The technological arms race rages on forever, turning today’s top wonders into tomorrow’s bargain bundles. Whatever state your setup is in, we can all agree that the passage of time is very annoying, isn’t it? Well, that’s clearly been in the mind of the LucidSound designer as their latest headset, the LS100X, which has a ridiculous battery life of 72 or 130 hours depending on the modes. While that may not slow down your electronics’ inevitable creep into obsolescence, it does mean you can spend more time drowning them out with your gaming headset on.
There’s very little to differentiate the LS100X design from the LS15X we tested earlier this year. There are plenty of headset designers out there doing pretty much the same thing – Astro in particular – but I can’t help but crave something a little visually different. Then remember that you won’t be looking directly at your own headset as often, and it’s in the build, comfort and handling where it really matters.
The LucidSound LS100X is made of sturdy black plastic, with a white inner coating that matches the memory foam of the headband cushioning. It’s smart and distinctive, and thoroughly understated. There’s the LucidSound logo on each earphone and the company name is embossed on the headband, both of which are picked in glossy plastic to stand out against the matte surfaces elsewhere.
At a glance, you could almost mistake them for something like the Sony WH-1000XM4, and that’s certainly a bonus, especially if you can use them on the go via Bluetooth. If you’re gaming, you’re more likely to use the proprietary USB-A dongle, which works really well on PC and the Xbox console family. It should be noted that there is no 3.5mm jack, so you can’t sneakily plug in a PlayStation controller.
As we’ve come to expect from LucidSound, the controls are simple and intuitive, with the master volume in a dial on the outside of the left earpiece, while the chat mix dial is on the right. The right rotary knob doubles as a track selector when using Bluetooth, with the center knob switching between microphone monitoring and microphone mute. You also have a power button on the outer edge of the left earpiece and an EQ button on the right that doubles up for activating Bluetooth. All controls are easily accessible and responsive, meaning you can find and operate them in the heat of battle.
The 130-hour battery life has one major caveat: That figure is based on Bluetooth usage. If you’re playing on mobile, Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck then that’s what you can expect, while using the wireless dongle’s game mode still lets it go for well over 72 hours. That’s still about three times what you’d expect from most wireless headsets in this category.
Fortunately, the LS100X is comfortable enough to wear for that long. LucidSound’s commitment to its original design philosophy means that their headsets have now been modified and trimmed into the most comfortable shape possible, with the memory foam padding of the earcups and headband providing ample support. Despite this, it doesn’t have much in the way of passive noise cancellation, which is worth considering if you plan on using them in a loud environment.
You could always crank them up, and the LS100X can get pretty damn loud. The audio quality is clear and punchy, although by default they are relatively bass-heavy, especially accentuated by the Bluetooth mode. The built-in EQ gives you access to the Signature Sound, First Person Shooter and Bass Boost modes – frankly the latter will blow your socks off with something explosive like Battlefield 2042. In terms of gaming, they offer a great degree of immersion, especially for action titles, although you’ll need to tweak the external EQ to get the desired brightness from the top end. That’s easy on mobile or PC, less so on your Xbox.
The LS100X has a dual mic setup, which is arguably the best you can hope for. There’s a removable boom arm, which is adjustable and rigid once you get it in place, as well as a pin-hole microphone for all those ill-timed conversations you’re going to have over Bluetooth. It should come as no surprise that the boom arm mic is the better of the two, although the response is still a little on the thin side. The most important thing is that your teammates can hear and understand you, which is the case no matter which microphone you use.
The LS100X’s main competitors in this under £100 bracket are the official Xbox wireless headset, which certainly has better audio but feels slacker in the hand. Alternatively, there’s the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, which again offers superior output, but depending on the size of your head can be uncomfortable for long sessions.
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