Best Xbox Headset Adapter For Controller

Xbox has made sure that its consoles and controllers are easy to understand and use. But once you do understand how their systems work, you’ll soon find out that maneuvering them during games can be hard to do, especially the sounds.

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We’ve all been there, having to go to the Xbox menu to lower the volume because your headphones don’t have a way to lower the volume. If only there was a way to press a few buttons and then your volume could go higher or lower. Luckily, there is. Headset adapters have been a thing for a long time, since the early Xbox 360 days. Every Xbox owner has one of these, and you need to get one too.

If you’re looking for a headset adapter for your Xbox controller, then you will need to get the best of the best. Here are some of the best headset adapters for your controller so you can adjust the volume comfortably.

Best Xbox Controller Headset Adapter

Headset adapters are a good investment when playing video games. It may not look like it, but you’ll find out that having a few extra buttons to press on your controller allows you to control the volume without having to go to the Guide and maneuver around until you find the settings.

This is especially useful if you are playing with friends and communicating with each other. With a headset adapter, all it takes is one button to press.

There are certainly a lot of headset adapters on the market right now, but some of these aren’t very good or are just not available all the time. That’s why we’ve accumulated a list of some of the best headset adapters you can get. Here are the headset adapters for the Xbox controller you will be seeing in the list:

1. Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter

This is the official Xbox One headset adapter that Microsoft themselves sells to the public. It has all of the features that you will need for a headset adapter. You can use the headset adapter to either raise or lower the volume of the game with the buttons on the side.

If you have an issue with not being able to hear your friends while playing as the game volume is too loud, you can use the Chat button on the left to raise the chat volume, then the Game button located right above it to switch back to the game volume and lower the volume of the game. If you don’t want to be heard, then you can press the Mute button in the middle of the adapter.

Installing it is pretty easy. Like most headset adapters, you will just need to line up the adapter with the bottom of the controller and slide the device into the slot. Then, it’s ready to go. It uses a 3.5mm audio jack, which means it is compatible with headphones that use the 3.5mm connector. If you have headphones that do not have the 3.5mm audio connector, then you’re out of luck.

What We Like

This is pretty much the standard of audio headset adapters for Xbox controllers. 3rd party products use this as the basis for when they need to create a headset adapter for Xbox controllers. It also does what it is set out to do and nothing more.

Plus, it’s from Microsoft. It is an official product that they sell, which means you are guaranteed to have a good warranty should this product fail.

What We Don’t Like

It’s pretty bare-bones. While it is the blueprint of all the other headset adapters, it has not received an update ever since its release in March 2014. There’s no Bluetooth support, no special EQ modes to help with games, and no even support for headphones that don’t use a 3.5mm jack. It’s hilariously outdated.

Summary

While the headset adapter is very outdated, it is still a fantastic product that does what it sets out to do perfectly. It doesn’t need to have special gimmicks to make it stand out. It has great warranty in case it doesn’t work anymore as well.

Pros

• Official Xbox product
• Good warranty
• The blueprint for all headset adapters for Xbox controllers

Cons

• No Bluetooth support
• Audio devices that do not use 3.5mm are unsupported
• Severely outdated for almost a decade

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2. Mcbazel Headset Adapter

While the original Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter is an official Xbox product, that doesn’t mean other companies are worth the try.

The first 3rd party headset adapter is from Mcbazel. Their headset adapter is pretty similar to the standard headset adapter from Xbox. It features the same volume control buttons as well as the Mute button, but it features a little something more compared to the original.

The Mcbazel Headset Adapter features multiple EQ modes that you can select through: Voice, Music, Video, and Game. Voice is primarily when you are talking to your friends, which focuses on enhancing the sound of your friend’s voice instead of the game. Music is when you are listening to music while playing, enhancing that instead of the game. Video is for when you are watching videos on YouTube or Netflix. Lastly, a Game is for when you only want to focus on the game at that very moment.

Not only that, but it also features Scout Mode, which has its own dedicated button. What makes this mode different is that it allows the player to hear sounds in the game in great detail. You can hear the footsteps of an enemy player approaching or the gunshot that is coming from your left. You can even hear the sounds of engines as it slowly approaches and which direction it’s coming from.

What We Like

Mcbael’s Headset Adapter features several EQ modes that enhance the media you are playing on your Xbox. It greatly improves your experience when you choose the right EQ mode for the job. The Scout Mode is also something that definitely makes this nice to have since it does gives you an advantage when playing multiplayer games.

What We Don’t Like

While the headset adapter does feature more things than the original Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter, the quality of the sound can go from decent to downright horrible, sometimes even worse. Many customers report that at some point, it will emit an annoying buzzing noise constantly or randomly. It’s also reported that the adapter can drain your batteries faster than other headset adapters.

Summary

It may have more features than the original Xbox headset adapter, but the potential sound issues you can encounter while using this headset adapter do make it sound like purchasing this headset adapter is a gamble.

Pros

• Has multiple EQ modes to choose from
• Scout Mode allows for better sound during gaming

Cons

• Essentially the same as the original Xbox headset adapter
• No Bluetooth support
• Potential audio issues that will ruin the game
• Drains the battery faster

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3. OLCLSS Bluetooth Headset Adapter

You may have noticed that most headset adapters don’t have Bluetooth support, which is a shame because there are lots of people who prefer to use wireless headphones like Airpods. Luckily, OLCLSS has managed to create and release a Bluetooth Headset Adapter that allows players to connect any of their wireless headphones to their controller.

Just like any other headset adapter, the adapter must be installed and connected to the controller. Once the adapter is connected, it will automatically try and connect to the nearest Bluetooth device. Make sure the device you want to use is nearby and sending out Bluetooth signals. After they connect, you can now use your wireless device as your headphones, with no wired required.

However, the trade-off here is that there is no way you can do wired connections. The headset adapter is strictly Bluetooth only, meaning that you won’t find a 3.55mm audio jack to plug your wired headphones into.

You might also notice that this headset adapter has fewer buttons compared to the other headset adapters. No EQ modes and no button to control chat volume so only game volume is able to be changed

What We Like

The headset adapter being able to do Bluetooth support is its biggest positive. Headset adapters often don’t have Bluetooth support and only opt for wired connections, which is a shame. Even the original Xbox One headset adapter hasn’t gotten an update that allows it to have Bluetooth support.

What We Don’t Like

The biggest downside to this is that there is no option for a wired connection. While it is great that the headset adapter allows for wireless devices to connect, having to sacrifice the ability to connect with a wired headset is not a good idea.

Not only that but there are reports that state that there is a noticeable delay to the sound, which is even worse knowing that if you do experience these delays, then you won’t have the option to switch to wired for a better connection.

Summary

This product allowing Bluetooth support is great, but it should still have the option for a wired connection. Other than that, and the noticeable delay for sound, there is potential in this headset adapter to be a good purchase.

Pros

• Bluetooth support
• Headphones connectivity
• Simpler to use while playing

Cons

• No option to use wired headsets
• Noticeable delay in sounds
• No EQ modes
• Cannot control chat volume, only game

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4. Uberwith Bluetooth Headset Adapter

Another Bluetooth headset adapter for those who like to use wireless headsets. But this time, this one is a little bare-bones and more minimalist.

Uberwith’s Bluetooth Headset Adapter allows the player to use their Bluetooth devices to connect to the headset adapter and use it for gaming. However, you may notice that there’s not a lot of anything going on here.

The headset adapter does not have any buttons for volume, aside from the button to turn the microphone that is installed in the headset adapter.

The only purpose this headset adapter serves is to connect wireless headsets with Bluetooth, and it does it wonderfully. But it does suck that you cannot control the volume with the headset adapter. Instead, you will be forced to go through your settings manually and tweak the settings yourself, instead of on your headset adapter.

There is also another major downside to using this headset adapter. The microphone you have attached to your wireless device will be rendered unusable, as the headset adapter uses the built-in microphone it has inside.

But there’s a button to turn it off, right? So you can just do that, right? Wrong. The button to turn off the microphone will only turn off when it is held. When you release the button, the microphone will turn back on and it will hear every sound your controller makes due to how sensitive the mic is.

What We Like

Its minimalistic design pairs well with every black Xbox controller. The Bluetooth support is also the only major pro for this headset adapter.

What We Don’t Like

The lack of volume control buttons, the microphone that picks up all of your button presses and stick movement, the button to turn off your microphone only working if you hold it, and the fact that you need to change this all the time? This headset adapter is poorly designed.

Summary

This headset adapter’s only good trait is that it’s a Bluetooth-capable headset adapter. Everything else about it ruins it. Playing with this headset adapter in a multiplayer match will no doubt have everyone yell at you to get off the game, both from the enemy team and your team.

Pros

• Has Bluetooth support
• Minimalist design

Cons

• No volume control buttons
• No EQ modes
• Microphone cannot be shut off unless you hold the button the whole time
• Must be charged if you want to use it

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5. Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller

Turtle Beach has been a longtime partner to Xbox since the Xbox 360 days. If you were gaming on an Xbox 360 back then, chances are you have heard about Turtle Beach being recommended to you by other people due to how great their headphones were.

Nowadays, we have brands like Razer and SteelSeries being the talk of the town when it comes to headsets, but Turtle Beach is still around with their headset audio controller.

The Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller has the basic buttons that allow you to control the volume of the game or the chat.

However, this headset audio controller has two presets that you can switch between at any time: Game Preset and Mic Preset. As their names suggest, the Game Preset is for gaming and Mic Preset is for chat. It saves time if you just want to jump straight into the game and not mess with any other settings.

The headset adapter has a nice third setting that lets you hear the sounds of your enemies moving. The Superhuman Hearing sound setting is a Turtle Beach exclusive that allows the player to really hear the subtle movements in the game.

Cars, breathing, footsteps, gunshots, you can all tell how close they are with this amazing sound technology in the game.

What We Like

Everything about this headset adapter is just great design. The functional volume buttons, the two presets that you can use, and even the Superhuman Hearing sound technology. All that’s really missing with this amazing headset adapter is Bluetooth support and it would have been the perfect product for Xbox controllers.

What We Don’t Like

Aside from the missing Bluetooth support, the only thing that’s a con for this product is that it’s not easy on the wallet. The quality of this headset adapter is fantastic, and so it obviously has a big price tag on it. However, if you’ve got the money, you should definitely get this.

Summary

Everything about this headset adapter was made with premium experience in mind. There is nothing about this headset adapter that felt rushed. It is a great product to have if you’ve got money to spare.

Pros

• Easy-to-use sound presets
• Superhuman Hearing sound technology
• Has all the features needed to adjust the volume of both the chat and game volume

Cons

• No Bluetooth support
• Expensive

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Conclusion

Best Graphics Card for 1080p Gaming in: Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller

Surprise, surprise, the best of the best is the Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller.

While the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter is officially by Xbox, the quality and sound of it does not compare to Turtle Beach’s Headset Audio Controller.

Not only do you get all of the features of the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter, but you also get a cool sound setting called Superhuman Hearing that gives you an edge when playing multiplayer games. It may be a bit expensive, but it’s definitely worth the price.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are headset adapters for gaming?

Headset adapters are more convenient than anything else. You can still play the game no problem if you plug the headset into the controller directly. There are headset adapters that help you change volumes at the press of a button instead of going through different menus to change the volume of the game or chat. There are others that are just there to help with connecting Bluetooth headphones.

2. Which is the best Xbox headset adapter?

Turtle Beach Headset Audio Controller is the best one right now.

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