Hands-on review: JBL Quantum 610 Wireless

The new Quantum 610 gaming headset is the latest addition to JBL's Quantum range and the successor to its popular Quantum 600 model.

JBL Quantum is slowly being recognised as one of the best providers of gaming headsets on the market, and several improvements have been made to the Quantum 610 headset over its predecessor to help it stand out as one of the mid-range choices for the daily gamer. These updates include a massive 40-hour battery life, the ability to charge and play at the same time, and a much smaller wireless dongle.

The headset retails for a reasonable $249 and is compatible with all modern gaming platforms.

First impressions

Included in the box are the JBL Quantum 610 Wireless headset, a 2.4GHz USB wireless dongle, a 3.5mm audio cable, a USB-A to USB-C charging cable, as well as a neat little storage bag.

The headset looks great and features most of the sliders, controls and inputs/outputs on the left ear cup, with a lonesome on/off slider on the right ear cup. One simple design cue that works really well is a huge 'R' and 'L' on the inside of said ear cups - meaning you'll never put the headset on the wrong way. The JBL branding on each ear cup also illuminates via RGB lighting, ensuring the headset looks extra fancy when the lights are dimmed.

The Quantum 610 headset feels sturdy despite not being overly large like some of its competitors. The materials used are nice, in particular the visible braided cables which match those included in the box.

Using the headset for hours of gaming was a comfortable experience, which isn't always the case, even on $200+ headsets.

Performance

The performance is great whether you use the JBL Quantum 610 headset wired or wirelessly. The sound quality is rich and allows you to fully immerse yourself in your game.

If you are a PC player, you can make use of the intuitive QuantumSURROUND, which allows you to immerse yourself in an epic experience and enjoy sound bursting from every angle. It's just a shame this feature isn't also available over on the PS5 or Xbox Series X.

If you need to use the headset for your work Teams calls, it works just fine, too - during testing, I had no issue linking it to my Macbook or my Microsoft Surface.

The microphone quality could be improved, so if you're looking to use the Quantum 610 for a voiceover on your latest YouTube upload, you might want to look elsewhere.

While I have no doubt that the claimed 40-hour battery life is attainable, this is only possible with the RGB lighting disabled and while using the headset to listen only to music. While gaming, I achieved around 20 hours, though the ability to charge and play makes this issue redundant.

Verdict

We were really impressed by JBL's latest gaming headset and would recommend them to gamers and streamers alike.

As mentioned, the Quantum 610 gaming headset is the mid-range offering from JBL. For another $150, you could upgrade to the Quantum 800 (although we expect the 810 to release soon), or if you just want a basic headset, you could opt for the Quantum 200 ($100).

We love what JBL is doing with the Quantum range, and we can't wait to see what they do next.