JBL Quantum 600 Wireless Over-Ear Eaming Headset with Microphone and RGB, PC and PS Wirelessly Compatible Only, in Black

Product Information

The JBL Quantum line was a huge surprise to me. Whenever I think of JBL I remember the big headphones my dad would wear when I was younger, so I have always associated JBL with music, and rightly so. JBL has been manufacturing audio equipment for nearly a century, and has been a top dog in the music scene for well over a decade, but what happens when you take a rich pedigree of premium music audio and apply it to gaming?

Most headphones that we review are judged largely on their abilities with music, but I naturally had to change things up a bit for the JBL Quantum 600. I largely used the headphones wirelessly with a MacBook Air as an all-purpose headset for playing games, listening to music, having conversations on conference calls, and watching videos. I also used it with an iPad for gaming. This naturally also made for a great experience when playing games, particularly when the audio balance is set to focus on game sounds. Playing Spyder on Apple Arcade on the MacBook Air was quite enjoyable from the audio perspective, as the JBL Quantum 600 managed to keep the sound lively and cohesive, while allowing for ample detail and faint sound effects to be heard clearly. What was most impressive, and what makes this headset well suited for gaming, is its ability to simulate direction despite being limited to two stereo channels. While the Quantum 600 didn’t really give me anything to complain about, it’s definitely obvious what you’re getting into. JBL definitely has a specific kind of sound in its products, and the Quantum 600 is no exception with its slightly bassier, elevated lows and subdued highs. By no means did it ever actually sound bad; on the contrary, listening to music was downright fantastic. It’s just not really the sound signature I personally prefer.When ‘wireless connectivity' is mentioned on a pair of headphones, it's usually assumed to be Bluetooth. However, Bluetooth has its weaknesses for gaming, primarily when it comes to latency. The typical delay in sound transmission can mean the difference between in-game life and death, so Bluetooth is usually avoided in favour of wired connections on gaming headphones. The JBL Quantum 600 does have a detachable 3.5mm cable for traditional wired connectivity, but the use of proprietary 2.4GHz wireless connectivity adds some utility for gaming while avoiding the latency issues of Bluetooth technology. The JBL Quantum 600 supports lossless 2.4GHz wireless with the included USB-A dongle. The dongle provides wireless support on PC and PlayStation, but the RGB, EQ, Mic settings and JBL sound enhancement features are only available on PC. The audio mix balancer lets you choose how you want to tune the sound; you can have it favour in-game audio or chat, or set the right mix between the two

The audio mix balancer is an interesting option, since this lets you adjust the tuning depending on whether you want the headphones to focus on game audio or voice communication, or decide your own balance between the two. If you're using the headphones with a computer, you can also change this through the audio settings. Connect the JBL Quantum 600 wirelessly, or with a 3.5mm cable The JBL Quantum 600s range seemed pretty good, I was perfectly able to walk away from my setup into my kitchen without ever losing audio or communication. This would be just over maybe 10 meters away so it seems to hold the general standard if not exceed it. The outer sides of the ear cups have large JBL logos, which are illuminated with RGB LEDs. The lights are on by default when the headphones are switched on, and the colours and patterns can be customised using the JBL QuantumEngine app (available only for Windows here), which also lets you adjust equaliser settings. Also, the human brain uses small head movements to distinguish if sound sources are behind or in front of us. The brain processes the differences between when a sound arrives at the left vs. the right ear to determine where the sound is located. So with JBL QuantumSPHERE 360, you can move your head naturally to pinpoint the exact source of sounds around you. The JBL Quantum 600 has a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz, and is powered by 50mm dynamic drivers. In the box is the headset, USB dongle for wireless connectivity, a 3.5mm headphone cable, and a USB Type-C cable to charge the headphones. The USB Type-C port on the headset is only for charging, and does not support direct USB connectivity with a source device.Unfortunately, the mic is not detachable and it is very prominent, even when folded up. This makes the Quantum 600 less desirable if you like taking your headset out and about with you. The sonic signature is expectedly tuned for detail, voice quality, and directional sense which matter in many games, but the JBL Quantum 600 did sound decent enough when listening to music as well. The default tuning of the sound is its only real weakness, although this can be adjusted using the equaliser settings. That said, the excellent detail and wide, luxurious soundstage did make occasional music listening enjoyable on the JBL Quantum 600. JBL quotes the battery life as up to 14 hours, but it should be noted that this is with RGB switched off. The headset can be charged with the included USB-A to USB-C cable and takes around 2 hours to fully charge. It should be noted that the cable is for charging only and does not deliver audio. Summary