JBL Quantum 910X - Review

I find myself in a lucky position, that I get to review a lot of headsets and I have a few preferences on whose products I do review and JBL is among that number. The reason why is simple they offer great sound and really good comfort so could the Quantum 910X keep delivering to the same level of satisfaction as past headsets, honestly no it exceeded them.

As with any headset, we must first start with the form, because if you can’t wear it then you can’t use it and I am happy to report that the 910X may look bulky, but it is surprisingly light and comfortable. Taking it from the box, I was immediately impressed as to just how little there was going on, that's not to say that there's nothing to the headset but more just that everything that's there has a purpose. The ear cups a quite large and yet very, very soft but they've got enough resistance to them that they don't immediately collapse if you apply any pressure to them. The headband across the top looks like it would be quite thick as far as plastic goes but the plastic band is actually quite narrow and the rest is padding. The result is that the moment you put it on your head, it won't feel like it's trying to crush you under an obscene amount of weight or even worse a rigidity that it can't sustain. To put it into context the headset is so comfortable to wear, by taking it on a flight from Melbourne to Tokyo I wore it for 8 hours straight while I watched Season 2 of Halo and I had no complaints.

So, the headset is comfortable to wear but is it comfortable to use, located on the right ear cup are both the power/Bluetooth switch and the spatial audio button. Every other feature and function is located on the left ear cup, which seems a little busy because of it, but everything's spaced in a way that it doesn't feel like you're fighting to find the right function. On the left ear cup, you'll find your USB-C charging port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, the microphone mute button, volume control, game/chat mix wheel, active noise cancellation button and the microphone. The only concern you may encounter at least early on is that the two wheels are next to each other, there is thankfully enough of a difference between the wheel design that you will learn which one is which fairly quickly. The only other aspect of the left ear cup you'll come to use more often than anything else is the microphone, thankfully it has a fairly decent range of movement, before it mutes itself, ensuring that little bumps won’t trigger the mute. Attached to the end of it is a single LED, but it only turns on when the mic is muted, and if you raise it all the way up, the LED remains out of your peripheral view.

Having talked about the form and functions it's now time to talk about the use of the headset and here it depends entirely on what platform you're using it on. If you're going to use it on a computer you can plug in the included dongle or connect it via Bluetooth and you're good to go, however if you install the JBL Quantum Engine software then you can take full advantage of the JBL Quantum Sphere360, which has the headset deliver audio as if it was coming from all around you. Normally when a feature like this exists on a headset you need software on the computer for it to work correctly, it's pretty much the standard in the industry, but that is not the case here. You can also connect the headset via the dongle to your console of choice so Xbox, PlayStation and Switch and take advantage of the JBL Quantum Spatial360. Now you might be wondering what the difference is between the two, simply put through the software via computer you get the professional level and just by the headset you get the amateur level. Both deliver the same result but with the software you have more customization and control, letting you tweak things to suit your taste.

Now as I used the headset a lot while I was in my hotel room in Japan, with my Switch, I can tell you that I did enjoy using the active noise cancellation to block out the sounds of Tokyo, so I could enjoy my game. I did find that some games were better at making use of the Spatial360, games like Borderlands 3 or Red Dead Redemption as examples. Games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the Nintendo Switch Online apps sounded fine, but those games were never built around the concept of surround sound, so the headset did try its best. Of course, once I got back home I tested the headset out on the Xbox, like it is made to be used, I mean it is after all what the X stands for in 910X. One of the games I put the most time in was The Crew Motorfest, as it had been given its new island update and I have to say that it sounded amazing in the headset. I also booted into DOOM Eternal, as it is one of the games I use for testing headsets, as I have it on multiple platforms and it to sounded great on the Xbox, but what about the PC.

As I have DOOM Eternal on the PC, I connected it via the dongle and enjoyed what I heard, but then I opted to install the Quantum Engine software. Turning on the QuantumSphere made the game sound better, demons walking up behind me were easier to hear and of course, the sound of the chainsaw tearing through them, just hit a little differently. Looking into the software I found a setting which honestly made a big difference, because as you may know, I have a large head. One setting lets you tell the headset how wide your head is, which helps ensure the sounds are coming out in the correct position and turning that on made the great sound become amazing sound. With the head tracker enabled, I was able to dial in the positions even more and it honestly made for such a great experience, that I might be hard pressed playing games without it.

But it is not sunshine and rainbows with the headset, because when you have the spatial option enabled, especially on a computer, music and videos tend to sound muffled. This is not all content, I was able to watch some streaming shows and anime without issue and even had some music play, but the music was designed for a soundscape. Older songs, especially those mono tracks that still float around did not play well, when the options were all turned on, but when off, everything sounded great. I can’t imagine a scenario where someone wears a gaming headset and decides to listen to music with spatial awareness enabled, but you can here, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Given the number of connection options available, the JBL Quantum 910X will work on almost every device you throw its way and while both the 3.5mm and Bluetooth connections work wonderfully, the headset shines when the dongle is used instead. Using the dongle honestly takes a great headset and makes it impressive, even just via console the spatial audio sounds great, but with a PC that you have dialed the settings in for, the end result is an incredible soundscape. Of course, it is also light enough to wear for extended periods of time and with a battery life that will outlast any gaming session you throw at it, which all combined makes this one of the best headsets I have ever used.

The Score

10

Review unit provided by JBL

The Pros

Comfortable to wear for long periods of time, with soft ear cups and a thick padded headband

When connecting with the included dongle, the enablement of the spatial audio takes things to new levels

The Cons

The microphone is not removeable, which I do not like