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HUB 02 · Gaming Audio

The Best Gaming Headsets for Hearing Footsteps

The winner is not a gaming headset, has no microphone, and costs less than half the flagship. We'll show our working.

By Stephen V.Updated Published How we research
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Top pick · Best for Footsteps

Philips SHP9500

6.8/10

The budget open-back that has been the enthusiast answer for a decade.

Check Price on Amazon →Why it won ↓

We don't have a verified live price for this right now, so we aren't showing one. #ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Philips SHP9500

Verdict

The short version

The best headset for hearing footsteps is the Philips SHP9500 — an open-back studio headphone, not a gaming headset. Its open back and neutral tuning leave both of the cues your brain uses to place a sound intact, which is why it out-locates closed-back gaming headsets several times its price. It is the pick for a competitive FPS player who plays somewhere reasonably quiet and does not mind adding a clip-on microphone, because it has none.

If you share a room, do not buy it. Open backs leak badly in both directions. Buy the HyperX Cloud Alpha instead — the best closed-back here, with a detachable mic and a 3.5mm plug that works on a PC, a console controller, a Switch or a Steam Deck. If you want open-back staging and a microphone in a single purchase, the EPOS H6PRO is the compromise, and the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO is the upgrade if you already own an amp — the 250-Ohm version genuinely needs one.

Compare

Specs and prices at a glance

#ProductKey specsBest forPrice
01Philips SHP9500

Philips

  • Open back
  • 32 Ohm
  • Over-ear
  • No microphone
Positional audio on a budgetCheck Price on Amazon →
02beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)

beyerdynamic

  • Open back
  • 250 Ohm
  • Over-ear
  • No microphone
Hearing where things are$199.99 on Amazon →
03EPOS H6PRO (Open)

EPOS

  • Open acoustic
  • Detachable boom mic
  • Wired 3.5mm
  • Lightweight
Open-back sound without a second purchase$88.99 on Amazon →
04HyperX Cloud Alpha

HyperX

  • Closed back
  • Dual-chamber drivers
  • Detachable mic
  • 3.5mm — works on anything
One thing that just works, on everything$69.97 on Amazon →
05SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

SteelSeries

  • Wireless 2.4GHz + BT
  • Hot-swap dual battery
  • ANC
  • Base station with parametric EQ
Buy-once, no-compromises wireless$294.50 on Amazon →
06Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Audio-Technica

  • Closed back
  • 38 Ohm
  • Detachable cable
  • No microphone
One pair for gaming and music$159.00 on Amazon →

#ad · Specs as published by the manufacturer or the Amazon listing. Live prices from the Amazon Creators API, as of October 21, 2026. Where we have no verified live price we show none, rather than print a number that has rotted.

If you want to hear footsteps, buy an open-back headphone and a cheap clip-on microphone. The Philips SHP9500 does this better than gaming headsets costing four times as much, and it has done for a decade.

We are going to lose money on this page and we know it. The expensive wireless flagship at #5 pays a far larger commission than the #1 pick, and we still ranked a decade-old open-back above it — because for this specific job, it is better.

The reason is structural, not a matter of taste. Your brain locates sound using two cues in two frequency bands — timing below roughly 1,500 Hz, loudness above it. A footstep is a broadband transient that needs both bands to arrive intact. The typical gaming headset boosts the bass (smearing the timing cues) and softens the treble (blunting the level cues), while a sealed cup adds internal reflections that muddy the transient further.

An open-back headphone with a neutral tuning does none of those things. That is the whole insight, and it is why this list looks nothing like the others.

The honest caveat, up front: open-back headphones leak. Everyone in the room hears your game, and you hear them. If you share a space, or your room is noisy, an open back is the wrong tool no matter how well it images — and in that case the HyperX Cloud Alpha at #4 is the pick, not the #1. Our headsets under $200 roundup ranks the closed-back field properly, microphones included.

The short answer

Quick picks

#ProductBest forScorePrice
01
Philips SHP9500

The budget open-back that has been the enthusiast answer for a decade.

Positional audio on a budget
6.8
Check Price on Amazon →
02
beyerdynamic beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)
beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)

The positional-audio answer, and it isn't a gaming headset at all.

Hearing where things are
6.8
$199.99 on Amazon →
03
EPOS EPOS H6PRO (Open)
EPOS H6PRO (Open)

The compromise pick: open-back staging with a mic already attached.

Open-back sound without a second purchase
7.6
$88.99 on Amazon →
04
HyperX HyperX Cloud Alpha
HyperX Cloud Alpha

The default wired gaming headset, and the default for a reason.

One thing that just works, on everything
8.0
$69.97 on Amazon →
05
SteelSeries SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

The one with everything. Whether you need everything is a different question.

Buy-once, no-compromises wireless
7.6
$294.50 on Amazon →
06
Audio-Technica Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

A studio monitor that got adopted by gamers. Closed, accurate, no mic.

One pair for gaming and music
5.2
$159.00 on Amazon →

#ad · Live prices from the Amazon Creators API, as of October 21, 2026. Where we have no verified live price, we show none — we would rather leave a gap than print a number that has rotted.

In detail

The picks, in full

01

Positional audio on a budget

Philips SHP9500

Open back32 OhmOver-earNo microphone
6.8/10

The budget open-back that has been the enthusiast answer for a decade.

Positional accuracy
8
Footstep clarity
8
Mic quality
0
Comfort
8
Value
10

Pros

  • Open back at a fraction of the DT 990's price — the structural advantage without the tax
  • 32 Ohm, so it actually runs off a phone, a Deck or a motherboard
  • Detachable cable and a huge, cheap aftermarket of pads and boom mics

Cons

  • No mic — budget a clip-on or a modmic on top
  • Build is plasticky, and it creaks
  • Leaks sound as badly as any open back

Don't buy this if…

…you need a microphone and a single purchase. Add a boom mic and the total creeps toward a proper wireless headset.

Check price on Amazon →

We don't have a verified live price for this right now, so we aren't showing one.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Philips SHP9500

02
beyerdynamic beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)

Hearing where things are

beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)

Open back250 OhmOver-earNo microphone
6.8/10

The positional-audio answer, and it isn't a gaming headset at all.

Positional accuracy
9
Footstep clarity
9
Mic quality
0
Comfort
8
Value
8

Pros

  • Open-back design is the single biggest structural advantage for positional audio in this list
  • The treble presence is what makes footsteps and reloads pop out of a mix
  • Velour pads stay comfortable for the length of an actual session

Cons

  • No microphone. You will need a separate one, and that is a real added cost
  • 250 Ohm — it wants an amp or a decent DAC, and it will sound thin off a motherboard jack
  • Open backs leak. Everyone in the room hears your game, and you hear them
  • The treble is bright to the point of fatiguing for some people

Don't buy this if…

…you share a room, or you want to plug into a controller and be done. Both of those rule this out completely, and neither is a small caveat.

$199.99View on Amazon

Price as of October 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO (250 Ohm)

03
EPOS EPOS H6PRO (Open)

Open-back sound without a second purchase

EPOS H6PRO (Open)

Open acousticDetachable boom micWired 3.5mmLightweight
7.6/10

The compromise pick: open-back staging with a mic already attached.

Positional accuracy
8
Footstep clarity
8
Mic quality
8
Comfort
7
Value
7

Pros

  • The only genuinely open-back design here that ships with a good microphone
  • The boom mic is a cut above the usual bundled effort
  • Light enough to forget you're wearing it

Cons

  • Costs more than the SHP9500 plus a decent clip-on mic would
  • Still leaks sound like any open back
  • Clamp force is firm out of the box

Don't buy this if…

…you wear glasses. The clamp is firm and it presses the arms into your temples — this is the single most common complaint in the owner reviews.

$88.99View on Amazon

$99.0010% off

Price as of October 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to EPOS H6PRO (Open)

04
HyperX HyperX Cloud Alpha

One thing that just works, on everything

HyperX Cloud Alpha

Closed backDual-chamber driversDetachable mic3.5mm — works on anything
8.0/10

The default wired gaming headset, and the default for a reason.

Positional accuracy
7
Footstep clarity
7
Mic quality
8
Comfort
9
Value
9

Pros

  • Plugs into a Deck, an Ally, a controller, a phone — no dongle, no software, no drivers
  • The memory-foam pads are the comfort benchmark at this price
  • Genuinely durable — the aluminum frame outlives the plastic competition

Cons

  • Closed back, so the soundstage is narrower than any open-back on this list
  • Bass-forward tuning can mask quiet detail if you don't EQ it

Don't buy this if…

…positional accuracy is the only thing you care about. A closed back is a structural handicap there, and an open-back pair plus a cheap mic beats it for the same money.

$69.97View on Amazon

$99.9930% off

Price as of October 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to HyperX Cloud Alpha

05
SteelSeries SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Buy-once, no-compromises wireless

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

Wireless 2.4GHz + BTHot-swap dual batteryANCBase station with parametric EQ
7.6/10

The one with everything. Whether you need everything is a different question.

Positional accuracy
8
Footstep clarity
7
Mic quality
9
Comfort
9
Value
5

Pros

  • The hot-swap battery system means it is never out of charge — the second cell sits charging in the base
  • The base station's parametric EQ is a real tool, not a marketing slider
  • Simultaneous 2.4GHz and Bluetooth, so game audio and a phone call coexist

Cons

  • Extremely expensive — several times the cost of headsets that get you most of the way
  • Closed back, so it still cannot match an open-back for raw staging
  • The feature list is doing a lot of the selling here

Don't buy this if…

…you're buying it to hear footsteps better. A $90 open-back will out-locate this, and we'd rather lose the sale than let you spend four times as much for worse imaging.

$294.50View on Amazon

$379.9922% off

Price as of October 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

06
Audio-Technica Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

One pair for gaming and music

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

Closed back38 OhmDetachable cableNo microphone
5.2/10

A studio monitor that got adopted by gamers. Closed, accurate, no mic.

Positional accuracy
6
Footstep clarity
6
Mic quality
0
Comfort
7
Value
7

Pros

  • Genuinely good at everything — the rare headphone that does games and music equally well
  • Closed back, so it doesn't leak and doesn't annoy the room
  • Built to survive a decade of studio abuse

Cons

  • No mic
  • Closed back with a fairly narrow stage — not a positional-audio specialist
  • Clamps hard for the first month

Don't buy this if…

…you want the best footstep audio for the money. This is a great headphone that is merely fine at the one job this page is about.

$159.00View on Amazon

Price as of October 21, 2026. Prices change — Amazon's is the one that counts.

#ad · we may earn a commission from this link to Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

How to buy for positional audio

Open back beats closed back, structurally

A sealed earcup reflects sound back at your ear, blurring the transient edges your brain reads for direction. An open back lets that energy escape. This is a bigger difference than the gap between most individual headsets — it is a design choice, not a tuning tweak.

Flat beats exciting

The bass boost that makes explosions feel cinematic is the same bass boost that masks a quiet footstep. You cannot have both. Every "gaming" tuning is a decision to prioritize the explosion, and for competitive play that is the wrong decision.

Budget for a microphone separately

The best positional headphones have no mic. A clip-on or a modmic is a small extra cost and gets you a better-sounding voice than most bundled boom arms anyway. Factor it in when you compare prices — the open-back plus a clip-on mic still comes in under most gaming headsets, and both live prices are in the table at the top of this page.

Impedance is a real trap

The beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO comes in a 250-Ohm version, and it will sound thin and quiet out of a motherboard jack or a Steam Deck. It wants an amp. The 32-Ohm SHP9500 does not. If you have no DAC or amp and no plans to buy one, that fact alone reorders this list.

Do not buy a headset to fix a settings problem

Turning the in-game bass down, disabling "enhancements" in Windows, and lowering the master volume are all free, and together they do more for most people than a new headset does. Try them before you spend anything — our EQ settings for footsteps guide goes through exactly which adjustments help and which are placebo.

How we picked

We do not run a testing lab

We researched published specifications, third-party lab measurements, manufacturer documentation and aggregated owner reviews, then scored each product against a published rubric. The scores are judgments from documented research — they are not measurements we took, because we do not have a lab and we are not going to pretend we do. Where a number came from someone else's lab, we name them and link them in Sources.

Questions

Frequently asked

What is the best headset for hearing footsteps?
For pure positional accuracy, an open-back headphone with a neutral tuning — the Philips SHP9500 is the value pick and the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO the upgrade. Both need a separate microphone. If you need a built-in mic and a closed design, the EPOS H6PRO is the best compromise here.
Do expensive gaming headsets hear footsteps better?
Frequently not. Price in gaming headsets buys wireless, battery life, microphone quality and features — not positional accuracy. The wireless flagship on this page images worse than the far cheaper open-back at the top of it, and we ranked them accordingly even though the expensive one pays us more.
Are open-back headphones worth it for gaming?
For competitive play, yes — the imaging advantage is structural. But they leak sound in both directions, so they are genuinely unsuitable if you share a room or play somewhere noisy. That is not a minor caveat, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not tried it in a shared flat.
Do I need a DAC or amp for gaming headphones?
Only for high-impedance models. The 250-Ohm beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO genuinely needs one and will disappoint without it. The 32-Ohm Philips SHP9500 runs happily from a motherboard, a phone or a Steam Deck.
Does 7.1 surround sound help you hear footsteps?
Not usually, and it often hurts. "7.1" on a stereo headset is virtual surround — software that simulates extra channels through two drivers — and the processing it applies can smear the exact timing cues your brain uses to place a sound. Plain stereo through a well-imaging headphone is the more reliable choice for competitive play. It is also free to test both ways: toggle it off in your audio software and listen. Our virtual surround vs stereo guide covers when the processing is worth leaving on.
What microphone should I use with an open-back headphone?
A clip-on lavalier or a boom mic that mounts to the headband is the cheap, simple answer, and either will usually sound better than a bundled headset boom. A desk microphone is the step up if you also stream or take calls. Budget for it as part of the purchase — the SHP9500, the DT 990 PRO and the ATH-M50x on this page all ship with no microphone at all. Our microphone roundup ranks the options.
Can you use open-back headphones on a PS5 or Xbox?
Yes, if they are wired. The SHP9500, DT 990 PRO, EPOS H6PRO and ATH-M50x all use a plain 3.5mm cable, which plugs straight into a DualSense or an Xbox controller and works with no adapter or software. The catch is the microphone: the controller jack carries mic input, so you need a headset-style cable or a clip-on mic to be heard. The 250-Ohm DT 990 PRO is the exception — it will be too quiet from a controller without an amp. Our console connection guide walks through it.
Is the Philips SHP9500 still worth buying?
It is still the pick on this page, and the reason is that the thing it does well is structural rather than fashionable: an open back and a neutral tuning image well, and neither has an expiry date. It has been the enthusiast budget answer for about a decade. The honest caveats are unchanged too — it leaks sound, the build is plasticky and creaky, and it has no microphone. Stock comes and goes; where we have no verified live offer, the table at the top of this page says so instead of showing a price.

Keep reading

Related

Receipts

Sources

We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. Where a measured number came from someone else's lab, we name them and link them. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.