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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wireless, plug-and-play headset with a long battery and an easy flip-to-mute mic, choose Logitech G535; if you need a wired, closed-back headset with bigger drivers, a detachable boom mic and replaceable parts, choose Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH.
• Logitech G535 — biggest strength: LIGHTSPEED wireless with up to 33 hours of battery life, a 236 g build, and a flip-up-to-mute mic that gets out of your way instantly.
• Logitech G535 — biggest trade-off: It's wireless-only over a USB receiver for PC and PlayStation, so it won't plug into a phone, handheld or console controller via a standard 3.5 mm jack — and there's no sound isolation claim, just on-ear memory foam.
• Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH — biggest strength: Big 45 mm drivers in a closed-back, isolating design that weighs 228 g, with a detachable directional boom mic and detachable cables for PC and consoles.
• Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH — biggest trade-off: It's fully wired, so there's no battery freedom and you're tethered by a cable (3.0 m for PC, 1.2 m for consoles) — you also have to plug in the right cable for the right device.
• Pick the G535 if you game at a desk or couch and hate cables, want the freedom to walk around mid-match, and prefer a mic you mute by flipping it up.
• Pick the ATH-GL3WH if you want isolation from a closed-back cup, a detachable mic for when you're just listening, and the ability to swap earpads and headpad down the road.
The G535 is built around one idea: cut the cord without cutting the session short. Logitech's LIGHTSPEED wireless gives you up to 33 hours of play per charge, with a full recharge in about two hours, and a stated wireless range of up to 12 meters. In practice, that means you can grab a drink, stretch, or pace around the room between rounds and keep the audio and your mic live. Connectivity is a USB receiver aimed at PC and PlayStation, so it's genuinely plug-and-play for those platforms — no dongle juggling, no driver fiddling.
Comfort is the other half of the story. At 236 g, the G535 is lighter than Logitech's own G733, and it uses a reversible suspension headband that distributes weight instead of pressing it onto one spot. The ear cups are soft memory foam with sports mesh, which is the kind of combo that holds up over long sessions. The headband is also adjustable and washable, which is a small thing that matters more than people expect after a few months of sweaty ranked nights.
On the audio and mic side, you get 40 mm neodymium drivers with a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range and 36 ohm impedance, tuned for the crisp, clear stereo that gaming headsets live or die by. The mic is Discord Certified for voice clarity, and here's the part I actually like: you mute it by flipping it up, and it physically moves out of your face at the same time. Volume lives on an ear cup roller, so you're not hunting for a dial. There's no active noise cancellation here — it's an on-ear, open-feeling fit, so don't expect the world to disappear.
Who should buy it: wireless-first gamers on PC or PlayStation who value battery life and light weight over isolation. Who should skip it: anyone who needs a 3.5 mm jack for a Switch, phone or controller, or who wants a detachable mic and replaceable pads.
The ATH-GL3WH takes the opposite approach, and it's a deliberate one. This is a closed-back wired headset, which means the cups seal around your ears and block out a good chunk of room noise — a fan, a keyboard, a housemate — so you hear the game and not everything else. That isolation is the headline feature, and it's the reason a lot of people pick closed-back over open designs in the first place.
Audio-Technica leans on driver size here: 45 mm dynamic drivers with a wide 10 Hz–35,000 Hz frequency range and 45 ohm impedance. That's a bigger driver and a broader stated range than the G535's 40 mm / 20 Hz–20,000 Hz, and it's aimed at what Audio-Technica calls high-resolution audio with fine detail. For gaming that usually translates to clearer positional cues and more texture in ambient sound; for music and movies in between matches, it's the more audiophile-leaning of the two on paper.
The practical design is where this headset earns its keep. It weighs 228 g — lighter than the G535 — and the boom mic is both flexible and fully detachable, with a highly directional pickup for voice chat. Detach it and the headset becomes a normal pair of wired headphones. The volume dial and mute switch sit on the left ear cup, so control stays on your head. You get two cables in the box: a 3.0 m cable with separate 3.5 mm mic and headphone plugs for PCs, and a 1.2 m cable with a single 3.5 mm TRRS plug for modern consoles. Earpads and the headpad detach for easy replacement, and it's covered by a two-year limited end-user warranty.
Who should buy it: players who want isolation, a detachable mic, and a headset they can repair and refresh instead of replace. Who should skip it: anyone who refuses to deal with cables, or who wants wireless freedom on PC and PlayStation without a dongle.
• Best for battery life and wireless freedom → Logitech G535. Up to 33 hours per charge, 12 m range, no cable at all.
• Best for sound isolation → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. Closed-back cups seal out room noise; the G535 makes no isolation claim.
• Best for raw driver size and frequency range → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. 45 mm drivers and 10 Hz–35,000 Hz versus 40 mm and 20 Hz–20,000 Hz.
• Best for mixed listening (game + music + movies) → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. Detach the mic and it's a regular wired headphone.
• Best for plug-and-play on PC and PlayStation → Logitech G535. One USB receiver, no cable selection, no adapters.
• Best for device flexibility → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. Two included cables cover PC and modern consoles via 3.5 mm.
• Best for easy mic muting mid-fight → Logitech G535. Flip the mic up and it's muted and out of the way in one motion.
• Best for long-term ownership → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. Replaceable earpads and headpad plus a two-year limited warranty.
• Best for lighter weight → Audio-Technica ATH-GL3WH. 228 g versus 236 g — close, but the Audio-Technica is lighter.
• Best for a washable, adjustable headband → Logitech G535. Reversible suspension headband with washable material.
If I had to pick one, I'd take the Logitech G535 for a desk-and-couch PC or PlayStation setup. In my opinion, the freedom of LIGHTSPEED wireless, the 33-hour battery, the 236 g weight and that flip-to-mute mic solve the two most annoying parts of daily gaming — cables and mic management — without asking you to think about anything. The ATH-GL3WH is the better pick if isolation, bigger drivers, a detachable mic and replaceable parts matter more to you than going wireless. But for most people who just want to sit down and play, the G535 is the one I'd recommend.
FAQ
Yes. It ships with a 1.2 m cable ending in a single 3.5 mm TRRS plug designed for modern gaming consoles, plus the longer PC cable. The G535, by contrast, is aimed at PC and PlayStation over USB.
The ATH-GL3WH, clearly. It's a closed-back design built for sound isolation, so it physically blocks room noise. The G535 is an on-ear wireless headset with memory foam comfort but no noise control or isolation feature listed.
The G535 is the only one of the two with a battery — up to 33 hours per charge with a two-hour charge time. The ATH-GL3WH is wired, so it never needs charging, and its earpads and headpad detach for easy replacement. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since budgets shift.
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