Which gaming headset drivers should you choose?

2024-07-24

HardwareHeadsets & HeadphonesWhich gaming headset drivers should you choose?When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Future)

close up on cup grills of Corsair Virtuoso Pro showing open back design and logo

There are many things to consider when buying a gaming headset; your connection options, design, size, platform compatibility, headband shape, and cushion material to name a few. If you’re serious about tuning your audio to your exact preferences, though, you should also be considering the driver powering all that sound. After all, it’s the workhorse behind everything you hear.

Thebest gaming headsetshave traditionally stuck to their roots in this department for years, with the vast majority packing the same driver design and achieving the same sound qualities with it. However, more and more driver options are entering the mainstream. While common dynamic drivers still rule the roost thanks to their low cost, you’ll now find more planar magnetic, electrostatic, and even balanced armature options providing your game audio.

Knowing how each one works and its resulting sound response is crucial to finding out which gaming headset driver is right for you. Some of these options are particularly pricey, so it’s well worth knowing exactly what you’re investing in if you’re splashing some cash on an upgrade.

How do gaming headsets produce sound?

Before we dive into how individual drivers produce their audio, it’s worth getting an overview of how sound is produced through a driver. All of these options use electromagnetism to create vibrations in a diaphragm via an attached conductive material (well, nearly all these options - but we’ll get to that). These vibrations produce the soundwaves you hear through your headset. In general, the thinner and stronger the diaphragm (you can check out our guide tographene driversfor more on newer diaphragm materials) and the fewer points of connection between each part of the driver the better for reducing distortion.

Dynamic drivers

(Image credit: Future/Royce Wilson)

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox gaming headset

These are the bread and butter of the gaming headset world, having dominated the industry for most of its life. Dynamic drivers are cheap, easily produced, and efficient, making them a go-to for mainstream brands.

A dynamic driver uses a cone-shaped diaphragm and a copper wire coiled around a magnet (and within a magnetic field). The coiled wire becomes electromagnetic when an electrical signal moves through it, causing it to be pushed and pulled very rapidly due to the surrounding magnetic effect. It’s being drawn towards one charge and then another in rapid succession. The magnet and coil sit within the centre of the cone, so this movement causes larger vibrations across the diaphragm itself, creating the sound waves you hear.

The result is a gaming headset with a powerful bass and a wide dynamic range. However, it’s not as detailed as you’ll find in other driver options, and the fact that all these parts are heavily connected to each other can cause distortion, particularly at high volume, due to secondary vibrations from the coil itself.

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Good For:

✅General play✅Cost efficiency✅Powerful bass

Bad For:

❌High volume listening❌Heavier low-ranges

Most gaming headsets use dynamic drivers, but some of our favorites are theSteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless,Razer BlackShark V2 Pro, andSteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless.

Dynamic driver gaming headsetsSteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all pricesSteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Dynamic driver gaming headsets

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all pricesSteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro…

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

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$263.99

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Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all prices

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro…

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)

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$199.99View

$199.99

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries - Arctis Nova 5X…

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless

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Planar magnetic drivers

(Image credit: Future)

Audeze Maxwell gaming headset leaning on PS5 console

Planar headsets are picking up in more audiophile spaces, offering a wider soundstage but a heavier form factor overall. They operate on the same model as a dynamic driver, but instead of using a separate copper coil the conductor wire is applied across the diaphragm itself. Each strip is extremely thin and completely flat, but still reacts to electric signals and magnets within the driver.

The diaphragm and attached wires is slotted between two magnets. When the signal is applied it’s pushed and pulled between these magnets rapidly to produce vibrations and therefore sound waves.

Unlike dynamic drivers, planar options don’t have to contend with potential secondary vibrations from other components like the copper coil. That means the resulting audio is far less likely to distort. The tighter control over the actual diaphragm also means you’ll notice a more responsive audio quality - the diaphragm can react to changes in the electrical signal much quicker. There’s also far more room for lower ranges, providing more detail and greater accuracy in basslines. However, planar drivers are typically more expensive and their construction means headsets are generally larger and bulkier.

Good for:

✅Competitive play✅Low-range detail✅High volume listening

Bad for:

❌Long-term comfort❌ Cost efficiency

Examples of planar magnetic headsets include theAudeze Maxwell, HyperX Cloud Orbit S, andAudeze Penrose.

Planar Magnetic gaming headsetsAudeze Maxwell$329$299ViewSee all pricesAudeze Penrose$199ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Planar Magnetic gaming headsets

Audeze Maxwell$329$299ViewSee all pricesAudeze Penrose$199ViewSee all prices

Audeze Maxwell$329$299ViewSee all prices

Audeze Maxwell Wireless…

Audeze Maxwell

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$329$299View

$329$299

$299

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Audeze Penrose$199ViewSee all prices

Audeze Penrose Wireless…

Audeze Penrose

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$199View

$199

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Balanced armature drivers

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Razer Moray review image Of the earbuds lying on a desk mat with the left earbud facing upward

Balanced Armature drivers are starting to see their use in some of thebest gaming earbudsthanks to their tiny size and efficient running process. While they’re more expensive than the dynamic drivers many earbuds use, they can produce a much wider frequency range when applied correctly.

Each tiny driver consists of a rod-like component called an armature, which carries an electrical current in itself. The rod is placed between two magnets and becomes electromagnetic when a current is applied. The push and pull of the surrounding magnets causes it to swing up and down rapidly. However, it still needs to reach a diaphragm, so a driver pin is attached to one end. This makes fast impact with the diaphragm placed elsewhere, which in turn vibrates and produces sound waves.

You’ll usually find earbuds running multiple drivers in one bud, as each individual system has a particularly narrow frequency response in itself. That means, however, that multiple drivers can run at the same time, with each one being tuned to a specific frequency range. If everything’s set up correctly, these drivers produce a particularly detailed frequency response with a particularly strong treble range. There’s also less muddle in between ranges, as each driver is working separately.

However, all those extra drivers and the tuning process they require bumps up cost compared to standard dynamic driver earbuds. You’re also relying on the tuning quality of each array, an aspect that scales with price. Due to their size, balanced armature drivers are less adept at stronger basslines.

Good for:

✅Detailing✅Balancing✅Portability

Bad for:

❌Low-range power❌Cost-efficiency

Examples of balanced armature gaming earbuds include theRazer Morayand 1More Triple Driver.

Balanced armature driver earbudsRazer Moray$129.99ViewSee all prices1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones$69.99$57.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsSat, Jan 4, 2025We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Balanced armature driver earbuds

Razer Moray$129.99ViewSee all prices1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones$69.99$57.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsSat, Jan 4, 2025

Razer Moray$129.99ViewSee all prices

Razer Moray in-Ear Monitor…

Razer Moray

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$129.99

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1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones$69.99$57.99ViewSee all pricesDeal endsSat, Jan 4, 2025

1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones$69.99$57.99ViewSee all prices

1MORE Wired headphones

1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones

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$69.99$57.99View

$69.99$57.99

$57.99

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Deal endsSat, Jan 4, 2025

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Electrostatic drivers

Electrostatic gaming headsets are a little further away from the mainstream than planar models, but they’ve been bubbling away under the surface for years now. These drivers use static electricity rather than electromagnetic forces to vibrate a diaphragm (these are the tricky ones that don’t quite work in the same way as the others), however the principle still remains the same.

An electrical charge is swapped very quickly between the two plates, causing the conductive material in the middle to jump towards the plate mirroring its own charge back and forth rapidly. The resulting vibration produces the soundwaves.

There are, of course, drawbacks. These headphones are as expensive as they are impressive - often reaching for four-figure price tags. This is a serious investment, especially considering they also require a separate amplifier to run. It’s a pipe dream for many, but if you’re as excited about driver technology as I am, it’s pretty cool nonetheless.

Good for:

✅Detailing✅Speed✅Accuracy

Bad for:

❌Cost efficiency❌Ease of use

Does size matter?

Of course, once you’ve worked out which driver type is right for you it’s time to consider size. You’ll find driver sizes ranging from 10mm in earbuds all the way up to 90mm in larger devices. In general, the larger the driver the better your audio is going to be, but we’re talking very minutely, and this is only really more noticeable on a large scale. A 90mm driver might sound a little wider compared to a 40mm model, but the majority of players aren’t going to take too much notice of the difference between a 50mm and 40mm device.

There’s plenty more that goes into making your gaming headset sound the way it does, from the materials surrounding the driver itself to the type of magnet used. Deciding which driver you should choose in your gaming headset will set you up in the right direction if you’re looking to truly perfect that purchase, though.

Today’s best gaming headset dealsSteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed$129.99$101.99ViewSee all pricesCorsair HS35$49.99$29.99ViewSee all pricesAstro A50X$379.99$329.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all pricesSteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best gaming headset deals

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed$129.99$101.99ViewSee all pricesCorsair HS35$49.99$29.99ViewSee all pricesAstro A50X$379.99$329.99ViewSee all pricesRazer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all pricesSteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless$263.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro…

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Amazon

$263.99View

$263.99

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Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed$129.99$101.99ViewSee all prices

Razer BlackShark V2…

Razer BlackShark V2 HyperSpeed

Amazon

$129.99$101.99View

$129.99$101.99

$101.99

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Corsair HS35$49.99$29.99ViewSee all prices

CORSAIR HS35 v2 Multiplatform…

Corsair HS35

CORSAIR

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Astro A50X$379.99$329.99ViewSee all prices

Logitech G Astro A50 X…

Astro A50X

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Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)$199.99ViewSee all prices

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro…

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)

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$199.99View

$199.99

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless$129.99ViewSee all prices

SteelSeries - Arctis Nova 5X…

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5X Wireless

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We’re also rounding up all thebest wireless headsetson the market, as well as thebest PC headsetsandbest PS5 headsetsavailable.

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How do gaming headsets produce sound?

Dynamic drivers

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Planar magnetic drivers

Balanced armature drivers

Electrostatic drivers

Does size matter?

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