Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3

The ATH-GDL3 has killer open-back sound and a great mic, but comfort is among the worst in our database. Sound ranks in the top percentile tier, yet you'll struggle to keep these on your head long enough to enjoy it. Only buy if audio precision for competitive gaming matters more to you than comfort.

The 45mm drivers are the star here. They push sound to an 88th percentile ranking, which puts this headset among the best open-back options we've tracked for gaming audio. That 10Hz to 35kHz range and Hi-Res certification aren't marketing fluff either. Footsteps, gunshots, ambient noise, it all comes through with real clarity and positional accuracy. The detachable boom mic is also strong, landing in the top tier of our rankings. But here's the catch: that 220-gram weight claim in the specs doesn't match the 717 grams listed in the data we pulled, and whatever the real number is, comfort scores are atrocious. We're talking bottom-of-the-barrel bad. For a gaming headset meant for marathon sessions, that's a dealbreaker.

Next to the competition, this thing is polarizing. The Sennheiser MOMENTUM M5AEBT and Sony ULT WEAR both crush it on comfort and build, and they offer wireless too. The Technics EAH-A800 has a broader use case with better all-around scores. The TOZO HT3 and JBL Tune 670NC undercut it on price while delivering much better comfort ratings. The only place the ATH-GDL3 really pulls ahead is raw sound quality and mic performance for gaming. So you're trading comfort and versatility for audio precision. If you're a competitive FPS player who only cares about hearing footsteps before your opponent does, maybe that's a fair trade. For everyone else, these competitors are safer bets.

Pricing runs around $135 to $139 in the US, and for that money you're getting excellent audio and mic performance. But when comfort is this bad, the value argument collapses. You can't enjoy great sound if you're ripping the headset off after thirty minutes. The score for commuting is also abysmal, so this isn't a dual-purpose buy either. It's a one-trick pony that doesn't do the trick long enough to justify the cash.

The ATH-GDL3 is Audio-Technica's shot at the gaming headset market, and it's a weird one. Open-back design, Hi-Res audio cred, and a claimed weight under 220 grams should make this a gamer's dream. But dig into the data and there's some serious dissonance between the spec sheet and the experience. The sound is genuinely good, but comfort scores land at the very bottom of our database, which is a red flag for anything meant to sit on your head for hours.

Skip this if comfort matters to you at all. The comfort score is rock bottom, so anyone planning sessions longer than an hour should look elsewhere. Also skip if you need wireless, since this is strictly a wired headset. And if you want a headset for music or commuting, the scores in those areas are far too weak to justify the price. This is a specialized gaming tool, not an all-rounder.

This is a headset for a very specific buyer: the competitive gamer who prioritizes audio precision above everything else and doesn't mind discomfort or a wired setup. The sound and mic are genuinely excellent, but the comfort issues are hard to overlook. If you play in short bursts and already have a separate headset for music or everyday use, the ATH-GDL3 could work. If you want one headset to do everything, keep looking.