Hardware

Published on November 11th, 2024 | by Nathan Misa

JBL Quantum 910P Wireless Console Gaming Headset for PS5 Review

Gaming headsets are a dime a dozen these days, but in my experience, finding a quality headset that sounds, feels and looks like more than just a disposable toy is a real challenge.

For that kind of luxury, while gaming on PlayStation 5 Pro, I needed to look into today’s more high-end options.

The JBL Quantum 910P is one such option positioned as a high-end, fully wireless, low latency console gaming headset for PlayStation 5 (and PS4, PC and Switch) and comes with an equally larger-than-life $499.95 AUD RRP price-tag. But does it manage to justify that high-price, and deliver the premium experience gamers expect for that kind of cash?

The short answer is, well, yes. JBL Quantum 910P is an excellent headset that delivers value with high-quality sound, decent form factor, ample features and flexible customization options.

First thing’s first: here’s the headset official specifications.

JBL Quantum 910P 2024 Wireless Gaming Headset – Technical Specifications

Inside the box, the JBL Quantum 910P comes with one standard USB charging cable, a soft felt carry bag, a 3.5mm audio cable, a USB wireless dongle to plug into the PlayStation 5 or other console of your choosing, and a quick-start guide and safety sheet. 

In terms of design, the Quantum 910P makes a good first impression with its thick leatherette ear cups and inner headband, and striking RGB lighting (customizable via JBL’s PC software). Its white chassis and blue accents evoke an appealing PlayStation-themed gamer aesthetic, but up-close and personal, the JBL logos and plastic materials used don’t quite come across as premium in appearance as other options on the market. However, these gripes with the look of the headset largely evaporated once I got a feel for them in my first extended gaming session.

Simply put, the Quantum 910P’s are very comfortable to wear for hours on end, thanks to the ears cups’ extra soft padding and easily adjustable headband, which lets you adjust things to your liking quickly. The 910P’s also have some decent heft, weighing in at 420g, but it’s definitely a ‘wear-and-forget’ gaming headset that feels snug and sits securely on my big-ass head, while other similar headset options typically resulted in discomfort and constant re-adjustments.

Under the left ear cup are the controls for most options of the headset, including active noise cancellation (ANC) to reduce background noise, a volume slider, a chat and game slider, and the mute button for the microphone, which also acts as an off button for the RGB lighting when held down. The boom mic itself is unfortunately not detachable, but can be quickly flipped to on or off position, and an audible click and red LED light helps you confirm its current setting. A 3.5mm port for wired connectivity and USB-C charging port sits under the left ear cup, opening up wired connectivity for Switch and Xbox owners. The right ear cup just has the power and bluetooth slider, and a button that enables spatial audio (and head-tracking). It looks busy initially, but I found the control placements intuitive to use while in the middle of several multiplayer gaming sessions.

So, what about the sound?

Out-of-the-box, the JBL Quantum 910P’s audio and microphone quality is immediately apparent across gaming, music, and video content, though I had a rocky first few sessions trying to align its directional audio technology, the proprietary QuantumSPHERE360, to work with PlayStation 5’s 3D audio feature, which requires some effort to calibrate appropriately. Once I got this working and plugged in the included wireless USB-C dongle/adaptor into my PS5 Pro (there is also a handy USB-A plug if you need it), the Quantum 910P flexed its considerable high-res audio prowess across several different titles and showcased the immersive experience it offers, owing to its combination of ANC, spatial audio, and virtual surround sound support.

First up was several extended sessions of Rainbow Six Siege, a highly competitive multiplayer FPS shooter that emphasizes the importance of accurate directional audio positioning to retain the advantage over your opponents. The Quantum 910P tracked every tiny footstep of that pesky Caviera hiding around the corner with precision, while gloriously blasting my ears with the rich bass of each impact of Ash’s breaching rounds. The spatial audio is a considerable step-above other headsets I’ve used, and along with the ANC toggle (which is startlingly effective), it really added another layer of engagement to my Ranked matches (when I was winning, of course).

My team-mates also remarked on the sharp clarity of my voice when comparing the 910P’s microphone vs the PS5 Pulse headset’s mic in the same match, which I also got to hear for myself when watching recorded videos of my latest matches. Tinny and echoing voices are one of my biggest pet peeves of other gaming headsets, and fortunately, it’s avoided entirely here. The ability to quickly change the balance between game and chat audio on-the-fly is also very handy.

The rich soundscape that the JBL Quantum 910P creates for single-player games across several genres was also just as impressive. The eerie groans of the zombie hordes in Dead Rising and Resident Evil 2 take on another level of crisp creepiness with this headset’s fantastic directional audio, while the cheerful and dramatic musical anthems of Astro Bot and snazzy, bassy soundtrack of Persona 3 Reload were richly realized.

To get the most out of my time with the 910P, I had to dive into the JBL QuantumENGINE, a proprietary software program  downloadable on PC which provides several EQ settings (including pre-set options for bass boost, voice clarity, and FPS games) and customization options for lighting, spatial audio and microphone to best suit your preferences. The app itself is robust, allowing for toggling on and off of spatial sound and head-tracking, the creation of multiple user profiles to test out different EQ settings, several sliders for adjusting and syncing the colours and movement patterns of the RGB (more to flex on others watching you use the headset), and adjustments for the mic level, volume and sidetone. It’s nothing transformative, but it allows for quick adjustments and calibration to get back to the console for gaming.

Aside from sound quality, the most important factor for investing in a new gaming headset, for me, is the battery life. JBL touts around 39 hours of gaming time with the Quantum 910p using the USB dongle (and 45 hours with bluetooth) and in my experience, the headset held to just under that number before I had to recharge it for the first time, though this was without the RGB lighting. To test the second cycle, I left the headset lighting on, but came away still impressed with about 23 hours or so of gaming before the battery finally gave way. Being able to also continue to use the headset while it charges is a bonus luxury I didn’t know I needed until now, and it takes around 3.5 to 4 hours to fully charge the Quantum 910P.

One area the Quantum 910P gave mixed results was latency. Testing on both my launch PS5 and recently released PS5 Pro, I experienced sound drop-outs and lag when using the provided USB-C 2.4 GHz wireless dongle connection on half-a-dozen occasions. Strangely, I was able to minimize this seemingly random occurrence by using the USB-C to A converter, suggesting a minor incompatibility from the PS5 rather than the headset. Low latency is key for any wireless gaming headset to earn its keep in the rotation, so hopefully JBL or Sony will be able to iron out this weird connectivity issue in future software patches. For now, be aware before buying.

The Final Verdict

The JBL Quantum 910P very much delivers on its value proposition as a high-end wireless, low latency gaming headset for PlayStation 5 gamers with excellent sound, battery life, ergonomics and EQ customization options.

While the plastic materials and RGB lighting ‘gamer aesthetic’ might not appeal to every PlayStation player, being able to comfortably wear the 910P for extended gaming sessions and easily toggle ANC and spatial audio was the biggest benefit for me. The ease of connection with PS5 and PS4 consoles via the 2.4 GHz wireless dongle, and the ability to connect with other devices (PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, mobile phone and Xbox) via Bluetooth 5.2 or the provided 3.5mm audio jack also makes this pricey investment a versatile one, too.

If you’re in the market for a premium wireless gaming headset, the JBL Quantum 910P is worthy of serious consideration alongside other PlayStation-branded and third-party headset providers. I do think the current Australian RRP is on the high side, even with such high-quality sound and features, and the unusually low 1-year limited warranty period brings the value down a fair notch compared to other competitors offering longer support, but it’s definitely worth the upgrade from a budget or mid-range head-set if you can nab the 910P on sale in the near future.

About the Author

Nathan Misa A senior writer for ImpulseGamer.com and former writer for MMGN and Ninemsn, Nathan has been reviewing video games and interviewing talented developers since 2012. As a nostalgia tragic eternally tied to the glorious 1990s, he's always playing retro gaming classics whenever he's not entrenched in the latest RPG, or talking your ear off about why The First Law book series is better than Game of Thrones - to anyone who dares listen.

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