beyerdynamic MMX 230 Review: First Impressions of the Most Comfortable Gaming Headset We've Worn

Syntec sent us this headset to review. They didn’t see this review before it went live.

Most gaming headsets give you one of two problems. Either they clamp your head like a vice and you’re pulling them off after two hours with sore ears, or they look like they were designed for a teenager’s bedroom and you’d rather not wear them on a work call. If you game and work at the same desk, you end up with two headsets and a tangle of dongles.

The beyerdynamic MMX 230 Wireless is beyerdynamic’s answer: a wireless gaming headset with active noise cancelling (ANC), a low-latency USB-C dongle and Bluetooth, built by a German company better known for studio headphones. We’ve worn the Arctic White version for full working days, for business calls and for a lot of Overwatch, and compared it with the Razer and SteelSeries Arctis headsets we’ve used before. These are our first impressions: it takes longer to really get to know a headset, battery life included, and we’ll update this review as we keep using it. So far, it’s easily the best gaming headset we’ve used, and a clear step up from the Razer and SteelSeries headsets we’ve had before.

First impressions in short

This is the most comfortable headset we’ve worn, and the nicest-feeling gaming headset we’ve used. We’ve worn it for eight hours straight without any discomfort. The sound is deep and rich without being overly bassy, footsteps and abilities in Overwatch are easy to place, and the microphone has been flawless on business calls. It also looks more like a pair of audiophile headphones than a gaming headset.

The weak spot is the battery, which doesn’t seem to last as long as we’d like, though it charges quickly. The ANC is good, not class-leading. At around A$349 it’s pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Comfort: the best we’ve worn

This is where the MMX 230 stands out. It’s extremely comfortable, and we’ve worn it for eight hours straight with no issues at all. When you’re gaming you barely notice it’s on your head.

Two things make the difference. The first is the earpads. They’re soft velour (fabric) over memory foam rather than leather, and they’re much nicer than any leather pads we’ve used, including premium Sony headphones we use for music. The second is the clamp. beyerdynamic has got the pressure just right: firm enough to stay put, never tight enough to squeeze. PowerUp! said the clamp is “dialled in beautifully”, and Audio46 found it comfortable with glasses on.

One reviewer had a different experience: PowerUp! found its ears got sweaty after about half an hour. We haven’t had that problem in our long sessions, but if you game in a hot room in summer, keep it in mind. Closed-back headsets of any kind trap some heat.

Sound for games and music

The sound is deep and high quality: rich, with plenty of low end, but not overly bassy. It’s very well suited to gaming.

In Overwatch it’s excellent for hearing footsteps and working out which direction abilities are coming from. We’d say it improved our gaming very slightly, and that’s about as much as any headset can honestly do.

Other reviewers mostly agree on the sound. Major HiFi said footsteps are “loud and have a clear strike”. Major HiFi and Headphone Dungeon both found the soundstage (how spread out the sound feels) on the narrow side, while Audio46 called it very wide. PowerUp! found the positional audio slightly less sharp than Razer’s BlackShark V3 Pro, which is a dedicated esports headset.

Microphone

The microphone is excellent. We’ve used it for business calls as well as gaming chat, and it’s been flawless. The boom is a flexible gooseneck, and beyerdynamic says it mutes when you flip it up.

Reviewers are split on the mic. PowerUp! called it “broadcast-ready”, while Major HiFi found it “pretty low fidelity” next to beyerdynamic’s dearer MMX models. Our business calls have been flawless. The boom doesn’t detach, so it’s always there, even if you’re only listening to music.

ANC and pass-through

The MMX 230 has active noise cancelling and a pass-through mode that lets you hear the room. It’s not completely noise cancelling, but it blocks a lot of noise, and both modes work really well. An ANC button on the earcup switches between them.

That lines up with the other reviews. PowerUp! called the ANC “competent rather than class-leading”: good on low rumble, but keyboard clicks still get through. Audio46 put it behind Sony’s WH-1000XM6. If you want the strongest noise cancelling for flights, a dedicated pair of ANC headphones will do better. For blocking out a noisy house while you game or work, it’s very good.

Battery life and charging

Battery life is the one area that doesn’t impress us. It doesn’t seem the best, though it charges quickly, so a short top-up gets you going again. We haven’t timed it.

beyerdynamic says up to 60 hours, and some retailers list about 35 hours with ANC on. PowerUp! got about 60 hours with ANC off and about 45 hours with it on, so your results may depend on how loud you listen and how much you use ANC. The battery is user-replaceable, which is rare in a headset and means it won’t be the end of the headset when the battery wears out.

Set-up and connections

It’s very easy to set up and very reliable. Plug the USB-C dongle into your computer and it connects. There’s also Bluetooth (beyerdynamic lists 6.0) for your phone.

beyerdynamic lists PC, PlayStation, Switch, iOS and Android support. Xbox isn’t supported. PowerUp! found that you can use the dongle and Bluetooth at the same time, so you can take a phone call while you’re connected to the PC; we haven’t tried that ourselves. The beyerdynamic app adjusts the EQ and other settings, but PowerUp! notes it’s a phone app only, with no PC version.

Design and build

It looks great. It’s not the typical flashy gamer look: in Arctic White with black pads and small orange accents, it looks more like a pair of audiophile headphones. It doesn’t look out of place on a video call.

It feels extremely premium to us, and it’s the nicest-feeling headset we’ve used. The earcups and frame are mostly plastic, but you wouldn’t guess it: it’s clearly high quality, and the finish feels almost metallic. The plastic also keeps the weight down to about 320 g (beyerdynamic’s figure), which matters a lot when you’re wearing it all day. The buttons feel premium too. beyerdynamic sells spare earpads, so you can replace them when they wear.

The premium feel starts before you put it on. It comes in a soft, beyerdynamic-branded drawstring bag, which is handy for keeping it clean and dust-free on the desk or in a backpack.

How it compares

Razer and SteelSeries Arctis headsets: We’ve used many of both, and the MMX 230 is a clear step up: more comfortable, better sounding, better built and a lot more grown-up looking. It’s easily the best gaming headset we’ve used.

Cheaper wireless headsets: If you’re on a tighter budget, see our best budget gaming headsets.

Specs

Figures are from beyerdynamic and Australian retailers, not our own measurements.

Price and where to buy

When we checked on 15 November 2026, the MMX 230 was A$349 at PC Case Gear (black on pre-order) and Umart (black in stock), and price comparison listings showed the Arctic White for as little as A$344. JB Hi-Fi was listed at around A$390 to A$404. PC Case Gear lists a two-year beyerdynamic warranty, though some other retailers say 12 months, so check before you buy. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law apply on top.

It’s pricey for a gaming headset, but you get what you pay for: the comfort, sound, mic and build quality are a clear step up from the cheaper Razer and SteelSeries headsets we’ve used.

Should you buy it?

On first impressions, yes. Buy it if you spend long hours in a headset, you game and take work calls at the same desk, and you want something comfortable, great-sounding and smart-looking enough for both. It’s easily the best gaming headset we’ve used, and a step up from any Razer or SteelSeries headset we’ve owned. It’s pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Look elsewhere if you play on Xbox, if battery life matters more to you than comfort, or if you want the strongest noise cancelling for travel.