JBL Quantum 360P review - a capable but not complete mid-ranger
If you’re shopping around the mid-range level of the best PS5 headsets, you may well find the JBL Quantum 360P wireless model. Looking to offer a value-busting wireless option for PS5, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, the 360P is a capable though relatively unspectacular headset.
While it sports JBL’s reliable audio quality, making the sound of all media shine, the set is let down by tacky, cheap build quality, and sports a mic that is relatively unexceptional. It also has tough competition in the space in which it’s pitched and struggles to shine through - though there is no denying, particularly in isolation, the value it can offer if you’re after a solid and handy wireless PS5 headset that offers a pretty rich soundscape.
Price and availability
Coming in at $129.95 / £79.99 the JBL Quantum 360P sits squarely in the mid-range price bracket. Despite coming from a well-known and widely active brand, the JBL Quantum 360P isn’t currently available in Australia. The price is about right for its mid-range proposition, but would certainly be even more attractive should it receive price cuts price-cut treatment at retailers or during sales events. We often see headsets in this bracket try to push the value envelope - specifically with those offering wireless connectivity - so the Quantum 360P has to do exactly that right from the off.
As mentioned, the JBL Quantum 360P is stacking up against the likes of the official PS5 Pulse 3D wireless headset, the Logitech G535, and the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 headset. This makes for tough company for the 360P with those competing headsets offering wonderful bang-for-buck value, top build quality, connectivity and flexibility, and excellent overall audio prowess. As a result, the Quantum 360P risks fading into the background of the conversation before it can even enter it.
Design and features
The 360P’s design is immediately clear as something that’s geared toward being in keeping with the PS5’s own design aesthetic. White, black, and blue abound across the headband and the cups, and it looks right at home next to Sony’s console.
The headband offers some padding at the center which is a bit lean for my liking, and a little scant considering the north-of-$100 price tag. The leatherette cushioning on said cups is relatively comfortable and soft, but not the plushest or nicest I’ve experienced such as the ultra-comfy SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless. Still, overall comfort is adequate and feels fine for sessions lasting a few hours - though I did notice the headband being slightly uncomfortable over longer periods.
The earcups house all of the headset’s onboard features, as well as some light JBL branding which is unintrusive. On the right cup, there’s the power switch and the power/connection LED. The left houses the mic port, USB-C charging and connection port, charging LED, mic mute button, volume wheel, and game/chat balance wheel.
Where the cups fall short is in the build quality. They feel loose in the build and readily freewheel from the hinges about all of their axes. At best, this never screams top-end build quality, and at worst, it’s frankly annoying and makes the headset unwieldy in the hands. What makes this latter point worse is the tacky-feeling plastic that the headset is finished in all over. It’ll do a job of protecting the set from most bumps and drops, but it is far more representative of something cheaper than its price tag would suggest.
The headset offers a streamlined wireless focus, epitomized by the fact that there are no wired audio options on the 360P; no audio jack, and no audio through the USB-C port. What you get instead in this cord-free set is a 2.4GHz wireless connection via the dongle as well as a Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity option. Neat and focused, as I say, but it’s always a plus to have a physical, wired connection as a backup. Nonetheless, the 360P offers versatility by being compatible with PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, mobile, and Mac.
While primarily geared toward PS5 and PS4 use, you can deploy the 360P on PC too, which will allow you to make the most of JBL’s Quantum software, where you can tinker and customize your EQs, mic levels, and spatial sound settings. However, it’s worth noting that settings are not stored on board, so can’t then be ‘taken back’ to another platform.
Lastly, JBL claims the Quantum 360P has a battery life of 22 hours when using the 2.4GHz connection, and 26 hours when using Bluetooth. In my testing, I have found this to be around right - I recently only had to put the headset on charge after 20-something hours of use (both 2.4GHz and Bluetooth).
Performance
No matter what you spend on a gaming headset, the proof is in the audio pudding. And in the Quantum 360P, the proof is very in keeping with JBL’s audio chops and known quality - no matter the media, the audio provided by the 360P is rich, rounded, and enjoyable.
To put the 360P through its paces, I tried several games and predominantly used it while getting the hours in for my Lies of P review, but also tested the set with Back 4 Blood with my friends, and when jumping back into Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (in preparation for Assassin’s Creed Mirage). Across all those games, the audio delivered to me was rich and certainly channeled JBL’s pedigree. The bass was particularly fulsome and rounded, and no details or audio cues, no matter how subtle were ever missing.
Guns were punchy in Back 4 Blood, and the awful noises all the Ridden make throughout levels were nice and clear; every mechanical clang of Lies of P’s puppet enemies was well-presented, and the cacophony of busy boss fights was well-balanced too; and the sounds of Valhalla’s world from trees rustling to the swish of arrows was lovely. JBL’s audio quality is certainly in the 360P’s DNA and experiencing this through the set’s 40mm drivers (about par for this range of headset) is one of the 360P’s best features.
In practice, the game/chat dial is nice to have but a little inconsistent and the differences were subtle at best, and the dual connectivity is certainly nice to have - though is rapidly becoming the standard in 2023.
JBL’s audio quality extended to other media in my testing too. All music, pretty much across the board, was rich and detailed - from background video game soundtracks to country and heavy metal, the 360P did a top job of acting as a daily driver set of headphones for music, work, and everything else away from gaming too.
Audio downsides were not totally absent, however. I found the top end of the soundscape cut across other audio quite jarringly at times; even down to Slack notifications being a little tinny and echoey as they barged through music. It’s also worth noting that on consoles you won’t get any onboard or JBL-own surround sound features - you’ll get the PS5’s own benefits on that console, but anything else surround sound wise is reserved for PC only.
The microphone being detachable is a welcome move so as to offer a neat solution for when it’s not needed, however, it too is lacking in build quality and doesn’t scream of a more-than-$100-price standard. It wobbles a lot, doesn’t hold a strong bend, and is finished with a cheap-feeling rubber. Team this with a solid but unspecial quality of presenting and carrying my voice, and it’s another middling feature on the whole. It’s relentlessly fine and perfectly serviceable.
The JBL Quantum 360P really is the definition of an unspectacular, gets-the-job-done mid-range headset, but for something that’s on the expensive side of $100, folks should expect more - especially from the robustness, build quality, and design.
In the face of its peers, and while the audio quality and dual connectivity do save the 360P somewhat, on the whole, it doesn’t do an awful lot to stand out above the competition - which is fierce at this level. Personally, for something PS5-specific at this price point, I’d choose the Pulse 3D, and for something beefier and multi-platform, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2. As a result, it’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend at its retail price - though it could be an attractive proposition during sales like the Black Friday gaming headset deals.
Should I buy the JBL Quantum 360P wireless headset?
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How we reviewed the JBL Quantum 360P headset
I used the JBL Quantum 360P headset as my daily audio-giver for PS5 and PC, for work and play, over the period of several weeks. As a result, I was able to test it with a variety of media, from different genres of games, meetings, and calls, to all kinds of music. I wore the headset for varying session lengths, from a couple of hours up to all day on my PC. The battery life I experienced was around that that JBL claim.
I was also able to directly compare the headset to my usual go-to PC set, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro (2023), and my regular PS5 set, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless to see how the 360P fares against premium gaming headsets in both single player gaming, audio quality, and microphone qualities.
If you’re looking for a headset compatible with the other consoles, check out our guides to the best Nintendo Switch headsets, and best Xbox Series X headsets.
0 comments:
Post a Comment