A few months ago, they went overboard and launched an astounding seven gaming headsets on the exact same day alongside one pair of desktop speakers. The “Quantum” range has a style for literally every budget between $40 and $300, covering the gamut of features from 3D surround sound to Bluetooth to 2.4 Ghz wireless to RGB lighting. The mid-range Quantum 300 offers just enough of what makes the series special that I decided it would be a good place to buy in, and although it can’t claim superiority over others on the market, it’s still an interesting headset with plenty of sound performance and comfort.
Unlike some other USB sound dongles, the end that plugs into your computer is bulky and the other side is a simple headphone jack instead of a big control box, which is a nice design touch.
This curve is a carefully-crafted headphone sound target designed to reproduce audio with exceptional accuracy, and tuned to the listening preferences of the average human ear thanks to the magic of years of science. While the sound of the JBL Quantum 300 shares some similarities with the Harman target, it’s ultimately tuned firmly in the direction of “consumer audio.”
In direct comparisons, it sounds very much like a Hyper X Cloud Alpha, but with just a bit more boom in the bass and a little more bite in the upper treble. The dongle smartly leaves its bulky end at your PC, bringing a small headphone jack closer to where you sit.
If you’re a fan of virtual surround, and you don’t mind when it adds some extra movie-theater-like EQ, then you’ll have a good time with the dongle’s QuantumSURROUND mode.
The system doesn’t support vertical data from games like Sonic and Atmos do…but it didn’t matter that much to me since the standard surround implementation is great.
It’s one of my favorite surround implementations on PC, and although it’s not quite at the level of the top tier Waves NX system on the much more expensive Cloud Orbit, it works well enough that I don’t mind all the marketing hyperbole JBL tossed onto their web site. I don’t know why they did this, as their proprietary system more than holds its own, and saving money on DTS licensing would have lowered the cost of the more expensive headset models.
You can use JBL’s QuantumENGINE (shouted yet again) software to customize the surround system a bit, adjusting it for your height and head size. The software also includes a full graphical EQ if you’d like to try and smooth out the signature changes caused by the surround system, or adjust the standard sound to be a bit more accurate.
JBL Quantum
JBL QuantumENGINE The complete JBL QuantumENGINE software suite only works on PC and is compatible with Windows 7 / Windows 10 (64 bit) only. JBL QuantumENGINE The complete JBL QuantumENGINE software suite only works on PC and is compatible with Windows 7 / Windows 10 (64 bit) only.
JBL’s Quantum 300 gaming headset is just $60 right now
The JBL Quantum 300 is a pair of wired headphones that convert into a headset with a detachable microphone, and now you can get it for just $59.95—a savings of $20 over the usual price. The main downside to this headset is that it’s not wireless—it connects to PCs, game consoles, and other devices over USB or a 3.5mm stereo jack.
JBL Quantum 300 Gaming Headset Review
JBL Quantum 300 Review – As a casual gamer and an audio enthusiast, a great sounding headset is something that I value. The JBL Quantum 300 gaming headset is equipped with a flip-up mic and overall build-quality feels sturdy.
The ear cup housing is made from glossy plastic which can attract fingerprints on it.
Both padded headband and memory foam earpads are there to ensure maximum comfort.
Plus there’s a volume control on the back of the left earcup, just behind the microphone placement. Since it’s using the universal 3.5mm jack, it means you can use it with many devices from Xbox to Playstation.
This allows you to update its firmware, adjust the equaliser and turn on the JBL QuantumSurround. The surround sound is surely noticeable when watching movies.
My voice sounds crystal clear without picking up too much background noise. Dynamic frequency response range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
JBL Quantum 300
The JBL Quantum 300 offers immersive surround sound simulation for games and movies on a Windows® PC. But for an extra level of immersion in your games and videos — and a suite full of cool customization features — you’ll want to download the QuantumENGINE software to your Windows PC. (With three young kids, I’ve kind of been forced into retirement from Madden and Red Dead — but we plan on having some of our Crutchfield gaming enthusiasts try out the Quantum series soon.) But then in lower-key moments, like an office meeting between a driver and race sponsor, I heard subtle atmospheric nuances that provided a richer sense of place. For example, even though they were in a non-descript conference room, I heard a faint background murmur of machinery that told me they were within walking distance of the manufacturing area. In order take advantage of the QuantumENGINE software — including the surround sound processing — you’ll need to connect to your PC via the provided USB-A adapter cable.
You should be able to make the same type of connection on the forthcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 controllers, based on the specs released by those companies. So JBL added a thick layer of soft memory-foam padding to the Quantum 300’s earcups and headband.
One tip for all-day PC gamers: in the QuantumENGINE software suite, choose the EQ setting called “long session.”
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