LucidSound LS15X Xbox/PC review: The best budget wireless gaming headset

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Cardinal

LucidSound proves itself time and time again to be amid the more consistent headset manufacturers on the market place. Their LS35X has enjoyed favorable placements on our best Xbox Serial X, S headsets roundup for many months, and I recollect this budget-tier offering may as well find its mode onto there very soon too.

Recently, Microsoft launched a upkeep wireless Xbox headset which fell short on sound quality across the board. While LucidSound'due south LS15X does brand some compromises, it absolutely nails the fundamentals and defies its toll point with very impressive audio and features, giving you a significant saving in the process.

Ls15x Se

LucidSound LS15X

Bottom line: LucidSound's LS15X has saturday up and shown the competition how budget wireless headsets should be done. Neat sound quality, mic monitoring, and a jaw-dropping price indicate show that you don't need to spend above $100 to get a proficient wireless experience.

The Proficient

Great sound for the cost
Solid feature set with large bombardment life
Attractive blueprint with multiple color options

The Bad

Quality of materials takes a hitting
Mic isn't the all-time in the world
Moving parts have inconsistent action

LucidSound LS15X: Price and availability

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Fundamental

The LucidSound LS15X is bachelor widely from all major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and so on. Information technology costs $81 at well-nigh sources we checked, although the price can fluctuate a chip. This is a headset that may also selection up sales here and at that place during events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.

LucidSound LS15X: What'southward good

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Fundamental

I got these in a brusque while ago, and while I'm a fan of LucidSound, I generally accept poor expectations of wireless headsets below the $100 mark. They often make far as well many compromises to be worth recommending over a comparable wired headset, which often come up in cheaper while also sporting amend build quality in some cases. I am pleasantly surprised with the LS15X though, and pleased to report that it bucks the trend somewhat.

Category	LucidSound LS15X
Speakers	50mm Neodymium, over-ear
Colors	Blackness, blue
Battery life	Up to xv hours
Compatibility	three.5mm (sold separately), Xbox/PC wireless
Mic	Detachable omni-directional
Features	EQ modes, on-ear controls, mic mute LED, mic monitoring
Toll	$81

The headline act on the LS15X is without a doubt the sound quality. While many similarly priced wireless headsets make large sacrifices in the audio section to hitting that lower cost tier, LucidSound's LS15X simply does not. I played Call of Duty: Vanguard beta and Battlefield Five to exam them out and was unexpectedly impressed by the entire soundstage. I felt every bit though I was using a far more expensive headset, attributable to excellent positional awareness buoyed by Windows Sonic on my Xbox, with clear highs that very accurately exposed enemy movements. I can firmly attest that I landed more than than an extra few kills as a direct result of this headset.

Information technology'due south no slouch in the immersion section either, offering warm, sweeping bass that sounds natural despite the cutting highs. The mids are balanced too, and although there's no software to get truly granular tweaking the EQ, it offers some solid presets that give a good out-of-the-box feel.

The headline act on the LS15X is without a doubt the audio quality.

Many wireless headsets often sacrifice features at this toll point, but I was pleased to find total sidetone mic monitoring on the microphone, significant you hear gentle feedback when you speak into the mic. Speaking of which, the microphone isn't incredible sounding, but information technology does get the chore done, and has a mute LED and detachability for expert measure.

The headset sports similar on-ear controls to its more expensive brethren with circular dials and buttons baked right onto the headset. The USB dongle provides a perfectly stable betoken besides, beyond marathon play sessions that tin can last anywhere upward to 15 hours, thanks to beefy bombardment life.

I was pleased to find that this headset was sufficiently comfy as well. Leather-style earcups are far libation than cheaper fabric some budget headsets seem to tend to use, and the head strap is broad with a generous caste of adaptability, making this an platonic headset for both youngsters and people with oversized skulls like myself. There's frankly very little to complain about with this headset, but like any product, it's not absolutely perfect.

LucidSound LS15X: What's not so good

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Central

While LucidSound didn't compromise on the fundamentals, as in audio quality, it did downgrade the microphone versus some of its more expensive cousins. The flexibility is nowhere nearly as pliable every bit LucidSound mic booms ofttimes are either, merely honestly it's a pocket-size gripe. In that location aren't many gaming headsets out there that are truly suitable for content cosmos, and the mic here is still clear for comms conversation, without generating whatever echoes.

Peradventure the biggest compromise is the general build quality and structure. While you won't notice it when you're wearing it, it does feel a little brittle in the hand, and not nearly as dense as a more expensive headset might be. The adjustable head strap doesn't quite hold its position either, which is a chip odd, although it doesn't affect the wearability.

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Central

Another grievance I have with LucidSound headsets in general is the lack of data on what the dials and buttons do. Many competing headsets take an on-board vocalization that tells y'all which buttons yous've pressed and what each of the controls practise. The dials make a chime when you lot hit their maximum setting, and don't offer any sort of feedback when yous're moving through levels.

Despite being a rotational interface, I've learned through trial and error that turning the dial is more similar pressing a push, and yous demand to stop after turning it for the firmware to catch upward a chip. Because of this lack of feedback, it's hard to tell if your audio adjustments are going through until you've muddled through the headset'southward idiosyncrasies.

For reference, the left dial controls master volume, while the right controls chat residual. Turning the left dial clockwise turns the book up, while turning the right punch clockwise adjusts the balance towards conversation comms. It tin be disruptive if yous're trying to arrange both at the same fourth dimension to effigy out where you want the sound to be, unless you keep the instructions handy while you lot learn it off past heart. Information technology would easily be solved by some sort of informative feedback, whether it was a physical click on the dial like the official Xbox Wireless Headset offers, or an on-lath vocalism assistant like the Turtle Beach Stealth series offers. Either way, once you've learned how it all works, it won't crusade you whatsoever more issues. The lack of clarity may frustrate a younger gamer, though. I know information technology bloody well frustrated me, and I've been using wireless LucidSound headsets for half a decade.

LucidSound LS15X: The competition

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Central

The LucidSound LS15X competes with the likes of the official Xbox Wireless Headset from Microsoft, and the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 for affordable wireless supremacy. The only advantage the Xbox Wireless Headset has here is the improver of Bluetooth and direct-to-Xbox wireless connectivity, the LS15X trunk slams it on literally every other facet, offering amend sound across the board.

The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen two comes a little closer, only is by and large $20 more expensive. The onboard assistant makes the Stealth 600 a lilliputian easier to utilize out of the box, merely considering the LS15X has a more impressive sound stage and a lower price point, I'd say the unintuitive controls are a worthwhile trade-off. The Stealth 600 does accept direct-to-Xbox wireless connectivity, but the LS15X's USB dongle can be swapped betwixt Xbox and PC at whim, saving you from buying an additional Xbox Wireless dongle.

LucidSound LS15X: Should y'all buy it?

Ls15x Review Source: Windows Central

Honestly, this is $ for $ the best budget wireless headset I've used. It doesn't make any compromises on the fundamentals, offering an impressive and tactical soundstage ideal giving you advantages without sacrificing immersion. The soundscape sounds warm and naturalistic with impressive bass furnishings, which tin exist accentuated farther with an EQ adjustment key.

You lot should purchase this if ...

Y'all want a great Xbox / PC wireless experience without breaking the bank
You lot don't mind having an "average" mic experience geared wholly towards comms

You lot shouldn't buy this if ...

You'd prefer to not cede a USB port
You lot want something that tin withstand a fleck of "mishandling," shall nosotros say

I'm not sure this headset would survive being thrown across the room in a fit of lag-induced rage, with compromises to materials and build quality. It is, withal, very comfortable, with airy leather-style cups and a broad and generous head strap that felt comfortable later on several hours of sweaty Call of Dutying.

Y'all could do far, far worse than the LS15X. You lot won't be creating content using the microphone and information technology is a bit annoying how unintuitive the volume controls are, just for just over $80, this is probably the best "affordable" wireless headset on the entire market correct now. Well washed, LucidSound.

Ls15x Se

LucidSound LS15X

Bottom line: The LS15X defies its $81 price tag with a warm, balanced sound profile, a rich feature ready, high-tier comfort, completed with bulky battery life. For those seeking a wireless PC and Xbox headset that won't hurt your wallet, expect no further.

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