JBL Quantum 800

Bought from Proshop in October 2020 for 1499 kr. Six years later it is still on the desk, which is most of the review.

Why I like it

Three connections in one set: 2.4 GHz wireless for the desk, Bluetooth for the phone, and a 3.5 mm cable for when the battery is flat or a machine has no USB to spare. The cable is the one that matters most and gets mentioned least. A wireless headset with no wired fallback is a headset that will fail you on the day the battery dies mid-call.

Active noise cancelling on a gaming headset was unusual in 2020 and it is the reason this one survived. It is not in the class of a dedicated travel pair, but it takes the edge off a fan, a dishwasher and a street, which is what a desk actually needs.

The 50 mm drivers are tuned with a lift at both ends, which is exactly what you would expect and not what I would choose for music. It is honest about what it is. For voice, footsteps and positional cues it is very good, and the boom microphone is better than the laptop microphone of anyone you will be talking to.

The honest caveat

It is heavy, the earcups run warm over a long session, and the software you need for the surround profile is one more thing on your machine. Six years on, my battery no longer holds what it did, which is the normal end of the road for a wireless headset and worth pricing in.

Who it's for

• Anyone who takes calls and plays on the same machine and does not want two headsets.
• People who want the wired fallback that most wireless sets have quietly dropped.
• Not for you if you want a light headset for long sessions, or reference-flat sound for mixing.