Best Headsets For Escape From Tarkov (2022 Review)
Table of Contents
Escape from Tarkov is, at its very core, a hardcore looter-shooter.
Fighting against other PMCs, Scavs, as well as player-controlled Scavs, among others, means that subpar audio and a below-average microphone won’t do if you want to survive.
This, among many other reasons, is exactly why anyone who plays or is planning to play Escape from Tarkov should invest in a high-quality gaming headset for playing Escape from Tarkov.
Top Rated Escape From Tarkov Headsets Compared
Choosing A Headset For Playing Escape From Tarkov
Comfort and Fit
How a headset feels and fits on your head is an important factor. This is because you’ll be wearing it for hours, and you’ll need something that doesn’t trap or let sweat, heat, and friction build-up as much.
In addition to breaking your concentration, wearing a bad headset can get painful after a while. In worse cases, you’ll get neck pains, headaches, and sore ears. If a smaller headset doesn’t fit, get one for larger heads.
Isolation
Perhaps more important than the actual sound quality is how much sound your headset can isolate in the game from the rest of the world.
Having a noise-canceling headset, for example, can help improve audio output and clarity. This makes it possible to hear everything inside the game, regardless of what’s happening around you. This is especially useful when playing a shooter like Escape from Turkov, where the difference between life and death is hearing the direction that a faint footstep or distant gunshot is coming from.
Construction Quality
The majority of the gaming headsets on the market are made out of cheap plastic. They’re uncomfortable to wear, ill-fitting, and worse still is that they don’t tend to last long. This is why it’s recommended that you avoid plastic gaming headsets if you can and opt for something that uses either metal or a wireframe.
If you do have no choice but to go with a plastic gaming headset, get something that’s made out of high-quality plastic that’s flexible enough to give you enough room to move your head without compromising comfort.
Microphone Quality
First things first, don’t expect studio-grade recording quality from a gaming headset. They’re not built for that. Instead, do try to lower your expectations. But at the same time, don’t settle either. You’ll still want to have standards.
Ideally, you’ll want a gaming headset with a detachable boom mic with some form of noise-canceling feature.
Surround Sound
Having a 360-degree soundscape is crucial in Escape from Tarkov. It’s arguably the reason why you’re investing in a high-quality gaming headset, in the first place. This is because having surround sound lets you hear wherever any kind of sound is coming from, whether be it an ally or a foe.
The 5 Best Headsets For Escape From Tarkov
1. Hyper X Cloud II
Key Features
- 53 mm drivers
- DTS 7.1 surround sound
- USB Wired
The Hyper X Cloud II is what you’d call as the quintessential headset for Escape from Tarkov.
But before anything else, don’t confuse this as us saying as it’s the best headset for Escape from Tarkov. It’s right up there, but it’s not because of its long list of features or striking design. In fact, if anything else, the Hyper X Cloud II is pretty basic and normal. However, its rather vanilla appearance belies a favorite among plenty of FPS players.
One of the reasons why the Hyper X Cloud II is one of the best headsets for Escape from Tarkov is that it comes with 7.1 Surround Sound Audio.
This is an excellent feature to have in an FPS gaming headset. This is because it allows you to work out the location of sound while in-game. This sound is then further improved by the headset’s 53mm audio drivers, which you can control using an advanced audio control box.
Comfort-wise, the Hyper X Cloud II uses a memory foam material headband and pairs it with velour ear cushions for optimal comfort.
Throw in a mesh bag there, as well as interchangeable ear pads and a detachable noise-canceling microphone, and you’ve got a recipe for a headset that will help you do better in Escape from Tarkov.
Pros
- Comfortable and stylish
- Immersive virtual 7.1 surround sound
- Lightweight
- Interchangeable ear pads
Cons
- Lacks software customization features
- Bass could use a bit of improvement
2. Sennheiser Game One
Key Features
- 40 mm drivers
- Stereo performance
- 3.5mm wired connection.
Offering class-leading sound quality with a microphone that does well more than expected, the Sennheiser Game One is a rare kind. Why? Well, for starters, it’s got everything that both casual and hardcore gamers will ever need in a gaming headset, including one for shooters like Escape from Tarkov, and also, well, because it’s open-back.
The reason why we say this is because of its neutral frequency response. This means it won’t make the sound quieter or louder. This will be an adjustment for those who’re used to using headsets that boosts the bass, but for shooters, this is ideal.
The “de-emphasizing” of sound quality leads to a much clearer sound, which is especially good for first-person shooters where you need as much sound clarity as possible.
Design-wise, the Sennheiser Game One is a bit of a hit-or-miss.
If you’re a fan of utilitarian designs, then it’s a big hit for you. The matte black plastic is basically resistant to wear-and-tear and the matte black velour padding is comfortable, even if you wear glasses. But at the same time, it also feels like Sennheiser put too much focus on comfort and not as much on the actual aesthetics.
Speaking of aesthetics, as we mentioned earlier, the Sennheiser Game One is an open-back gaming headset.
This is worth mentioning because open-back gaming headsets are great if you live in a relatively quiet area as the design allows you to hear more in-game (and while listening to music). But at the same time, the design lets noise leak in and out, which means you’ll have to look for other ways to isolate noise from your environment.
So long as you’re okay with that, it’s hard to get something that can offer as much as what the Sennheiser Game One can, let alone more.
Pros
- Excellent 3D sound reproduction
- Easy on-the-fly volume adjustment
- Comfortable to wear
Cons
- Doesn’t isolate environmental noise as much
3. Razer Kraken
Key Features
- 50 mm driver
- DTS 7.1 surround sound
- USB Wired connection
How many years has it been since the first generation fo the Razer Kraken has been released? Three? Five? Ten? You know what? It doesn’t matter. Because, what’s important is that, in each and every generation, Razer has done the Kraken good, including the latest generation.
Sure, the slight improvements were disappointing. There weren’t enough reasons for people who owned previous-generation Razer Krakens to jump ship and buy the new one unless theirs broke. But then again, that’s kind of expected when a product is this good.
Besides, Razer made sure that the new Kraken received substantial improvements where it counts the most — cooling and comfort.
While the new Razer Kraken still lacks surround sound capabilities, the sound quality remains commendable. Not to mention, the new Kraken received thicker and more comfortable headband padding, as well as gel-infused ear cushions for better cooling, and an improved microphone.
It’s merely an added bonus that Razer decided NOT to increase the price on the latest-gen Kraken.
Pros
- Gel-infused ear cups for improved comfort and cooling
- Bass remains as tight as ever
- Stylish
Cons
- No surround sound
4. Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum
Key Features
- 40 mm driver
- DTS 7.1 surround sound
- USB/3.5mm wired connection
Affordable and portable aren’t exactly the kind of words that we’d just to describe the Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum. However, if you’re going to go all-in on Escape from Tarkov, you might as well go with the best, and this headset is just that.
One of the key reasons why the Artemis Spectrum makes it on our list is its full utilization of the Logitech Gaming Software application.
Featuring full RGB lighting in each cup, you can use the said software to adjust backlighting colors. You can also choose from a list of built-in audio profiles and program your own, which is quite tempting, especially in a game like Escape from Tarkov, thanks to the numerous equalization options available via Logitech’s app.
Utilized properly along with the 7.1 surround sound feature and Pro-G audio drivers, you can fully immerse yourself in Escape from Tarkov using the Artemis Spectrum, making each gunshot and footstep sound much clearer.
Perhaps the only issue with the Artemis Spectrum is putting it on, but even that isn’t as big of an issue when you consider that it feels so comfortable once actually worn.
Pros
- Plush and comfortable
- Customizable audio profiles
- Multi-platform
Cons
- Bulky
5. SteelSeries Arctis 7
Key Features
- SI drivers
- x2.0 7.1 surround sound.
- Wireless connection.
The SteelSeries Arctis 7 feels and looks less like your average gaming headset and more like something that you’d see a professional like a DJ would wear. Not that you can expect studio-grade sound quality from it though, but the way it’s designed makes it perfect for use both indoors and outdoors.
Where you can use it isn’t the only way that the Arctis 7 is versatile though, because this wireless gaming headset can be paired with pretty much any audio device you can think of. What this essentially means is that you can justify splurging on it for Escape from Tarkov because you can also use it for other purposes.
Regardless of the audio source, you can expect the 40mm drivers and the Dolby 7.1 surround sound of the Arctis 7 to deliver rich and powerful audio for as long as 20 hours in wireless mode before it runs out of juice.
Equipped with thicker and more comfortable ear pads, better on-ear controls, improved bass, as well as a more user-friendly cable system, the latest iteration of the Arctis 7 is easy to recommend.
Pros
- Excellent wireless sound quality
- Sleek and stylish design
- Generous padding
Cons
- Mic feels lacking
Final Thoughts
All five of the headsets that we recommended are excellent options for all-around gaming, particularly FPS games.
Combining either an above-average microphone with clear audio, among other things, these headsets can make your gaming experience more immersive while also giving you an edge over your competition.
In the end, your choice for a headset for Escape from Tarkov is yours to make.
Whether or not you end up choosing the headsets that we recommended, what’s important is that you think about your budget, the features that you’ll be needing and could use in Escape from Tarkov, as well as other features that might want to come in handy when you’re listening to music, watching movies, or playing other games.
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About Author
Kenny Lee
An electronics engineer of 10 years turned copywriter. Headphones have been my best companion whether it's coding or writing. It's as much about blocking off distractions and tuning in to great music. Also a passionate pianist.
Thanks a lot for sharing this list. I agree with you that playing a game like Escape From Tarkov without decent quality headphones is not going to do the trick. This game has caught my attention. It seems like an interesting adventure and I would like to give it a go. So I bumped into your post here and it got me wondering about these headphones. Sorry, I haven’t read the post in full so I might have missed this. But which one of these is the best?
Hi Ivan,
The Hyper X Cloud II is a solid gaming headset that you ought to try. It’s comfortable and you’ll notice the subtle footsteps in the game.
Cheers,
Kenny