Quick answer: Headphones for both gaming and music should deliver immersive sound, responsive game audio and clear communication. A wired connection eliminates wireless transmission delay, while a detachable boom microphone lets the headphones transition easily from gaming to everyday music listening. The Heavys HeX Gaming Headphones cost from $279 on heavys.com as of September 2026 (regular price $319) and pair the eight-driver Heavys H1H with a detachable 150 cm gaming cable that carries a boom mic. The named alternatives are the HyperX Cloud III at $99.99, the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro at $249.99, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox at $279.99, the Sony INZONE H9 II at $349.99 and the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 PRO at $379.99.
All specifications and prices in this article were read on each manufacturer's own product page on 29 September 2026. Prices are the prices shown on each manufacturer's US site in USD, as of September 2026.
Why do wired headphones have no wireless latency in games?
Latency is the delay between the game making a sound and the player hearing that sound. A wireless headset adds steps to the audio path. A Bluetooth codec compresses the audio so it can be sent over a wireless link, then decodes it at the other end, as Nick Hunn of WiFore Consulting explains in a Bluetooth SIG blog article. Each step takes time.
An analog cable skips every one of those steps. A 3.5 mm cable carries the audio as an electrical signal from the controller or the PC straight to the drivers. Nothing is compressed, sent by radio or decoded. A wired analog headset has no wireless latency because a wired analog headset has no wireless link.
Gaming brands shrink the wireless delay with a 2.4 GHz dongle. Razer states that the wireless technology of the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro delivers audio as fast as 10 ms.
The Heavys HeX takes the cable route. Heavys states on the HeX product page that the Heavys H1H can have latency when wireless and that the supplied gaming cable solves the delay. The Heavys H1H also has Bluetooth 5.1, which Heavys lists for wireless music listening and mobile gaming. The Heavys guide to wired vs wireless gaming headsets walks through the trade-off by playstyle.
What does a detachable boom mic change on a gaming headset?
A boom mic sits on an arm in front of the mouth. A detachable boom mic comes off when the match ends, and the headset goes back to being a pair of headphones.
The brands handle the mic in different ways. The HyperX Cloud III ships with a detachable 10 mm microphone. The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro has a detachable 12 mm mic. The Sony INZONE H9 II includes a detachable cardioid boom mic. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro for Xbox uses a fully retractable boom that slides into the earcup instead of coming off.
The Heavys HeX puts the mic on the cable. The Zero-Latency HeX Gaming Cable is a 150 cm cable with a 2.5 mm plug on the H1H side, a 3.5 mm plug on the other side, and an omni-directional dynamic microphone on an adjustable arm. Unplug the HeX gaming cable and the mic leaves with the cable. What remains is a Heavys H1H with Bluetooth 5.1 and a battery rated at up to 50 hours.
The Heavys HeX gaming cable with boom microphone and cable splitter
Heavys lists the HeX gaming cable as compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S controllers, PlayStation PS4 and PS5 controllers, and PC. The HeX gaming cable includes a cable splitter to two 3.5 mm ports