Most gaming headsets are designed more for flash than function these days. They often look more interesting than they sound, emphasizing pulsing LED lights and exaggerated plastic accents more than thumping bass and clear treble. If you want to buy a great pair of headphones though, the trends are very different. The most impressive headphones are often the most unassuming. Clad in black and brown, made of premium materials, they don't need to lure you in with colorful lights or plasticky design flourishes. They just need you to try them on.
Good headphones speak for themselves. That's exactly what happened the first time I put on Logitech's new G Pro X headset. At first glance it looks a bit plain. But as soon as I picked it up, I began to notice the craftsmanship—the plush earpads, the solid metal forks, the braided cable and subtle heft. It's plain, yes, but plain in the same way a luxury watch is plain. Add rich, resonant sound to the menu and it's a gaming headset that looks and performs like a pair of high-end, audiophile headphones, not a colorful trip to a midnight rave. In 2019, that's kind of amazing.
There's an important test I run when I'm checking out gaming headsets, especially gaming headsets over $100. First, I put them in a bag. Any bag works—a messenger bag, a backpack, a large purse, whatever I have on hand. Next I go outside. I go about my day, do all my normal stuff carrying these headphones around. This next part is crucial. When I'm in a public place like a café, an airport, a bus stop, I put them on and ask myself an important question: "Am I embarrassed that I look like I'm wearing a glowing space helmet and/or directing air traffic?" The answer to that question determines how much you're really going to get out of a headset.
If the answer is yes, then this headset is probably going to spend its life indoors, hanging out beside your computer, or at your office. If the answer is no, if they just look like nice headphones, you may get more mileage out of your purchase.
The Logitech G Pro X passed this test with (i.e., without) flying colors. The phones are just plain old black with some chrome accents, and the microphone is fully detachable, so you can pop it off and just use the headset as a pair of premium headphones if you wish. On top of that, the design is understated and undeniably premium. It's weighty but not heavy—luxurious and comfortable on your ears. Even with earrings or glasses (or both), the plush leatherette pads rest over your ears without squeezing your head.
The highest endorsement I could give these headphones is a simple one: Sometimes when I'm wearing them, I forget they're there. Listening to music, working, playing games, even after hours with these things on my head I'm not eager to take them off. They don't leave my ears sweaty, warm, or sore.
Yes, this headset looks and feels great, but how does it sound? To find out, I went ahead and took another trip through Destiny 2. If you've never played it, this is a game with superb sound design. Atmospheric music punctuates every battle, discovery, and moment of exploration. And it all sounds terrific on the Pro X. Gunshots are appropriately sharp and punchy, and bursts of crackling energy snap and sizzle to perfection. The soundstage is expansive and music sounds rich. Even if you're not using the included DAC dongle—which the headphones connect to via a mobile-friendly 3.5-mm jack—the size and scope of the sound is impressive.
In competitive multiplayer modes, the G Pro X performs well. Directional cues like footsteps and gunshots keep you focused and immersed, while the microphone provides clear voice communication.
Voice communication is an important part of collaborative and competitive multiplayer games, and the Logitech G Pro X includes some helpful software (available on Windows and MacOS) for tweaking and testing your mic setup. In addition to the usual tools here, like volume adjustments and mic monitoring (hearing your own voice in your headphones), Logitech included a number of improvements over the base Logitech G software suite.
The microphone on the G Pro X supports a brand-new feature called Blue Voice. Engineered by the team behind the famous Blue Yeti microphones, the Blue Voice feature gives you granular control over the sound and feel of your voice. You can't become Darth Vader or anything that extreme, but you can tune up your voice.
There are a number of presets that let you sound more like a sports broadcaster or an AM radio host. You can also just clean up the sound of your voice so you come through as clear and crisp as possible. The software includes helpful voice sampling functionality, so you can record a short test and hear how the tweaks you're making will sound in real life. It seems like a novelty at first, but some of the voice-tweaking and -testing features are convenient quality-of-life additions that I actually found myself using.
It's nice to adjust your volume and mic monitoring from inside one app instead of trying to do it on the fly or while you're in-game. It would be amazing if these features somehow worked on consoles, as well.
The more time I spent with the Logitech G Pro X, the more often I wanted to use it, and the more often I honestly kept using it instead of my regular headphones. This is without a doubt the best headset I've tested from Logitech, and possibly the best headphones it's ever made. It should work well with all consoles, PCs, and phones that have a 3.5-mm audio jack.
If you're looking for a gaming headset with great sound, but you're not ready to commit to something as expensive as the SteelSeries Arctis Pro, the Logitech G Pro X is your best bet. The sound quality alone makes it nearly peerless in the gaming headset space, and this is definitely the best headset you can get for $130.
(You can buy the Logitech G Pro X at Amazon, Best Buy, or Logitech's Store.)
