, otherwise the Bluetooth functionality would make it an easy sell for trips and commutes. It connects via USB, Bluetooth and 3.5 mm cable; it lets you customize EQ profiles; it works with just about every game system on the market. The Arctis 7 or the Atlas Elite Aero are still my go-to recommendations for wireless gaming headsets, but if you don’t mind shelling out a little extra money for excellent music, the Quantum 800 is worth considering.
JBL Quantum 800 Wireless Review
Update 09/23/2021: We’ve changed Multi-Device Pairing from ‘No’ to ‘Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless’ as these headphones can connect to a gaming console and a Bluetooth device at the same time.
JBL Quantum 800 gaming headset review
While most everyday headphones offer an understated black design, gamers are more willing to adopt brighter colors and RGB lights. At first glance, the JBL Quantum 800 looks a little bulky, but the result of the bulk is that there’s a ton of padding, features like RGB lighting, a retractable microphone, and more.
In the box, apart from the headset itself, you’ll get a USB-C port for charging, an aux cable for wired use, and a dongle for 2.4GHz wireless connectivity.
Not only is there a ton of padding in the ear cups, but there’s a lot in the headband too, so even after long periods of gaming, you won’t experience any discomfort.
When it comes to listening to music, kick drums can easily make their way through a mix, while in gaming, the result is full-bodied explosions that should sound realistic. At times, that means that teammates voices may be a little tucked away, but considering the fact that you can mix in chat volume in many games anyway, that shouldn’t matter. You would expect good high frequency response from a headset in this price range, but it’s still nice to hear in person. Perhaps one of the best things about the headset is the fact that on a PC, you can use the JBL QuantumEngine software to tune the EQ, turn QuantumSurround on and off, and so on.
Speaking of QuantumSurround, it’s a simulated surround experience, and it sounds pretty good — though most will probably ultimately prefer the standard stereo setup. If you’re using the headset in wired mode, it may not matter as much, but if you plan on using it wirelessly, you’ll probably want to make sure it’s charged up before those long gaming sessions.
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