JBL Quantum 100P Gaming Headset Review! @JBLQuantumANZ
Summary: Quantum 100P: Cheap, simple and effective. Nothing to write home about, but a nice entry level into gaming headsets.
3.5
Affordable Gaming
Gaming headsets, a booming, highly competitive market, filled with competitors of all shapes sizes. Lately, I’ve been seeing a trend where gaming headsets are not only setting a high standard for sound. But with the rise in people of all ages and backgrounds getting into streaming, the coolest fit and most stylish designs are equally as important. JBL, A leader in sound technology, has released a new piece into the flooded market of gaming headsets. The Quantum 100P, does it stack up against the multitude of competitors? Let’s pump up the bass and find out!
Features
The Quantum 100P is as basic as they come, but that’s not always a bad thing. As has become commonplace with gaming headsets of late, the Quantum 100P features a detachable mic. Giving you the freedom of being able to take them anywhere. Paired with the standard 3.5mm audio jack, not only can you take them anywhere, you can use them with anything. Though they seemed to have been constructed with PS5 in mind, hence the P in the title and the white/blue colour scheme to match the PS5. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a feature, but it’s probably one of the lightest gaming headsets I’ve used. It’s simplistic nature means there’s literally no fuss, no software necessary to run it. Just plug it in and feel the immediate sound response.
Realistically, the Quantum 100P lacks any remarkable features. Where there is no bluetooth connectivity, there is a trusty wired jack. Where there is no fancy controls to control audio balance, there’s just an volume wheel and a mute/unmute button. But who needs all those crazy, fancy features? Sometimes you don’t, sometimes it’s the no frills, barebones and reliable tech that gets the job done. And sometimes, that’s all that matters, especially if you’re on a budget.
Build Quality/Comfort
Similar to my Hyper X Cloud III, the Quantum 100P features a decent range of flexibility. But the superior build quality of the Hyper X and it’s aluminum build, sets it leagues above. Speaking of material composition, the Quantum 100P is made entirely of plastic and the feel is undoubtedly cheap, so no rage quitting or yeeting the headset in frustration, unfortunately. The cheap feel in right through the entire unit, the mesh covering on the inside of the ear cups feels incredibly thin. With frequent enough use, I’d give it barely a year before it starts wearing away completely. The plastic nature of the build would lead to one needing to baby it, lest you accidentally sit on it and break it. On a side note, the audio cable is non-removable compared to the rest of the build. Meaning if you break it, you’ll need to open the unit up completely or simply purchase another. They also don’t really fold in on themselves, rather folding flat, making them a little tricky to store and transport in a safe manner.
The benefit of such a build, means that it’s cheap. Cheap enough that you’ll probably be able to overlook all the shortcomings simply by it’s comfort and replace-ability. The overall design is simple and actually quite comfortable. The size of the ear cups are decent enough to cover my entire ear and sit comfortably over them and the lightweight nature of the components mean that I can wear them for extended periods of game time and not experience much, if any, fatigue. Especially apparent, is the “clamp force”. Normally, one would like a relatively tight grip so that it holds firm, but for me personally, I like a light grip. I’ve had issues with other headsets, my wireless Corsairs that I use for my PC for example, sit quite tightly on my head and paired with their increased weight can very quickly feel uncomfortable on my ears. In some cases, I’ve even had headaches as a result of some of these. So the softer grip on the delicate ears is actually very welcome.
Audio Quality
Audio quality is a little bit hit and miss. Bass is practically non-existent, with the low to mid-range boosted to give the impression of boomy sound. This leads to bass heavy sounds being drowned out by treble and vocal noise. It’s great for games that have a lot of cutscenes, like Metal Gear Solid (the series which is known jokingly as an interactive movie). Which is conveniently, my next game review, stay tuned for that! Shameless plug aside, it’s entirely the opposite when listening to music. Instruments that use a lot of treble like electric guitars and vocals will quite easily overpower the lower, bass reliant tones like drums and bass guitar. Reverb is also a little strong with feedback from direct connections to my PC’s boom microphone needing a lot of tuning on the microphone side, in order for the feedback into the headphones to be at a manageable level.
Without the option to tune the headphones other than simple equalizer options when used on PC’s (which would affect any sound output anyway). I ended up reverting to other headphones whenever I wanted to listen to music. If you have no other option or are looking for a budget pair of headphones however, these will suffice just fine. The ear cups don’t go a long way to block out background noise either, nor does the microphone. Which friends have told me is probably the most sensitive mic I’ve used to date and I’ve tried quite a few in recent months.
To its credit and to touch on it further, the Quantum 100P is undoubtedly good for vocals. And as a gamer who likes playing a lot of RPG and story driven games, with a side of competitive shooters. I really have to give them points for how good it stacks up against other units on the market.
Wrap Up
JBL is a leader in sound, so one might expect better quality. But what JBL have created here, is an exceptionally affordable entry into quality gaming headsets. It’s simple design and construction and cheap price makes it stand out against the crowd. Serious gamers will likely spend the extra dollar to get top tier headsets, but with the number of casual gamers fast increasing in number and a lot of young gamers looking to break into the scene. The quantum 100P is an excellent choice. I would buy pairs of these again and again whenever they broke or wore out, just for casual gaming, if I didn’t already have a few quality pairs of headsets. The things that stood out for me is their cheap price and their comfort when wearing for long gaming hours, if you’re just getting started or love a good pair of headphones but don’t want to break the bank, grab a pair of JBL Quantum 100P!
About the Author
Daniel Hi I'm Dan! 33 and Non-Binary. When I'm not writing reviews. I like to get deeply immersed in the lore of an mmo or rpg, cruise the forest or coastal roads of Victoria, watch anime, read manga, build model kits and do a bit of sketching on the side.
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