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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-23 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic — biggest strength: a 19 cm bendable boom that holds its position 360 degrees, plus broad 3.5 mm compatibility across Xbox One, PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and mobile.
• AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic — biggest trade-off: it's built for Kingston HyperX Flight and Flight S families first, and the gold color won't match every headset.
• GBSCLOVER Mic — biggest strength: a dedicated omnidirectional replacement boom for the Barracuda X, with an ABS body, a 3.5 mm gold-plated plug and a 90-day manufacturer warranty.
• GBSCLOVER Mic — biggest trade-off: fitment is narrow — it's designed for the Barracuda X, so it isn't the pick for a mixed household of different headsets.
• Who each pick is for: AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic for HyperX Flight/Flight S owners and anyone juggling several 3.5 mm devices; GBSCLOVER Mic for Barracuda X owners replacing a lost or damaged boom.
The AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic is a replacement boom microphone built around one very specific problem: you have a headset you like, but the microphone is gone, damaged, or just not doing its job. The boom measures 19 cm, which is the detail that matters most here. That length is what lets the mic tip sit close to your mouth instead of hovering at the side of your jaw, and close placement is the single biggest factor in how intelligible your voice sounds to teammates.
It's bendable through 360 degrees and, per the manufacturer's description, it stays where you put it. That's an underrated feature on long sessions. A boom that slowly droops toward your collar means you spend the evening re-adjusting mid-match. A boom that holds its angle means you set it once. The foam cover over the capsule is there to knock down plosives and breath noise, and the polar pattern is unidirectional, so it favors sound arriving from the front — your voice — over the room behind and around it.
GBSCLOVER Mic: Who It's For
The GBSCLOVER Mic takes the opposite approach: it's a purpose-built replacement for one headset family. It's designed for the Barracuda X, and it's meant to directly replace the original boom — which is exactly the scenario people search for when a mic has been lost, chewed by a pet, or cracked at the joint. Buying a whole new headset because one small part failed is a frustrating expense, and this is the narrow, practical fix for that.
The specs are straightforward. It's an omnidirectional pickup with a sensitivity rating of -32dB ±3dB and a resistance of 2.2KΩ, with a sponge cover in the box to cut down noise interference. Omnidirectional means it picks up from all around the capsule rather than favoring one direction — paired with the sponge cover, the aim is cleaner, more even voice capture rather than a tightly focused pickup. The boom rotates a full 360 degrees, so you can flip it to whichever ear you prefer and bend the arm to sit where you want it.
The build is ABS with a 3.5 mm gold-plated plug. Gold plating on the connector is a conductivity and corrosion-resistance detail — it's the kind of thing that matters if you're plugging and unplugging regularly or if the headset lives in a humid room. GBSCLOVER also backs it with a 90-day manufacturer warranty, which is a concrete, checkable commitment on a small part. Setup is plug-and-play: no drivers, no Bluetooth pairing. Who should buy it: Barracuda X owners who need the original boom replaced, and anyone who wants a spare on the shelf before the current one fails. Who should skip it: if you don't own a Barracuda X, the fitment is the wrong match — look at a boom built for your specific headset instead.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for long, reachable boom placement → AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic. 19 cm puts the capsule at your mouth, and the 360-degree bend holds the angle.
• Best for mixed-device households → AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic. Xbox One controllers, PC, Mac, PS4 and mobile all run through the same 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for a written warranty → GBSCLOVER Mic. 90 days, manufacturer-backed, on a part that's easy to lose or damage.
• Best for connector longevity → GBSCLOVER Mic. The gold-plated 3.5 mm plug is the more corrosion-resistant option if you plug in and out constantly.
• Best for directional voice pickup → AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic. Its unidirectional polar pattern favors the voice in front of the capsule.
• Best for easy setup on either pick → both. Neither needs drivers or Bluetooth pairing; both are plug-and-play 3.5 mm parts.
• Best for color matching a black headset → GBSCLOVER Mic. It's black; the AKKE is gold.
In my opinion, the deciding factor here isn't the spec sheet — it's which headset you actually own. If you have a Barracuda X, I'd buy the GBSCLOVER Mic without much hesitation: it's the direct replacement, it has the gold-plated plug, and the 90-day warranty is real coverage on a cheap-to-lose part. If you have a HyperX Flight or Flight S, or you want one boom that moves between a console controller and a laptop, I'd buy the AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic instead, because that 19 cm bendable arm and the wide 3.5 mm compatibility are exactly what that scenario needs. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit to either.
are studio headphones better than gaming headsets
Not universally — they solve different problems. Studio headphones are typically built for flat, accurate monitoring and usually don't include a microphone at all, which is why replacement booms like the AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic and the GBSCLOVER Mic exist in the first place. A gaming headset bundles voice capture and comfort for long sessions into one part, so "better" depends on whether you need a mic in the same device.
do all headphones have mics
No. Plenty of headphones are pure listening devices with no microphone capsule and no boom attachment point. That's precisely the gap these two products fill: both are detachable 3.5 mm boom microphones designed to slot into a headset that already accepts a removable mic, not to convert a mic-less pair of headphones into a headset.
can studio headphones be used for gaming
Yes, for the listening side — many people game on studio headphones. The catch is voice chat. If your studio headphones have no mic input, you'd need a separate desktop or clip-on mic rather than a boom like these. The AKKE Hyperx Headset Mic and GBSCLOVER Mic both rely on a headset that has a 3.5 mm mic jack built for a detachable boom, so they're the wrong tool for a pair of headphones with no mic socket.
what headphones do pro gamers use
There's no single answer, and I won't pretend there is. Competitive players tend to favor whatever gives them clear positional audio and reliable voice comms, which is often a purpose-built gaming headset with a boom mic rather than studio cans. That's the category both of these replacement mics belong to — they exist to keep a gaming headset's voice side working after the original boom is lost or damaged.
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