Quantum Of Sound

JBL’s flagship gaming headphones adds virtual surround sound and noise-cancelling to your game

- Shawn Chung

JBL’s flagship Quantum One gaming headset connects to your device either via USB or 3.5mm audio cable and is compatible with a range of devices, including Macs, gaming consoles and tablets, though to enjoy its full range of features you have to use it with a PC via USB and download the JBL QuantumEngine application suite to fully customize your Quantum One.

Physically the headset looks suitably ‘gamer’ in aesthetics, mainly in flat black plastic, with RGB lights behind the JBL logo on each earcan and running along the sides. JBL has taken steps to ensure long-wear comfort with thick memory foam cushions on the headband and earpads, but they do accumulate heat in our weather, so are best used when you have the air-conditioning.

Connect the Quantum One to your device via audio cable, and you get a standard stereo headphone experience with a neutral sound performance, though if you connect it to your gaming console or Mac via USB to provide power, you can then activate active noise cancelling, which is decent but not particularly powerful. We found that the Quantum One was excellent for Zoom and Google Meet video conferences, where the removable boom mike picked up our voice clearly.