JBL Quantum 360P Headset - Review
JBL have made quite a number of headphones that suit a lot of gaming budgets and their latest offerings might just hit that sweet spot. The JBL Quantum 360P headphones for gaming comes at a retail price of just under $170, and potentially cheaper depending on any deals around. With the advent of one device for multiple uses, are they good enough to cover all the games you could play and break them out for office calls? Well, that just depends on what you’re after.
When you look for new items, no matter what they are, the price is a major factor into your decision and the Quantum 360P’s affordable RRP means it will be attractive to both gamers and non-gamers. There are a lot of other headsets that might suit both as well, but they tend to fall into a higher price point, so the Quantum 360P’s are off to a great start here. The headset supports Bluetooth as its default connection method, meaning as long as your device has that, it will work with it. However for those computers who don’t have it, a USB-A 2.4Ghz dongle is included, this also means you can have the headset connected to both your PC and phone, letting you take advantage of both with the press of a button. The only point of concern here is that the dongle being USB-A, rather than the more common USB-C, means that for some users, they are going to need to buy an adaptor in order to use the adaptor.
The functions of the headset are fairly standard, the left ear cup holds all the controls and the right is for your powering on and mode selection. If you are in Bluetooth but need to swap to the 2.4Ghz mode, you just need to move the power switch up again, moving it down no matter what mode you are in just turns the headset off. The left ear cup is where you can mute the microphone, adjust the volume levels and modify the balance between game and chat audio, if you need to. This is also where the 2.5mm microphone plugs in, which is somewhat ridged meaning that it will hold its shape, but its not one that folds up or away in any form. If you don’t want the microphone in place, then your only option is to remove it, which is something some headsets could opt to offer up as well.
The physical layout of functional features are very straight forward, however, the amount you increase and decrease for volume isn’t as fine-tuned in that there isn’t a lot of rotation as you use your thumb to dial up or down.
The sound the Quantum 360P produces is something that you can tick off as good. When using it for chats, you will be able to hear the voice of those you are speaking with clearly, with a good default mix of trebles and mids, while the bass provides a nice baseline to the sound. The bass is decent, but it would be nice if it was slightly richer and offered a deeper tone, though you can modify it with the JBL QuantumENGINE. That software does mean you need access to either a PC or a Mac, so for those who either don’t or don’t wish to use the software, the out of the box experience may not reach the same heights as other devices. It is important to note that there are more expensive headsets that do offer a richer base experience out of the box, but the important part there is that they are more expensive. While it isn’t an apples to apples comparison, what you are getting here, for the price point, puts it far ahead of some of the more expensive options.
As this is a wireless headset, one thing that it needs to get right is the battery performance and thankfully, it does. JBL claim that for 2 hours of charge, you can get 22 hours of use from the headset and while it’s difficult to be 100% accurate as to whether JBL’s boastful 22 hour battery life is true to the minute, in using them over a couple of weeks during gaming sessions and work meetings, the headset only needed to be charged one time. Even with that, it wasn’t due to it dying from no power, but just giving it full charge from 10%.
While the sound is great and the battery even better, there are a few drawbacks to consider. The first is that it is a shame that the headset doesn’t come with any type of carry bag or case for those who are a little more precious and may want to take it around with them or in their backpack. The ear cups themselves are made from a faux-leather, pleather if you will and while they are soft, there isn’t any real airflow around them. This won’t be an issue for those users who only need them for 25-30 minutes at a time, but once you hit the 60 minute mark, things do get a little warm. As for the headset build quality, as it is a fully plastic case, there is not a lot of give in the band and what give you will find, is more due to the flimsy nature of plastic. The inside top of the headband does include a little padding, which is very welcome, but across the board, its fairly basic. Given the lower price point, compared to some ‘premium’ headsets, the quality is decent, but there are some better options around, if you are willing to pay for them.
Overall, with the retail price being under $200, all the above call outs are absolutely just nit-picking. But for those who are budget conscious and still want a decent headset, these are definitely a purchase you won’t regret. Yes the option is there to spend more money to get, the JBL Quantum One’s come to mind, but with the way electronic goods aren’t built to last a lifetime, this is a good balance of price vs quality.
The Score
8.0
Review unit provided by JBL
The Pros
Great sounds for the budget conscious
Easy pairing with its Bluetooth and USB dongle
Able to adjust the sound settings via the JBL software
The Cons
Pleather ear cups are unbreathable and gets a little on the warm side
Feels a little on the plastic-ey and flimsy side
Pliable wire boom arm that cant’ just be moved or twisted upward to be put away
