Summary
Having a great gaming headset is a necessity for most players, especially those who want to truly immerse themselves in new worlds or coordinate strategic attacks with teammates. Recent and upcomingimprovements to audio equipmenthave led to a plethora of high-quality headsets being made available at increasingly affordable prices. While many are seriously impressive, it’s often still a bit of a gamble when lookingat budget wireless gaming headsets. At the same time, it’s easy for entry-level headsets to surprise users if they invest in a good design and powerful specs.
JLab is known for its extremely affordable headphonesand wireless earbuds, offering reliability on par with much more expensive brands. They releasedthe wired Nightfall gaming headsetless than a year ago for the modest price of $40. Now, JLab has refined that impressive budget model to create the wireless Nightfall gaming headset, at just under twice the cost. Game Rant got the chance to try one out for a few weeks and the verdict is in. Does JLab have the newest best budget headset available to gamers?
Lab.
Nightfall Wireless Gaming Headset
The JLab Nightfall Gaming Headset boasts an array of impressive features, including powerful 50mm drivers and a sound-isolating inner shelf in the earcup. The flip-to-mute mic captures crystal-clear vocals and effectively eliminates unwanted background noise. Enjoy long-lasting comfort with its super-wide adjustable headband and Cloud Foam earcups throughout its entire 70+ hour battery life.
What’s in the Box?
Design & Comfort
JLab’s headsets are known to be comfortable, so it should come as no surprise that the Nightfall wireless is comfortable enough to wear for a few hours at a time. It does come with some severe limitations though. First, and foremost, players with larger-than-average heads will probably not be able to wear this comfortably. Additionally, the earcups can feel a bit extroverted, pulling slightly on the back of your ears and, ultimately, making for a somewhat poor experience for those who wear glasses.
However, most users will find the adjustable strap and plush earcups comfortable. The strap is super soft and can be adjusted with a small velcro square. The fine fabric won’t catch stray hairs or cause any snags, either. The strap can be reversed to show off a purely black headband, but even with the flip side, the coloration isn’t very vibrant and even looks black on about 20% of it. Regardless, the strap can make it so that the Nightfall headset seems to hang naturally over your ears. Although, for the most comfortable fit, there is quite a bit of leeway. More excitable players will be readjusting their headsets frequently during matches.
The rotating earcups don’t make it any easier to avoid micro-adjustments, but they’re supported by some very comfortable cushions. These earcups are made with high-quality faux leather and stuffed with a thick layer of cloud foam. Plus, inside each earcup is a perforated lining to help keep the ears cool, even after long gaming sessions. These earcups aren’t just super comfortable, either. They also help block a ton of noise, which will be discussed further in the next section.
The excellent design of the wireless Nightfall headset extends beyond the comfort factor, with a streamlined approach offering users effortless control. For instance, the volume scroll wheel moves in increments of two, making it easy to stop at sensible levels. Similarly, switching between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz is as simple as it sounds: there’s a toggle switch with a distinctive top on the same side of the headset as the volume button. Below those two functions are the power button and, finally, the charging port. Everything a user might need to mess with is right at the tips of their fingers in an intuitive way.
At the same time, the simple flip-to-mute mic operates perfectly, with three stops built in for storage, muting, and an open mic. There is a small risk of breakage, as the mic doesn’t flip up flush with the rest of the headset, but many households won’t ever have a problem with that.
Connectivity & Performance
Every once in a while, a budget device can surprise and impress the market, coming from seemingly nowhere. That is exactly what JLab has done with their combination of a flexible headband, thickly padded earcups, and top-of-the-line spatial audio drivers. Of course, the audio quality changes depending on what you’re listening to, but when it comes to the Nightfall wireless, basically everything sounds fantastic.
The headset is compatible with PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and smartphones, and it sounds great on all of them. That being said, there is quite a bit of lag when connected to the Switch, though it’s hard to say whether that was because of the headset or Nintendo’s highly restrictive audio compatibility. It should also be noted that, as with most wireless headsets, the USB-C dongle, and by extension the mic, will not work with the Switch. It can still be connected to the console for audio output using a Bluetooth connection.
At the same time, the USB dongle is designed with convenience in mind, able to plug into either a USB-C or USB-A port using the included adapter. This means that on PCs with lots of wireless peripherals, users won’t have to juggle accessories to get great audio. The headset claims to have a wireless range of over 30 feet, and during testing audio was delivered with clarity up to 50 feet away from the device, though more than one or two walls would disrupt the connection at closer to 30 feet. Regardless, this is a fairly impressive range for a mid-range headset like the Nightfall.
Further living up to its lofty claims, the Nightfall’s battery is incredible. One unique feature is that when you power on the headset, it will tell you how much battery you have, which is just a really nice add-on that turned out to be quite useful. The headset will rarely auto-shutoff, which can be a bit annoying, but it does seem to go into a low-power mode of some sort when not in use for an extended time. The battery lasts a whopping 70 hours, or more if it’s not in use, so even if it’s left on all week by accident, it’ll likely still have enough battery to power through that Friday night raid session.
Plus, everyone’s least favorite (yet absolutely essential) feature is actually done right with the Nightfall gaming headset! The voice breaks in softly, and the warnings are minimal, going off about every 10 minutes for the last half hour of power. That may seem like a very short amount of time, but that’s usually more than enough time to find a charge. Additionally, the headset charges very fast, with 10 hours of power banked within the first 10 minutes of charging. The whole headset is ready to go in less than an hour, too.
Establishing a strong connection and bringing along the batteries to back it up is one thing, but the actual audio quality is another. However, this is where JLab’s wireless Nightfall really shines. The headset boasts a set of 50mm drivers, which work well across a wide range of sounds. Deep bass tones allow you to absolutely rock out, even while the higher-pitched noises land perfectly as well, avoiding harsh peaks. At full volume, most sounds are still just as crystal clear, though sibilant sounds (S-sounds) tend to suffer above 80% volume.
The audio is incredibly well-balanced, and this is only improved by the use of spatial audio. In single-player games such asHorizon: Zero DawnandTears of the Kingdom, or even when just listening to ambient music while trying to focus on work, it was easy to identify which direction sounds were emanating from. Meanwhile, that careful audio balancing was indispensable in shooters and other competitive games.
This is also where the comfy, foam-padded earcups come back into play, along with the flexible headband strap. These two elements work in conjunction with the drivers to create an impressive noise seal, making the headset on par with many noise-cancelling headsets that have been reviewed by Game Rant. To be fair, the noise cancellation does rely heavily on volume, but even at just 30% volume, many sounds are completely blocked, and at 50% volume hardly anything can get through. It is so effective that people who need to stay aware of their surroundings should not buy this headset. However, if you’re looking to game at home, study in peace, or focus on a work task, the Nightfall wireless headset is the perfect choice.
The directional mic is shaped to block outside noise. It manages to do a decent job, though it’s far from perfect, particularly for busy households. At the same time, it picks up voices with clarity and delivers them accurately, going so far as to adjust the pickup strength depending on how loud or quiet you are, preventing you from deafening your friends or coworkers.
Overall Impression
The JLab Nightfall wireless gaming headset has come out of nowhere and now seeks to dethrone the best budget wireless headsets on the market. There are really only two downsides to this headset: it’s incompatible with Xbox, and it has a limiting size. The former negative is common enough to forgive, while the latter is a bit more difficult to overlook. However, if you have an average head size, there are few reasons not to get the Nightfall wireless headset.
Available for only $70, the Nightfall is more affordable than the average wireless gaming headset, which is usually priced at around $100. Plus, JLab frequently holds sales, meaning that there will likely be plenty of chances to save during the holiday season. At the end of the day, the Nightfall headset is shockingly good and a great way to save $20-30 on a high-quality, pseudo-noise-cancelling gaming headset.
JLab’s intelligent and intuitive design has created a gaming headset that’s not only supremely comfortable but also offers a shocking level of noise cancellation with the slightest increase in volume. Anyone in the market for a decent gaming headset for PC or a Bluetooth-enabled platform, looking to spend less than $75 should not hesitate to pick up the Nightfall wireless gaming headset from JLab.
Similar Products
If you have lots of money to spend or are looking for a headset with different features from the Nightfall, these gaming headsets might be a better fit for you:
$314
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FAQ
Q: Can you connect JLab headsets to the Xbox?
JLab’s wired headsets can be compatible with Xbox via controllers, but their wireless headsets are not compatible with Xbox at this time.
Q: How long to JLab headsets last?
JLab has fairly reliable and durable accessories, so users can expect to get over a year of use out of the JLab selection of budget headsets.
