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■ Sony
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including electronics, imaging and sensing (Sony Semiconductor Solutions), film and television (Sony Pictures Entertainment), music (Sony Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment Japan), video games (Sony Interactive Entertainment), and others.

Here’s a roundup of all the current headphones that I’m currently own, and why I need them and my thoughts on them. To cut to the chase, the best headphone on this lot is the Sony MDR-XB950N1 Headphones.

Sony MDR-XB950N1 (2018)

I can’t speak for the quality and workmanship of later or earlier versions, but the Sony MDR-XB950N1 that I bought in 2018 is the best of the best of the best. It’s also the most expensive headphones I own, retailing for $249 when it was originally released (I didn’t pay that much, but it was still a lot of money what I paid). The build quality of metal/plastic/leather (or whatever the soft material is) still holds up. With the exception of a few nicks, the Sony headphone still looks new, like the day I bought it. This is evident when you compared to my Corsair Void Pro (from December 2018): the Corsair’s “leather” material is deteriorating due to poor quality.

With Extra Bass button turned on, with noise-cancelling turned on, the sound coming from the Sony headphones are unbelievably good. Lows, highs – you can hear it all, especially when the sound is isolated thanks to noise-cancelling. You can’t hear anything from the outside world, so be very careful about your surroundings. If you want to escape into your own world, these headphones will take you there.

Don’t just take my words for how good the headphone sounds, this user oih93 loved the headphone so much that he wanted a new one after he broke his headphone in 2023. Since they don’t make these anymore, he was considering buying it used, but – read on:

…while browsing different Japanese online stores looking for something completely unrelated, I kept switching between pages and stores… and suddenly, I found someone who had just listed these headphones [MDR-XB950N1] brand new and sealed for only $139. I bought them immediately without a second thought.

Note: I’ve tested the Skullcandy Crusher ANC, Anker Soundcore Life Q30, and several newer Sony models including the WH-ULT900N, WH-1000XM4, and WH-XB910N. None of them satisfied me the same way these headphones do.

“None of them satisfied me the same way these headphones do”, now that is a box quote if I ever saw one.

Anyway, let’s starts with input options: you get Bluetooth wireless, you get NC (NFC) pairing, and you can use it as a wired headset if you have the 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s the best of both worlds.

You also get physical volume control buttons and pause/play/forward/back button (for devices that is compatible with Bluetooth input). Battery life is rated 22 hours, but you can stretch it longer if you don’t use noise-cancelling. I’ve used it for days before I need to top up. It’s a really well-designed headphone that comes highly recommended by The Weekend Gamer.

My only negative against the headphone is its age. At the time it was released, it uses a micro-USB to charge and Bluetooth is limited to the time of its release (version 5?) I have never successfully paired a device using NFC, so I’m convinced when they implemented that tech, it was still early days.

RIG 800 PRO HX Wireless Gaming Headset (2022)

The coolest thing about the RIG 800 Pro is that it comes with a base station. If your headphone sits on it the correct orientation, then it will always stay charged with maximum battery life (which is rated for “up to 60 hours”). The other nice thing about this headset is that it uses a 2.4GHz RF adapter that is supported with Xbox, PC, PlayStation and Switch (although I have not tested it out on all platform). The dedicated 2.4GHz frequency also means reliable connection and “up to 30 feet”. I highly doubt the 30 feet statement and I can let you know that I have been randomly disconnected. I guess in a perfect world of constant power source and no walls – perhaps it can do all that in a laboratory – but not in real life.

The other thing is that the RIG supports Dolby Atmos (3D audio) and I have always found these Dolby headphones to sound very LOW. I had to turn up my headphones to 100% and the audio coming from my PC to 100% and I still think it’s too low. Perhaps there’s some safety ears thing built in, but I just think it never gets too loud for my personal preference. You see, it’s the summer and I have the noisy Air Conditioner nearby, and I wish it was loud enough to drown out the outside world. I wish I had noise-cancelling or something to help isolate the audio better.

I am happy with the design and comfort. The “snap-fit” head strap works great… I guess I have a very large head, but I wish the strap was looser or bigger. The mic can be flip to the up/side to not get in the way. I don’t use a headset microphone, but I heard everybody hates the microphone quality to this headphone.

Speaking of stuff I don’t love – they use poor quality in the soft ear pads. I can see small peeling of the “leather” and it looks like in a few years I might have to replace the ear pads. I also did not like the all-plastic constructions… it just doesn’t compare to the metal construction of the Sony headphones.

Another thing I don’t love is that you need a lot of space for the charging base… plus, the headphone is the largest (in size) compared to all the other headphones. I know it’s the “gamer” design, but I also think it looks ugly with its geometric and angular design. All it’s missing is neon lights to scream ‘gamer’.

If you want a headset that is always charged and compatible with almost everything out there – the RIG is a great start. I just wish it is louder or noise isolate better.

Razer BlackShark V2 X (wired)/Razer Kaira Wireless (Xbox)

I am grouping the white and black/green Razer headphones together, because there’s really nothing to them. They both came out in 2020, but the wired one (white version) came out a few years later.

The white one called “black”Shark is a no frills-wired over-the-ears style headphone. I think it LOOKS great and sleek and simple. No power is required; you just plug in the headphone jack to any device that has a 3.5mm jack and it works. There’s nothing to add. Maybe, sometimes, you just don’t need anything extra, just a dumb headset that works. It’s also the cheapest of the headphones – retailing for $39.

The black/green one is called Razer Kaira Wireless Headphones and it ONLY connects to the Xbox. If you have an Xbox, that’s GREAT, it just connects when you press the Xbox pairing button. So simple!

I think simplicity is the theme here. Personally speaking, they are also some of the best looking-headsets, to my eyes. Sleek, simple colors that pop. They sound pretty good (although the wired headset sounds “low” in my opinion – probably due to the audio input).

I have one complaint for each headphone. For the white one, the 3.5mm jack is not removeable. You’re stuck with the length and if it gets cut or broke, you’re out of luck. For the black/green one, it is COMPLETELY USELESS if you don’t own an Xbox. I do not recommend buying the Xbox headphone if you don’t own an Xbox.

Corsair Void Pro RBG SE Wireless Dolby 7.1 Headset (2017)

When I first got the Corsair Void Pro in December 2018, I was pretty happy with its comfort and audio.

The original first impression:

For the Void Pro RBG SE Wireless Dolby 7.1 Headset, this was a much-needed upgrade for me. I was still using a cheap over-the-ear Turtlebeach and really wanted to transition to a wireless headphone. The problem with all wireless products is that you have to occasionally charge your devices, but according to Corsair a full charge will get you about 16 hours of use. Which is more than enough for most users.

[ … ]

This particularly Void Pro headset is a Best Buy exclusive, and you can tell by the bright yellow. At first the yellow was discomforting, but taking a closer look at the brushed look, it’s not that bad. The Void Pro retails for $129, but for the weeks leading up to Christmas, Best Buy is knocking 50% off, making it $65.

Like all gaming Corsair products, its logo and mic light up. You can control how the lights are displayed using Corsair’s iCUE software. Some compatible games will sync with the lights, for example, when you take heavy damage or level up on Diablo III, the lights will change accordingly. It’s a nice feature… unfortunately, the iCUE software usually crashes or stops working. Corsair is a good hardware company, but just terrible at software.

Over the years, I’ve used many, many headsets, and I have to admit, the Void Pro is the most comfortable of them all. It doesn’t hug my head too tightly. It’s also not as heavy as I initially thought. There are two metal pieces, which is probably the heaviest part of the headphone.

Then after a few days of usage, the Void headset stopped charging or turning on. I didn’t use it for a long time, but during my moving process to Jacksonville, I started using it again (after fixing the charging issue) because I didn’t have any speakers (I packed it all up in boxes!) It worked fairly decently, but by this time, the ear paddings were peeling off. It’s just very poor quality. I’m happy to say that you can buy replacement padding from third party for $15 or so… but it just goes to show you what poor quality Corsair used in their product. So many people bought the Corsair replacement pads that I suspect it’s poor quality across the board. Needless to say, I do not recommend their headphones. If you have the money, go with the Sony headphones.