Every gamer needs a keyboard. Actually, scratch that—every gamer needs a great set of keys. Although it’s easy to point at something pricey and see its merits, we want to see how cheap we can go and still get something decent.

First, we set some guidelines: the keyboard should offer mechanical switches suitable for gaming. We know that some gamers actually prefer membrane keyboards but as of right now, the most sought after models are all mechanical.

Second, the keyboard needs to be reliable. A gaming keyboard needs to stand up to abuse and the rigors of obsessive gaming. Long hours, dirt, accidental spills and crumbs, you name it, it needs to be able to take it.

Third, it needs to be cheap. There's an ocean of gaming keyboards out there, sometimes it just feels like there are too many choices. Of course, a keyboard, like a mouse, is personal (and here are the best gaming mouse choices for you). Everyone's different and everyone wants a different feel. But also, everyone wants affordability.

The cheapest gaming keyboard

• Cheap
• Otemu Blue mechanical switches
• Compact, Ten-keyless formfactor

• No number pad
• Only available with Blue switches
• No extra features and backlights (a pro for some)
• Rubber feet could use more stability

There’s no shortage of cheap keyboards, but ultra-budget mechanical keyboard is an exotic species. We thought we wouldn’t be able to find anything worth buying for cheap—until we ran in to the Redragon K552-N Kumara. Over 1500 reviews on Amazon raving about this keyboard is in line with what we think: it's good!

The Kumara is likely the best looking keyboard you’ll find at this price range. It lacks the finesse of a premium board, but it at least doesn’t try to masquerade as something above its pay grade with a gaudy show. The plain black finish is easy on the eyes, and the company logo isn’t nailed onto every other key. The omission of the number pad may not bode well with users who crunch numbers, but gamers would certainly appreciate the extra wiggle room for their mouse.

One of the main drivers for the Kumara’s incredibly low price is its Otemu Blue switches. Otemu is a line of Cherry MX clones and generally sell for cheaper. Although it’s available in the same stem colors as Cherry MX, the Kumara only makes use of the Blues. Initial impression of the switch is good; both its feel and sound are almost indiscernible from Cherry MX Blues. The switches are plate mounted (as opposed to PCB mounted) for higher stability. Longevity remains to be seen, though the switch is rated for 50 million clicks per key.

We’re surprised to see that the Kumara handles NKRO like a champ. It didn’t skip a single keystroke even with 26 keys pressed down at the same time. We also tried some common key combinations and didn’t encounter any ghosting.

For a keyboard that makes generous use of ABS plastic, we’re glad to see that the Kumara employs a metal backplate. Having a rigid back plate is important since it needs to keep the switches mounted to it as stable as possible. But despite so, the Kumara is still lightweight compared to premium mechanical boards. Its weight factor, combined with its tiny rubber feet, makes it slide around the table with moderate force.

Features are understandably austere. There’s no macro recording, passthroughs, or even braided cables. There are some interesting decorations as well. For example, the WASD legends printed on the arrow keys make us wonder if they’re recycled from another board.

If you’re sizing up the Redragon Kumara as an introductory mechanical keyboard, rest assured that its performance is definitely a notch above whatever you already have.

Powerline networking is often overlooked in the networking world. Offering neither the security and speed of Ethernet nor the mobility of Wi-Fi, it instead is an in-between solution that users can turn to when other options simply won't work. 

A Powerline networking kit leverages the home's existing electrical wiring to establish a wired network that is accessible through every electrical outlet in the home. The ideal candidate for Powerline networking is a renter that can't run wires nor drill holes, or someone who lives in an area with lots of wireless interference. In those situations, a Powerline kit is worth a serious look.

Powerline has its share of challenges—it's the second best option for a reason. It doesn't work great when the signal has to cross circuit breakers, which can negatively impact speeds. Also, you shouldn't plug a Powerline adapter into a surge strip as doing so blocks the data signal, and high load electrical equipment like refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and microwave ovens can also negatively impact speeds.

Given the overall benefits and drawbacks, the effectiveness of Powerline networking is highly subjective. It won't work for everyone, but it can offer a solution to some challenging networking problems where other methods, such as extenders, fall short. 

The best Powerline networking adapter for gaming

• Passthrough outlets
• Gigabit ports
• Strong performance on both the same and different circuit

• Slightly higher latency in World of Tanks

The Trendnet Powerline 1200 AV2 Adapter Kit has a lot to offer, including passthrough outlets, MIMO technology, Beamforming, and Gigabit ports to not bottleneck throughput speeds. The kit uses all three electrical wires to improve and stabilize coverage and throughput, which the manufacturer claims can provide coverage for up to a 5,000 sq ft home. Installation is very simple—just plug the adapters into their outlets and connect some Ethernet cables, as the adapters come ready to auto-connect right out of the box. They also come pre-encrypted with 128-bit AES, which proved to be rock stable throughout our testing process. 

We were particularly impressed by its strong download speed on the Same Circuit test, measuring 146.4 Mbps, which was only slightly behind the fastest adapter we tested, the D-Link DHP-P701AV, which hit 149.14 Mbps. Even more of an achievement is that while the D-Link kit dropped considerably on the Different Circuit test to 55.46 Mbps for the download and 33.03 Mbps upload, this Trendnet kit set the standard on this more difficult test, managing speeds of 96.33 Mbps down and 47.01 Mbps up. (For reference, our baseline Ethernet connection measured 207.96 Mbps down, 49.75 Mbps up.) Taking both of these tests into account, the Trendnet kit is the clear winner when it comes to speed. Additionally, its different circuit ping test was among the lowest at 11 ms, giving it a low latency for gaming.

The TPL-421E2K clearly outperforms the competition, and with more than a thousand four star reviews on Amazon, it earns our recommendation.

The best wireless Powerline networking adapter for gaming

• Outstanding download speeds
• Integrated three-port Ethernet switch
• Consistently low ping

• Weak wireless throughput
• Wireless extender blocks outlet, and lacks outlet passthrough

Powerline networking is designed to provide a wired connection, but there are times when wireless is needed as well, such as connecting via a smartphone or tablet. For those occasions, a Powerline networking kit with Wi-Fi is a viable solution, functioning the same as their non-wireless brethren while also providing a Wi-Fi hotspot. 

Neither of the Wi-Fi Powerline kits we tested offered very good wireless performance. Same Circuit wireless tests were largely a wash, with this TP-Link kit edging out the competing Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere kit in most categories. On the Different Circuit, however, the Trendnet kit performed better, though again not by much. 

Regardless of the test, neither kit performed better than 39.64 Mbps wirelessly (that number coming from the Trendnet's 5 GHz Different Circuit download test), with most scores falling in the 15 to 30 Mbps range. 

Those numbers are fine for occasional web browsing, but not good for streaming 4K videos or gaming.  

Having said that, we recommend the TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender kit. While its Wi-Fi numbers aren't great, it dominated the competition on its regular Powerline connection, even beating out the dedicated Powerline pick above with a Same Circuit download speed of 186.31 Mbps. It also kept pace in the Different Circuit test, with 95.37 Mbps download, 39.67 Mbps upload, and a stable ping of 10 to 12 millisecs throughout testing. 

The TP-Link AC1200 uses a smartphone app for easy setup, and includes useful features like an electrical outlet passthrough on the adapter that connects to the modem, and an integrated three port Gigabit switch on the extender module that comes in handy, for example, if you need to connect networked AV equipment.

We recommend the TP-Link AC1200 as it can provide a class leading wired connection and a usable wireless signal for less demanding tasks, simultaneously addressing multiple wireless problems. 

The competition

D-Link Powerline AV2 2000 Gigabit Passthrough Starter Kit 

The D-Link Powerline AV2 2000 ticked all the right feature boxes, offering passthrough sockets and MIMO promising 2000 Mbps speeds. And while it performed very well on the same circuit tests, it produced lower throughput speeds and higher ping when moved to a different circuit.

Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline 1200 AV2 Wireless Kit 

Trendnet's Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline kit had lower throughput speeds on wired tests compared to our pick, although it did keep up in the wireless arena. We also didn't like the odd placement of the three Gigabit ports on the top of the adapter. With the lower Amazon rating in mind (3.5 stars), it did not earn our recommendation for this segment.

Video game books are edging towards a golden era. People are writing about everything under the sun: travelogues, deep analyses of EVE Online, sociocultural inspections, and narrative dissections. For those passionate about the medium, there’s been no better time to learn about it.

In this buyer’s guide, we’ve assembled a sampling of the best video game books we’ve read. The books listed are not necessarily PC gaming specific, as that would exclude an arbitrary portion of good writing for no good reason—all things in the games industry and creative culture influence one another. Included are links to where you can purchase the publications, with a brief summary of each.

Masters of Doom

• Reloads your brain (with knowledge)
• A safe way to think about hell

• Is not the videogame Doom
• Cannot run Doom

It’s impossible to ignore the impact Doom had on video games. But it’s difficult to truly understand the impact without proper context. Masters of Doom is one of the most complete inside looks at what went into classic FPS from the get-go.

The original id Software chaps, Carmack and Romero, feel like characters experiencing new, astounding circumstances for the first time. Their methods for distribution, community building, and the technology of the game itself were all groundbreaking for the time, and set the stage for the industry as a whole for the foreseeable future. Take the safest, most interesting trip to hell while learning a thing or two in Masters of Doom.

Embed with Games

• Gives global perspective
• Details parties with Terry Cavanagh

• You are not partying with Cavanagh

Video game and travel writing mix like beer and whiskey, except the whiskey is Wild Turkey and the beer is a $20 bottle of the latest craft sour named after a dead dog. It tastes alright, a bit off, and is does a number on your gut. Ellison’s global game developer couch-surfing adventures are travelogues in the same feel-good-but-bad-for-you vein.

She sets out determined to see the industry from a bird’s eye view, and to figure out a bit about herself on the way. Her quick-witted, casual, yet deeply aware writing is an affable companion on a troubling journey through London, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and more. She eats, drinks, and dances with some of the best developers in the scene, from Terry Cavanaugh of VVVVVV and Super Hexagon to Ojiro Fumoto of the recent hit, Downwell. It’s an intimate inside look at what drives these people, and what drives Cara. As it turns out, they’re all a little lost, and as a result, a little driven to find their way. Games (and books about games) are the impromptu compass.

10 PRINT CHR$(205.5 + RND(1)); : GOTO 10

• May be the hardest you think about old code
• Mazes are cool

• Impossible to Google

Despite having the hardest title to Google, 10 PRINT is a fascinating analysis of written code as a cultural object. The entire book is a series of essays that delve into aspects of a single line of BASIC that generates a maze-like image when executed. While examining something that is typically observed as purely functional—it works or it doesn’t—code contains a ton of clues into the personality of its writers, the time period of its writing, the implications of its function, and on and on.

The book title is actually a line of code that generates a maze-like image. From here, the team of authors take a stab at different angles of the seemingly insignificant line. There's an examination of every symbol in the code itself, there's a look at its utility, and there's even a short history of the cultural implications of mazes. The book may be small, but for the size of its subject matter, the breadth is astounding. An understanding of code isn’t necessary to appreciate the insights put forth, just an open mind.

Unwinnable

• A winning collection of writers
• Breezy and insightful

• Does not let you win

If you want to read a dissection of why the Iowa Caucus is one of the worst games ever and wash it down with a detailed list of valuable life lessons we can learn from Godzilla, then subscribe to Unwinnable. A weekly (now monthly) publication, Unwinnable examines both familiar and obscure pockets of game culture from diverse perspectives.

Insightful, funny, and accessible, the publication covers the breadth and depth of games and digital culture through three distinct sections: Thoughts, Theme, and Variation. Thoughts are columns from staff writers, Theme are longer essays that revolve around the month’s, well, theme (Women abroad, RoboCop, death, cities), and Variation is a “potpourri” of essays unconnected to the theme. It’s one of the more diverse, dependable doses of high quality games writing you can get each month.

Uncertainty in Games

• ???
• It's uncertain

• Read to find out
• The _____ is jarring

What will this paragraph be about? Who knows? Maybe you’ll find out if you keep reading. Here’s the answer: fooled you. That wasn’t the answer. Here’s the real answer: just kidding. That was another fake answer. The real answer? This paragraph is about uncertainty, an integral factor in good game design, or so argues Costikyan

In his book, he takes a look at a single, integral component of game design. The big starter question: what motivates us to play games? In an assemblage of otherwise abstract systems, what keeps a player invested, interested? It's usually some form of uncertainty, and Costikyan breaks down different kinds of uncertainty found throughout a few prominent genres. In FPS games, the uncertainty is tied to player performance or 'athleticism'. In an adventure game, it might be a narrative uncertainty. By taking a close look at game design mystery, Costikyan makes a clear and compelling case for what makes us play time and time again.

How to Do Things with Videogames

• Taught me to love video game buildings
• Widens perspective of game utility

• Made me Google 'games that do your taxes'

Bogost’s broad examination of the utility of video games will teach you what to play to prank your friends, whether or not a game can teach you how to do your taxes, and may instill a curiosity for how games translate the experience of travel and relative space—and, of course, he also touches on the entertainment utility.

Point is, games are often a set of systems and variables that can do so much more than entertain. Games can be used to make art, to express empathy, reverence, to make music, to build a brand, for political sway, to communicate abstract texture, to promote exercise habits, to practice otherwise inane tasks, and more. Bogost breaks down twenty different uses for games, explains the uses through example games, and pokes at the unexplored potential of each. It’s the perfect book to broaden one’s knowledge of the medium, and asks you envision games where they might not immediately fit.

Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

• Teaches how to use games for the greater good

• Does not teach you how to hack the Matrix

McGonigal, a game designer, also writes about the utility of games, but specifically as vehicles for self-improvement and philanthropy. She takes similar ideas introduced in How to Do Things with Videogames and applies them to social problems, like depression, obesity, poverty, climate-change, and more.

MMOs and alternate reality games are the primary subjects here, though games as a wider medium are posited as good ways to promote happiness, motivation, and to build community. Obviously, none of it as simple as playing miracle games that solve the world’s problems with a simple button press, but McGonigal offers up some healthy methods for indulging in a hobby while also pulling yourself, or others, out of the muck bit by bit. For some feel good reading and challenging prompts, this book comes with a healthy, hearty recommendation.

The State of Play

• Diverse writers, diverse topics
• A clean snapshot of gaming culture today

• Play is not recognized as a state by federal government

With the ease of access to game development and learning tools, it’s no surprise that videogames are one of the most popular mediums around today. More games are being made than ever before, and more people are playing them than ever. But with the medium’s new reach, come some growing pains.

No longer are games strictly a novel form of entertainment, they’re vehicles for social and political commentary, utilities for expression and advertising. And with the new potentials come new responsibilities. State of Play is a collection of diverse voices speaking to some of these new truths. No two essays are alike. In one, race politics ignite in a lightsaber battle as the author reflects on his Jedi avatar, his own identity, expression in games, and the juxtaposition between a futuristic space battle and tired racism. In another, the author writes a nonlinear essay to show off their development platform of choice, Twine, and the capabilities of the lo-fi text design space. State of Play is a snapshot of the industry in all its forms, playful and pretty, old and ugly. For that alone, it's worth a read.

Extra Lives

• Stark, realistic take on games culture
• Easy to identify with author's perspective at times

• Drugs are bad
• Don't do drugs

Depression, cocaine, and Grand Theft Auto go together like peas in a pod—a withered pod, sure, but a few things can happen when they’re thrown together. You can keep doing cocaine, stay depressed, and keep playing Grand Theft Auto, or you can, in a spout of desperate invigoration, start to question exactly why you’re depressed, doing a ton of cocaine, and hopelessly addicted to Grand Theft Auto.

Tom Bissell tackles the topic in his semi-academic critique of video games as a medium. There’s no filter here, and it can be a bit oblique (it feels like he’s working through his own understanding as he writes instead of presenting the final truth nuggets up front) but Bissell spits grand truths about the massive achievement of games like GTA IV, while also acknowledging what a brain dead time sink they can be. It’s a book about a man at odds with himself, trying to pin down a medium that’s taking over faster than anyone can quite comprehend.

The Arcade Review

• Covers fringe games and art
• Cover art is almost too cool

• Is not a review for arcades

The Arcade Review is a quarterly publication that assembles essays, reviews, criticism, and interviews on experimental videogames and the digital arts into a digital collection. A given issue’s subjects might include the engagement of poetry through 3D space, how Her Story is in conversation with Satoshi Kon’s Millennium Actress, or good old fashioned robot erotica.

The Arcade Review is an intricate collection of the most in-depth, funny, intimate games writing bolstered by essays that examine old and emerging digital cultures. For those who want more from their media than what they see on the surface or find in stores, The Arcade Review is an easy recommendation.

Killing is Harmless

• Motivates reader to think harder about games
• Gives new perspective on player violence

• Turns out, killing isn't harmless

Spec Ops: The Line surprised a lot of people. It was an entry in a franchise that had been dormant for about 10 years, and used the expectation of ‘realistic’ tactical combat to sneak in a biting narrative, a near future take on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The game is an attempt to comment on the consistency with which players commit extremely violent acts in games, and Heart of Darkness’ journey upriver serves the video game format well.

You’re asked to do terrible things, then forced to visit the consequences of your violence, over and over again. Keogh takes the journey upriver, magnifying glass in one hand and a pen in the other.

He doesn’t lay down any hard truths from the get go. Instead, Keogh invites the reader to analyze the game with him. He reads into everything he can, sometimes to a seemingly absurd depth, but it’s from such scrutiny that his greatest insights emerge. Killing is Harmless is an amazing companion piece to Spec Ops: The Line, and compelling motive to examine every game with a comparable intensity.

Last year was crazy with new processor launches from AMD and Intel. Intel got things started with a refresh of its existing Skylake architecture, codenamed Kaby Lake, which brought higher clockspeeds and a few new features to the existing LGA1151 platform. AMD countered with its Ryzen processors and the AM4 platform, and then Intel launched its enthusiast Skylake-X/Kaby Lake-X parts with LGA2066 and AMD countered with Threadripper and socket TR4.

With all the new processors, it can be difficult to know what the best gaming motherboards are the best for each platform. Intel's new 8th Gen Coffee lake processors is out now, and while they use the same LGA1151 socket as Kaby Lake, the processors require new 300-series chipsets. But if you're looking to build a new mainstream gaming system with an Intel processor, where the Core i7-7700K and Core i5-7600K remain respectable choices at reasonable prices, you'll want to start with a Z270 motherboard.

The jump in features, style, and performance from Z97 to Z270 has been dramatic and useful to enthusiasts of all stripes, far outstripping CPU advancements since Haswell. Most Z270 motherboards support multiple x4 PCIe Gen3 M.2 slots, sufficient PCIe lanes dual-GPU configurations, subtle or changeable color schemes, Realtek’s new ALC1220 audio codec is commonplace, and there are a host of refinements for overclocking. Mounts for 3D-printed add-ons are even starting to appear. 

Meanwhile, legacy ports are starting to disappear. USB 2.0 headers and back-panel connectors are getting swapped for 3.0 and 3.1 counterparts. SATA port counts are getting shaved to free resources and space for M.2 and U.2 storage. All the boards here feature at least a pair of M.2 slots, and all are full-speed, 32 Gb/s implementations. The days of SATA may be numbered (at least if they can get prices on M.2 SSDs down to more reasonable levels).

The Z270 chipset (and other 200-series parts) remain backwards compatible with 6th Gen Skylake CPUs, and 100-series chipsets will also work with 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. However, Z270 provides four additional PCIe lanes, which is why we're seeing more M.2 slots this round, and you'll also need a 200-series chipset if you want to use Intel's Optimus Memory technology.

While most motherboards will work well, enthusiasts will often want more than the base level of performance and features. After extensive research and testing, these are the best Z270 motherboards.

Best overall Z270 motherboard

• Good price
• Best overclocking and memory scores
• Mild or wild, depending on how you tune the lights

• No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
• More board than you need for a typical PC

The midrange Maximus Hero IX lived up to its name during testing, taking on motherboards costing almost twice as much and frequently pulling ahead on performance or features, making it best overall pick for Z270.

Gunmetal grey heatsink shapes and relatively restrained styling clothe this otherwise hardcore gaming product in upscale attire. Leave off the Aura lighting and you might assume it’s a workstation board. This neutral color scheme works well for extravagant rig builders too; just turn on the lights, match your colors, and you’re good to go, no matter what neon-colored components or cases you have in mind.

Hardware hobbyists will also find plenty to play around with. Subtly incorporated along the upper right and lower board edges are buttons for power, system reboot, memory reset, and BIOS entry, which are welcome additions when tinkering on a workbench. Extensive and well-placed fan headers are backed by features such a flow tachometer for water cooling loops and ASUS’s in-depth BIOS fan control.

What’s more, all this attention pays off with the highest multiplier and memory numbers among the boards tested here. The Hero IX managed a stress-free 5.1 GHz and pushed two-stick memory configurations beyond their rated 3600 MHz capacity. Further, post-benchmark BCLK testing raised that to almost 5.2 GHz without incident before heat became a factor. None of the other boards here came close, with the Hero even upstaging ASUS’s own, more expensive Formula IX.

Ten USB ports on the back I/O panel mean plenty of external connectors, but internal USB headers are limited to three, one of each generation. This means just a single USB 2.0 header, so system builders with water-cooled systems like Corsair’s H115i that require a USB header will need to plan ahead with either an internal USB expander or an adapter cable for the USB 3.0 or 3.1 headers.

The onboard Intel v219 Ethernet LAN controller is a smart low-latency choice, but Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would have been welcome additions for a product released in 2017. With Intel 7265 M.2 wireless modules under $20 online, leaving this feature off a premium motherboard that retails for over $200 seems like deliberate product segmentation, although MSI’s Z270 XPower is even more cynical since it retails for a cool $100 more and doesn’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth either.

Best budget Z270 motherboard

• Excellent price
• Stylish design with built-in I/O cover and LED backlighting
• Intel Ethernet

• Ancient Realtek ALC892 audio
• Poor overclocking results

While there’s plenty to like about Z270, the extra dollars required for buy-in are a drawback. Component manufacturers haven’t been shy about hiking prices for the last few chipset generations, although the hit isn’t as big as it was from Z97 to Z170.

MSI’s Tomahawk series retails just a few bucks above this price floor but delivers a credible midrange set of features and build quality nonetheless. The dark grey and red color scheme includes red backlighting, a screened pattern on the PCB, and a built-in I/O shroud with illuminated logo. The result is handsome, and if potential component color choice clashes worry you, there’s an arctic white version available that looks even better and will match any style you have in mind.

Don’t expect top-shelf memory performance or CPU speeds with this budget board, however. The multiplier test came up short at 4.9 GHz and memory was limited to 3200MHz. Benchmark numbers reflected this, but didn’t affect observed gaming performance too much. Exotic components like pre-binned 5GHz CPUs and high-speed DDR4 aren’t usually on the menu with budget builds anyway.

Rear I/O includes 8 USB ports, including one type C and five type A USB 3.1 connectors. Ethernet is handled via Intel’s low-latency V219 controller.

One drawback worth mentioning is the aging Realtek ALC 892 audio codec. While perfectly adequate for standard duties, most of the other boards here sport the new ALC 1220, which incorporates around five years of advancements. Fortunately, MSI’s codec implementation is a good one, so this isn’t a deal breaker, but if cutting edge sound is part of your plan, look elsewhere.

For ultra-budget builds, MSI’s H270 Tomahawk variants provide virtually identical looks and similar performance at even lower prices, although forget about overclocking or memory speeds above 2133. 

Best midrange Z270 motherboard

• Great CPU overclocking
• Slick looks and RGB system
• Board layout improvements

• No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
• Few legacy ports

MSI’s Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon adds to the winning recipe that made it a top pick for Z170, with the new version doubling the M.2 slots, adding more USB 3.1 ports, boosting audio in the form of Realtek’s ALC 1220 codec, and improving the board layout.

A restrained restyle retains the neutral colors of the Carbon series and includes new heatsinks, a refreshed chipset shield, reinforced DRAM slots, and a built-in I/O shroud that integrates into the updated, more balanced, LED Mystic Light implementation. There’s also an M.2 shield of questionable value.

There’s no question when it comes to performance, however. The MSI Gaming Pro Carbon is the lowest-cost motherboard to overclock the sample Kaby Lake i7-7700K processor used for this guide to 5 GHz. It also managed 3466MHz on the DRAM test, booting without issues in both two- and four-stick configurations, although 3600MHz proved unstable.

Along with the easy-to-use BIOS, this makes system tuning rewarding, although you won’t find the same hardware support or in-depth options that dedicated overclocking boards or high-end products provide. You will get similar performance however, which provides its own kind of thrill.

Building with the board also proves satisfying, as the previously unused PCB area along the right edge is now populated with components, relaxing the tight layout considerably. Connectors for the CPU fan, system fan, and 1151 socket power all have improved access, for example, so your knuckles and fingertips will thank you.

Sacrifices mostly involve removing or substituting legacy ports, a forgivable sin. Back panel USB 2.0 connectors are reduced to two from four to make room for more USB 3.1, and eSATA disappears from the PCB along with one PCI-E 1X slot, leaving three. Notable, but most users won’t miss them. 

Best high-end Z270 motherboard

• Top-shelf performance
• Armor and Aura RGB look impressive
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

• Armor impedes access to some ports and connectors
• Where's the 3T3R Wi-Fi, third M.2 slot, or teamable Ethernet?

No segment of the motherboard market shows the upward surge in pricing better than Z270’s high-end products. This is clearly where all the manufacturers want to play, and fierce competition for enthusiast dollars at this level is one of the reasons the gaming hardware market is booming.

ASUS traditionally does very well here, but that gap has closed with each generation since Sandy Bridge. Profitable markets mean everyone is stepping up their game for a piece of the action, and the result is the near-tie photo finish victory for ASUS’s Maximus IX Formula. ASUS keeps its crown for another cycle, but it’s anybody’s game from here on out.

In a sense, the Formula IX’s victory is one for style. Although there’s plenty of substance on tap here, it’s the slick looks and funky flash built into the Maximus that set this motherboard apart from the competition, even in the current LED-overloaded landscape. 

Armored on both sides and resplendent with muted back-lit finery, the latest Formula holds up the family heritage well and feels impressively solid. As expected for a high-end product, performance pushes the envelope, with CPU speeds exceeding 5GHz during post-benchmark exploratory BCLK tuning. The built-in EK waterblock support has internal modifications that lower temperatures over the Formula VIII implementation.

In this case, the vertical slot allows ASUS space for a second M.2 connector without compromising the Formula’s layout or armor shielding. A metal guide is provided for reinforcement. In addition to storage, audio hardware also gets some attention, with Realtek’s ALC 1220 codec supplanting the earlier ALC 1150 implementation on the previous Z170 version.

Best ITX Z270 motherboard

• Well-made and stylish
• Dual M.2, with one easy-access topside slot
• Inexpensive

• No USB 2.0 headers on motherboard
• Others have Thunderbolt 3
• Sharp corners bite during tight installs

Micro motherboards are back in business again thanks to the success of Intel’s NUC initiative and the evolution of game streaming, with ITX sized systems enjoying a renewed relevance for DIY gamers. These smaller boards often provide features that far outstrip similarly priced ATX boards, perfect for budget builders who don’t mind limited expansion options down the road.

ASUS’s new Strix products are the entry level for the Republic of Gamers lineup, but the Z270I feels as premium as the Maximus motherboards at the top of the stack. Sharing the same dark grey, brushed metal heatsinks and thick PCB as the big boards, it feels like a bargain at list price. 

Like most ITX boards, an M.2 slot lives on the flipside in an inaccessible area after initial installation but ASUS includes another slot on the top of the Strix, hidden underneath what looks like the chipset shield in small channel that accommodates drive sticks up to 80mm in length.

Aura lighting makes it onboard as well, with a line of LEDs under the motherboard's right side and an RGB header for external lighting strips. Wi-Fi is provided via 2T2R Atheros wireless at roughly half gigabit speed, and the hardware also handles Bluetooth 4.1 duties. Realtek’s new ALC 1220A CODEC is used for audio, supported with ASUS’s SupremeFX tweaks and an updated software layer; useful additions since many ITX systems are destined for living room media use. 

Shortcomings are inevitable in such a tiny package, and the Strix has a few. While previous ROG ITX boards from ASUS had no trouble reaching memory and multiplier limits with Haswell and Skylake, the Z270i Strix struggled to reach 5GHz via multiplier and couldn’t support 3600MHz DDR4 DRAM. 

While the numbers were better than MSI’s Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon ITX, there’s still room for improvement, especially with ASRock’s Fatality Z270 GAMING-ITX/AC offering extras like built-in Thunderbolt 3. If that's something you want, ASRock's offering is a close second.

Powerline networking is often overlooked in the networking world. Offering neither the security and speed of Ethernet nor the mobility of Wi-Fi, it instead is an in-between solution that users can turn to when other options simply won't work. 

A Powerline networking kit leverages the home's existing electrical wiring to establish a wired network that is accessible through every electrical outlet in the home. The ideal candidate for Powerline networking is a renter that can't run wires nor drill holes, or someone who lives in an area with lots of wireless interference. In those situations, a Powerline kit is worth a serious look.

Powerline has its share of challenges—it's the second best option for a reason. It doesn't work great when the signal has to cross circuit breakers, which can negatively impact speeds. Also, you shouldn't plug a Powerline adapter into a surge strip as doing so blocks the data signal, and high load electrical equipment like refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and microwave ovens can also negatively impact speeds.

Given the overall benefits and drawbacks, the effectiveness of Powerline networking is highly subjective. It won't work for everyone, but it can offer a solution to some challenging networking problems where other methods, such as extenders, fall short. 

The best Powerline networking adapter for gaming

• Passthrough outlets
• Gigabit ports
• Strong performance on both the same and different circuit

• Slightly higher latency in World of Tanks

The Trendnet Powerline 1200 AV2 Adapter Kit has a lot to offer, including passthrough outlets, MIMO technology, Beamforming, and Gigabit ports to not bottleneck throughput speeds. The kit uses all three electrical wires to improve and stabilize coverage and throughput, which the manufacturer claims can provide coverage for up to a 5,000 sq ft home. Installation is very simple—just plug the adapters into their outlets and connect some Ethernet cables, as the adapters come ready to auto-connect right out of the box. They also come pre-encrypted with 128-bit AES, which proved to be rock stable throughout our testing process. 

We were particularly impressed by its strong download speed on the Same Circuit test, measuring 146.4 Mbps, which was only slightly behind the fastest adapter we tested, the D-Link DHP-P701AV, which hit 149.14 Mbps. Even more of an achievement is that while the D-Link kit dropped considerably on the Different Circuit test to 55.46 Mbps for the download and 33.03 Mbps upload, this Trendnet kit set the standard on this more difficult test, managing speeds of 96.33 Mbps down and 47.01 Mbps up. (For reference, our baseline Ethernet connection measured 207.96 Mbps down, 49.75 Mbps up.) Taking both of these tests into account, the Trendnet kit is the clear winner when it comes to speed. Additionally, its different circuit ping test was among the lowest at 11 ms, giving it a low latency for gaming.

The TPL-421E2K clearly outperforms the competition, and with more than a thousand four star reviews on Amazon, it earns our recommendation. The street price of $59.99 for this kit sweetens the deal.

The best wireless Powerline networking adapter for gaming

• Outstanding download speeds
• Integrated three-port Ethernet switch
• Consistently low ping

• Weak wireless throughput
• Wireless extender blocks outlet, and lacks outlet passthrough

Powerline networking is designed to provide a wired connection, but there are times when wireless is needed as well, such as connecting via a smartphone or tablet. For those occasions, a Powerline networking kit with Wi-Fi is a viable solution, functioning the same as their non-wireless brethren while also providing a Wi-Fi hotspot. 

Neither of the Wi-Fi Powerline kits we tested offered very good wireless performance. Same Circuit wireless tests were largely a wash, with this TP-Link kit edging out the competing Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere kit in most categories. On the Different Circuit, however, the Trendnet kit performed better, though again not by much. 

Regardless of the test, neither kit performed better than 39.64 Mbps wirelessly (that number coming from the Trendnet's 5 GHz Different Circuit download test), with most scores falling in the 15 to 30 Mbps range. 

Those numbers are fine for occasional web browsing, but not good for streaming 4K videos or gaming.  

Having said that, we recommend the TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender kit. While its Wi-Fi numbers aren't great, it dominated the competition on its regular Powerline connection, even beating out the dedicated Powerline pick above with a Same Circuit download speed of 186.31 Mbps. It also kept pace in the Different Circuit test, with 95.37 Mbps download, 39.67 Mbps upload, and a stable ping of 10 to 12 millisecs throughout testing. 

The TP-Link AC1200 uses a smartphone app for easy setup, and includes useful features like an electrical outlet passthrough on the adapter that connects to the modem, and an integrated three port Gigabit switch on the extender module that comes in handy, for example, if you need to connect networked AV equipment.

For $114, we recommend the TP-Link AC1200 as it can provide a class leading wired connection and a usable wireless signal for less demanding tasks, simultaneously addressing multiple wireless problems. 

The competition

D-Link Powerline AV2 2000 Gigabit Passthrough Starter Kit 

The D-Link Powerline AV2 2000 ticked all the right feature boxes, offering passthrough sockets and MIMO promising 2000 Mbps speeds. And while it performed very well on the same circuit tests, it produced lower throughput speeds and higher ping when moved to a different circuit. At $99.99, it's also more expensive.  

Trendnet Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline 1200 AV2 Wireless Kit 

Trendnet's Wi-Fi Everywhere Powerline kit had lower throughput speeds on wired tests compared to our pick, although it did keep up in the wireless arena. We also didn't like the odd placement of the three Gigabit ports on the top of the adapter. Combined with the higher $119 price tag and a lower Amazon rating (3.5 stars) caused it to not earn our recommendation for this segment.

What to look for

Powerline networking adapters are usually sold as kits with two adapters. They can also be expanded with additional adapters, and a few different Powerline networks can be run simultaneously. Each adapter has at least a single Ethernet port, with some more recent kits featuring 10/100/1000 or Gigabit Ethernet. Some adapters also include additional Ethernet ports, letting it function as an integrated switch. This can be quite useful for media equipment that requires a wired internet connection. 

Another feature is how the adapter fits into the electrical outlet, in terms of blocking the other outlet. Some adapters feature a passthrough plug to allow use of the outlet while networking. Another feature to look for are additional Ethernet ports so there is an integrated mini switch.

Powerline networking fits under the HomePlug specifications, the latest iteration of which is AV2. This standard requires Gigabit Ethernet ports, AES 128-bit encryption, and for adapters to act as repeaters.

Current Powerline adapters are not the same technology as years ago, and this newer gear features MIMO (not to be confused with MU-MIMO which is a wireless standard). Powerline MIMO uses the ground wire in a three prong outlet to add an additional lane for data transfer. In addition, they utilize Beamforming, which is a technology to increase the throughput between adapters of each data stream. 

A variation of the standard kit is the Powerline Wireless Extender kit. This also has two adapters, with the first a standard Powerline adapter, and the second is also a Powerline adapter, but also has a wireless access point integrated into it. For wireless dead spots these kits can be a viable option, although the lower wireless speeds would not want us to make them our only option for Wi-Fi access. 

How we test

We ran a series of tests to identify the better gear in this segment of the networking arena, and we also ran the same tests directly wired via an Ethernet connection to the router for baseline measurements. Via the Speedtest app in Windows 10, we measured download and upload speeds, as well as the ping, and did this on both the same circuit as the router, and in the more challenging situation of a different circuit as the data has to traverse circuit breaker. We also focused on the latency to a gaming server via Powerline networking, and we quantitated this via Pingplotter software, and measuring the latency to a World of Tanks server (162.216.229.21) across 50 serial measurements and report the average. 

Future Directions

Powerline adapters continue to evolve, and the latest feature to be added is a PoE on a recently announced Trendnet kit, to facilitate adding security cameras, without the need for an additional electrical connection. 

Last year was crazy with new processor launches from AMD and Intel. Intel got things started with a refresh of its existing Skylake architecture, codenamed Kaby Lake, which brought higher clockspeeds and a few new features to the existing LGA1151 platform. AMD countered with its Ryzen processors and the AM4 platform, and then Intel launched its enthusiast Skylake-X/Kaby Lake-X parts with LGA2066 and AMD countered with Threadripper and socket TR4.

With all the new processors, it can be difficult to know what the best gaming motherboards are the best for each platform. Intel's new 8th Gen Coffee lake processors is out now, and while they use the same LGA1151 socket as Kaby Lake, the processors require new 300-series chipsets. But if you're looking to build a new mainstream gaming system with an Intel processor, where the Core i7-7700K and Core i5-7600K remain respectable choices at reasonable prices, you'll want to start with a Z270 motherboard.

The jump in features, style, and performance from Z97 to Z270 has been dramatic and useful to enthusiasts of all stripes, far outstripping CPU advancements since Haswell. Most Z270 motherboards support multiple x4 PCIe Gen3 M.2 slots, sufficient PCIe lanes dual-GPU configurations, subtle or changeable color schemes, Realtek’s new ALC1220 audio codec is commonplace, and there are a host of refinements for overclocking. Mounts for 3D-printed add-ons are even starting to appear. 

Meanwhile, legacy ports are starting to disappear. USB 2.0 headers and back-panel connectors are getting swapped for 3.0 and 3.1 counterparts. SATA port counts are getting shaved to free resources and space for M.2 and U.2 storage. All the boards here feature at least a pair of M.2 slots, and all are full-speed, 32 Gb/s implementations. The days of SATA may be numbered (at least if they can get prices on M.2 SSDs down to more reasonable levels).

The Z270 chipset (and other 200-series parts) remain backwards compatible with 6th Gen Skylake CPUs, and 100-series chipsets will also work with 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. However, Z270 provides four additional PCIe lanes, which is why we're seeing more M.2 slots this round, and you'll also need a 200-series chipset if you want to use Intel's Optimus Memory technology.

While most motherboards will work well, enthusiasts will often want more than the base level of performance and features. After extensive research and testing, these are the best Z270 motherboards.

Best overall Z270 motherboard

• Good price
• Best overclocking and memory scores
• Mild or wild, depending on how you tune the lights

• No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
• More board than you need for a typical PC

The midrange Maximus Hero IX lived up to its name during testing, taking on motherboards costing almost twice as much and frequently pulling ahead on performance or features, making it best overall pick for Z270.

Gunmetal grey heatsink shapes and relatively restrained styling clothe this otherwise hardcore gaming product in upscale attire. Leave off the Aura lighting and you might assume it’s a workstation board. This neutral color scheme works well for extravagant rig builders too; just turn on the lights, match your colors, and you’re good to go, no matter what neon-colored components or cases you have in mind.

Hardware hobbyists will also find plenty to play around with. Subtly incorporated along the upper right and lower board edges are buttons for power, system reboot, memory reset, and BIOS entry, which are welcome additions when tinkering on a workbench. Extensive and well-placed fan headers are backed by features such a flow tachometer for water cooling loops and ASUS’s in-depth BIOS fan control.

What’s more, all this attention pays off with the highest multiplier and memory numbers among the boards tested here. The Hero IX managed a stress-free 5.1 GHz and pushed two-stick memory configurations beyond their rated 3600 MHz capacity. Further, post-benchmark BCLK testing raised that to almost 5.2 GHz without incident before heat became a factor. None of the other boards here came close, with the Hero even upstaging ASUS’s own, more expensive Formula IX.

Ten USB ports on the back I/O panel mean plenty of external connectors, but internal USB headers are limited to three, one of each generation. This means just a single USB 2.0 header, so system builders with water-cooled systems like Corsair’s H115i that require a USB header will need to plan ahead with either an internal USB expander or an adapter cable for the USB 3.0 or 3.1 headers.

The onboard Intel v219 Ethernet LAN controller is a smart low-latency choice, but Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would have been welcome additions for a product released in 2017. With Intel 7265 M.2 wireless modules under $20 online, leaving this feature off a premium motherboard that retails for over $200 seems like deliberate product segmentation, although MSI’s Z270 XPower is even more cynical since it retails for a cool $100 more and doesn’t have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth either.

Best budget Z270 motherboard

• Excellent price
• Stylish design with built-in I/O cover and LED backlighting
• Intel Ethernet

• Ancient Realtek ALC892 audio
• Poor overclocking results

While there’s plenty to like about Z270, the extra dollars required for buy-in are a drawback. Component manufacturers haven’t been shy about hiking prices for the last few chipset generations, although the hit isn’t as big as it was from Z97 to Z170. A quick scan at Newegg yields a cost basement around $105 for an entry-level Z270 board.

MSI’s Tomahawk series retails just a few bucks above this price floor but delivers a credible midrange set of features and build quality nonetheless. The dark grey and red color scheme includes red backlighting, a screened pattern on the PCB, and a built-in I/O shroud with illuminated logo. The result is handsome, and if potential component color choice clashes worry you, there’s an arctic white version available that looks even better and will match any style you have in mind.

Don’t expect top-shelf memory performance or CPU speeds with this budget board, however. The multiplier test came up short at 4.9 GHz and memory was limited to 3200MHz. Benchmark numbers reflected this, but didn’t affect observed gaming performance too much. Exotic components like pre-binned 5GHz CPUs and high-speed DDR4 aren’t usually on the menu with budget builds anyway.

Rear I/O includes 8 USB ports, including one type C and five type A USB 3.1 connectors. Ethernet is handled via Intel’s low-latency V219 controller.

One drawback worth mentioning is the aging Realtek ALC 892 audio codec. While perfectly adequate for standard duties, most of the other boards here sport the new ALC 1220, which incorporates around five years of advancements. Fortunately, MSI’s codec implementation is a good one, so this isn’t a deal breaker, but if cutting edge sound is part of your plan, look elsewhere.

For ultra-budget builds, MSI’s H270 Tomahawk variants provide virtually identical looks and similar performance at even lower prices, although forget about overclocking or memory speeds above 2133. 

Best midrange Z270 motherboard

• Great CPU overclocking
• Slick looks and RGB system
• Board layout improvements

• No Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
• Few legacy ports

MSI’s Z270 Gaming Pro Carbon adds to the winning recipe that made it a top pick for Z170, with the new version doubling the M.2 slots, adding more USB 3.1 ports, boosting audio in the form of Realtek’s ALC 1220 codec, and improving the board layout.

A restrained restyle retains the neutral colors of the Carbon series and includes new heatsinks, a refreshed chipset shield, reinforced DRAM slots, and a built-in I/O shroud that integrates into the updated, more balanced, LED Mystic Light implementation. There’s also an M.2 shield of questionable value, which you can read more about here.

There’s no question when it comes to performance, however. The MSI Gaming Pro Carbon is the lowest-cost motherboard to overclock the sample Kaby Lake i7-7700K processor used for this guide to 5 GHz. It also managed 3466MHz on the DRAM test, booting without issues in both two- and four-stick configurations, although 3600MHz proved unstable.

Along with the easy-to-use BIOS, this makes system tuning rewarding, although you won’t find the same hardware support or in-depth options that dedicated overclocking boards or high-end products provide. You will get similar performance however, which provides its own kind of thrill.

Building with the board also proves satisfying, as the previously unused PCB area along the right edge is now populated with components, relaxing the tight layout considerably. Connectors for the CPU fan, system fan, and 1151 socket power all have improved access, for example, so your knuckles and fingertips will thank you.

Sacrifices mostly involve removing or substituting legacy ports, a forgivable sin. Back panel USB 2.0 connectors are reduced to two from four to make room for more USB 3.1, and eSATA disappears from the PCB along with one PCI-E 1X slot, leaving three. Notable, but most users won’t miss them. 

Best high-end Z270 motherboard

• Top-shelf performance
• Armor and Aura RGB look impressive
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

• Armor impedes access to some ports and connectors
• Where's the 3T3R Wi-Fi, third M.2 slot, or teamable Ethernet?

No segment of the motherboard market shows the upward surge in pricing better than Z270’s high-end products. This is clearly where all the manufacturers want to play, and fierce competition for enthusiast dollars at this level is one of the reasons the gaming hardware market is booming.

ASUS traditionally does very well here, but that gap has closed with each generation since Sandy Bridge. Profitable markets mean everyone is stepping up their game for a piece of the action, and the result is the near-tie photo finish victory for ASUS’s Maximus IX Formula. ASUS keeps its crown for another cycle, but it’s anybody’s game from here on out.

In a sense, the Formula IX’s victory is one for style. Although there’s plenty of substance on tap here, it’s the slick looks and funky flash built into the Maximus that set this motherboard apart from the competition, even in the current LED-overloaded landscape. 

Armored on both sides and resplendent with muted back-lit finery, the latest Formula holds up the family heritage well and feels impressively solid. As expected for a high-end product, performance pushes the envelope, with CPU speeds exceeding 5GHz during post-benchmark exploratory BCLK tuning. The built-in EK waterblock support has internal modifications that lower temperatures over the Formula VIII implementation.

In this case, the vertical slot allows ASUS space for a second M.2 connector without compromising the Formula’s layout or armor shielding. A metal guide is provided for reinforcement. In addition to storage, audio hardware also gets some attention, with Realtek’s ALC 1220 codec supplanting the earlier ALC 1150 implementation on the previous Z170 version.

Best ITX Z270 motherboard

• Well-made and stylish
• Dual M.2, with one easy-access topside slot
• Inexpensive

• No USB 2.0 headers on motherboard
• Others have Thunderbolt 3
• Sharp corners bite during tight installs

Micro motherboards are back in business again thanks to the success of Intel’s NUC initiative and the evolution of game streaming, with ITX sized systems enjoying a renewed relevance for DIY gamers. These smaller boards often provide features that far outstrip similarly priced ATX boards, perfect for budget builders who don’t mind limited expansion options down the road.

ASUS’s new Strix products are the entry level for the Republic of Gamers lineup, but the Z270I feels as premium as the Maximus motherboards at the top of the stack. Sharing the same dark grey, brushed metal heatsinks and thick PCB as the big boards, it feels like a bargain at list price. 

Like most ITX boards, an M.2 slot lives on the flipside in an inaccessible area after initial installation but ASUS includes another slot on the top of the Strix, hidden underneath what looks like the chipset shield in small channel that accommodates drive sticks up to 80mm in length.

Aura lighting makes it onboard as well, with a line of LEDs under the motherboard's right side and an RGB header for external lighting strips. Wi-Fi is provided via 2T2R Atheros wireless at roughly half gigabit speed, and the hardware also handles Bluetooth 4.1 duties. Realtek’s new ALC 1220A CODEC is used for audio, supported with ASUS’s SupremeFX tweaks and an updated software layer; useful additions since many ITX systems are destined for living room media use. 

Shortcomings are inevitable in such a tiny package, and the Strix has a few. While previous ROG ITX boards from ASUS had no trouble reaching memory and multiplier limits with Haswell and Skylake, the Z270i Strix struggled to reach 5GHz via multiplier and couldn’t support 3600MHz DDR4 DRAM. 

While the numbers were better than MSI’s Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon ITX, there’s still room for improvement, especially with ASRock’s Fatality Z270 GAMING-ITX/AC offering extras like built-in Thunderbolt 3. If that's something you want, ASRock's offering is a close second.

How we test gaming motherboards

The motherboards recommended in this guide all received various forms of hands-on evaluation including enclosure installation (full tower, mid-tower, and ITX where applicable), performance benchmarking, stability testing, and a follow-up period of real-world break-in usage that focuses on gaming, entertainment, and media software.

When possible, all tests are performed with the same components installed to remove any variables except the motherboard itself. We also researched the entire field of Z270 motherboards and narrowed the list down to the best, most competitive boards before choosing these to test.

Benchmarks include AIDA 64 Extreme, PCMark 8, Cinebench 15, CrystalDiskMark, 3DMark FireStrike, PCMark 8, DPC Latency Checker, and others. The real-world break-in period encompasses office and creative work, media streaming, and gaming with a variety of demanding titles such as GTAV, Total War: Warhammer, DiRT Rally, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry Primal, Hitman, and others.

Gaming tests are run at 1080p at medium to high settings to remove any bottlenecks caused by graphics card performance. When possible, both single- and dual-graphics card configurations are tested to insure motherboard stability in SLI and Crossfire situations.

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Every gamer needs a keyboard. Actually, scratch that—every gamer needs a great set of keys. Although it’s easy to point at something pricey and see its merits, we want to see how cheap we can go and still get something decent.

First, we set some guidelines: the keyboard should offer mechanical switches suitable for gaming. We know that some gamers actually prefer membrane keyboards but as of right now, the most sought after models are all mechanical.

Second, the keyboard needs to be reliable. A gaming keyboard needs to stand up to abuse and the rigors of obsessive gaming. Long hours, dirt, accidental spills and crumbs, you name it, it needs to be able to take it.

Third, it needs to be cheap. There's an ocean of gaming keyboards out there, sometimes it just feels like there are too many choices. Of course, a keyboard, like a mouse, is personal (and here are the best gaming mouse choices for you). Everyone's different and everyone wants a different feel. But also, everyone wants affordability.

So after going through a pool of both expensive and cheap keyboards, we found an el-cheapo model that we think is superb. And it only costs $24—a perfect compliment to the ultra cheap but still decent gaming mouse we found. And if you're looking to spend a little more money... here are the best gaming keyboard options right now.

The cheapest gaming keyboard

• Cheap
• Otemu Blue mechanical switches
• Compact, Ten-keyless formfactor

• No number pad
• Only available with Blue switches
• No extra features and backlights (a pro for some)
• Rubber feet could use more stability

There’s no shortage of cheap keyboards, but ultra-budget mechanical keyboard is an exotic species. We thought we wouldn’t be able to find anything worth buying below $60—until we ran in to the $27 Redragon K552-N Kumara. Over 1500 reviews on Amazon raving about this keyboard is in line with what we think: it's good!

The Kumara is likely the best looking keyboard you’ll find at this price range. It lacks the finesse of a premium board, but it at least doesn’t try to masquerade as something above its pay grade with a gaudy show. The plain black finish is easy on the eyes, and the company logo isn’t nailed onto every other key. The omission of the number pad may not bode well with users who crunch numbers, but gamers would certainly appreciate the extra wiggle room for their mouse.

One of the main drivers for the Kumara’s incredibly low price is its Otemu Blue switches. Otemu is a line of Cherry MX clones and generally sell for cheaper. Although it’s available in the same stem colors as Cherry MX, the Kumara only makes use of the Blues. Initial impression of the switch is good; both its feel and sound are almost indiscernible from Cherry MX Blues. The switches are plate mounted (as opposed to PCB mounted) for higher stability. Longevity remains to be seen, though the switch is rated for 50 million clicks per key.

We’re surprised to see that the Kumara handles NKRO like a champ. It didn’t skip a single keystroke even with 26 keys pressed down at the same time. We also tried some common key combinations and didn’t encounter any ghosting.

For a keyboard that makes generous use of ABS plastic, we’re glad to see that the Kumara employs a metal backplate. Having a rigid back plate is important since it needs to keep the switches mounted to it as stable as possible. But despite so, the Kumara is still lightweight compared to premium mechanical boards. Its weight factor, combined with its tiny rubber feet, makes it slide around the table with moderate force.

Features are understandably austere. There’s no macro recording, passthroughs, or even braided cables. There are some interesting decorations as well. For example, the WASD legends printed on the arrow keys make us wonder if they’re recycled from another board.

If you’re sizing up the Redragon Kumara as an introductory mechanical keyboard, rest assured that its performance is definitely a notch above whatever you already have. The Kumara also comes in a variant with red backlight for $4 more, and a variant with RGB backlight for $6 more.

Aside from the keyboard, having a great mouse can make a huge difference to your set-up. However, not everyone is a professional gamer, and not everyone can even tell the difference between different sensitivities. Most of all, not everyone needs to be spending upwards of $100—in some cases even more—on a mouse.

If you're just casual gaming, and mostly using your pointing device for school work or other productivity duties, comfort may be more important than accuracy. For this purpose, most mice will do, even cheap ones. But how cheap can you go?

You'd be surprised. Given that the gaming market is rife with devices that are more than often overpriced, there are plenty of decent options that are cheaper than what would normally be considered "cheap." There are plenty of cheap mice on our guide to the best gaming mouse options for 2018.

Take for example a the Doinshop New Fashion Professional Colorful Backlight mouse (yes, that's what it's actually called). It has a 4000 dpi optical sensor, with six buttons and a clickable scroll-wheel. The DPI is also adjustable between 1200, 2500, 3200, and 4000. On Amazon, it has a decent amount of reviews and a 3.5 star rating. Oh—it also has RGB lighting. How much does all that cost?$4.60.

But what if you went just a bit higher? Could you get an even better mouse?

The cheapest gaming mouse

• All the features of pricier options
• Cheap!
• Three DPI levels (2000 max)
• Six buttons
• Comes in four colored options

• None!

While it's technically not the cheapest mouse available, the Tecknet Professional Ergonomic Optical Wired Computer Gaming Mouse (crazy name), has pretty much every option you could want from a mouse for just $8.

The biggest sign that this mouse is well liked by many is its rating on Amazon: 1507 reviews as of this writing with a 4-star rating. Most people say this is possibly the best mouse they've ever tried.

The mouse is based on a comfortable design, and the reviews agree with this. Tecknet offers the mouse as an ambidextrous device, and also provides the mouse in four different color combinations.

The Tecknet mouse has six buttons along with the ability to switch between three DPI settings. You can adjust between 1000, 1600, and 2000 DPI. Sensor duties are provided by an optical sensor, and Tecknet guarantees the mouse to work on a variety of surfaces, including anodized aluminum and even a magazine.

There are a total of six buttons but you won't be able to program them with macros. You can however assign them to different functions within Windows or within a game.

If wired isn't for you, Tecknet also sells a wireless version of the Ultimate Professional Optical Computer Wireless Gaming Mouse with a small USB dongle. Both mice have identical specifications, except the wireless version has eight buttons instead of six.

Both mice come with a lit design on the surface but it's not RGB and only remains blue. While this can annoy some, the lights rest squarely under your palm when you're using it, so if you don't like blue, you won't have to look at it too much.

If you're looking for a cheap gaming mouse that just works, the two Tecknet mice are great options.

Couch gaming on living room PCs is entering a golden age, and no longer just for games that use controllers. It’s easier than ever to play everything from shooters to digital card games to RTSes with full mouse and keyboard controls thanks to lapboards—keyboards with a built-in mousepad area, aka a desk away from your desk. 

We tested lapboards made by PC gaming peripheral makers Roccat, Corsair, and Razer to see how they stacked up against in each other in terms of comfort, control, and ease of use. And after extended use, the Roccat Sova MK still came out on top.

The best lapboard

• Comfortable for your lap and wrists
• More than enough mouse space
• Light enough to readjust and store easily

• Poor keyboard layout

The Roccat Sova, also available in a membrane version, is the classic middle of the road option when it comes to gaming lapboards. It’s smaller and cheaper than the Corsair Lapdog and more capable than the Razer Turret. You can absolutely get better keyboards for less money, but the Sova’s cushions, mousepad, and wrist wrest make it the best possible way to get a desktop experience while sitting on your couch. 

The Sova has compromised exactly where it needs to in order to make a comfortable lapboard. Although it is big, the size and weight aren’t nearly as cumbersome as the Lapdog. It’s easy to pick up and put down, thanks in part to a cord clip that snaps onto the top of the board and makes sure your mouse doesn’t slide away. The pads for your legs aren’t the most comfortable things in the world, but are more than enough to make using the Sova for long periods of time manageable. 

The mousepad area on the Sova is a rough matte finish, and while it isn’t as big as a regular-sized gaming mousepad (the Sova mousepad measures roughly 11” by 9.5”) it was definitely large enough for any game I played. Similar to the Lapdog, you’ll probably only feel limited if you play FPSes at an incredibly low DPI and are used to swiping across a huge playmat. Unfortunately, the angle of the Sova made my mouse slide down the pad a little almost every time I took my hand off of it, making that cord clip a necessity rather than an option. Finding a spot that was comfortable and stable both while playing and resting was a bit of a balancing act.

The keyboard itself isn’t the best mechanical keyboard I’ve ever used, but it was more than good enough for being mounted in a lapboard. It uses TTC Brown mechanical switches. Roccat also sells a membrane version for less. While the Sova’s layout was fine for games that use WASD, it was a little odd for anything relying on the arrow keys. Instead of being to the right of the QWERTY section of the keyboard like usual, the arrows are tucked under the right Enter key, shortening right Shift, right Ctrl, and removing the right FN key to make room. 

Additionally, the shorter width means there are no gaps between each set of four Function keys, making them harder to find at a glance. It’s a worse layout than your average keyboard, but it’s done this way to allow the lapboard to be shorter overall—a point I really appreciated when compared to the Lapdog. And the fact that the keyboard is built directly into the board also means that it is positioned for the wrist rest nicely.

And oh man does that wrist rest help. I was initially unsure about how comfortable the Sova was on my keyboard hand, but after resting it on the sharp edge of the Lapdog (more on that later), I was begging for the Sova’s wrist rest. The one I used was simply hard plastic, but the rest, mousepad, and cushions are replaceable, and Roccat even says you’ll be able to 3D print your own accessories for the Sova. I didn’t really get to sample this customizability, but it’s an appealing feature for a peripheral everyone will want to use a little differently.  

The Sova is generally an easy-to-use lapboard, but it is a big piece of plastic that will be sitting around in your living room. Even if it doesn’t have much of an effect on your gameplay experience, finding a spot to store a lapboard like this is important. Razer's Turret is much smaller and designed to be easily stored, but the Sova is thinner than Corsair's Lapdog and doesn’t detach into two pieces. That made it much easier for me to find a place for it in my living room when not in use. The USB cable that plugs into the computer also has a point where it can disconnect (similar to a wired Xbox 360 controller) close to the board itself, which made putting away the cord a lot easier.

At the end of all my testing, the Roccat Sova was the lapboard I wanted to keep using. It was the most comfortable across any type of game, and was light and easy enough to move that it wasn’t too bad to use for general computer browsing as well. I didn’t get a chance to try the membrane keyboard version (which shares the same shape and size, so I imagine may be a good cheaper option for those who don’t mind membrane) but the Sova MK is a great way to get a desktop level gaming experience on a living room PC. And while Roccat is planning a wireless version for the future, it'll definitely cost a premium over the wired models.

The best wireless lapboard

• Wireless, light, and easy to use
• Ideal for slower games and browsing

• A small mouse and mousepad area
• Flat keyboard not great for fast games

The Razer Turret is in an interesting position on this list, as it’s the only one of the three lapboards that is wireless. It’s also the smallest by a significant margin. For some, the Turret will be the only logical choice thanks to these unique advantages, while others won’t even consider it due to the flat keyboard and smaller mouse area. But one thing that’s undeniable: in distinctly Razer fashion, the Turret is the classiest option out there.

Size is not to be underestimated as a factor in these tests. Sure, you want a desktop experience on the couch, but you also don’t want a big hunk of plastic taking up space in your living room. The Lapdog and the Sova are hard to hide, and you’ll almost definitely need to dedicate a spot specifically for storing them when they aren’t in use. The turret not only folds up, it comes with a neat little stand for both the mouse and keyboard that displays them nicely while they charge. Because of this, I never had a problem with battery life for either device, which Razer says is up to 40 hours on the mouse and a whopping four months on the keyboard, and they never got in my way.

Being wireless—with the mouse and keyboard sharing a single USB dongle—means I didn’t have a thick cord running from my couch to my TV every time I wanted to play games, and I didn’t notice any wireless lag on either device. I do wish the Turret keyboard had extra USB plugs on it like the Sova or Lapdog, because USB cords for headsets, mics, or wired mice to replace the stock one rarely reached all the way to my TV. Things like wires and storage size don’t directly affect your gaming experience, but they are important factors to those who want their PC to be part of the living room, rather than take it over entirely. 

That being said, the Turret is not really what you’d think of as a “gaming” keyboard. It’s essentially the same kind of flat chiclet keyboard you’d find on a MacBook laptop, with a bit more spring to each key press. It works well and will be more than enough for those not looking to play fast-paced games on it, but it was a little bit of a problem when I tried to play Overwatch or Warframe. The flatness of the keys and the lapboard overall meant I had to twist my hand slightly to hit a certain combinations of keys, like pressing Q while keeping my fingers on WASD. It wasn’t terrible, but it was noticeably more difficult than using a full-sized keyboard.

The mouse that comes with the Turret is another bit that will work fine for some and not at all for others. It’s a nice shape, ambidextrous with two buttons on either side and a good amount of weight to it, but it’s so small that it physically hurt my hand to use. I am personally used to palming larger mice, and the Turret mouse seems to be more suited for gamers partial to using the “claw grip” with nothing but their fingertips touching it. It's a stubby mouse. But its size does pair nicely with the mousepad, and I love that it's very slightly magnetized to it so it won’t slip off.  

The mousepad area is a smoother finish than the Sova and Lapdog and is significantly smaller, measuring roughly 7.5” wide by 4.5” tall, but it provided more than enough room to use with a higher sensitivity mouse and wrist motions. If you are accustomed to a lower DPI while using the whole pad with sweeping elbow motions, this isn’t the lapboard for you, but I never found myself wanting for more mouse space, even when playing shooters. That is until I finally abandoned the included mouse and plugged in a larger one, which is when I almost ran out of vertical space without even moving it! The left and right motions were fine, but top to bottom risked the edges of the mouse going off the pad. 

So it’s tough say where the Razer Turret lands. It’s a fantastic small form factor lapboard for using a mouse and keyboard on the couch, but only if you are looking for some very specific things. I wouldn’t reach for the Turret to play FPSes or action games, but not having to fumble with wires coming out of a piece of plastic the size of a skateboard on my lap means I’d prefer it for slower games, or just generally using my PC. The Turret doesn’t provide a high-end gaming experience compared to its competitors, but it provides an ease of use and portability that they don’t come anywhere near.  

The Corsair Lapdog

• Uses the fantastic Corsair K70 or K65 keyboard

• Left wrist rests on a sharp edge
• Very cumbersome and big
• Expensive, and doesn't even include the keyboard

The Corsair Lapdog is the only lapboard on this list that doesn’t actually come with a keyboard. And seeing as it costs the same amount of money for what is essentially an empty tray, it’s hard to recommend for anybody who doesn’t already have the Corsair keyboard to go with it. And even then, the Lapdog can be inconvenient and uncomfortable to use.

Only two types of keyboards will fit in the Lapdog: The Corsair K70 or its slightly smaller version, the Corsair K65. And if you are currently using a K70 or K65 on your desktop computer, it’s not easy to swap in and out of the Lapdog frame. I was hoping the keyboard might quickly snap into place, easily moving from desk to couch, but installing it instead required I unscrew panels held down with six hex screws, put it in place, and then screw the panels back on. It’s not difficult, but it is a process that impedes trying to use a single keyboard for both setups.

The inconveniences don’t stop there. The two extra USB ports on the right side of the Lapdog require a power cord be plugged into an outlet to function. The foam cushion on the bottom of the lapboard attaches with magnets so you can decide whether you want to use it or not, but the magnets are just a little too weak, making the two halves slide apart fairly easily when I tried to move or readjust it on my lap. The whole thing is uncompromising in its design—power to the USBs allows them to charge things faster, for example—which would be noble if it weren’t also so uncomfortable to use.

Unlike the Sova, the Lapdog doesn’t have any sort of wrist rest. The extra space created by the mousepad being taller than the keyboard was put above the keyboard instead of below it, which looks pretty, but ends up just being wasted space. Instead of being on a pad, my hand in the WASD position was resting on the slightly sharp metal edge of the Lapdog tray. It’s honestly surprising to me that anyone could have tried playing an FPS with their hand in that position and not seen it as a problem. Ironically, I actually had to take off the K65’s removable wrist rest to fit it into the Lapdog. 

With all of those problems, it has to be said that the K65 and K70 are genuinely better keyboards than what’s built into the Sova. The mousepad areas are nearly identical materials, both a rough matte finish, but the Lapdog's is slightly larger. That bigger area and better keyboard was noticeably nicer to play on when trying Overwatch and other shooters—or it would have been, if the Lapdog frame wasn’t grinding into my hand the whole time. It’s a better high-end gaming product hamstrung by poor design.

That larger mousepad and room for a numpad keyboard come at another cost, as the Lapdog is the biggest of the three options by a fair amount—both in length and thickness, thanks to that removable cushion. The cushion is comfortable, with a bump in the center of it meant to sit between my legs. But I found myself wanting the lapboard to be a few inches to the right of center, so the bump wasn’t always in the right spot. It also meant I couldn’t set the lapboard down flat on my coffee table when I stood up, as it would sometimes tilt to one side and the mouse would slide off. I ended up finding the whole thing easier to use without the cushion, which then took up more space somewhere else in my living room. 

Corsair recently dropped the price of the Lapdog down to a more palatable $60 on Amazon, which brings the total package—Lapdog and a Corsair keyboard—to competitive levels with Roccat and Razer.

If the Corsair Lapdog had a wrist rest, it would be easy to recommend as a high-end option for people who don’t mind all the little annoyances if it means getting closer to a desktop setup on their couch. But as it stands, those annoyances are hard to ignore when coupled with less-than-ideal usability. I wouldn't recommend the Lapdog to anyone over the Sova or the Turret. 

Further testing

Whether you’re more into FPSes or puzzle games may influence which lapboard is best suited to your gaming needs. But what I can say with full confidence is that any of the three options above are better than a keyboard on your lap and a mousepad on the sofa cushion next to you, and they’re almost definitely better than the cheap wireless keyboards with built-in touchpads you may have seen.

I’ve used the $27 Microsoft Wireless All-In-One Media Keyboard and the $31 Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400, and while both are fine for general computer use, neither is meant for gaming. For starters, neither has a dedicated area for a mouse, and using a touchpad for most games is a form of self-flagellation no one deserves. The keys on both keyboards are flat and squishy, significantly less responsive than that of the Razer Turret. The only thing they have going for them is that that they are a lot cheaper, but know that you get what you pay for—or in this case, miss out on what you aren’t paying for.

As for other high end lapboards, no other PC gaming peripheral manufacturer has entered the race yet. It’s a brand new market for companies like Roccat, Corsair, and Razer, but I imagine others like Logitech or SteelSeries will follow suit if they see success. Also, unfortunately, those of us who use a mouse on the left side of the keyboard are completely out of luck, and we hope to see an ambidextrous option appear at some point. We’ll keep an eye out for any new lapboards that pop-up on the market and be sure to test them out as soon as we can.
 

How we test lapboards

Unlike testing a regular gaming keyboard, there are a lot of unique factors that go into judging a good lapboard. The quality of the keyboard and mousepad are important, along with the ever-present question of price, but I also looked at the comfort of the board on my legs and wrists—especially after longer periods of time. It’s also important to look at the ease of use, setup, and how much space the lapboard takes up in your living room when it’s not in use. There are factors beyond just gaming that are crucial to consider. 

Quality:

As with all high-end gaming components, it must feel good to use. The responsiveness of each key press and quality of the mousepad are just as important as any other factor when comparing your options. It doesn’t matter if a lapboard is perfectly sculpted to fit on your lap if the keyboard feels like garbage to game on. And lapboards have more to get right (or wrong) as they are offering a keyboard and mousepad in one product. 

Comfort:

Using a mouse and keyboard on a couch can be oddly uncomfortable. It puts your body in a very different position than it’s used at a desk, and a good lapboard has to either compensate for that, or be flexible enough to let you find the position best for you. If you’re going to be playing for a long time, the lapboard needs to be comfortable sitting on your legs and not hold your arms and wrists in a position that will strain you over time. Cushions, wrist rests, and being able to move around easily on your lap go a long way to letting you feel at ease while playing.

Ease of use:

In addition to being comfortable, a good lapboard has to be usable—both when you are and aren’t playing games. With the exception of the Razer Turret, these lapboards can be big and heavy, and where you put them when they aren’t in use isn’t something most people think about until they suddenly have a 2+ foot long keyboard tray taking over their coffee table. How easy cables are to manage and if you can get up to use the bathroom without throwing your setup into disarray make a real difference in how willing you’ll be to actually use your lapboard.

Price:

And, of course, cost is king. Luckily, all three options listed above are around the same price point which makes them easier to compare. As I said before, gaming-specific lapboards are a blossoming market, and currently there isn’t really a midrange option. You either go with a very cheap and poor keyboard with a touchpad, or need to hit the $150 mark to get something made with PC gamers in mind. So you might as well make sure your money is worth it and that the lapboard you choose comes with everything you need.

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After months of testing and retesting more than 30 popular headphones including over-ear open and closed models, affordable headphones and high-end audiophile headphones, I've come up with the best headphones that deliver exceptional audio performance for gaming, music, and movies.

Contrary to popular belief, a good pair of headphones for music is also a good pair of headphones for gaming. At their bare basics, a gaming headset and headphones are simply two drivers mounted on a head piece. The drivers are full-range and either do a good job of reproducing the entire frequency range, or a poor one. A pair of headphones that don't perform well in general isn't going to perform well in games either.

Within the headphone category you can either go open-back or closed-back. Both come with their own advantages and caveats. If you want an open and spacious sound-stage, you'll want open cans. The only problem is you'll have to deal with sound leak. This means that anyone within your vicinity will be able to hear what you're listening to. Closed headphones don't have a sound leak issue, but also don't provide the same spacious sound-stage and in some cases make the audio sound slightly compressed.

There are clear camps pitched on both sides of open and closed designs, but in the end, it depends on what you want, and what environment you'll be in most of the time. The following headphones are the high-end cream of the crop, ranging in price from $300 to more than $4000, tested on a $50,000 head and torso simulator. Whether you go open-back or closed-back, your ears will thank you.

I performed listening tests using the following equipment:

Schiit Audio Gungnir multibit DAC
Schiit Audio Mjolnir 2 headphone amp
STAX SRM-007tII electrostatic headphone amp

If you're looking for gaming headsets specifically, check out our top picks here.

The best overall high-end headphone

• Excellent frequency response
• Excellent sound-stage
• Feather light and very comfortable
• Doesn't require significant amp power

• People will hear what you're listening to
• Requires a good amp/DAC to appreciate

After months of testing various headphones in all price ranges, the Ether from MrSpeakers is the best overall high-end headphone. The Ether has all the right ingredients: sound quality, comfort, construction and materials, and utility.

The Ether employs a relatively new form of driver technology called planar-magnetics. Although the technology has been around for several years, it's only now attracting mainstream attention. Unlike dynamic driver headphones which use a membrane moved by a voice coil, planar magnetic drivers sandwich the membrane between two magnets. The membrane itself is laced with thin traces and moves as a whole, without a coil. In theory, this allows the driver to move almost uniformly evenly across its surface, producing better sound.

The Ether demonstrates the advantages of planar magnetic technology extremely well. Audio is crisp, clean, and authoritative throughout the entire frequency spectrum. Low frequencies dipped down into my bowels and highs were crisp without ever being shrill. When professionally measured, the Ether demonstrated its capabilities clearly.

Measured frequency response for the Ether puts most headphones to shame. The Ether puts out a very flat curve, throughout the entire spectrum, which is what you want so that all frequencies sound balanced. Distortion is also a non-issue, even at high volumes. We measured all the headphones at loud 94 dBSPL, pushing them quite hard. But even at ear-damaging volumes, the Ether remained composed and virtually distortion free.

Because of its open-back design, the Ethers do extremely well in conveying a wide soundstage. In games, its performance was exceptional, and delivered the impression of hearing the environment in the game more convincingly than any closed-back headphone and even most open-back headphones. The only drawback of open-back cans is that they can be a disturbance to those around you. For the more discrete user, MrSpeakers offers the Ether C, which is a closed-back version of the Ether. Its performance is essentially the same as the Ether, but it doesn't quite have the same wide and open sound signature.

After weeks and months of listening to numerous high-end headphones across the full price spectrum, the Ether from MrSpeakers was the overall best.

In terms of comfort, the Ethers are extremely light weight and fit nicely on both large and small heads. The headband on the Ethers are made from a nickel-titanium alloy dubbed NiTinol. It bends and flexes easily in any direction but always returns to its original shape. We had several people try on the Ethers and all said it was one of the most comfortable headphones they had ever tried. During use, the Ethers comfortably sat on my head for hours without ever feeling heavy or tight. Customers can customize the Ether with either angled or flat ear pads. The sound-stage does change slightly between the two pad styles, with the angled pads sounding slightly wider.

The Ether ships with its own hard case for travel and the company supplies a variety of cables, which are fully detachable via custom locking connectors.

As of this writing, MrSpeakers has updated all of its Ether and Ether C headphones to version 1.1 and no longer ship the original versions. The 1.1 headphones have slightly modified inner ear pads that cover the drivers. The result is an even flatter frequency response and better low frequency extension. If you already have 1.0 versions, MrSpeakers will sell you the 1.1 upgrade kit for $10.

Runner-ups

Audeze LCD-2

The LCD-2 from Audeze is a spectacular headphone that delivers all the goodies of a planar-magnetic headphone for a reasonable price. Its audio quality is excellent and resolution exceptional. It's not quite as flat as the Ether C, but it comes close. And while it's made well with luxury accents such as Shedua wood, it's a bit on the heavy side and becomes uncomfortable to wear after two hours.

Audeze EL-8 Open Back

The EL-8 OE sits at $700 and delivers excellent sound. My impression is that the EL-8 produces a "darker" sound signature than others. Some may perceive this as a pleasing "warm" tone. It's a planar-magnetic offering from Audeze but doesn't look like any other planar on the market. I actually think it's actually the best looking planar. The EL-8 OE delivers the sound of a $1500 pair of headphones at half the price and will look good on you out in public.

My only complaint is with the aluminum support for the head band: it make a creaking sound when moved, which can sometimes happen if you're walking about. The membranes also exhibit a crumpling sound when the headphones move sometimes, which may or may not be noticeable to you. Audeze tells me this is common in planar-magnetic headphones that have thin membranes, but I didn't notice that in any of the other planars, including Audeze's own LCD-2, 3 and 4.

The best part of the EL-8 though, is that it can be easily powered by any modern smartphone.

OPPO PM-1

The PM-1 is one of my favorite headphones. It's extremely well made and the company's other headphones (PM-2 and PM-3) are well liked by customers on Amazon. The PM-1 sounds better than essentially all other dynamic-driver headphones you can buy, and is well packaged. It isn't as heavy as the Audeze LCD-2 but still gets uncomfortable after a while. I would describe the sound signature of the PM-1 as silky smooth.

Fostex TH-900

The Fostex TH-900 is a traditional dynamic-driver headphone and is one of the best on the market today. The bass response is excellent and the mids are well presented. The only issue I had with the TH-900 is its highs are quite piercing to me. Some folks may find that the TH-900 is a very "detailed" headphone and may prefer its upper-end response. For me, it was a tad too uncomfortable.

As a closed-back headphone, you won't have any sound-leak issue and it's one of the most beautiful headphones ever made.

Beyerdynamic T1

The T1 is Beyerdynamic's flagship headphone that's not fully open and not fully closed. The T1 tries to obtain a balance between the wide sound stage of an open-back design while being a bit more discrete. It does a fine job of reaching that middle ground but I'd wager that it still performs more like a pair of open cans, which is to say that it's excellent.

Like the Fostex TH-900, the T1 is a dynamic headphone, but while their exteriors may look similar, the T1 has angled drivers while the TH-900 drivers face directly at your ears. I found the T1's sound signature to be more pleasing than the TH-900.

Sennheiser HD 800 / 800S

The HD 800, and the new HD 800 S, have been Sennheiser's statement headphones for years, and rightly so. The HD 800 is considered by many to be the best headphone on the market. But I disagree. It was the best. But given all the new players on the market, and other technologies such as planar-magnetics and electrostats, the HD 800 is now one of the best, but it isn't the best. But it's still an exceptional pair of headphones.

The HD800s is a fully open-back pair of headphones known for excellent imaging and sound-stage as well as its ability to finely resolve detail. Some have considered it to be a bit too sharp for long-listening sessions, but others enjoy its shine. While I praise the HD 800 for its superb audio quality, I found it to be not quite comfortable. Its large ear cups are hard and don't fully enclose around my head. If only it had more plush pads.

The best headphone under $300

• Excellent audio performance for the money
• Incredible bass and clarity
• Easily powered by a smart-phone
• Comfortable once adjusted

• Construction quality needs some attention
• Headband adjusts in a stiff manner

The HiFiMAN HE400S is not only raved about by reviewers and customers—I also thought its performance was incredible for the price. At slightly under $300, you're essentially getting the audio quality of an $800+ pair of headphones. In fact, even some headphones that cost well above $1000 don't sound quite as good or measure as well as the HE400S.

The HE400S, like the Mr. Speakers Ether, is a planar-magnetic headphone. This essentially means it's going to measure well right off the bat, as all planar headphones tend to sound phenomenal by nature. The primary differences in sound signature between different planar headphones are going to come down to enclosure design and tuning.

The entire frequency range is superbly represented by the HE400S. Vocals are clear, mids are balanced, and bass notes are shockingly good. Both games and music sound great on the HE400S due to its open-back design. Some might scoff at this, but the sound field is lively, and makes a huge impact in games. On some headphones, being open-back can have an adverse affect on bass response, but not so with the HE400S. Don't get me wrong: the HE400S isn't littered with bass to the point where other frequencies are overpowered. Its control of bass is essentially unheard of within its price class.

Delivering performance that's usually reserved for headphones costing many times as much at a sub $300 price point is going to have some tradeoffs. Thankfully, HiFiMAN made sacrifices in areas that have no baring on audio performance. The downside though is you can visually see some of those tradeoffs. The silver finish, for example, can rub off at the joints. The plastic material also feels a tad cheap, although could probably be remedied if HiFiMAN didn't use a glossy finish. I didn't experience any structural issues during testing but I did pass on my findings to HiFiMAN and the company said it would look into the scuffing problem.

I would say that the HE400S is worth every dollar over the popular Sennheiser HD 598 headphones. Extremely popular with users, the HD 598 is a good headphone no doubt, but it doesn't even come close to the performance of the HE400S. Yes, the HE400S is double the price of the HD 598, but will literally dance toe-to-toe with Sennheiser's flagships—save for the new Orpheus.

No other headphone comes close in terms of performance-per-dollar.

Runner-up

Sennheiser HD 600

The HD 600 is the step up above the popular HD 598. It has a more flat frequency response and overall better sound-stage than the HD 598. The drivers in the HD 600 require a bit more juice, but if you have a competent DAC or headphone amp, it shouldn't be a problem. Often used by studios to mix, the HD 600 has a very balanced sound signature and thanks to its open design, delivers good imaging.

The best ludicriously high-end headphone

• Pinnacle levels of audio performance
• Awesome sound stage
• Excellent construction and comfort

• Requires an expensive electrostatic headphone amp
• Ideally pairs with high-end DAC

If you're looking for the absolute best headphone on the market, my pick goes to STAX for its SR-009. Essentially, you're not going to find a better audio experience elsewhere. The only caveat is whether or not you're willing to shell out the money for a pair and an accompanying amp to power these electrostatic ear muffs of audio ecstasy.

What is an electrostatic headphone? In a nutshell, headphones of this kind use a membrane that moves itself via current applied directly to it while being wedged between two charged plates. Aside from STAX, Sennheiser is also famous for its original (and now new) Orpheus headphones, which also use an electrostatic design.

STAX, however, only produces electrostatic headphones and are famous for doing so. The SR-009 is the company's flagship headphone, and it packs a wallop in terms of audio quality.

Everything, and I mean everything, sounds good on the SR-009s. Music is incredibly balanced and showcases the precise control that the electrostatic drivers exert over air movement. Bass notes extend down to truly subterranean levels while highs are impressively detailed. These headphones are made for those who demand to hear every nuance of what's happening. The SR-009 is all about resolution.

Let's be honest though, no one's going to buy a SR-009 just for gaming, but I decided to try them out in games anyway. Performance in games is equally stunning. Explosions, gun shots, and any other type of sound effect is rendered with more realism than I could have thought possible. I know this is starting to sound like hyperbole but I really don't have the lexicon to adequately convey how good the SR-009's sound.

STAX didn't cut any corners with the SR-009 anywhere. The build quality of the SR-009 is like a well-built truck with the svelte body of a sports car. The entire headphone is made out of aluminum and other metals, save for the leather band that rests on your head. Even with close inspection, you can tell STAX engineers paid attention to detail and went to great lengths to make sure you feel the SR-009 oozes quality as soon as you hold them.

So what's the catch? By the time you get everything set up to enjoy a pair of SR-009, you'll probably be approaching $7000 if not more. The headphones themselves cost about $3800 and electrostatic amps can climb in price quickly.

Runner-up

Audeze LCD-4

The LCD-4 represents Audeze's flagship planar-magnetic offering, and the company has thrown in every feature it has. High-end wood finishes, real carbon-fiber headband, and a new planar system Audeze calls Double-Fluxor Magnet Arrays, which is essentially a system of more powerful magnets arranged in a proprietary manner to produce tighter control over the moving membrane. The LCD-4's membrane is also made ultra-thin, to reduce mass. 

The resulting performance is nothing short of stellar, and the LCD-4 performs beautifully in both listening and measurements. If you're seeking an end-game headphone that doesn't require special electrostatic amps, then the Audeze LCD-4 would be my pick. $4000 for one. You'll still need a good amp though.

Conclusion

There's no question about it, all of the recommended high-end headphones are pricey, save for one or two options. However, in the given price ranges, you're not going to go wrong with any choice. All of the above headphones will leave any "gaming headset" literally in the dust in terms of audio performance in both games and music.

If you plan on using a pair of headphones for gaming duties and need a microphone, there are two ways: pick up a high-quality standalone microphone that you can either let stand freely on your desk or mount on an arm, or, grab a Modmic by Antlion Audio. The Modmic is a route that's popular with many gamers who choose to use headphones rather than gaming headsets. Setup is easy, and the quality of the mic input is excellent. In our experience, the uni-directional Modmic is better than the omni-directional version only because it doesn't pick up clicks and clacks of the keyboard.

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Want to jump straight to the most important results of our testing? Check out our guides to the best gaming headsets, the best wireless gaming headsets and the best headphones.

When we set out last month to take on headsets, we wanted to do it in way that was more than your typical subjective user experience test. We wanted to remove good portion of the human aspect. This might seem counterintuitive considering an audio experience is highly subjective, but the fact is manufacturers use a great deal of engineering equipment to design and develop headsets and headphones.

That’s why we ended up getting ourselves a $50,000 testing platform. This platform is used by some of the most well respected engineering companies in the world. (You should read that article if you want to know how to read the graphs on the next few pages.)

Our system is made up of two primary components: the head and torso simulator (HATS), and the actual testing software. On the hardware side, Bruel & Kjaer supplied the HATS, which is widely used by military, automotive, and audio industries. The actual testing and analysis is performed using an industrial software known as SoundCheck, by Listen Inc. I’ve detailed both in my previous article leading up to this one, but I wanted to expand a bit on the work that was done with SoundCheck.

Developed with deep analysis in mind, SoundCheck is designed for engineers that need to fully control how tests are run. Essentially, you can think of SoundCheck as a state of the art analyser that’s fully programmable. I ended up spending a good amount of time with both documentation and Listen’s engineers to get trained on what certain tests say about a headset, and how to perform them.

If I was just testing only a handful of headsets, it would be easy. But going through roughly 60 units is daunting. Thankfully, SoundCheck allows a certain level of automation. I ended up creating my own test sequence in SoundCheck that would ask for a model name, perform various tests, output the charts, and save the results to file automatically. To test the microphones, another sequence was created that would sweep the mic, play a pre-defined WAV file, record the audio result, and save both the recorded input and chart to file with the correct model names.

By the time I was through testing, I realized I had barely scratched the surface of SoundCheck’s capabilities. For industrial engineering, Listen’s pricing of SoundCheck almost seems like a bargain for its capabilities. Still, it’s not something a home user would use, unless you’re an audio engineer in your day job.

After months of testing, we finally have results. I used both the test system and my own listening tests for each headset and headphone tested. In total, I spent roughly 4 hours per unit. For reference, the following tracks and albums were used:

- David Chesky, Chesky Records - Ultimate Demonstration Disk (album, HDTracks)
- Adele - When We Were Young (25)
- Sam Smith - Writing’s on the Wall (single)
- Rush - La Villa Strangiato (Time Machine, Live)
- Joe Hisaishi - Promise of the World (Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack)
- Haley Reinhart - Can’t Help Falling In Love (single)
- Taylor Swift - Blank Space (1989)
- Above & Beyond - Sun & Moon (Group Therapy)
- Christian Thielemann, Wiener Philharmoniker - Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 4-6
- Jason Derulo - Talk Dirty, feat. 2 Chainz (Tattoos)
- Eagles - Hotel California (Hell Freezes Over, Live)
- Ray Charles - You Don’t Know Me (Genius Loves Company)
- Bingo Players - Rattle (Miami Mainstage Anthems)
- Rodrigo y Gabriela - Hanuman (11:11)

All track and album sources are in lossless FLAC format, at either 24-bit/192kHz, 24-bit/96kHz, or 16-bit/44.1kHz. As you may have noticed, I chose a variety of genres and I listened to each headphone across 3 different headphone amplifier and DACs:

- Schiit Gungnir multi-bit DAC with Mjolnir 2 headphone amp
- Oppo HA-1 DAC/headphone amp
- Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies DAC/headphone amp

For our headsets, we scored each out of 10 for audio, and comfort, with a score of 5 being average.

For microphone tests, we used a reference WAV file recorded with an AKG P220 professional condenser microphone. The WAV file was then imported into a SoundCheck sequence where it played through the mouth simulator on the HATS. A recording of that output was then saved for each headphone to compare clarity, distortion and response.

We measured microphone response out of 10, with a score of 5 being average.

Kingston HyperX Cloud

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: extra faux-leather earpads, detachable mic
- Price: $80

The HyperX Cloud 1 is Kington’s entry level offering, but still priced within the mid-range category. It’s audio performance is fairly decent, but lacks neutrality. There’s a good amount of bass “boom” but the bass isn’t controlled and tight. Often, you’ll find that headphones produce perceived bass performance because distortion can often give the impression of bass response. Listening to tracks over and over again will show that certain frequency ranges lack precision. During tracks with fast bass attacks, the Cloud sounds boomy, which results in minor interference with the mid-range frequencies.

Latest prices on Kingston HyperX Cloud

There’s a large notch in response between 3kHz and 6kHz, which helps with certain sounds that some may find “piercing.” In other words, the Cloud sounds warm. (Some may refer to it being “dark.”) In the higher range, I felt the Cloud’s highs, also called transients, could have offered more resolution and more clarity. Transients are sounds that your brain uses to localize sound direction. The Cloud lacks detail in this area, making it more difficult to make out the minor differences and directions of sounds. Subtle sounds that should behave like “s” sound more like “sh.”

During voice communication, the Cloud sounds good, but its performance falls when there are other activities, such as gun noise, or music.

The Cloud is lightweight. It feels like it’s built to survive being thrown around, and has a detachable mic. However, its main cable is not detachable. We prefer manufacturers implement detachable cables for easy replacement. On the accessories side, Kingston does offer a second pair of faux-leather earpads, which we found to be comfortable but they don’t breathe very well. 

Kingston HyperX Cloud 2

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 5.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: extra faux-leather earpads, detachable mic
- Price: $90

The HyperX Cloud 2 is a minor update to Kingston’s Cloud. It has all of the same features, and looks nearly identical.

What Kingston did change was how they tuned  the drivers. The Cloud 2 performs better than the Cloud but not by much. On the bass side, it’s more controlled, and flatter through the response. But for all practical purposes, The Cloud 2 sounds essentially the same as the original headset.

Latest prices on Kingston HyperX Cloud 2

Most of the issues I pointed out on the original Cloud remain in the Cloud 2, especially in the higher frequencies. The same dip in transients exist in the Cloud 2, preventing it from being able to resolve detail. It also appears that the low end bass frequencies have been slightly increased in the Cloud 2.

Unfortunately, the distortion levels remain the same. You can expect the Cloud 2 to provide the same bass quality as the original Cloud: slightly on the boomy side and without a strong ability to control attack and decay.

All other aspects of the Cloud 2 remain identical to the Cloud, including comfort, accessories, and packaging.

Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 8/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $120

The HyperX Cloud Revolver is Kingston’s newest headset. It’s a drastic improvement in audio quality from the Cloud and Cloud 2.

It appears that Kingston chose to use a different OEM entirely for the Revolver, and the move was wise. The Revolver has very good sound balance, very good bass, and very good detail resolving ability and resolution. It’s a stark and noticeable difference, and even shows clearly in the measurements.

Latest prices on Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver

There’s significantly less bass distortion in the Revolver but bass is still delivered with strength. The “slam” is tightly controlled and extends down low, without ever muddling out the other frequencies.

In the higher frequencies, Kington’s fixed the notch between 3kHz and 6kHz. Details now come through clearly, and the Revolver is even competitive in this area with normal music headphones. Because the transients are better presented in the Revolver, it has the best soundstage of any of Kingston’s offerings.

Tonally, the Revolver works well as a headphone for music. Its tone is warm, and its music reproduction is surprisingly well balanced throughout the entire frequency range. Whichever company Kingston chose to work with in developing the Revolver, it made the right choice. The Cloud Revolver is easily Kingston’s best, and is one of the best headsets in this roundup.

Logitech G430

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: Dolby 7.1 extension
- Price: $60

Logitech’s G430 is one of the company’s middle of the road offerings. It doesn’t offer any of the frills of other pricier headsets, and doesn’t deliver well in the audio department. Yes, it includes a Dolby 7.1 extension module, but simulated surround sound doesn't work well in headphones since the drivers are facing directly at your ears. In this configuration, reliance on proper HRTFs is required.  It’s not really that comfortable either.

Latest prices on Logitech G430

Low frequencies are definitely not in control on the G430, as this headset has lots of distortion, all the way through to the upper-bass frequencies. While some amount of intended distortion can help bass sound “good,” the G430 does not sound good. Its low-frequency extension is non existent and bass frequencies drop off sharply.

Its one redeeming quality is in the vocal ranges through to the mid-high frequencies, where things sound clear. On transients, the G430 also delivers a decent performance. I wouldn’t call the G430 a precision instrument, but it sounds clear enough to give a passing grade in this area.

On the comfort scale, the G430 can accommodate large heads and is lightweight. However, it has slightly strong clamp pressure and so you end up feeling squeezed when wearing the G430 for extended periods of time.

Logitech includes a nice long cable but did not make it detachable.

Logitech G930

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 6/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: wireless
- Extras: None
- Price: $90

The G930 is a purely wireless headset from Logitech, which means no analog options. It comes with a USB dongle and base station that you pair the headset to and can also be used to charge the headset while in use. Wireless headsets can offer convenience, but you are at the mercy of the manufacturer when it comes to sound sources.

Latest prices on Logitech G930

Unfortunately, the G930 doesn’t do well at all in the audio department, considering the company has invested a lot recently in developing its headsets. Frequency response is essentially out of control. Bass drops off sharply, and there are strange notches in the low to mid frequency ranges. Then there’s a sudden jump above 200Hz. Mid-high frequency also sees a sharp dip, removing the ability to resolve detail. Vocal performance is also lacking. While the distortion levels are in the expected range for this price group, and even leaning towards being good, the G930 just doesn’t sound good at all. 

The G930 is comfortable to wear. It’s not the most lightweight or adjustable, but there’s just enough force to keep the unit on your head without adding stress to the side of your ears. The cups are large and will accommodate all ear sizes.

Logitech has a long and non retractable mic which you can move out of the way when not in use. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bend very well and you can’t exactly position the mic where you’d like it to be. It’s also non detachable, so if you break it, you’ll end up having to replace the whole headset.

I can’t recommend the G930. Comfort aside, it’s just a poor gaming headset in terms of sound quality, and even poorer for listening to music. Apple’s EarPods sound much better.

Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 6.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 6/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: yes, wireless
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $130/$170

There are two versions of the G933, if think about it. The wired version (called the G633) costs $130 and the wireless version (G933) costs $40 more. Both versions are nearly identical otherwise.

In terms of audio performance, the G933 is leaps and bounds better than the G930. Sure, their names may only be 3 digits apart, but they’re not even close cousins. The G933 is far more balanced, and has much better music performance than the G930.

Latest prices on Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum

Vocals come through clear on the G933 and never get covered up. This is a good headset if you want to keep tabs on what your teammates are saying. Its detail resolving ability is good and sounds clear all the way through to the high-range transients—it’s actually one of the most neutral headsets in this group, musically speaking.

However, its bass response, like the G930, falls off dramatically and you definitely hear it in the music. It lacks low-end bass extension, and very low frequencies don’t come through very well, but overall bass response sounds good down to 28Hz, which isn’t bad at all. There’s plenty of slam, and the bass never sounds boomy. The tonal quality of the G633/933 is neutral and the sound is very balanced throughout. Logitech did a fine job with the audio performance of the G933 and it’s the best in the lot from the company—good enough to act as a music headphone.

In the wireless G933, there’s a strange high-pitched whine when volume is set to max or near max. We don’t know if this was just a problem with our headset, but it was there. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll be using maximum volume, so this may not be an issue.

The G933 is very comfortable to wear. In fact, it’s one of the most comfortable headsets in this group. During testing, I was able to keep listening and testing for well over 2 hours without fatigue.

The wired G633 comes with a detachable analog cable, which honestly should become a standard. You also do not need to turn the G933 “on” to just use it as a passive headphone, which is a convenient feature for saving battery life.

Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5.5/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $100

Razer’s Kraken series are probably the company’s most popular headset and it’s easy to see why. The company made a good play on Beats’ headphones and the simple styling is appealing to many. The Kraken is a lightweight headset that boasts LED lighting effects, and if those were the pluses, there are unfortunately many more negatives.

Latest prices on Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma

Right off the bat, the Kraken sounds dry and muted. The sound is compressed and soundstage is basically nonexistent. Razer also chose to make the Kraken bass-heavy. The bass lacks total control, isn’t musical at all, and sounds boomy. In fact, the bass response completely ruins all the other frequencies.

The mids and highs sound raspy, and there’s no detail resolving ability. In terms of resolution, the Kraken falls short here too: S-sounds are replaced with sh-sounds, and the overall tone of the Kraken lacks depth.

In the charts, the Kraken 7.1 Chroma begins to fall steeply after 300Hz. This is well within the vocal range, and so communication quality suffers in general, as well as with vocal heavy music. The drivers then climb up again after 2kHz, and although the transients are piercing, it almost sounds like the drivers are being either covered up, or the drivers are just of poor quality.

Convenience wise, both the cable and the microphone are non-detachable. There’s also no in-line volume adjustment or mute switch, which is something included in the Kraken Pro.

The Kraken 7.1 Chroma is mainly designed with appearance in mind, and I’m starting to feel like headsets that have LED lighting on them are mainly designed to be worn by sponsored esports players so that brands can show off which headset is being used. If the Kraken 7.1 Chroma was designed with advertisement in mind, I’d say it does this well. For everything else like gaming and music, your $100 is much better spent somewhere else.

Razer Kraken Pro

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5.5/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $80

The Razer Kraken Pro is identical to the Kraken 7.1 Chroma. However, it forgoes LED lighting, and the simulated 7.1 sound (which doesn’t work). It does however, include in-line volume adjustment and a mute switch.

Latest prices on Razer Kraken Pro

The Kraken series does not perform well in any form. My recommendation is skip, unless Razer comes out with a new Kraken that truly focuses on performance.

Razer Tiamat 2.2

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $100

The Tiamat 2.2 is the smaller brother to the Tiamat 7.1. The design language is almost the same and some may find it appealing. It’s got a rugged, almost military style to it, and is large enough for extra big heads. It’s lightweight and self adjusting so it sits well on your head, but for the most part, the ear pads are stiff and become uncomfortable after an hour.

Latest prices on Razer Tiamat 2.2

On the audio front, the Tiamat 2.2 doesn’t fare much better than the Kraken series. There is a lot of bass, but it’s got loads of distortion—well above 10% and well above 100Hz. This isn’t bass. At least, it’s not musical bass. It’s just a lot of uncontrolled rumble. It’s so boomy that even the microphone rattles, which is annoying.

In terms of tone, the Tiamat suffers the same fate as the Kraken. There’s very little resolution and detail retrieving ability, and its transient response has strange spikes and dips. The overall sound has an emphasis on mid-bass frequencies and essentially nothing else, so there’s no clarity to audio. There's also a fair amount of discrepancy between the left and right drivers. This indicates

The Tiamat 2.2 is an exercise in appearance design and little else. Its saving grace, which isn’t much, is that it’s better than the Tiamat 7.1 in audio performance. But then again, the sound from the Tiamat 7.1 is simply awful.

I do not recommend you spend a hard-earned $100 on this headset.

Razer Blackshark

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 8/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $100

If you’re in the market for a headset and must have a Razer, the Blackshark is the company’s best headset. In fact, it’s the company’s only good headset. Unfortunately, the design, which is like a helicopter pilot’s headset, is not for everyone. But it’s well made , feels strong, and provides a remarkable difference in audio quality from every other Razer headset.

Latest prices on Razer Blackshark

The Blackshark’s audio quality is relatively good, and is easily Razer’s top performer. In terms of performance, the Blackshark has both resolution and good soundstage. Music on the Blackshark is balanced and there’s very few sudden spikes or dips. However, there’s a gradual slope from 500Hz to 4kHz which makes the mids sound slightly muddy. Performance returns above 5kHz and the Blackshark is able to produce crisp and clean highs. Its transient response is good as well, and clearly helps in its soundstage performance, again, easily Razer’s best in this category.

I do wish that the Blackshark had better low-frequency extension, even though its bass is clean and has a good amount of slam. There’s a drop after 40Hz that decays from 80dB down to just about 60dB at 10Hz but overall the tonal quality remains good.

Comforts are a strength for the Blackshark too. The earpads are very comfortable to wear and headclamp strength is good and never inducing unwanted pressure. Out of all of Razer’s headsets, the Blackshark is the best in terms of constructions. It’s mostly metal, and yet still lightweight. Even though the microphone is all metal and industrial-like, it’s fully detachable. It’s the most comfortable headset Razer offers.

Turtle Beach Star Wars Battlefront

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 4/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: Star Wars design, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $100

Turtle Beach has been in the audio game for well over 2 decades. Although it doesn’t make sound cards anymore, it’s got a huge headset offering. One of the latest is the company’s Star Wars Battlefront headset, which is a $100 headset with only mid-level performance.

Latest prices on Turtle Beach Star Wars Battlefront

The Star Wars Battlefront’s sound is similar to that of the Razer Kraken in that it sounds compressed. There’s a lack of soundstage and audio sounds flat and lacks depth. However, the headset’s tonal quality is balanced, without severe spikes or dips in its frequency response. Musically, it plays as a entry level pair of headphones.

The bass frequencies are the headset’s best trait. Bass is controlled, well defined and sounds musical. This musical quality extends into the mid-range frequencies and moves into the high range as well. Whether by accident or by design, the Star Wars Battlefront does a good job of subduing frequencies that many would deem harsh sounding. However, in the mid-ranges, there seems to be some sort of resonance, as perceived volume is noticeably pronounced. If you want to associate  what kind of sounds can be pushed, think of a flute.

The ear pads on the headset seal well, which helps with the headset’s bass, but unfortunately they’re stiff, so some may find the Star Wars Battlefront a little tiring to wear for long durations. Fortunately, the headset is very lightweight. 

Lastly, Turtle Beach made this headset feel really cheap. It’s actually pretty bad for $100.

Turtle Beach Stealth 450

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $130

Musically, the Stealth 450 gets most of what I’d expect done well. The headset has decent sound, even on the warm side of tone, and produces a good amount of detail. There’s resolution here. Transient response is also well placed, and that makes the Stealth 450 fairly good at producing a good soundstage as well.

Latest prices on Turtle Beach Stealth 450

Mids and mid-highs are more forward than other frequencies so vocals stand through loud and clear, but a bit too much so. I wish the bass response had more volume, especially since it’s musical and tight, but it drops off too early and lacks extension.

There’s a noise or hiss at very high volumes on the Stealth 450, so we’ll either say the in-line volume control is of poor quality or something else. Either way, it’s there.

Wearing the Stealth 450 is not very comfortable. The ear pads feel stiff and don’t fit well on larger heads. The ear pads also don’t seal very well and can contribute to the perceived lack of bass performance. There’s also an annoying auto-shutdown every 10 minutes when you’re using the Stealth 450 in mobile mode, which allows audio to pass through from a phone. Having to require battery power in this mode is an equally annoying trait.

Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: DTS sound module, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $85

Musically, the Ear Force Z60 is the best sounding Turtle Beach headset. It has good soundstage, good imaging, good balance of the entire frequency. There’s a fair amount of bass, and it’s controlled, musical bass. There’s no boominess and not once did I find that the bass overshadowed any other frequency. The Ear Force Z60 also has good resolution and detail retrieving ability, letting it resolve fine nuances. Highs are clear and transient is good, contributing to a wide soundstage where sounds are easily localized.

Latest prices on Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60

The Ear Force Z60 comes with its own USB sound source, which as it own DTS modes for music, movies, and games. However, triggering those modes did not produce desirable audio quality and the Ear Force Z60 is best when left with those modes turned off. Multi-channel simulation on headphones just doesn’t do very well. The right way to go about 3D sound is to use HRTFs, but HRTFs aren’t being used here.

The Ear Force Z60 fits well and has good seal around the ears. It may not fit larger heads, and Turtle Beach’s offerings seem to be only accommodating to those with medium and smaller noggins. Clamp is good without being tiring, and the Ear Force Z60 can be used for extended listening.

One thing to note is, Turtle Beach seems to have the best performing mics of all the headsets in this roundup. They sound crisp and clear, and are the most adjustable of any of the mics. They're also cheap and replaceable. You can buy them directly from Turtle Beach for $15.

SteelSeries Siberia 350

 Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: DTS sound module, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $120

Someone at SteelSeries understands headphones. The company’s entire range of Siberia headsets, from the 200 all the way to the 800, sound really good. For the $120 Siberia 350, you get a lot of audio goodness for the money.

Latest prices on SteelSeries Siberia 350

There’s good balance of sound in the whole frequency range. Bass is tight and musical, although the headphones will perform better with a different headband. The headband is auto adjusting and has a tendency to pull upwards, thereby lifting the bottom seal of the ear pads. Sealed properly however, and the Siberia 350 can compete with hi-fi headphones.

Soundstage is good on the 350, even without DTS modes turned on. Like the Turtle Beach Earforce Z60, the Siberia 350 comes with DTS Headphone X, which has different modes for gaming and music. And, like the Z60, you’re better off leaving those modes turned completely off—the soundstage of the Siberia 350 is already well defined.

Tonally, the Siberia 350 is warm, in a good way. The bass, mid-range, and high frequencies work well together to produce a pleasing sound without harshness. In other words, the headset has good depth. Resolution is also good, and I was able to clearly hear all the small nuances in the test tracks.

SteelSeries marks the Siberia as being able to respond to 28kHz. While that may be true, the onboard DAC only supports up to a 48kHz sampling rate, which would put its real world output at 24kHz only, which is the Nyquist cut-off for a 48kHz sampling rate. (The Nyquist theorem states that to reproduce a given frequency, the sample rate must be at least twice that frequency.) While posting big numbers in the specs seems desirable at first, it’d be better if SteelSeries just used the actual frequency response.

SteelSeries Siberia 200

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 4/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line mic mute switch
- Price: $80

Like the Siberia 350, the 200 also performs well in the audio department. I would say that both have the same sound signature, but the 200 is slightly less detailed on the high-end. That being said, there’s still a good amount of resolution and detail. Both Siberia headsets have a warm tone to them and I find that pleasing. It’s not overly colorful, and the headset performs well in both games and music.

Latest prices on SteelSeries Siberia 200

For SteelSeries, this is 2-for-2 already. Both headsets perform well and rank among the best in terms of audio quality. Both the SIberia 200 and 350 are highly recommended if you want a gaming headset that can double as music headphones.

Comfort wise, the Siberia 200 isn’t quite as good as the 350. It’s self adjusting headphone band pulls more and consequently feels tight above the ears. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a problem on small heads, but my head is on the larger side and it became uncomfortable to wear the Siberia 200 after even just an hour despite it being featherweight.

SteelSeries also uses excellent mics on its headsets and compare well to Turtle Beach's excellent mics, but unfortunately you can't replace the ones on the Siberias.

Corsair Void collection

Corsair Void Stereo

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line mic mute switch
- Price: $70

Corsair Void RGB USB

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $100

Corsair Void Surround

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: Dolby 7.1 USB adaptor
- Price: $100

Corsair Void RGB Wireless

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: wireless
- Price: $130

I’m going to cover Corsair’s entire range of Void headsets in one shot, because they only differ from each other in terms of extra features: wireless or analog, RGB lighting, and simulated surround sound. From a driver and sound perspective, all four units perform the same.

In terms of performance, Corsair’s entire Void lineup is a wash. Music and games sound congested and even muffled most of the time. There’s a complete lack of resolution and detail, and the entire mid-range is unclear. In fact, there are details in tracks that the Voids completely miss out on; I couldn’t  hear them at all on the Voids.

Latest prices on Corsair Void Stereo

Latest prices on Corsair Void RGB USB

Latest prices on Corsair Void Surround

Latest prices on Corsair Void RGB Wireless

Bass lacks extension and upper bass sounds distorted and uncontrolled. The distortion in the Void is audible and plays havoc on the entire tonal signature. The Voids are easily the worst performers of this entire lot. 

All four units are comfortable to wear, are constructed well, and seal well. Unfortunately, the comfort doesn’t make up for the awful sound quality. Corsair’s Void lineup needs to be seriously revamped before I recommend anyone look at them.

Creative Labs Sound BlasterX H5

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $130

Creative Labs is also a company that’s no stranger to audio, and it shows in the company’s H5 headset. The H5’s design is well constructed, lightweight, and comfortable around the ears with a good seal. But the positives continue.

Latest prices on Creative Labs Sound BlasterX H5

The H5 performs well in audio performance, as one might expect. Sound is clear, balanced, with a slight boost in bass without being boomy. Details are finely resolved and there’s a good amount of resolution. The H5, no doubt, can be used for listening to both music and games. There’s an odd sudden dip at around 80Hz, which can be heard as a small reduction in bass slam, but good overall bass is still present. At no time did music sound fatiguing or shrill, and the H5 does a good job at rendering soundstage thanks to good, but slightly subdued, high frequencies—there’s gradual drop between 100Hz and 2kHz, where the H5 evens out and then climbs up again at 5kHz.

Comfort wise, the H5 is lightweight and has good construction. Its headband is comfortable and the headset clamp is comfortable for many hours of use. The earpads also feel soft and seal around the ears nicely. While the H5 completely covers my ears, some with larger ears may find that the H5 sits somewhere between superaural and circumaural headsets.

I do have one major complaint with Creative Labs’ H-series, and that the packaging they come in is terrible. They’re difficult to open and just a nuisance overall. Please creative, go with a normal box.

Roccat Kave XTD Stereo

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $60

The Kave XTD from Roccat is an odd mixed bag. The headset possesses good resolution and detail, but the overall audio sounds hollow. There’s a decent amount of bass, but the XTD lacks low-end extension. Mid-range frequencies see a weird notch in the response, which ends up slightly muting vocal ranges.

Latest prices on Roccat Kave XTD Stereo

The XTD then spikes again at 600Hz and falls sharply again after about 1.5kHz. These frequencies are the most sensitive for humans, and the XT doesn’t do well here. It also doesn’t do well in its transient performance, where frequencies can sound piercing and uncomfortable. Yes, XTD sounds clear, but painfully so.In terms of comfort, the XTD headband is difficult to adjust—each adjustment notch is too stiff and difficult to pull on. However, headclamp force is comfortable once settled, and the ear pads themselves are also comfortable and offer a good seal.

The Kave XTD brings along in-line volume and mic control, and the cable is extra long and excellent in quality. The mic is removable but for some reason Roccat decided to use a single RCA connector instead of the usual 3.5mm jack.

Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 2/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $120

Roccat’s upgrade to the Kave XTD, the XTD 5.1, unfortunately doesn’t fare any better. In fact, it performs worse than the XTD. There are three discrete drivers in the XTD 5.1. For starters, this is a bad idea, and headphones with multiple drivers have never, ever, sounded good.

Latest prices on Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog

All three drivers have a huge dip in the bass frequencies with extreme notches and spikes throughout the frequency range. The driver responsible for the subwoofer channel shouldn’t be labeled that at all. A quick glance at its frequency response chart is all the explanation that’s required.

The same characteristics apply to the other two drivers, responsible for rear, and fronts. Response is never flat, and there’s a just a lot of messy behavior. Consequently, the sound is yet again, hollow in the mid range, lacks dynamic range, and surprisingly, bass is just missing. Why?

The subwoofer driver isn’t actually a dynamic speaker driver at all. It relies on vibrations to provide bass. Consequently, our HATS can’t seem to pick up any bass frequencies at all because there essentially is none.

The Kave XTD 5.1 is a comfortable headset. Unfortunately, it’s just not suitable for gaming audio or music at all, despite what Roccat’s website claims. Skip.

Astro A40

- Design: open or semi open-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 7.5/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: magnetically attached ear pads, removable covers, in-line mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $150

Astro’s headsets have been a favorite with gamers. I personally like Astro’s designs a lot but some may disagree. However, Astro proves it knows a thing or two about headphone audio, as the A40 performs admirably.

Latest prices on Astro A40

The sound of the A40 is mostly balanced. There isn’t any particular emphasis in any part of the frequency spectrum,except for one huge dip. The highs sound a little congested and instrument separation feels like they’re all too close together. The highs basically don’t separate well, and can be attributed to a huge notch in the frequency response between 3kHz and 5kHz. In terms of resolution and detail, the A40 could use a bit more work.

Bass is controlled and doesn’t drown out other frequency and is fast and tight. I feel like the A40 would do well in the bass spectrum if Astro could get the bass extension to have a little more slam. Mids good, and vocal heavy tracks play back well on the A40. 

The Astro A40 can be purchased with a MixAMP pro desktop module that allows you to more finely tune the balance between audio and mic.

Mionix Nash 20

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 8/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: none
- Price: $100

Mionix was a surprise performer in this group. The company is not as well known as some of the others here, but its Nash 20 headset definitely performed well, both in measurements and in listening. In fact, it's one of the best headsets in this roundup when it comes to audio performance.

Latest prices on Mionix Nash 20

The Nash 20 performs well as both a gaming headset and as a general listening headphone. In fact, it's one of the few in this roundup that I wouldn't mind using as a general purpose unit. The Nash 20 has a response curve comparable to hi-fi headphones and sound the part as well. There's a good balance between highs, mids, and lows and bass response is tight and musical. There's a decent amount of impact here. Dare I say there's even a good amount of low-end extension.

The overall tone of the Nash 20 is on the warm side, with good resolution when used as a headphone for music. Resolution can be great considering its class and price point. There is a slight strain on very fine details, but for the most part most people may not notice.

In terms of overall clarity, the vocals are slightly subdued compared to lows and upper highs, but not fair down enough where you're losing tangible performance.

The Nash 20 is comfortable and stays comfortable for long durations. Ear pads are soft and covers even larger ears well with a good amount of seal. There's no detchable cable or mic, and it isn't the lighest headset around, but It's also not the heaviest.

Mionix did a fine job at putting together a gaming headset that doubles well as a general purpose headphone. The Nash 20 is definitely worth considering.

Summary

Scoring for each category: 5/10 equates to average performance. 

Kingston HyperX Cloud

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: no - Extras: extra faux-leather earpads, detachable mic
- Price: $80

Kingston HyperX Cloud 2

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 5.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: extra faux-leather earpads, detachable mic
- Price: $90

Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 8/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $120

Logitech G430

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: Dolby 7.1 extension
- Price: $60

Logitech G930

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 6/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: wireless
- Extras: None
- Price: $90

Logitech G633/933 Artemis Spectrum

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 6.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 6/10
- Comfort: 6/10
- Detachable cable: yes, wireless
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $130/$170

Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5.5/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $100

Razer Kraken Pro

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5.5/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $80

Razer Tiamat 2.2

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: NonePrice: $100

Razer Blackshark

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 8/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: None
- Price: $100

Turtle Beach Star Wars Battlefront

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 4/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: Star Wars design, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $100

Turtle Beach Stealth 450

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 3.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $130

Turtle Beach Ear Force Z60

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: DTS sound module, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $85

SteelSeries Siberia 350

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 7.5/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: DTS sound module, in-line volume/mic control
- Price: $120

SteelSeries Siberia 200

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 9/10
- Comfort: 4/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line mic mute switch
- Price: $80

Corsair Void Stereo

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line mic mute switch
- Price: $70

Corsair Void RGB USB

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: LED lighting
- Price: $100

Corsair Void Surround

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog or digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: Dolby 7.1 USB adaptor
- Price: $100

Corsair Void RGB Wireless

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: digital
- Audio: 3/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: wireless
- Price: $130

Creative Labs Sound BlasterX H5

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7.5/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $130

Roccat Kave XTD Stereo

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 5/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $60

Roccat Kave XTD 5.1 Analog

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 2/10
- Microphone clarity: 5/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: in-line volume control and mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $120

Astro A40

- Design: open or semi open-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 7/10
- Microphone clarity: 7.5/10
- Comfort: 8/10
- Detachable cable: yes
- Extras: magnetically attached ear pads, removable covers, in-line mic mute, detachable mic
- Price: $150

Mionix Nash 20

- Design: closed-back
- Interface: analog
- Audio: 8/10
- Microphone clarity: 7/10
- Comfort: 7/10
- Detachable cable: no
- Extras: none
- Price: $100

Elite list: the best DACs for audio

As detailed in our exhaustive piece about testing headsets and headphones, audio is serious business. But, let's throw the term audiophile out the window. It means different things to different people. The bottom line is, audio is as important in games as it is for those who just listen for the pure enjoyment of music.

Sound cards largely fell by the way side in the last decade as motherboard companies integrated better and better sound solutions. These days, you can find pretty decent DACs on a motherboard. But, what is a DAC?

Simply put, a DAC or digital-to-analog converter, does the job of changing the digital information in your music files into an analog signal to be sent to your speakers for amplification. Every device that can read a digital audio format, like an MP3 file, FLAC file, or CD, has a DAC. Yes, sound cards are essentially DACs on a board. The arguing point in the last decade or so has been, do DACs improve audio over onboard sound? Short answer: Yes they do.

Measuring equipment:

• - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface
• - Onboard audio: Realtek ALC898 7.1 channel
• - DAC: Oppo HA-1 (ESS Sabre 9018 DAC)

Onboard (BLUE) vs. DAC pre-out (GREEN), volume min

Onboard headphone out (PURPLE) vs. DAC headphone out (RED), volume min

Onboard out (BLUE) vs. Onboard headphone out (PURPLE), volume min

The audio output from the HA-1 is outstanding, naturally. It's clean, free of noise, and the frequency response is excellent. Compared to onboard, noise and distortion is significantly less. Keep in mind that the dB scale is logarithmic, meaning for every 3dB the perceived volume doubles. It's safe to say from measurements that going external is significantly better.

After a month of testing several DACs, we selected four we feel are the best DACs if you're considering using headphones or speakers, or both. For reference, we chose MrSpeakers' Ether headphones to test all 3 DACs.

The best DAC/headphone amp for headphones

Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies

The Woo Audio WA7d Fireless is unlike any DAC/headphone amp we've ever seen, primarily because it doesn't look like anything else in its space. It's made to be presented. The base is solid aluminum and the crystal clear glass block crowns the overall unit, protecting the two tubes while also looking sexy. Overall, it's the best attainable elite-level DAC/headphone amp and one we use on a regular basis.

On the rear, you have all necessary inputs for piping in signals: RCA inputs, optical, and USB. You can use the WA7d as a standalone headphone amplifier with any audio playback device, but it shines connected to a PC. Plug in the USB cable and you're ready for pure magic. A switch on the rear dictates the source you want to use.

The WA7d Fireflies is a class-A tube headphone amplifier that boasts exceptionally good audio output and support of formats up to 32-bit/192kHz rates. It won't decode DSD files, but it's okay, there's just not enough DSD content anyway.

At $1,199, the WA7d commands a premium, but that's to be expected for the caliber of audio it's able to deliver. You're getting sound that would otherwise typically be reserved for products costing twice as much. Woo Audio knows this, and it shows because the company has taken some of the best features from its other higher-end products, and distilled them down into a package the size of four hard drives. Woo Audio's other products can ramp up to well over $10,000, and its products are often used by top headphone companies to demonstrate performance.

Specs:

• Single-ended, class-A, transformers output
• Linear external high-performance power supply (remote-controlled power switching)
• Two 6C45 driver/power tubes
• C-Media 6631A USB chip
• TI PCM5102A 32-bit DAC chip
• Headphones impedance : up to 600 Ohms
• Sampling rate: up to 32-Bit, 192kHz
• Inputs: 1 Optical, 1 Asynchronous USB2.0, 2 RCA, 1 USB DAC
• Outputs: 1 1/4" and 1 1/8" headphone outputs
• Max output: approx 1 watt @ 32 ohms
• Frequency response: 11Hz to 27kHz, +/-0.5dB
• Distortion:
• S/N: 95dB
• Power consumption: 25W max

There are three factors responsible for the WA7d's excellent audio performance. The first is its class-A power delivery. Class-A amps aren't efficient, and run hot, but they are pure analog amps and sound the most truthful to the original music. Lesser amps will choose to go with other classes which, while electrically more efficient, don't perform as well musically. Even so, the WA7d only gets very mildly warm. It also helps that its high-quality linear power supply sits externally.

Secondly, its TI PCM5102A DAC chip outputs a very balanced sound, and is favored by many DACs in this class, and even higher end options. Sampling rate goes up to 192kHz, and resolution is at 32-bits, which is more than every high-resolution recording currently available. Unfortunately, going above 24-bits means the WA7d will require drivers on Windows machines. OS X users do not require drivers.

Thirdly, it's well known in the audio community that tube amps create a silky, warm tone to music, but the WA7d doesn't color your audio in a way that makes it inaccurate. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Woo Audio designed the WA7d in such a way that maintains neutrality, while adding just enough warmth to its output. The result is audio that sounds organic, alive, and smooth. The drawback? Tubes have a limited life-span. The uptake? You can "roll" your own tubes. If you don't like the way one set sounds, you can swap out for a different set up tubes to tune the sound to your own liking. However, we reckon that almost everyone will prefer Woo Audio's pick, as we found its setup to be the most balanced.

If you're looking to use headphones most of the time, or exclusively, the Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies is our top pick.

The best DAC for connecting everything

Oppo HA-1

For $1,199, the Oppo HA-1 has one of the most sought-after features for a DAC: an ESS 9018 Sabre 32 DAC (PDF). This DAC can be found in some of the highest-end home theater receivers. The ESS 9018 DAC is widely considered as the best audio DAC in the world (many consider the Analog Devices DAC in the Schiit Yggdrasil to be the actual true king), but ESS recently announced a new flagship DAC, the 9038PRO. Both DACs support 32-bit/384kHz on all channels. The 9038PRO has an incredible DNR (dynamic range) of 140dB (129dB for the 9018) and THD+ (total harmonic distortion plus noise) rating of -122dB (-120dB for the 9018). The entire audio path from power delivery to signal conversion is equally important in supporting a good DAC. You can find small USB adapters that have the Sabre DAC for less than $70, but the audio output won't be great.

If the ESS 9018 Sabre is the heart of the HA-1, then the class-A amplifier would be its soul. Similar to the Woo Audio WA7d, the sound delivered by the HA-1 is extremely clean, with a very low noise floor. Even with the volume cranked to maximum, our headphones delivered nothing but silence.

If you're interested in running a USB DAC, take note that the HA-1 is an asynchronous USB DAC (like the Woo Audio WA7d), meaning it doesn't rely on the host computer's USB clock generator. If you're already familiar with USB DACs, sound output can be affected by poor USB clocks on the motherboard. DAC dropouts and/or strange noises when switching sampling rates are common. If you have a USB DAC and are experiencing issues, you might consider Schiit's Wyrd USB Decrapifier, which cleans up and rechecks the USB signal, virtually eliminating any problems you may have with your DAC, unless the DAC itself is going bad. We have two Decrapifiers, and they work.

Specs:

• Discrete class-A amplification
• ESS Sabre32 Reference ES9018 DAC
• Fully balanced configuration
• Headphones impedance : up to 600 Ohms
• Sampling rate: up to 32-Bit, 384kHz
• Inputs: 1 Optical, 1 Coaxial Digital, 1 AES/EBU digital, 1 Asynchronous USB2.0, 2 RCA, 2 Balanced-XLR, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (with aptX), 1 front USB, 1 rear USB DAC
• Outputs: 2 RCA, 1 1/4" and 1 Balanced-XLR (headphone), 2 Balanced-XLR speakers
• Max output: approx 3 watt @ 32 ohms
• Frequency response: 10Hz to 170kHz, +/-0.3dB
• Distortion:
• S/N: 115dB
• Power consumption: 75W max
• Special formats: DSD (DoP v1.1 or native) decoding, on screen display, remote control

Besides being a fantastic headphone amplifier, the HA-1 is also great as a pre-amp for speakers. We like the HA-1 in particular for having both single-ended and balanced XLR outputs. Most speakers will connect to the single-ended RCA jacks, but if you're planning to use professional studio monitors, like the ones we chose, the balanced outputs will help reduce noise significantly over longer cable runs.

How does XLR balanced connections work? Using a technique called differential mode, the audio signal is carried over two separate wires with opposing polarity. The two signals are summed together at the receiving end (which must be differential-capable). ANy noise or interference is cancelled out, and what you're left with is just the clean audio signal. With the noise signal removed, what you're left with is a clean audio signal. We made sure our entire signal path is fully balanced, with the same XLR cables through all interconnects, to ensure that the impedances are matched. If you're using headphones with the HA-1, it has support for both normal and high-gain output, and supports both headphones using 1/4-inch TRS connectors as well as balanced XLR connectors.

Aside from XLR, the HA-1 essentially supports every available input format: AES/EBU digital, coaxial digital, optical, USB DAC mode, RCA, Bluetooth, and a front USB port for connecting iOS devices, such as an iPod.

Oppo also filled the HA-1 with plenty of other useful features. Audio over Bluetooth in the form of aptX support is included, as well as a pure analog potentiometer for volume control. Many other DACs use a digital volume control chip to control output, which adds an additional step in the audio path. The HA-1 maintains a completely analog path from DAC to connector.

One minor complaint we have with the HA-1 is its inability to mute the pre-outs directly on the unit itself. You must use the supplied remote control to mute your speaker output if you decide to switch over to headphones. This is annoying and we hope Oppo can include it in a firmware update. If you lose your remote, you'll be unable to mute speaker output.

The Oppo HA-1 is our pick if you want to support multiple inputs, say from 2 computers, a phone, and a SACD player. You're guaranteed flexibility and switching between inputs is as easy as turning a knob.

The best discrete DAC

Schiit Gungnir multi-bit

For those looking for the best discrete DAC—that is, a DAC without a built in amplifier—our best pick is the Gungnir multi-bit from Schiit. Yes, that's really the company name. And no, it's not a fancy German word for audio.

We'll save you the history behind the company and its name. If you want to read about how it all started, check out this long story from Schiit co-founder Jason Stoddard on Head-Fi.org. The bottom line is, Schiit's products are revered in the audio community. At headphone conventions like CanJam, Schiit's DACs and amps are often used as the standard demo platforms for headphones.

Specs:

• 4 Analog Devices AD5781BRUZ
• Fully balanced configuration
• Sampling rate: up to 24-Bit, 192kHz
• C-Media 6631A USB chip
• Inputs: 1 BNC, 1 Coaxial Digital, 1 Optical Digital, 1 Asynchronous USB2.0,
• Outputs: 2 Balanced-XLR, 4 RCA
• Max output: 4V RMS (Balanced), 2V RMS(RCA)
• Frequency response: 1Hz to 200kHz, -1dB
• Distortion:
• S/N: 115dB
• Power consumption: 20W max
• Special features: multibit (ladder) DAC, upgradeable USB input, DAC/Analog cards, bitperfect Adapticlock analysis and VCXO/VCO regeneration

The Gungnir multi-bit is different from nearly almost every other commercial DAC in that it employs a multi-bit ladder DAC configuration as opposed to traditional delta-sigma DACs (used both in the Oppo HA-1 and Woo Audio WA7d). Delta-sigma DACs have the ability to ramp up in resolution and sampling rate, but actually aren't accurate in the sense that the original audio samples are discarded. Essentially, delta-sigma DACs mathematically choose a sample based on algorithms that best represent the original sample. Ladder or multi-bit DACs do the opposite, they keep the original samples. The Gungnir multi-bit then, is accurate. What you play, is what you get.

For $1,249, the Gungnir isn't your cheapest high quality DAC, but it is one of the best for the money, in terms of what you're getting. Without going into details that can turn into a full essay, Schiit has stuffed the Gungnir multi-bit with some of the best components on the market, and designed it with analog performance in mind.

Design wise, the Gungnir is a pretty large standalone DAC. It's about the size of a very large shoe-box, and about one-third the height. It doesn't have any fancy knobs or flashing lights. One button on the front changes inputs, and a small hard lever on the rear turns the unit on. Its chassis is as tough as nails though, and the unit sports clean simple lines all around. It's slightly big to sit neatly on a work desk, but hey, if you want the best you have to compromise sometimes— such as eating ramen for a month to save up for gear.

On the reverse side, Schiit included several methods of input: USB, coaxial digital, optical digital, and BNC. Obviously there's no analog inputs because the Gungnir is a DAC only. For outputs, you're given two stereo pair RCAs, and a set of L/R balanced-XLR outputs. If you're buying the Gungnir, it means you know exactly the type of amp you want. For those who are curious, yes, you can use the Gungnir with powered monitors or speakers. You can think of the Gungnir as a godly external sound card.

In terms of sound, the Gungnir is the best we've listened to. It doesn't have the mathematical sound of a delta-sigma DAC and when paired with a tube amplifier, like Schiit's own Mjolnir 2, the sound is glorious. Smooth. Clean and devoid of noise, faithful, and present. You'll have to do a direct comparison to hear the difference, which is what we've been doing with the above 3 DACs for over 2 months.

Ideally, you'll want to pair the Gungnir right along with Schiit's Mjolnir 2, which is a hybrid-tube or fully solid state amplifier if you're going to go headphone-serious. This would place the whole Schiit stack to $2,098, nearly $800 more than both the Oppo HA-1 and Woo Audio WA7d. But at this price, you're on another level altogether in terms of serious headphone use. It's very likely you're also in the market for an end-game headphone as well.

If you want an absolutely fantastic discrete amp that you can pair with a discrete amp of your choosing, the Schiit Gungnir multi-bit is our pick.