We generally don’t like headphones that use active-noise cancellation because these devices mask external noise by producing noise of their own. But we decided to make an exception for theBoom Quiet because of the lofty promises the company makes for its noise-canceling mic.

The headphones do a superb job of screening out fan noise, but that telltale noise-canceling hiss is there when you aren’t listening to any other audio. Worse, theBoom Quiet is dull as dishwater, musically speaking: These headphones exhibit very limited dynamic range.

The mic, on the other hand, is easily the best of the three we tested. It made the best recording of our voice, and it did an extraordinary job of rejecting extraneous noise from nearby case fans and our own boisterous keyboard taps. This headset is extremely light, in spite of its rugged construction, and proved to be very comfortable during several hours of gaming. But for this kind of money, you should be able to get it all.

TheBoom Quiet has a handy volume control and inline mute button on its cable.

TheBoom, Quiet
www.boomquiet.com

Boomin’ Bass

Fantastic noise-rejecting mic, extremely comfortable, solid construction.

Boomin’ Baghdad

Limited range, especially at the high end; overly expensive for the musicality it provides.