Choosing a Gaming Headset With Hearing Health in Mind
- Dr. Brian James
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
(Companion to “The Ultimate Hearing Guide to Healthy Esports Gaming”)
© 2025 Dr. Brian James, AuD, CCC-A – Clinical Audiologist & Co-Owner, The Vault Gaming Center and Founder of Esports Audiology
Educational use only; not a substitute for personal medical or audiological advice.
Summary Overview
Most gaming headsets are built to sound hyped, not healthy. Big bass, sharp highs, RGB everywhere—very little of it is designed with long-term hearing in mind. At the same time, new WHO–ITU safe-listening standards for video gameplay and esports now treat gaming as a major source of noise exposure worldwide, recommending that devices help keep adults around 80 dB for up to 40 hours per week and children/teens around 75 dB for 40 hours, using built-in sound-dose monitoring.
Research reviewing video gaming sound levels reports 43.2 dB on mobile devices up to 80–89 dB in gaming centers, with some console games through headsets averaging mid-80s to low-90s dB—high enough to put frequent players at risk of noise-induced hearing loss or tinnitus if sessions are long and frequent.
If your first article (The Ultimate Hearing Guide to Healthy Esports Gaming) is about how loud and how long, this article is about what you wear on your head:
How to choose a headset that’s clear at safer volumes
How to read specs and reviews with an audiologist brain
How current “best” headsets stack up on hearing-health criteria
How to test any headset using a simple step-by-step protocol
Key Takeaways
New WHO–ITU standards now explicitly cover video games and esports, recommending sound-dose monitoring with weekly limits around 80 dB/40 hours for adults and 75 dB/40 hours for children and teens.
Reported gaming sound levels range from 43.2 dB (mobile) to 80–89 dB (gaming centers), with some shooter games measured through headsets averaging ~85–91 dB—levels that quickly eat through a safe weekly “sound allowance.”
A hearing-healthy gaming headset does four things: isolates outside noise, has balanced/clear sound, stays comfortable for long sessions, and gives you volume + EQ + safe-listening control.
Modern models such as HyperX Cloud III, Razer BlackShark V2, SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7/Pro Wireless, and Audeze Maxwell show how better tuning and software can deliver more detail at lower volumes.
You can test any headset like an audiologist: check seal → set an anchor volume → drop back 10–20% → run a 45–60 minute fatigue test → adjust EQ and habits instead of just turning it up.
How This Article Fits With Your Ultimate Hearing Guide
In The Ultimate Hearing Guide to Healthy Esports Gaming, we covered:
Safe listening limits (80 dB/40 hours, 75 dB/40 hours)
How long you can safely play at different loudness levels
Early warning signs like ringing, muffled hearing, and listening fatigue
How to structure daily sound budgets and quiet breaks
Now we’re focusing on the gear:
Ultimate Guide = Habits + LimitsThis Guide = Hardware + Setup
You can literally link them together:
This article when players/parents ask, “What headset should I get?”
The Ultimate guide when they ask, “How loud and for how long is safe?”
Pillar | What It Means for Gamers | Why It Protects Hearing |
Isolation | Closed-back cups, thick pads, good seal | Less room noise → lower volume needed |
Clarity | Balanced frequency response, low distortion, precise imaging | You hear detail without cranking it |
Comfort | Light weight, gentle clamp, breathable pads | Less fatigue and volume creep over time |
Control | Volume wheel, EQ, safe-listening tools, good mic/sidetone | Keeps peaks in check and reduces shouting |
Pillar 1 – Isolation: Blocking the Noise You Don’t Want
Closed-Back Over-Ear as the Default
For competitive and esports play, closed-back, over-ear headsets are usually best. They physically surround the ear and reduce outside noise (fans, HVAC, crowd), which means you don’t have to fight the room with volume.
HyperX Cloud III – Closed-back design with memory-foam pads; multiple reviews highlight low leakage and good passive isolation plus very comfortable long sessions.
Razer BlackShark V2 – Lightweight design with foam/mesh pads; tests consistently praise comfort and solid isolation for the weight.
ANC: Helpful When Used Wisely
Premium models layer active noise cancelling (ANC) on top of passive isolation:
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – Adds ANC, a base station, and hot-swappable batteries. Reviews emphasize how ANC cuts low-frequency rumble, making it easier to hear detail at moderate volume.
Use ANC to bring the noise floor down—not to justify pushing your volume up.
Gaming Context | Typical Reported Levels (dB) | Notes |
Mobile gaming (no headset) | ~43–60 dB | Often casual, shorter sessions |
Home console/PC (TV speakers) | ~60–75 dB | Depends on room and distance |
Headset gaming (console/PC) | ~80–90 dB | Shooter and racing titles in studies |
Gaming centers / esports venues | 80–89 dB | LAN/tournament style environments |
Short impulse sounds in games | Peaks up to ~119 dB | Brief peaks from explosions, etc. |
These are real numbers from systematic reviews and measurement studies—so when you think about choosing and setting up a headset, you’re working in this ballpark.
Level (dB) | Approx. Safe Hours per Week* |
80 | 40 hours |
83 | 20 hours |
86 | 10 hours |
89 | 5 hours |
92 | 2.5 hours |
*Based on WHO/ITU and related safe-listening guidance (80 dB/40 h; each +3 dB halves safe time).
Plot dB on the x-axis and safe hours on the y-axis; the curve dropping sharply shows why a “small” bump in volume has a big impact on safe listening time.
Pillar 2 – Frequency Response & Clarity: Not Just “More Bass”
Many “gamer” headsets are tuned like a rollercoaster: big bass, scooped mids, sharp highs. Fun for a few rounds; fatiguing over a whole weekend.
Independent measurements (RTINGS, SoundGuys, etc.) show that more balanced headsets tend to:
Preserve footsteps and positional cues
Keep voice chat intelligible
Avoid painful treble spikes that make ears feel “stabbed” at high volume
Audeze Maxwell: Clarity at Lower Volume
90 mm planar-magnetic drivers – much larger than typical 40 mm drivers.
Extended frequency range reportedly up to ~50 kHz, with low distortion.
Reviews consistently describe a detailed but controlled sound signature that lets you hear positional cues and mix detail without boosting the overall volume.
Pillar 3 – Comfort: The Hidden Hearing Feature
If your headset pinches, overheats, or crushes your glasses, you’ll fidget and unconsciously keep nudging the volume up during long sessions.
Reviewers and players consistently flag comfort as the reason they stick with certain models:
HyperX Cloud III – Widely praised for long-session comfort; aluminum frame and thick memory-foam pads help avoid hotspots.
Razer BlackShark V2 – Lightweight build and breathable pads; popular with streamers and comp players for all-day wear.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova line – Suspension headband spreads weight across a wide area; often recommended for larger heads or glasses wearers.
Rule of thumb: If you can’t tolerate two scrims in a row without discomfort, the headset is working against your hearing plan.
Pillar 4 – Control: Safe Listening in the WHO/ITU Era
The newer WHO–ITU standard for safe listening in video gameplay and esports pushes manufacturers to implement dosimetry (sound-dose monitoring) and volume-limiting, using the same 80 dB/40 h and 75 dB/40 h references that appear in your Ultimate Guide.
That means:
Consoles, PCs, and even some headsets will track weekly sound dose and provide adult vs child/teen safe-listening modes.
Devices can pop up alerts or automatically reduce volume when you hit 100% of your weekly sound allowance.
Headsets like the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7/Pro also give you:
Game-specific EQ presets (200–300+ profiles as of 2025 in SteelSeries software).
Per-game switching so your audio is already tuned for VALORANT, Fortnite, etc., without brute-forcing volume.
Table 3 -- Headsets Compared Across the Four Pillars
(Qualitative ratings based on current reviews/tests; update as products evolve.)
Headset | Isolation | Clarity / Tuning | Comfort | Control / Features |
HyperX Cloud III | Good | Balanced, flat-ish | Excellent | Basic volume + software EQ on PC |
Razer BlackShark V2 | Good | Competitive-friendly, clear mids | Very good | THX Spatial + EQ via software |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 | Good | Tunable via presets | Very good | Dual wireless, 200+ game EQ presets |
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless | Very good (ANC + passive) | Detailed, tunable | Very good | ANC, base station, hot-swap batteries |
Audeze Maxwell | Good–Very good (closed) | Highly detailed, planar | Good (heavier) | Extensive EQ via app, long battery |
How to Test Any Headset Like an Audiologist
To tie it all together, here’s a test protocol you can use at home or at The Vault Gaming Center.
Step-By-Step
Seal & Fit Check
Put the headset on normally.
Gently press on the cups. If the sound changes a lot, your everyday fit doesn’t seal well (hair, glasses, pad wear). Adjust until pressing only makes a small difference.
Anchor Volume in a Quiet Room
In a quiet room, load a typical in-game scene (team fight, firefight).
Start at 0% and raise volume until you can:
Hear footsteps and positional cues clearly
Understand team comms
Imagine staying at that level for several hours
That’s your anchor volume.
Drop-Back Test
Reduce volume 10–20% from your anchor.
If you still track all cues, note that setting—that’s your target for “safe performance” listening.
45–60 Minute Fatigue Test
Play for 45–60 minutes at anchor (or slightly below).
Afterward, ask:
Do my ears ring?
Does the world sound muffled?
Did I keep wanting to turn it up?
Any “yes” = lower volume, more breaks, and/or EQ tweaks.
Mic & Sidetone Check
Turn on sidetone/monitoring if available.
You should hear yourself clearly so you don’t shout above the game—good for your voice and your team’s ears.
Esports Headset Selection Checklist
Use this with the Esports Hearing Health Checklist from your Ultimate Guide:
☐ Closed-back, over-ear with good seal
☐ Comfortable for at least two scrims in a row
☐ Clear footsteps and voices at 50–60% volume
☐ EQ options to tame boomy bass or harsh highs
☐ System/app support for safe-listening or dose tracking
☐ Mic + sidetone good enough that nobody needs to yell
☐ For teens: volume limits and child/teen mode enabled on device
If you’re near Portsmouth, Ohio, you can bring this checklist to The Vault Gaming Center and:
Try different headsets in real matches
Use the flowchart to test your setup
Combine the gear approach here with the sound-budget and volume rules from The Ultimate Hearing Guide to Healthy Esports Gaming
So you can:
Play sharp. Protect your hearing. And stay in the game for the long run.
Headset & Hearing FAQ
Q1. What makes a gaming headset safer for my hearing?
A: A safer gaming headset reduces how loud you need to listen to perform well. Look for a closed-back, over-ear design with good isolation, balanced sound (not just heavy bass and sharp highs), and real comfort for long sessions. Add device features like safe-listening limits and sound-dose monitoring—based on WHO/ITU guidelines of about 80 dB for 40 hours per week in adults and 75 dB for children and teens—and you have a setup that supports both performance and long-term hearing health.
Q2. Are expensive headsets automatically better for hearing health?
A: Not necessarily. Some premium headsets add useful tech like ANC, hot-swappable batteries, or planar-magnetic drivers, but price alone doesn’t guarantee safer listening. What matters most is isolation, clarity at moderate volume, comfort, and control over volume/EQ. A well-chosen midrange headset can be more hearing-friendly than a high-end model that only sounds “good” near maximum volume.
Q3. How loud is too loud for competitive gaming with a headset?
A: For most players, you want game audio and voice chat to feel clear and immersive around 50–60% of your device’s max volume, not 80–100%. Research on gaming sound levels shows that headsets can reach 80–90 dB or more in real play, especially in shooters and esports venues—levels that can quickly eat into your safe weekly dose if sessions are long and frequent.
Q4. Which current gaming headsets are good examples of “hearing-healthy” design?
A: Several models stand out from a hearing-health perspective:
HyperX Cloud III – strong comfort and isolation, balanced tuning.
Razer BlackShark V2 – light, breathable, competitive-focused tuning with good midrange clarity.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7/Pro Wireless – dual wireless, ANC on Pro, and game-specific EQ presets via SteelSeries software.
Audeze Maxwell – planar-magnetic drivers and excellent tuning that deliver high detail at moderate volumes.
You don’t need these exact models, but they illustrate what to look for.
Q5. How do I know if my current headset setup is already causing damage?
A: Warning signs include ringing or buzzing in your ears after gaming, sound feeling muffled or “full” after long sessions, and needing to keep turning the volume up to hear the same details. If you notice any of these, lower your volume, build quiet breaks into your sessions, and schedule a hearing test with an audiologist—especially if you’re a frequent gamer or streamer.
About the Author
Dr. Brian James, AuD, CCC-A is a clinical audiologist, co-owner of The Vault Gaming Center in Portsmouth, Ohio, and founder of Esports Audiology, a niche initiative focused on hearing conservation and performance for gamers, streamers, and esports teams.
He brings together more than a decade of clinical experience with hands-on work running an esports venue—testing headsets, listening environments, and real-world play patterns every day. Through The Vault Gaming Center and Esports Audiology, Dr. James helps players, parents, and programs build setups that protect hearing and sharpen competitive awareness, so gamers don’t have to choose between rank today and healthy hearing tomorrow.