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AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset
9/6/2018
$43 USD
19.5 x 8.9 x 19.3 cm
309g
B078N2KZDF
Rounding out our recent coverage of Amazon’s entry into the gaming headset market comes the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset. This product has a pretty volatile sale price, sometimes going for as low as $7 or up to $45 depending on the color you pick and when you look.
Given headsets twice its price were categorically bad gaming headsets, does this fair any better?
Editor’s note: this AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset review was updated on April 6, 2021 to include more alternative recommendations and reflect changes in price and availability.
Who is the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset for?
- Gamers looking for a simple and cheap headset that works wherever you need, and don’t mind something that looks gaudy as hell.
- Parents looking for something to stick on their kids heads that won’t make their wallets hurt when it eventually breaks.
What’s the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset like?
Don’t be fooled by the name, folks—this is not the gaming headset to buy if you’re looking to get into esports. Leaving aside the oxymoronic nature of giving something in a “basic” stable of products the “pro” moniker, this is still a very cheap headset. You get what you pay for—to a degree, at least.
The AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset is made primarily of plastic, and not the durable plastic you’d find on a premium pair of headphones. A single strip of metal runs through the band, lined by what feels like cardboard through the leatherette cushioning, but it doesn’t really make things feel any sturdier. This headset is, in a word, flimsy. It hasn’t broken in any way during my time with it, but the ease with which I can bend it (in places it probably shouldn’t bend) doesn’t inspire confidence. It reminds me a lot of the Beyblades I played with as a kid, which probably makes sense given their comparable price.
However, flimsy though it may be, this isn’t an uncomfortable headset. The band is relatively loose, but its cushions are actually pretty nice. The earpads are wide, with thick cushions covered in leatherette. The headphones don’t have rotating hinges to accommodate different head shapes, but I found it only takes a little adjustment to find a decent position.
The attached microphone sits on the side of the left headphone on a rotating flexible plastic arm. I never ran into any issues using it while gaming or talking over Discord, but when recording it with a program that doesn’t offer any sort of noise reduction, there was some pretty noticeable static. The in-line control unit’s mute switch has a potentially confusing label, but otherwise it was easy to use.
Is the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset good for gaming?
Gaming with the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset was pretty straightforward. This is a 3.5mm headset—it’s basically just a plug-and-play affair. There’s no splitter included, so if you’re a PC gamer with a separate mic and headphone jack, you’ll need to find one elsewhere. Otherwise, this works well on console and PC.
I never ran into anything particularly glaring while testing it with various games. Playing games like Dauntless and Overwatch, this headset had no trouble creating a realistic enough soundscape. There’s no surround sound, or any other more premium features, but otherwise this is a pretty competent stereo gaming headset.
Like other AmazonBasics products, the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset doesn’t come with much in the box. Apart from the brief instructions pamphlet, it’s just the headset and its detachable 3.5mm cord.
How does the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset Sound?
The AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset might not feel like a “pro” headset (whatever that means), but for less than $50 it sure sounds like one. Aside from a dip in the bass range and minor de-emphasis in the high range, this headset offers pretty accurate sound.
The underemphasized bass means explosions might not come through quite as clearly as they should while gaming. The difficulty with the highs likely won’t pop up too much, but sibilants (F, S, and SH sounds) occupy that part of the sound spectrum, and not being able to hear them clearly can make voices sound a little less natural.
The AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset has a uniquely accurate frequency response.
Listening to music, the underemphasized bass can result in, well, bass tracks sounding less prominent. The dip in the highs can affect cymbals and some string sounds, which is very apparent in the song In The Face Of Evil by Magic Sword, the underlying bass track comes in a little quieter than it should—and the very high sweeping swells in the background are just a little too faint.
The AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset ear pads make it easy to get a good seal for isolating you from outside sound—just don’t expect anything like active noise canceling. You shouldn’t have to worry about homebound distractions like a whirring fridge in another room or roommates talking down the hall, but anything louder than that might cause a little trouble.
Is the microphone any good?
The headset’s microphone is a little all over the place, under-emphasizing bass and mid range sounds. Most voices can come through slightly less clearly, though I never ran into any particular issues using Discord. As I mentioned above, there was pervasive static over the mic output in a number of programs, however something like Discord’s noise reduction function got rid of it without problem. For in game communications, it’ll do just fine, but don’t expect anything you can reasonably record with.
How does the microphone sound to you?
Should you buy the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset?
If you’re looking for the absolute least amount of money to spend on a gaming headset, you could do a lot worse than the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset. Its build quality is questionable, to say the least, but it sounds better than headsets in its own product line that are twice the price.
Whether this is actually the absolute cheapest option really just depends on the day and the color you pick. When we first reviewed the AmazonBasics Pro gaming headset it was available for less than $10. Right now, the headset currently retails for up to $30 for the purple color, and as low as $25 for the red option—the black option isn’t even available right now. We’ve seen it sell for twice as much as either of those prices too.
Without a doubt, they’re better headsets than the regular AmazonBasics Gaming Headset, but then so are most of the gaming headsets we’ve reviewed on the site.
What other gaming headsets should you consider?
For around that price, there are plenty of better options. The Razer Kraken X or Turtle Beach Recon 70 are both great gaming headsets for less than $50 USD. If you’re willing to shell out a little more cash, the Razer BlackShark V2 X is available—featuring the great isolation performance and sound profile of the Razer BlackShark V2, minus THX Spatial Audio. Wireless headsets generally run a little more expensive, but even at around $100 great options like the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 and SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless are easy favorites to find.
Frequently asked questions about the AmazonBasics Pro Gaming Headset
Indeed there are! Be sure to check out our list of the best cheap gaming headsets you can buy, which features options for console, PC, and even a budget wireless headset.