JBL Quantum 360X Wireless Headset Review – Mr. Boombastic

JBL Quantum 360X Wireless Headset Review

If you wanted a decent headset 10 years ago, you’d have to spend some serious coin. Sure, you could grab yourself a cheapy, but chances are the thing will fall apart in 6 months. Nowadays, you have options. Lots of options. Everyone from Turtle Beach to LucidSound has affordable headsets that actually sound decent. Not to mention they are comfortable too. The market is competitive and JBL is in the mix with their line of budget-friendly headphones. The JBL Quantum 360X is yet another addition to the JBL family of cost-friendly headsets. Given the current state of the economy, these bad boys could not come at a better time.

At around $129.99 USD (MSRP at the time of writing), the 360X is certainly affordable. Considering it’s got 40mm drivers and sporty looking design, that is a pretty good bang for the buck. They are comfortable and aren’t an eyesore. Sure, there are many better headsets available, but for the price, the 360X is an excellent bang for the buck.

Don’t let the name fool you, these aren’t headphones for those old Xbox 360 consoles. While the headset is clearly advertised for Xbox One owners (and reviewed mostly on my Xbox Series X); they also work with PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. It also worked brilliantly with my mobile phone via Bluetooth connectivity. It’s a versatile headset, which is a nice bonus and great for those that game on more than one platform.

The black and green design with black leatherette ear cushions has a stylish design. The JBL logos are etched on each ear cup and all the controls are located on the ear cups, with most of the controls on the left cup. The cans are a little on the small side, which is okay as they aren’t bulky at all. My preferred and more expensive A50s are significantly larger, so it’s a nice change to go from mammoth cans to more bit-sized headphones.

The 360X has a clean, fresh look. Sporting those classic Xbox black and green colors, you won’t be embarrassed wearing them in public. That said, I hated the detachable mic. I prefer a mic that flips up or is retractable. Instead, this mic needs to be plugged in and if you want to mute the mic, you need to press the mute button on the left ear cup. Not a deal breaker but I just hated yanking it off every time I wanted the mic out of the way. It’s just a bit intrusive is all.

Granted, I liked how there is a storage bag is included in the box. This allows you to not only store your 360X, but also that mic, and the charging cable. I hate leaving my headphones laying around, so having a storage bag is a nice little add-on. Yet make no mistake about it, this is a no-frills package. In fact, inside the box, all you get is the headset, some instructions, a dongle, the bag and a USB charging cable. That is it. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles inside the box. That is okay. I expected this for the price.

Sound-wise, the 360X sounds great. The bass packs a punch, the audio is crisp and the overall clarity is impressive. The headphones aren’t noise canceling, but the way they wrap around your ears it’s hard to hear outside noise. If you told me they were noise canceling, I’d believe you. The sound is crystal clear with no lag, crackling, or popping. The sharp bass and clear highs made for an audio experience that feels immersive. As I mentioned the headphones come equipped with 40mm drivers that make for an enjoyable and impactful audio experience.

Connectivity is a breeze. Simply plug in the dongle, turn on the headset and within seconds the headset paired with my Xbox. It also paired with my phone in an instant. It was impressive. There is a quick reference guide but I only used it to look up the various controls. There is no doubt these headphones are idiot-proof.

Comfort-wise, the 360X is okay. I say okay as I found my ears got really hot, really quick. After a couple of hours, I needed to take them off to give my ears a bit of a breather. They fit snugly, so they won’t slip off your head. In fact, you could probably work out in them and not have to worry about them falling off your head. Just realize these suckers get super toasty.

The 22+ hour battery life is good, but not great. When you consider other JBL products feature a longer battery life, the 360X seems a little disappointing. That said, it is on par with other similar headsets on the market. At the end of the day, I’ll only need to charge them up once a week, if that, so that isn’t too shabby at all.

I will say it’s nice the headset features the ability to play and charge at the same time. Sure, this should be given in 2023, but thankfully it’s not something you’ll ever need to stress about. The JBL Quantum 360X also features “DualSOURCE” which allows two devices to be connected at the same time. Again just a nice little feature I’m happy is included.

When you factor in the price, JBL Quantum 360X delivers as advertised. The sound packs a serious punch and its ability to work with nearly all your gaming devices, including your phone or ipad, is impressive. Sure you can find loads of better headsets on the market, but if you are looking for a headset that provides decent battery life, sounds great, fits nicely on your melon and won’t break your budget, the 360X is a rock solid investment.

***JBL Quantum 360 X was provided by JBL***