Glorious GHS Eternal review

There are a number of reasons to pick up a wired gaming headset over something wireless. Price is definitely a factor, but add to that greatly reduced latency, plus the obvious fact you'll never have to worry about keeping your kit charged. Unfortunately, every time I test a wired headset, the castors of almost every desk chair remind me why I live my best life wirelessly.

Glorious is perhaps best known for gaming mice and keyboards, though it's now broadening its peripheral portfolio with two wired gaming headsets and a more premium wireless option, set to drop later this year. So, will Glorious' first foray into gaming headsets persuade me that the grass is, in fact, greener with a wire between me and my rig? At $60, I'm willing to hear the GHS Eternal out.

The only available connection for the basic GHS Eternal is a 3.5 mm audio jack. Besides PCs, this connection offers pretty broad compatibility among smartphones and consoles too (that includes the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox).

The GHS Eternal also comes with a bendy, detachable microphone arm that also enjoys a 3.5 mm connection. The audio quality of this is fine for video calls and Discord chats, but the lack of a squishy windscreen means you should expect some distortion from breaths and plosives. The microphone arm is flexible, so you can fiddle with finding the best placement for you and your trash talk. If you need sound with less crunchy edges, the Corsair HS55 Stereo wired gaming headset offers pretty astounding audio from its microphone for the same $60 price tag.

One thing the Glorious' mic does that Corsair's doesn't, though, is detach. That could open up the GHS Eternal up to non-gaming use while out and about, but A) this headset does not enjoy an IPX rating, and B) I personally dislike the rattle headphone wires tend to make as I powerwalk.

Beyond that, I'd say the cushioned headrest and plush earcups make this a comfortable gaming headset to wear for extended periods. The clamping strength of the earcups is firm enough to feel secure without becoming uncomfortable. However, though the memory foam ear pads are pretty generous, there's little to no noise isolation; even on a quiet day at PC Gamer towers, I could hear the conversations of my deskmates pretty clearly—and I suspect they could hear me listening to Your Idol on repeat too.

That's because the headset overall can get decently loud, and the left earcup features a tactile volume control knob that I really enjoyed twiddling. If I was judging this headset based purely on casually listening to the K-pop Demon Hunters soundtrack for the umpteenth time while I wrote this review, I'd be tempted to give it full marks.

As far as gaming headsets go, $60 puts this firmly within the budget category, and for that price, you shouldn't expect an audio experience that knocks your socks off. Still, the GHS Eternal renders vocals cleanly, and even makes an attempt at reaching for a little extra oomph with the film's thumping, electronic-inspired basslines.

Listen to the Glorious GHS Eternal microphone test here:

The overall sound profile is fairly well balanced, though the sound stage feels somewhat narrow even at max volume, and I did notice some sharpness and even a small amount of distortion around the highest highs. That said, this is pretty par for the course when it comes to more affordable sets of cans.

While Pragmata is a game full of higher-pitched, digital bleeps and bloops, this headset's crunchier top end wasn't pronounced enough to really diminish my enjoyment of blasting bots.

Overall, it can't get as loud as the only other wired gaming headset I happened to have to hand, the Razer Kraken Kitty V2 - Gengar Edition, or compete with that far pricier gaming headset's depth of sound. However, for $60 I'd still say the GHS Eternal's 40 mm drivers acquit themselves well, and personally, I find its angled earcups more comfortable to wear too.

The only time this headset's wired connection failed me—beyond getting caught up under a castor—was once during a phone call where my mic cut out and headphone audio continued even though the 3.5 mm connection was fully seated. I've not been able to replicate this hiccough since.

Glorious also sent me the GHS Eternal RGB, which costs $90/£80. For another thirty bucks, you're definitely getting a few more handy features. For one thing, you have a choice between a 3.5 mm or a USB-C wired connection (in a considerate move, the box includes a USB-C to USB-A dongle too).

You also enjoy an additional chat mix knob on the left ear cup, a floating headband design that combines both elastic and silicone parts, plus a cheeky bit of RGB on both ear cups.

As someone who enjoys chatting up a storm in Final Fantasy XIV Online, I particularly appreciate the dedicated chat mix knob—but beyond that, I'm not convinced this more premium option justifies its added expense.

For a start, both headsets feature 40 mm custom-tuned drivers and detachable mics, contributing to a fairly comparable audio performance. But I found the basic version of the GHS Eternal more comfortable to wear all day long, as even with the more premium headset's 'floating' headband design, my ears felt uncomfortably pinned back after a few hours wearing the RGB model.

I'm also not massively impressed by the pricier model's lighting situation. On the crisp white colourway I was sent, the strips of RGB look mostly tasteful (though you only enjoy full RGB via the USB-C connection, and not the 3.5 mm). Still, it didn't wow me, as I tend to appreciate something that's a little showier.

I mean, after you've gotten used to the delight of donning the Razer Kraken Kitty V3 Pro's brightly illuminated cat ears, can you ever go back?

The more budget-friendly version of the GHS Eternal in the black and orange colourway is downright understated in comparison. But while it doesn't boast twinkling RGB or ostentatious animal ears, I do find myself liking it a lot. For a start, I quite like the orange accents on the insides of the earcups, mic mute button, and the 3.5 mm cable.

I also appreciate the headset's relatively sturdy construction for this price point—some marketing images show the headband being twisted almost pretzel-style like the Logitech G325 Lightspeed, though in my hands, there's enough resistance that I don't really want to push it quite that far. Beyond appearance and construction, this is a comfortable headset that sits securely and ticks the boxes for music-listening, video calls, and gaming.

However, straightforward box ticking isn't quite enough to earn it a best gaming headset crown. For one thing, though its custom-tuned 40 mm drivers are fine, they can't really compete with the audio quality of the HyperX Cloud Alpha's 50 mm dual chamber neodymium.

It's just one reason the HyperX is our pick for the best wired gaming headset and has been our reigning champion for years. But at about $100 these days, I can understand why some might feel the pull of the $60 GHS Eternal instead.

Well, I'm sorry to say that the Corsair HS55 Stereo still has it beat on bang for buck, too. I've already mentioned the fantastically crisp audio you're getting from this bit of kit's flip-up mic arm, but for $60, you're also getting 50 mm drivers. Though I personally prefer the cleaner stylings and less plasticcy build quality of the GHS Eternal, the HS55 Stereo can rest easy in its best budget gaming headset crown.