PC Gamer Hardware Awards_ The best gaming headsets of 2023

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet
At first glance, this headset might seem to be an odd choice to be a contender for the award. It's wired (and there's no wireless alternative), there are no sound controls on the headset itself, and it's somewhat on the pricey side.

Forget about all of that, though, as everything else about them is top notch. Gaming audio and music are both warm and clear, though the bass can be a little heavy.

The ATH-M50xSTS SteamSet's feature piece is the microphone. Unlike most gaming headsets which sport fairly weak mics, this one is designed for game streaming and podcasts.  Don't want to pay a fortune on a standalone microphone and boom? Get this headset instead.

Read our Audio-Technica ATH-M50xSTS StreamSet review.

Audeze Maxwell
There's no getting away from the fact that the Audeze Maxwell is a very expensive headset, especially outside of the US. But there's a good reason for this: Outstanding build quality, great features, and planar magnetic drivers.

Rather than use the traditional cone-and-coil arrangement to generate sound waves, the Maxwell pulses a flat sheet of material back and forth between two magnetics. The result is a more fulsome and natural sound, and you'd notice the difference immediately.

The cool tech does make the headset a tad on the heavy side but Audeze has done a great job at making them really comfortable to wear for long periods, and given it a long battery life too. Heck, even the microphone is pretty good!

You'll be paying top dollar for all this, of course, but it really is worth it.

Read our Audeze Maxwell review.

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023)
One of our favourite gaming headsets received a nice update this year; not a comprehensive overhaul but enough to make the BlackShark V2 Pro a contender for a PC Gamer Hardware award.

You're not getting anything revolutionary in terms of rummy 365 technology. Just a good set of cans, a very good microphone upgrade, a battery update, and a solid wireless system.

The two most significant improvements are the aforementioned microphone and the removal of the need to use Razer's Synapse software all the time. The latter was always a bit of a sticking point for us, as the app wasn't (and still isn't) all that great.

It's an expensive headset but that's to be expected coming from Razer. Fortunately, what you're getting justifies the price tag.

Well, almost. The previous V2 Pro model is still on sale and it's quite a lot cheaper. If it wasn't for the much-improved microphone and other quality-of-life tweaks, this Razer headset might not have made the cut for being nominated for our award.

Read our Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023) review.