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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an open-ear, ultra-light headset you can wear for hours of gaming and still hear the room around you, choose QOEKUEY Gaming Headset; if you need a traditional over-ear gaming headphone with big 50 mm drivers, a suspension headband and a boom mic, choose K KAVLORN Gaming Headset.
• QOEKUEY Gaming Headset — biggest strength: an open-ear design that sits outside your ear canal, weighs only 24.95 g, and still advertises 7.1 surround sound over a wired USB or USB-C connection.
• QOEKUEY Gaming Headset — biggest trade-off: it uses a 16 mm bone conduction driver, so it will not deliver the deep, sealed-in bass an over-ear cup gives you, and it relies on a push-button control instead of a dial.
• K KAVLORN Gaming Headset — biggest strength: classic over-ear gaming construction with 50 mm dynamic drivers, a self-adjusting suspension headband, a noise-canceling mic, RGB lighting and a one-key volume roller.
• K KAVLORN Gaming Headset — biggest trade-off: it ends in a 3.5 mm jack, so it is built for devices with a headphone port, and its over-ear cups plus heavier 9.6 oz body mean more weight on your head.
• Who each pick is for: QOEKUEY suits players who want minimal ear pressure, open-ear awareness and USB/USB-C plug-and-play; K KAVLORN suits players who want a conventional, immersive over-ear headset with physical volume control.
The QOEKUEY Gaming Headset is the odd one out in a good way. Instead of clamping cups over your ears, it uses an open-ear earpiece shape, and the whole thing weighs 24.95 g. That is lighter than most wired earbuds. The frame mixes metal, plastic and silicone, so the parts that touch you are soft while the structure stays rigid.
The audio side is interesting. QOEKUEY lists a 16 mm bone conduction driver with a 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz frequency range, plus 7.1 surround sound. Those two facts tell you what this headset is for: positional awareness in games, not bass-heavy movie nights. A 16 mm driver simply cannot move the air a 50 mm cup can, and an open-ear fit doesn't seal your ear canal. What you get instead is a wide, airy presentation that helps you place footsteps and gunfire directionally — which is exactly the point of surround sound headphones.
Connectivity is where QOEKUEY wins a lot of buyers. It's a wired headset with both USB and USB-C, so it works across a laptop, PS5, Switch and newer iPhones with USB-C. No dongle, no pairing, no charging. Controls are push-button, which is simple but less precise than a roller.
Buy it if: you game for long stretches, hate the hot clamped feeling of over-ear cups, want to hear your room or your family while you play, or need one wired headset that moves between a PC and a USB-C phone. Skip it if: you want thumping low-end, or you need a physical volume dial you can flick without looking.
The K KAVLORN Gaming Headset is the conventional answer to the same question. It's an over-ear design with circular earpieces, and it goes big on the hardware: 50 mm dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance, 105 sensitivity. Those numbers describe a headphone that's easy to drive and physically capable of real low-frequency output. If you've ever felt that open-ear audio sounded thin, this is the other side of that trade.
K KAVLORN also leans into comfort engineering. The headband is self-adjusting and suspended, which means it spreads pressure instead of relying on a fixed slider you set once. The mic is noise-canceling, the lighting is RGB, and volume is handled by a one-key roller. It also ships with a carrying case — 9.4 x 4.6 x 7.87 inches, 1.76 oz — which is a genuinely useful inclusion if you move your setup between rooms.
The catch is the connection. K KAVLORN terminates in a 3.5 mm jack. That's the most universal analog audio connector there is, and it plugs straight into a PS5 controller, an Xbox controller, a Switch in handheld mode or a laptop headphone port. But it also means no USB-C, no built-in digital surround processing over USB, and no direct connection to a USB-C-only phone without an adapter. And at 9.6 oz, it's roughly eleven times the weight of the QOEKUEY. That's normal for over-ear, but it's a real difference on hour six.
Buy it if: you want an immersive sealed-in over-ear experience, you like RGB and a boom mic, you value a physical volume roller, and your devices have a 3.5 mm port. Skip it if: you need USB-C, or you know heavy headsets give you a hot spot on top of your head.
• Best for all-day comfort → QOEKUEY Gaming Headset. At 24.95 g with an open-ear fit, nothing presses on or into your ear canal.
• Best for immersive, bass-forward audio → K KAVLORN Gaming Headset. 50 mm dynamic drivers with a sealed over-ear cup do what a 16 mm bone conduction driver cannot.
• Best for USB-C and modern phone use → QOEKUEY Gaming Headset. It includes USB-C alongside USB-A; K KAVLORN is 3.5 mm only.
• Best for console controllers → K KAVLORN Gaming Headset. A 3.5 mm jack plugs directly into PS5 and Xbox controllers without any dongle.
• Best for situational awareness → QOEKUEY Gaming Headset. Open-ear means you hear your surroundings; both headsets advertise 7.1 surround sound, but only one leaves your ears open.
• Best for quick volume changes mid-match → K KAVLORN Gaming Headset. The one-key volume roller beats hunting for a push button.
• Best for travel and portability → K KAVLORN Gaming Headset. It comes with a fitted carrying case; QOEKUEY is lighter but has no listed case.
• Best for long work-from-home sessions → QOEKUEY Gaming Headset. Low pressure and open ears matter more than bass when you're on calls for eight hours.
In my opinion, most people asking this question should buy the QOEKUEY Gaming Headset — but only if the open-ear idea appeals to you. The 24.95 g weight, USB plus USB-C connection and open-ear design solve the two problems that make people abandon gaming headsets: ear fatigue and cable incompatibility. I would pick K KAVLORN Gaming Headset instead if immersion is your priority over comfort, if you want a sealed over-ear sound with real 50 mm drivers, and if everything you own has a 3.5 mm jack. Check the current price on Amazon for both before you commit, since that's the one variable that can flip this decision.
how to get surround sound headphones
You don't have to buy a special pair — both headsets here already advertise 7.1 surround sound. On the QOEKUEY Gaming Headset, surround processing runs over its wired USB or USB-C connection. On the K KAVLORN Gaming Headset, the 7.1 effect travels over the 3.5 mm jack, so your source device or software has to output it.
how to test surround sound headphones
Play a source with clear directional audio and confirm sounds move front-to-back and left-to-right rather than sitting in the centre of your head. With the QOEKUEY Gaming Headset, make sure you're connected via USB or USB-C so the digital 7.1 path is active. With the K KAVLORN Gaming Headset, confirm the 3.5 mm plug is fully seated, since a partial connection collapses the effect.
how to make surround sound headphones sound better
Match the headset to the job. The K KAVLORN Gaming Headset's 50 mm dynamic drivers and 32 ohm impedance reward a clean source, while the QOEKUEY Gaming Headset's 16 mm bone conduction driver benefits from being positioned correctly against your ear so you get consistent output across its 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz range.
how to fix surround sound headphones
Start with the connection, because that's the usual culprit. Check that the QOEKUEY Gaming Headset is on USB or USB-C rather than a passive adapter, and that the K KAVLORN Gaming Headset's 3.5 mm jack is pushed in fully. Then verify the surround option is still enabled in your game or system audio settings, since a device change often resets it.
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