Hands On: MrBeast × JLab Gaming Headset
Our ears aren’t that dissimilar from most, so when a headset brand asked for our opinion the least we can do for our readers is to make that opinion public. You see, while we may not have a multi-thousand-dollar audio evaluation rig, we can at least tell if a set of cheap headphones sound…well…cheap. Add the hundreds of dollars in audio test equipment we do have, and perhaps we can offer a value perspective that contains numbers.
| MrBeast × JLab Colab. Nightfall Gaming Headset | |
| Headset Connection | 3.5mm four-pole headset combo |
| Headset Weight | 256g |
| Headphone Frequency Response | 20Hz-20kHz |
| HeadphoneDriver | 50mm dynamic |
| Headphone Impedance | 32Ω |
| Rated Output | 102 ± 3 dB |
| Boom Mic | |
| Microphone Type | Condenser |
| Polar Pattern | Omni-directional |
| Microphone Sensitivity | -42 ± 1 dB |
| Mic. Frequency Range | 100Hz – 10kHz |
Earphone and microphone specifications look extremely similar to those of FiFine’s previously evaluated AmpliGame H9, but a look at the physical construction indicates some differences, including that JLab’s microphone is permanently affixed and folds down, rather than unplugging like that of the H9. Moreover, the JLab headset costs $8 less and doesn’t include a USB adapter.
JLab matches the volume control of the competing product’s USB headset adapter by putting its volume control on the left headset cup, adding a note to the packaging that instructs users who haven’t achieved a satisfactory volume level by maximizing this control to verify that the volume controls of their gaming device have likewise been maximized.
Features that aren’t so apparent include JLab’s 50% longer (1.5m) cable and auto mute when the microphone is folded up. An soft and springy elastic strap is designed to suspend the headset’s headband above the user’s scalp, whereas its competitor had placed padding directly on its headband to provide similar comfort.
Hands-on Observations
While the previous competitor’s headband barely fit this editor’s head, the band of the MrBeast headset did not. It simply wasn’t deep enough, even with the elastic loosened and the band restring directly on his scalp. Though the earpads clasped at comfortably low tension, they were just a bit too high. The slight upward misalignment between the 50mm headphone drivers and the editor’s ears might explain why the MrBeast headphones sounded a little muffled and muddy compared to the previously-exposed comparison headset, despite audio test graphs that show that they’re almost exactly as loud as the compared parts:
If anything, the muddy midbass that the editor thought he was hearing was not reflected in a loss of midbass sound pressure, as the compared AmpliGame H9 really only outperformed the MrBeast X JLab set at midrange and higher frequencies.
The MrBeast headset also did a better job of isolating keyboard noise than the compared H9 headset, so for this editor the choice primarily came down to fitment (a plus for the previous H9) and cable length (a plus for the MrBeast set).
| MrBeast × JLab Colab. Nightfall Gaming Headset | |
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Comfortable low-pressure earpads Long enough cable for desktop users | Not deep enough to fit big heads Not painfully loud at full volume |
| The Verdict: | |
| Lacking its competitor’s USB adapter, the MrBeast × Jlab headset offers mid-quality output and high-quality microphone input to budget buyers whose gaming device has an existing headphone/microphe combo jack. | |
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