How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, amplified gaming headset with oversized ear cups and a bass boost you can switch on from an inline amp, choose Turtle Beach; if you need wireless Bluetooth, active noise cancelling and a folding design you can drop in a bag, choose Skullcandy Hesh ANC.
• Turtle Beach Ear Force XL1 — biggest strength: full-range 50mm drivers with a fixed bass boost and an in-line amplifier that puts game and chat volume right on the cable. Its biggest trade-off: it's a wired Xbox 360 headset with a 2.5mm jack, no noise cancelling and no wireless.
• Skullcandy Hesh ANC — biggest strength: 4-mic active noise cancelling, Bluetooth 5 wireless, up to 22 hours of battery and a flat-folding frame. Its biggest trade-off: it's tuned for music, movies and calls, not for console chat, and it has no inline amplifier or bass boost switch.
• Biggest physical difference: the Turtle Beach uses round, oversized circumaural cups over 50mm drivers; the Hesh ANC uses oval cups over 40mm drivers and weighs slightly less.
• Who Turtle Beach is for: Xbox 360 players who want amplified stereo, a boom-style mic setup and a cable they never have to charge.
• Who Skullcandy Hesh ANC is for: commuters, travellers and phone/tablet listeners who want ANC, wireless freedom and a foldable headphone that travels well.
The Ear Force XL1 is a purpose-built gaming headset, and everything about it points that direction. The 50mm full-range drivers are the largest in this comparison, and Turtle Beach pairs them with a fixed bass boost in the amplifier to add depth to explosions, engine noise and low-end game audio. The inline amplifier is the practical centre of the design: mic mute and volume controls sit on the cable, so you're not hunting for buttons on the ear cup mid-match. There's also microphone monitoring, which feeds your own voice back into the headset so you can hear yourself talk instead of shouting.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants wireless. This is a wired headset with a 2.5mm jack and a USB-powered amplifier, so it lives tethered to your setup. There's no active noise cancelling, no Bluetooth and no battery. It's also explicitly an Xbox 360 headset — if your gaming happens on a modern console or a PC with a standard 3.5mm output, the 2.5mm connection is a real mismatch you need to plan around. And if your main listening is music on a phone, this isn't the tool.
Skullcandy Hesh ANC: Who It's For
The Hesh ANC is a wireless over-ear headphone built around convenience. Four microphones drive active noise cancelling, which is designed to let you sink into music, movies or podcasts and shut out the room around you — a plane cabin, a bus, a shared office. Bluetooth 5 gives you a 10-metre wireless range, and Skullcandy rates battery life at up to 22 hours, with Rapid Charge delivering roughly 3 hours of playback from a 10-minute top-up. That combination is the whole point of this headphone: grab it, wear it, charge it briefly, keep going.
The fit story is different from the Turtle Beach but still relevant for larger heads. The Hesh ANC uses oval over-ear cups in faux leather and plastic, 40mm dynamic drivers, and it weighs 228g — a touch lighter than the XL1. The oval opening suits ears that are taller than they are wide, and the flat-folding, collapsible hinge means the headband and cups stow flat rather than staying permanently spread. A folding headband also tends to be a more forgiving fit for people who find fixed frames too tight, because the arms flex as you put them on.
Day-to-day, the feature list is geared to phone life: button controls for calls, volume, track skipping and rejecting calls; Tile finding technology so you can locate the headphones through the Tile app after registering them; a bundled extra USB-C to USB-C charging cable; and a 1-year USA limited warranty. The trade-offs are equally clear. There's no inline amplifier or bass boost, so the sound signature is whatever the headphone gives you. It's a Bluetooth headphone with a 3.5mm jack, not a console headset with a boom mic designed for team chat. And if you want a headphone that never needs charging, this isn't it.
• Best for Xbox 360 gaming → Turtle Beach. Amplified stereo, mic mute, chat volume and microphone monitoring are all built for that job.
• Best for wireless freedom → Skullcandy Hesh ANC. Bluetooth 5 with a 10-metre range, versus a cable on the XL1.
• Best for noise cancelling → Skullcandy Hesh ANC. It's the only one of the two with active noise cancelling, using four microphones.
• Best for big-ear fit via largest cups and drivers → Turtle Beach. Round, oversized circumaural cups around 50mm full-range drivers.
• Best for travelling and packing → Skullcandy Hesh ANC. The flat-folding, collapsible design is made for portability.
• Best for long sessions without charging → Turtle Beach. It's wired and USB-powered, so there's no battery to run down; the Hesh ANC runs up to 22 hours per charge with rapid top-ups.
• Best for phone calls and music on the move → Skullcandy Hesh ANC. Button call, track and volume controls plus Tile finding.
• Best for rumble in game audio → Turtle Beach. The fixed bass boost in the amplifier is there for exactly that.
• Best for losing your headphones less often → Skullcandy Hesh ANC. Tile finding technology, once registered in the app.
In my opinion, the right buy comes down to what you plug into. If your priority is big, roomy ear cups and amplified game audio with real bass boost, I'd buy the Turtle Beach Ear Force XL1 — 50mm drivers and round circumaural cups are the spec that matters most when a normal headphone feels tight. If your priority is wireless listening with noise cancelling, 22-hour battery and a foldable frame for travel and phone use, I'd buy the Skullcandy Hesh ANC. Neither is a universal answer, and that's fine. Pick the one that matches your setup, and check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
FAQ
what are good headphones for big heads
what are the best headphones for big heads
There's no single best — it depends on your source. For wired console gaming, the Turtle Beach XL1's large cups and inline amp fit the bill. For wireless, noise-cancelling everyday listening, the Hesh ANC's lighter build and collapsible frame are the more practical pick.
what headphones are good for people with big heads
Both work, for different reasons. The XL1's oversized round cups surround the ear rather than pressing on it, and the Hesh ANC's oval cups plus folding headband give a more adjustable, packable fit.
which headphones are best for big heads
If you want the biggest cups and drivers in this comparison, that's the Turtle Beach XL1 with 50mm drivers. If you want the lighter, foldable, wireless option with ANC, that's the Skullcandy Hesh ANC.
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