Feel and sound are the two most important aspects of a gaming headset. The cans must be comfortable to wear, and balanced enough that you can hear details in the games you’re playing. The quality of both vary based on the price, of course. The JBL Quantum 350 Wireless—a wireless gaming headset with powerful bass—would be appealing at $60, but at $99.99 its build quality and audio lag far behind most other $100-range options we’ve tested, including the Razer Barracuda X, the category’s Editors’ Choice pick.
Lightweight, But Not Comfortable
The Quantum 350 Wireless is entirely black plastic, which makes it very light at just 8.9 ounces. However, those elements give it a slightly cheap feeling. This isn’t made any better by the oval-shaped, over-ear earpads that consist of fairly thin memory foam and artificial-looking, almost brittle, faux leather that crinkles slightly when pressed against the side of your head. The headset doesn’t feel uncomfortable, but it also doesn’t feel particularly pleasant, either.
The left earcup holds a volume wheel (which works separate from your system’s volume levels), mic mute button, USB-C port for charging, and a 2.5mm port for the detachable boom microphone along its edge. The right earcup features a power switch and indicator light.
Connects to Anything (But Best on PC)
The Quantum 350 Wireless is intended primarily for wireless use with a PC, where the JBL QuantumEngine software provides various adjustments and simulated surround sound. However, the USB adapter is also compatible with Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. It lacks a wired connection option.
When connected to a PC, the Quantum 350 Wireless delivers 7.1-channel simulated surround sound through the JBL QuantumEngine software. The app also features a 10-band equalizer and a few mic settings (level, volume, and sidetone).
Scooped-Out Sound
Fortnite sounds loud and clean through the Quantum 350 Wireless, though the mids and mid-highs don’t get a ton of presence, which can make certain sound effects muddy. The simulated surround sound with QuantumEngine gives a general impression of directionality, but not much more than Windows 10’s own spatial audio with Windows Sonic for Headphones. It isn’t nearly as immersive or effective at giving precise left-right panning as the Razer Blackshark V2 with THX Spatial Audio.
Likewise, Doom (2016) sounds thunderous and foreboding with the Quantum 350 Wireless. The grinding soundtrack, the weapon booms, and the demon growls all receive plenty of low-end power, but the mids-scooped sound loses a detail above the rumble. The simulated surround sound through QuantumEngine provides a hint of immersive audio, but there’s little directionality to gain a tactical advantage.
You’ll get plenty of bass out of this headset. Our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” blares through the Quantum 350 Wireless at maximum (and unsafe) volume without a hint of distortion. In addition, the kick drum thumps reach low enough into the sub-bass realm to be physically palpable.
Less bass-heavy music, like Yes’ “Roundabout,” shows off the headset’s scooped-out but well-balanced sound signature. The opening acoustic guitar plucks get plenty of texture with solid high-frequency response, but the low-mids lose some presence, giving the deep resonance a bit of muddiness. When the track properly kicks in, the bassline, guitar strums, drums, and vocals all get equal attention and are easily discernible in the mix.
This balance serves The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow” quite well. The backbeat receives plenty of bass power to ominously drive the track, and the harsh riffs and vocals are similarly prominent. The drum hits really demonstrate the scooped sound, getting ultra-low-frequency thunder with a sharp higher-frequency crack in the attack, but very little in between; it’s a balance made by combining extremes.
Middling Microphone
The mic sounds clear enough for voice chat and calls, but it isn’t particularly impressive. Test recordings picked up my voice cleanly, but they lacked some of the crispness that you’d get with the Razer Barracuda X’s mic recordings. Quantum 350 Wireless also picked up my computer’s fan noise, adding significant fuzziness to the background. It isn’t a suitable microphone for content creators, though if you’re serious about streaming or recording we recommend you getting a separate USB microphone.
Good Bass, It’s Not Quite Worth the Price
The JBL Quantum 350 Wireless would be a decent budget gaming headset, but at $100 it punches above its weight class. Its plastic design and thin earpads feel cheap, and its audio balance, while thunderous, loses a lot of midrange detail. The JBL QuantumEngine software provides simulated surround directionality, but isn’t much better than Windows’ own spatial audio feature, and is eclipsed by Dolby Atmos for Headphones, DTS Headphone:X, and THX Spatial Audio’s performance.
The $99.99 Razer Barracuda X, our Editors’ Choice for wireless gaming headsets, is a superior option that has the same wireless connection features as the Quantum 350 Wireless. Plus, it has a nicer feel, better-balanced sound, and a cleaner microphone. The Razer Barracuda X doesn’t come with simulated surround features, but you can get THX Spatial Audio for half the price with a promotional code from Razer. If you can spend more, the $199.95 JBL Quantum 800 is a significant upgrade over the Quantum 350 Wireless. Its audio is better across the full frequency range, making the QuantumEngine surround sound much more effective, and it features Bluetooth and wired connectivity, active noise cancellation (ANC), and RGB lighting.
