JBL Quantum ONE review: A clever pair of surround headphones but a disappointing lack of support for non-PC users

The Quantum ONE is the flagship of JBL’s Quantum collection of over-ear gaming headphones and the one mannequin within the collection with digital encompass assist, although it’s a wired-only mannequin with no wi-fi capabilities. It’s very a lot focused at PC avid gamers and customers of different units will discover themselves ignored within the chilly in relation to accessing the very best options.

There’s rather a lot within the field – the headset is pretty hefty at 370g and the padded cups totally encompass your ears. A 3.5mm audio cable with a quantity management and mic mute button is provided, together with a calibration microphone to arrange head monitoring, a removable growth microphone for talkback and a USB-C to USB-A cable with a sport/chat stability dial on it.

The cups comprise a couple of buttons together with a noise cancelling on/off management, a re-centring button for the pinnacle monitoring, quantity management, mic mute and numerous LEDs. Connecting the headphones by way of USB offers energy, illuminating them with a variety of colors. The attention-grabbing options, akin to 7.1 encompass, monitoring and noise cancelling, require a USB connection and the Quantum Engine software program that powers them runs on Home windows solely.

Another system, even consoles, requires you to make use of a 3.5mm audio cable so that they grow to be principally only a pair of normal headphones. The software program doesn’t recognise the headphones when working underneath a digital PC on a Mac both. Whenever you do get it up and working, it’s fairly detailed and offers intensive customisation choices together with EQ, lighting, encompass mode and inputting your top and head diameter to allow the monitoring to work.

JBL’s personal QuantumSphere 7.1 encompass is on the market and there’s additionally a DTS Headphone X 2.0 possibility. JBL’s mode makes use of head monitoring to regulate sound placement as you progress your head which labored nicely, particularly with FPS video games the place you discover an setting and enemies transfer round you. Setting it up includes utilizing the calibration mic which is kind of simple and the talkback mic works nicely however must be stored fairly near carry out at its finest.

There’s noise cancellingm too, however solely in USB mode with a PC and this adequately blocks ambient noise. The 50mm drivers have a frequency response of 20Hz – 40kHz and the headphones supply a dependable soundstage, with a good stability of frequencies – even when the mid-range does really feel just a little lacklustre at factors. Listening to music in common stereo was first rate, although there are higher cans for much less cash when you don’t want the gaming options.

In case you match the precise profile – a PC gamer – these are a wise purchase, providing good, immersive encompass sound with added extras akin to head monitoring that genuinely elevate the gaming expertise. For anybody else although – console avid gamers, Mac customers, cell avid gamers – there are higher choices on the market. The reliance on a Home windows app to allow the attention-grabbing options means solely folks gaming on a PC will actually really feel the profit.