I spent a week with Logitech's $249 gaming headset — now my ears hurt

The Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed is Logi’s latest competition headset, aimed at competitive players. As such, it’s intended to be paired alongside the rest of the brand’s Pro lineup: the Logitech G Pro X3 SuperStrike mouse and G Pro X2 Rapid keyboard.

The Lightspeed sounds fantastic, with a bright and expansive treble. It’s tuned for competitive play, but its drivers are super capable and a 10-band EQ lets you dial in the sound for a variety of different game genres. It’s lightweight, built well, and features impressive wireless range.

So is this the best gaming headset for you? Well, it isn’t perfect. While comfy, it gets a little hot. Its battery life is mediocre, and there are some crucial features missing given the high price. Find out more in my full Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review.

Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A premium gaming headset from Logitech
• Who is it for? Competitive gamers
• What does it cost? $249 / £229
• What do we like? The bright, detailed sound, custom EQ, lightweight design and long range
• What don’t we like? The earcups get hot, battery life is mediocre and I’d like more for the money

Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review: Specs

Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review: The ups

The Pro X3 Lightspeed sounds great, with an FPS-oriented default tune but capable drivers and an excellent custom EQ. It’s light, comfy, built well, and has an impressive 98-foot range.

Detailed sound quality

You can tell immediately that the X3 Pro Lightspeed was designed with and for competitive FPS players. The default tuning is all treble, which is incredibly bright and expansive. Imagine is very solid, at least stereo-wise. Both characteristics proved excellent for FPS titles like “Wardogs” and, more importantly, “Counter-Strike 2” — I could easily detect and locate enemy cues like reloads and footsteps.

Supposedly this is a 7.1 headset, which is kinda misleading. There aren’t 7 surround speakers and a sub, so it’s not 7.1. This is just Logitech marketing speak for the fact that the Lightspeed is supposed to emulate a 7.1 channel surround system and therefore be good for surround sound gaming. Honestly, while I found stereo imaging great, 360 imaging was fairly run of the mill.

But back to that default tuning and treble. The emphasis on top end can be a little fatiguing, as the higher frequencies get a little harsh and piercing. Combined with a lack of mid-range clout, the Lightspeed sounds a little tinny and misses the depth I wanted for more atmospheric games like “Dune: Awakening”, “Valheim” and “Total War: Rome II”.

Thankfully, there’s a 10-band parametric EQ in the G Hub companion software, with a range of presets to tweak the sound. And extra thankfully, the Lightspeed’s drivers are really, really excellent, so they’ll handle pretty much anything you can EQ their way.

There’s a ‘Detailed’ preset which boosts the top end and, frankly, isn’t needed. The ‘Media’ preset solved most of the issues I had with harsh treble, while boosting bass. But it still missed the mid-range definition I wanted to make the melancholy, futurist synths of the “Dune: Awakening” soundtrack sing. I simply created a custom EQ based off ‘Media’ with some extra power in the mids.

Bass reproduction in particular is very impressive, with super warm, deep bass and even rumbly sub bass to make my ear drums quiver. The huge quakes of Dune’s sandworms smashing out and back into the sands of Arrakis was impressive to behold.

Supremely lightweight and comfortable

This is a seriously comfortable headset. The headband and earcups are thickly padded, making them gloriously soft and squishy. Earcup-wise, I prefer the slightly more spacious cups of my daily driver, the Fractal Design Scape ($199), although I find the Lightspeed’s headband more comfortable over longer stints.

While not as lightweight as the 10-ounce Razer Barracuda V2 Pro ($199), the Lightspeed is still fairly light at 12.5 ounces, and I experienced no neck fatigue even after eight hours of gameplay. My Scape is a touch lighter at 12 ounces, but there’s really not a lot in it. Neither weighed me down like the enormously heavy, 1.2lb Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC ($429) — after testing that, anything lighter feels like a blessing.

The Lightspeed’s clamp force is really gentle, too, so I’ve not experienced any temple pain. The Scape is ever-so-slightly clampier, but again, there’s not much in it. Contrast both of these to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 ($199) and Nova Pro Omni ($399), which sometimes start to hurt my temples after a few hours — remember, though, that mileage will vary in this regard based on individual head anatomy.

My only comfort issue is around breathability, which I’ll come onto later.

Yet built beautifully

Despite that low weight, the X3 Lightspeed is built beautifully. The earcups feature milled metal plates. The earcup hangers are lightweight aluminum with adjustment markings on the outside and divots on the inside so you can quickly check the fit before putting it on, regardless of how you’re holding it. The soft leatherette headband features an embossed “PRO” logo, and there are curly cords linking the two earcups, like an old telephone — I’m a real sucker for that.

Admittedly, I prefer the Scandi sophistication of my Fractal Design Scape, and I think the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro ($249) looks a little sharper, but this is mainly because my test headset was in white, which I always think looks tacky. In black, the Lightspeed is particularly fetching and a rival to the BlackShark, although I wish Logitech had sent me a magenta version to match my pink X2 Rapid keyboard and X3 SuperStrike combo.

Typical Blue Yeti microphone quality

The Pro X3 Lightspeed features a Blue Yeti microphone, which is hardly surprising given Logitech owns Blue Yeti. Now, this is mostly for marketing purposes — don’t expect the microphone performance of a professional Blue Yeti standalone streaming mic. The X3 Lightspeed features a typical, rather small headset boom mic, so it’s not really comparable.

That said, as headset boom mics go, the X3 Lightspeed’s is pretty good. It’s omnidirectional, like the one on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni. That means it picks up sound from all directions rather than just the direction of your mouth. The downside is that other unwanted sounds can make their way in; the upside is that all your vocal tones are captured, giving your voice a natural tone. This is better for broadcasts, making this headset a decent choice for streamers.

As you can hear from the first voice clip above, the mic sounds acceptable in the default EQ. My voice is a little thin and tinny, but it’s clear and acceptable for game chat. However, enabling the Blue Voice setting (which opens up the mic equalizer and noise processing sliders) and switching to the Broadcast 2 EQ, my voice sounded much louder, fuller and richer, albeit with a little extra noise from the added gain (which can be tweaked via a noise processing slider). Broadcast 2 is my favorite EQ and I’d say good enough to be a stand-in for new streamers until they can afford their first proper mic, like the Shure MV6.

Impressive connectivity range

Before I’d even looked at the tech sheet Logitech sent me for the Lightspeed, I was astounded at the headset’s range. While testing, I had to run downstairs to get a delivery. At my door, with one earcup pushed back, I still had the glorious “Dune: Awakening” soundtrack playing in my left ear.

Compare that to two headsets I regularly use, the much pricier Arctis Nova Pro Omni and Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC: those two won’t even stay connected if I dash across the hallway to my bathroom for a lightening-fast pee while waiting in the game lobby for the next match to start.

When I checked out Logitech’s tech sheet, there it was: the Lightspeed has a 98-foot/30m range. That’s obviously a best case scenario assuming no interruptions, but I can believe it.

Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review: The downs

For all its praiseworthy features, the Lightspeed has some drawbacks. I found its earcups rather hot, the battery life is mediocre, and similarly-priced competitors offer way more features.

Not very breathable

Unfortunately, I found the Lightspeed’s default leatherette earcup pads way too hot. I have something called Eustachian Tube Dysfunction — basically, my inner ear tubes don’t open and close properly, making it easy to get ear infections. Hot ears exacerbate this to a serious degree, so breathability is paramount for me.

After a few hours gaming with the Lightspeed, my ears felt hot and I started noticing the telltale signs of an early infection — in-ear pain and sensitivity, plus worsening tinnitus. My ears had overheated.

I tried switching out to the included fabric earcups, but they let in a lot of ambient sound and the plush material was sticky and uncomfortable in a warm room. My Fractal Design Scape’s pads are a coarser cotton-esque fabric rather than plush. They’re still super soft and comfortable, but much more breathable, with better passive noise cancelation. A win for the Scape.

Battery life: not great, not terrible

The Pro X3 Lightspeed offers up to 50 hours of battery life. While that’s not terrible, it isn’t great either, especially given the price tag. The Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, Barracuda V2 Pro and Alienware Pro ($229) all offer up to 70 hours with their ANC off — and they’re all similarly priced to the Pro X3 Lightspeed. The $199 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2, meanwhile, offers 54 hours.

The $199 Fractal Design Scape can manage only 40 hours with its RGB off. However, there are a couple of mitigating factors. Firstly, the Scape comes with a wireless charging dock, which is a big deal in real world usage. I never forget to put the Scape back in its dock because it tidies my desk, so the headset is always freshly charged. By contrast, I have to remember to plug the Lightspeed in each time, which I often don’t. Secondly, the Scape is cheaper at $199, although often on sale for around $169.

I’d expect more features at this price

Annoyingly, the Lightspeed is missing some key features I’d expect to see given the premium price of $249 / £229. Basics first: there’s no game/chat mix dial, so you can’t adjust levels on the fly. There’s also no simultaneous connection either, so you need to manually switch between 2.4G and Bluetooth — annoying if you want to take a call over Bluetooth on your phone or laptop while gaming.

Now, Logitech touts this headset as ‘designed by pros’ and therefore competitive play. So I kinda understand the reasoning behind a lack of simultaneous connections. The game/chat mixer though? Come on, Logitech, that’s just fundamental.

Getting cynical for a minute, though: all that ‘designed by pros’ stuff is just marketing bluster to make general consumers (i.e. you) more likely to buy. In short, forget all the talk of pro esports players — you think Logitech is gonna make profit from a market that small? No, Logitech markets this headset at the mass market; knows it will be bought by the mass market; and wants it to be bought by the mass market. So I’d have liked to see basic quality of life features for, oh, the mass market.

And then there’s the ANC, or lack thereof. For less money, you could pick up the Alienware Pro or new Razer Barracuda V2 Pro, both of which have ANC. For the same money, you could grab the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro, which also has ANC. Sure, the Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 and Fractal Design Scape don’t have ANC, but they’re $50 cheaper — and cost even less on sale.

Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed review: Verdict

I like the Logitech G Pro X3 Lightspeed. Sound quality, comfort, build, range and customizability get a headset quite far in my book, which is why I’ve awarded the Lightspeed an overall positive review.

But alas, I can’t award one of our highest scores, and at the core, it all comes down to price. The $249 mark is an incredibly competitive area for headsets. There’s a lot of truly fantastic competition out there, from Razer especially, which essentially makes the Lightspeed look like bad value. Almost $250 for no ANC, no simultaneous connection and no damn chat mix dial? Come on.

Look, if you’re primarily concerned with sound quality and comfort, and you either own other Logi gear or have spare cash burning a hole in your pocket: sure, the Lightspeed is a decent headset. It’s just not exactly value for money.