LucidSound LS100X review: "Unspectacular, but ultimately dependable"

The LucidSound LS100X struggles to make a statement in a competitive, arguably saturated gaming headset market for PC and Xbox Series X. With brands such as Razer, Steelseries, and Turtle Beach enacting something of a stranglehold on the budget-to-midrange section, it can be understandably difficult for a manufacturer with a relatively smaller name ID to be competitive. It's a palpable tension that's felt in the LucidSound LS100X's battery, design, and sound quality. 

So, what does the LucidSound LS100X Wireless Gaming Headset do for $100? It does a lot of things well, but it does nothing excellently. What you're getting here is a solid build at a relatively accessible price point, particularly for those of you looking for your first headset or wanting to try out an alternative to something like the Razer Blackshark V2, Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 2, or SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless. The sound profile is inoffensive, but broad enough in its balance to help give your favourite games a bit of a boost – regardless of whether you're veering into the realms of online play or wanting to kick it with an atmospheric single-player experience. As I said, the LS100X is solid. Dependable. A solidly dependable Xbox Series X headset with an absurd 70-130 hour battery life, if you're careful with the EQ mode you have selected.

Design & features

I have to say, I'm fond of the stripped-back design that the LucidSound LS100X is sporting. Gaming headsets have this horrible tendency to be oversized, overbearing, and overwrought with buttons and click wheels. Not the LS100X – it's a no-nonsense design that you may not be embarrassed to take out of the house. It's lightweight and relatively compact, and the body features little more than a power button and EQ buttons, and a port to connect a 3.5mm jack compatible microphone. Cleverly concealed within the cups is a volume wheel, and a suite of onboard buttons to let you mute the headset and control playback of entertainment.  

It's also worth noting that what comes out of the box with the LS100X is as stripped back as the headset design itself. You're getting a USB dongle to help connect the thing up to devices like the Xbox Series X, a detachable microphone, and that's pretty much it. If you're using the USB dongle, expect to get around 60-70 hours of battery out of this wireless gaming headset, although if you hook the device up via Bluetooth that will push well beyond 100 hours. I've been testing the LS100X for weeks now – using it on everything from playing games while relaxing to listening to podcasts while cooking – and I struggled to get the battery low enough to make proper use of the USB-C charging port.  

The LS100X does feel a little cheap in your hands, but once it's over your ears that won't matter all that much. It's comfortable over lengthy sessions, with the memory foam padding remaining buoyant, and the headband never becoming all that much of an irritant. LucidSound has launched a no-thrills option that packs quality in where it counts at this sort of price point – comfortable, long-lasting, and largely versatile.

Performance

The LucidSound LS100X is straddling this uncomfortable ground between budget and mid-range headsets, and that's reflected in the audio quality. You know what, it isn't great… but it isn't bad either. The headset is equipped with three EQ Modes, but none really help to elevate the sound profile, depth, or clarity as much as I had hoped. Let's start with the best of the bunch because I'm ever the optimist: FPS helps to elevate the dynamic range, allowing for a better sense of direction and placement. This EQ setting has value outside of the genre it was designed to straddle, offering what is arguably the most well-balanced audio profile of the three. 

Bass Boost is fine. It does help push that low-end, which is perfect for loud action or racing games where you want to feel absolutely in the thick of it, but the truth is that the LS100X isn't equipped with the drivers to really deliver here. As for the Signature sound, I thought it sounded a little muted, but as I said right up top, the LucidSound LS100X does struggle to make a statement – and that's reflected in its 'Signature' EQ profile.

Overall - Should you buy the LucidSound LS100X?

The LucidSound LS100X Wireless Gaming Headset is a solid, unspectacular, but ultimately dependable bit of kit, then. I know that LucidSound doesn't have the brand recognition of the likes of Razer headsets and Turtle Beach headsets, but if you're willing to take a chance with the LS100X you'll find a product that is versatile enough to slot into your life, and without breaking the bank. It's a solid alternative to what the rest of the manufacturers are producing, and that super long battery life and stripped-back design do certainly have appeal. But if you're after better audio quality, you may want to look elsewhere.

How we tested the LucidSound LS100X

I spent several weeks testing the LucidSound LS100X Wireless Gaming Headset both in my home and on the road. I used it for playing games like Modern Warfare 2 and Saints Row, and for my daily rotation of music, podcasts, and TV shows. Even with its budget price, it was key to test the LucidSound LS100X in a variety of conditions and across a degree of entertainment types to properly judge its viability.

You can read more about how we test gaming headsets here, and more about our general approach to hardware in our full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

If you're looking to browse some other big-name brands and their lineups then check out the best Sennheiser gaming headsets to keep your options open, or if you're looking for something PlayStation-focused then head over to our best PS5 headset and best PS4 headset guides.