Gaming headsets, especially the ones with surround sound functionality, were once considered a marketing gimmick. However, in recent years, virtual surround sound headsets, which make use of dedicated software to emulate a surround sound experience, are becoming the real deal by helping a lot in fast-paced competitive multiplayer games. They are also becoming more affordable and more mainstream by the day. With that in mind, we have rounded up the 12 best 7.1 channel surround sound gaming headsets you can buy right now.

The best gaming headsets let you pinpoint the exact location of your enemies and kill them before they even know it. Well, we’re talking about the big guns in the headset market that are actually worth the price if you’re looking for a surround sound experience on a headset. So, if you’re looking forward to buy one in the near future, here are the 12 best 7.1 surround sound headsets for gaming you can buy in 2022.

  • Sennheiser GSP 550 USB Gaming Headset
  • Logitech G935 Lightsync
  • HyperX Cloud II
  • SteelSeries Arctis Pro
  • Eksa E1000
  • Redragon H510 Zeus
  • Razer Kraken
  • Corsair VOID RGB Elite
  • Asus ROG Strix
  • Sony PlayStation Platinum
  • Sennheiser GSP 350
  • Astro Gaming A50

1. Sennheiser GSP 550 USB Gaming Headset

Sennheiser is one of the most popular brands in the audio industry. Audiophiles mostly prefer their headphones for studio monitoring purposes. The company makes the world’s most expensive headphones, priced at nearly $65000 and although they might not have the same stature in the gaming headset segment, the company still makes some of the best surround headsets in the market. Meet the Sennheiser GSP 550 gaming headset.

As much as we love and enjoy the impeccable audio quality of this headset, it has it’s fair share of downsides as well. First of all, it’s a wired headset. Being the most expensive one in the list, it’s unacceptable that Sennheiser didn’t add a wireless mode.

The Bottom Line: Get it if you don’t want to compromise with the sound.

Logitech’s G-series of gaming accessories is well known and renowned, and the G935 wireless gaming headset with 7.1 surround sound is a worthy addition to the line-up. It boasts DTS Headphone X at a much more affordable price. Certain games like Battlefield 1 have exclusive sound profiles for the Logitech surround sound headsets that you can take full advantage of.

The Bottom Line: If you want a great sounding headset with both wireless and wired options then it’s a perfect pick.

This is the best headset you can possibly buy, for under hundred bucks. The HyperX Cloud II is rightly named, as it “feels like a cloud” once you’re wearing it. Without doubt, it’s the most comfortable headset featured in this list, and if you’re used to long gaming sessions, this might very well be your obvious choice for comfort.

The Cloud II is made out of solid, durable aluminum frame, making it one of the best built gaming headsets out there. Unlike the other headsets that we previously discussed, this one’s a wired headset, so you don’t have to deal with waiting for your headset to charge up or replacing your batteries.

  • Affordable yet sounds amazing
  • Can hear highs and lows
  • 53nm drivers
  • Noise-canceling microphone

The Bottom Line: The best affordable gaming headset that you can buy.

“SteelSeries” is well-known for producing both affordable and premium headsets. And guess what, its Artis Pro looks just in line to give strong competition to the flagship 7.1 surround sound headsets.

That’s not all, the SteelSeries Arctis Pro also lets you personalize your audio preferences with a large collection of EQ presets and sound modes. As someone who loves to try out cool presets while taking rivals just to prevent monotonous feelings from spoiling the whole gaming experience, I’m glad that SteelSeries offers a bevy of EQ presets.

The Bottom Line: If you want high-quality DAC sound in a wireless headset then it’s for you.

5. Eksa E1000

For the folks who are on the lookout for the cheapest 7.1 surround sound headset, this offering from Eksa appears to be a better choice for multiple reasons. First and foremost, the headset delivers clear sound quality thanks largely to the 50mm audio drivers. Thus, you will always feel like being in the thick and thin of gaming, ensuring no action misses your attention.

Key Features:

The Bottom Line: If you are on a budget, you can’t get anything better than the Eksa E1000.

Yet another gaming headset that looks primed to give a strong competition to the premium rivals. Redragon H510 Zeus might not appeal to your fancy at the very first glance nor will it deliver the best audio experience but when it comes to meeting essential requirements, the headset can pack a huge punch – way higher than its price point.

  • Pretty affordable
  • 53mm drivers
  • Immersive sound
  • Detachable mic
  • In-line controls
  • Foam ear pads

The Bottom Line: Again, a stellar headset with 7.1 surround sound system at an affordable price.

When it comes to built quality and design, Razer headsets have always been top-notch, and Kraken Tournament Edition THX headset is no exception. Made of the durable aluminum frame, it sports a trendy design that can go nicely with your style quotient. Compared to its predecessor, the headphones pack larger 50mm audio drivers for a much more balanced in-game audio.  You will be making use of Razer’s Synapse software for customizing your surround sound configurations.

And with the in-line audio controls, you can comfortably control audio while being indulged in the action-packed gaming. On top of all, Kraken Tournament Edition THX offers cross-platform compatibility so that you can use it on virtually any platforms.

The Bottom Line: A pretty good 7.1 gaming headset and you can get it if you want DAC.

What makes Corsair VOID RGB Elite an impressive contender for your choice is the ability to tick off most essential boxes including trendy design, sound quality, and comfort without stretching your budget. So, if you want to get a high-quality gaming headset under $100, it wouldn’t be wise to miss out on this one.

Packed with 50mm high-density neodymium Audio featuring an expanded frequency range of 20hz-30, 000Hz, the headset is up to the mark when it comes to delivering clear and crisp sound. Besides, it also comes with an omnidirectional microphone so that you can stay in tune with your buddies during an action-packed collaboration.

  • Stylish and comfortable
  • Affordable
  • 50mm drivers
  • Multi-directional mic
  • LED mute indicator
  • Multi-channel audio output
  • RGB Lighting

The Bottom Line: Corsair Void has got both style and sound. On top of that, it costs pretty less than the competition.

Asus might not have the majority of the share in the gaming headset market, but this ROG Strix Wireless headset checks most of the boxes for the gaming enthusiast. It packs a completely unique design that stands out from the rest of the competition, thanks to the ear cups which look like raging eyes.

The headset is powered by a 900 mAh battery which promises a battery life of up to 10 hours, which is decent considering its price. The microphone on the ROG Strix Wireless is detachable if you want it away from your face.

The Bottom Line: If you want the looks with a crystal clear sound for gaming Asus ROG Strix is a done deal.

Focusing on gaming headsets for PCs was not our intention and we also want to show some love for all the console fans out there. That’s why we’ve added some dedicated virtual surround sound headsets just for our console gamers. Coming from Sony, this is undoubtedly the best gaming headset you can buy for the company’s greatest console.

The headset packs an integrated pinhole microphone instead of a boom mic, but it has noise cancellation to remove all the background noise. Although you can connect to multiple devices like PC, smartphones and tablets, you will be missing out on the surround sound and 3D audio features.

The Bottom Line: If you primarily play games on PlayStation then it will work great.

11. Sennheiser GSP 350

The Sennheiser GSP 350 is one of the more affordable devices in out list of the best 7.1 channel virtual surround sound gaming headsets for 2022. The device has a closed-back design that prevents sound from escaping and keeps you undisturbed while playing. It comes with a USB Surround Dongle that provides Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound processing to deliver spatial realism to enhance your game. The headset is backed by customizable surround sound options, including downloadable 7.1 Dolby Surround software. There’s also a noise-canceling microphone that provides high clarity for in-game communication. There’s also the flip-to-mute function that shuts off in-game communication to seamlessly mute/unmute the microphone.

The Bottom Line: Great value-for-money 7.1 surround sound headset with crystal clear audio and great sound isolation, but with some compromises in terms of build quality and software.

Widely regarded as one of the best 7.1 surround sound gaming headsets in the market, the Astro A50 comes in two versions – one for PS5/PS4 and another for Xbox X | S and Xbox One. Both versions support PCs and, offer premium acoustics with an immersive audio and sound experience that delivers dialogue, music and in-game sound clearly. It also comes with Dolby Audio that delivers a cinematic, high-resolution gaming audio experience. The Xbox version also comes with Dolby Atmos that provides Object Audio for a more accurate and immersive sound experience.

  • Great build quality
  • Large sound stage
  • Comfortable for long periods of use
  • High-quality microphone

The Bottom Line: These headphones are designed for gaming, but also work great for listening to music. However, the requirement of the dock means that you cannot use it on-the-go.

Q. Are 7.1 Headsets Good for Gaming?

7.1 headsets are generally recommended by gamers because of its positional audio. If you are seriously into gaming, I would strongly suggest you to get one.

Many gamers find 7.1 or 5.1 surround sound system a gimmick. However, in the last couple of years, the multi-sound system has been enhanced by complex algorithms which work pretty well and allows you to find the direction of your enemy with near-perfect accuracy. So, I would say, yes, 7.1 headphones are worth it.

If I don’t have a budget constraint then I would easily pick the Sennheiser PC 373D. However, for budget users, the Mpow Iron is a great gaming headset in 2020.

Q. How Do I Get My Headphones to 7.1 Surround Sound?

It depends on the type of headset and the manufacturer of the sound equipment. If you have support for stereo sound then you can enable 7.1 surround sound system usually from the Spatial Settings page. You can find the audio utility from the manufacturer’s website.

Well, if you want the best 7.1 surround sound experience while gaming, you cannot go wrong with any of these headsets that we’ve discussed. Keep in mind that sound quality of these headsets are highly subjective, as it varies from person to person.