How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wireless, budget-friendly gaming headset you can also use for long work-from-home calls, choose PDP Xbox One Afterglow; if you need studio-grade voice clarity and precise, closed-back sound for focused work, choose beyerdynamic MMX 150. I'll be blunt about the trade-offs, because if you're shopping for side sleepers or someone who wears headphones for hours at a desk, these two pull in very different directions.
• PDP Xbox One Afterglow — biggest strength: True wireless freedom with a USB transmitter, a 40 ft range, and two sound modes (Pure Audio and Bass Boost).
• PDP Xbox One Afterglow — biggest trade-off: No wired jack, and the specs list a 5-hour average battery life against a 16-hour claim, so you'll want to manage charging.
• beyerdynamic MMX 150 — biggest strength: A META VOICE cardioid condenser microphone plus 40 mm drivers tuned for precise localisation and clean voice pickup.
• beyerdynamic MMX 150 — biggest trade-off: It's a wired, 454 g over-ear headset, so it's built for a desk, not for lying down.
• Who each pick is for: PDP for wireless convenience and gaming audio on a light setup; beyerdynamic for people who live on calls and need their voice to sound professional.
The Afterglow AG 9+ is a wireless over-ear headset built around a simple idea: cut the cable and let you move. It uses a USB transmitter for a connection range up to 40 ft, and it carries 50 mm Neodymium drivers with a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz frequency range. Two things stand out for a home-office setup. First, the two audio modes — Pure Audio for a flatter, more neutral listen and Bass Boost for a fuller low end — give you a quick way to switch between a podcast or a call and something more entertaining. Second, the removable, flexible noise-cancelling microphone lets you position the boom where it picks up your voice cleanly, and you can pull it off entirely when you're just listening.
Who should skip it? If you need a wired connection for zero-latency monitoring, or you want a headset that stays put while you recline, this isn't it. There's no headphone jack here, and the battery figures in the specs — a 2-hour charge time and a 5-hour average life — mean you'll be reaching for the cable (or the charger) more often than you'd like during a full workday.
beyerdynamic MMX 150: Who It's For
The MMX 150 is a closed-back, over-ear gaming headset from a company with real studio pedigree. The headline feature for anyone working from home is the META VOICE cardioid condenser microphone with a 9.9 mm capsule, which is designed to reproduce your voice naturally while reducing typical background noise like keyboard clacks and mouse clicks. If you spend your day on calls, that's the difference between sounding like a professional and sounding like a person shouting over a mechanical keyboard.
On the audio side, the 40 mm drivers are tuned for clear, precise sound with strong localisation, and the closed-back, around-ear design plus sound isolation helps shut out the room. The impedance is 32 Ohm, which the specs list as enabling various connectivity possibilities, and there's a 4-pin jack. The frequency range runs from 5 Hz to 30,000 Hz. Comfort is handled with memory foam in both the headband and the artificial leather earpads, and a bayonet mechanism lets you swap the pads quickly — a genuinely useful detail for a headset you'll wear for hours every day.
Who should buy it? The remote worker who treats voice quality as non-negotiable and wants a closed, isolated listen for focus. The volume dial with a click function gives you quick, precise control, plus mute and augmented mode without leaving what you're doing. Who should skip it? If you want wireless freedom, this is wired. And at 454 g, it's a substantial headset — great planted at a desk, less ideal if you want to roam.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for wireless freedom → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. Up to 40 ft of range via the USB transmitter, no cable holding you to the desk.
• Best for focused, isolated listening → beyerdynamic MMX 150. Closed-back design with sound isolation and around-ear fit.
• Best for gaming audio modes → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. Pure Audio and Bass Boost let you flip the character of the sound.
• Best for quick controls → beyerdynamic MMX 150. The volume dial's click function handles volume, mute, and augmented mode in one place.
• Best for a wired, latency-free desk setup → beyerdynamic MMX 150. The 4-pin jack and 32 Ohm impedance suit a plugged-in workstation.
• Best for lighter, more flexible wear → PDP Xbox One Afterglow. It's a plastic-bodied over-ear set with an adjustable headband and a removable mic.
• Best for side sleepers → neither, honestly. Both are full over-ear headsets. If you actually want to lie on your side, look at memory foam ear cushions bluetooth headphones for side sleepers or with microphone open ear earbuds for side sleepers — those are built for that job. The best head phones for side sleepers trade sound isolation for a flat, low-profile shape.
In my opinion, if your "work from" day is mostly meetings and you want to sound crisp and stay focused, I'd buy the beyerdynamic MMX 150 — the META VOICE microphone, closed-back isolation, and memory foam comfort are exactly what a desk-bound workday rewards. I'd pick the PDP Xbox One Afterglow only if wireless freedom and gaming sound modes matter more to you than voice quality, and I'd accept the charging routine that comes with it.
For side sleepers, I'd steer away from both of these over-ear headsets and toward a low-profile pair designed for lying down — these two are desk tools, not pillow tools.
FAQ
what are the best work from home headphones
what are the best headphones for working from home
Match the design to your day. The MMX 150 is closed-back with sound isolation and a wired 4-pin connection, which suits a fixed desk. The Afterglow is wireless with up to 40 ft of range and a removable mic, which suits someone who moves around. Both are over-ear, so neither is right for lying on your side.
The MMX 150 is a wired headset. It uses a 4-pin jack with a 32 Ohm impedance, and the specs note various connectivity possibilities. That wired path is what gives it low-latency, plug-and-play behavior at a desk.
No. The PDP Xbox One Afterglow is wireless-only — there's no headphone jack. It connects via a USB transmitter with up to 40 ft of range, so plan on charging: the specs list a 2-hour charge time and a 5-hour average battery life.
If you're weighing price, check the current price on Amazon with the button on this page before you commit.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: Zopsc Mono Gaming Earbud vs erjigo KZ ZSN PRO, MOVSSOU Million Sold Classic vs Creative Outlier Free+ Lightweight, LEXiBOOK vs YUSONIC Toddler, Hawk Scope sunglasses Safety Headphones vs PPBP Open Ear Headphones