Tested JBL Quantum 800

A quantum stumble

A fairly expensive, feature-rich wireless headset that does most things well enough but lacks any standouts

R3800 / incredible.co.za

■ We were expecting a little more from the JBL Quantum 800, considering it falls under the Harmon brand. This is JBL’s first foray into the gaming headset market and while the headset isn’t exactly bad there is plenty of room for it to grow into something greater.

■ To start off with, that’s a mighty high price. JBL does a fairly good job of giving you your money’s worth in features. Expect active noise cancellation, EQ options and spatial audio enabled through the software as well as a dedicated volume mixer to adjust levels between voice chat and game audio. And make no mistake, these are indeed for gamers. You are welcome to use them in the office but be prepared for a few sideways looks.

■ The construction is mostly plastic, the metallic part of which is a huge fingerprint magnet. While the foam earcups and headband are comfortable enough in short bursts, the clamping force and weight might cause some strain after a while. It does mean, though, that you get pretty good passive noise isolation just from the fit.

■ As for the sound, the main function of a headset, these do… okay. The bass and treble accuracy lacks a little, with the mids doing their best to make up for it. But the software EQ means you’re able to customise them to suit your preferences.

Ooh shiny If your friends or family like RGB, this set has a ring of it on the earcups you can customise using the included software.

Tech specs

Driver size 50mm Frequency response 20 Hz - 20 kHz Weight 410g Impedance 32ohms Bluetooth version 5.0 Battery life up to 14hrs AActive Noise Cancelling Yes Built-in Microphone Yes Inline Controls Yes ■ Control at your fingertips

The left earcup features most of the controls like a mic mute button, volume wheel, a wheel to mix voice chat and game audio, and the ANC/hear-through button. They could have been spaced out a little more though. ■ Goes well with console flavours too

Connect the Quantum 800 to your PlayStation via 2.4Ghz wireless or to your Xbox via 3.5mm audio jack but take note, the features controlled by software are only for PC.

STUFF SAYS A decent enough set of cans, albeit rather pricey ★★★✩✩

The wrong place to search for a quantum leap

The Quantum 800 brings a lot to the table, as it should for its price. But it seems like for every feature it brings, there is a slight caveat to be had. The advertised 14-hour battery life might seem good but you will need to turn features like RGB off to achieve that. When they’re flat, though, you must also plug in two cables just to use them. This is an okay headset overall that is just a few tweaks away from being a real value champ.