Best Bang for Buck "Gaming" Headset under $100 Canadian (75 US)

[hcorion]

Hi Everybody,
So here is my dilemma, my Mom has previously bought me a Cyber Acoustics $30-$40 headset that has lasted about 2 years. She also bought one for herself that has now broken, and lasted about the same amount of time. The idea would be if we could get two $60-$80 headsets, and have them last 4 years, then it would justify the cost of buying a more expensive headset, right? However finding a good price for a good headset is extremely difficult, especially because the Canadian dollar is so high right now.
This is what I'm mainly going to use them for:

• 
  ■ Recording video tutorials
  ■ Skype calls
  ■ The odd game, I suck at FPS and most high-action games.
  ■ The odd video and song

■ Here are my requirements:

• 
  ■ Must have a mic with noise cancelling
  ■ Should have at least about a 4-year lifespan.

■ Some nice features would be:

• 
  ■ On headset or cord volume/mic (+, -, mute) controls
  ■ To have at least half-decent noise cancelling sound
  ■ It should be comfortable
  ■ It should look pretty awesome
  ■ Wired, I really don't need wireless and don't want to pay extra for it.

You see, my mission in life is to get the best bang-buck ratio possible, but I can be swayed by fancy features. I was currently steering towards the 7.1 surround sound headsets, but I was looking around and saw that Razer Synapse software can turn any stereo headset into a virtual 7.1 surround sound headset. Has anyone had any experience with that, or can test the quality? I also have a dedicated sound card, the Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe Card so just two 3.5 mm jacks should do, right? Also, being that my sound card is made by Sound Blaster, would I benefit from getting a Sound Blaster headset? I was also reading HERE that the 7.1 headsets actually "sound worse then others, because of much smaller drivers". I would also like to note that I am not an audiophile and probably won't notice/care about a difference in sound quality. The only other problem I have is that my Mom has a laptop and doesn't work at all with two 3.5mm jacks and would need to have a USB connector or cost less enough to be able to purchase an additional 3.5mm to usb adapter.
Here is currently what I'm looking at:

• 
  ■ Corsair Raptor HS30
  ■ Corsair Raptor HS40 7.1
  ■ Razer Kraken Pro
  ■ Razer Kraken USB
  ■ Razer Kraken 7.1 Chroma
  ■ Logitech G230
  ■ Logitech G430 7.1
  ■ Sound Blaster Tactic3D Fury
  ■ Creative Sound Blaster Inferno
  ■ Sound Blaster Tactic3D Rage USB V2.0

Also if you can recommend a specific Turtle Beach Headset, go for it.
If you do recommend a product, please show me a place I can buy it (I prefer newegg.ca or ncix.com) that supports shipping to Canada.
(I spent a lot of time on this so a reply would be great!)

 

[shotgunz]

I was also reading HERE that the 7.1 headsets actually "sound worse then others, because of much smaller drivers". I would also like to note that I am not an audiophile and probably won't notice/care about a difference in sound quality.

You don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate good sound quality. If you are in Toronto, I can bring over my Sennheiser HD800 to see if you like an "audiophile" sound.

If you really want a "gaming" headset though, I'd suggest you avoid logitech ones for durability since they break easily. Google search logitech G35 and you'll see broken sets without even typing in "broken".

https/www.google.ca/search?q=logitech+g35&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch

 

[hcorion]

I was also reading HERE that the 7.1 headsets actually "sound worse then others, because of much smaller drivers". I would also like to note that I am not an audiophile and probably won't notice/care about a difference in sound quality.

You don't have to be an audiophile to appreciate good sound quality. If you are in Toronto, I can bring over my Sennheiser HD800 to see if you like an "audiophile" sound.

If you really want a "gaming" headset though, I'd suggest you avoid logitech ones for durability since they break easily. Google search logitech G35 and you'll see broken sets without even typing in "broken".

https/www.google.ca/search?q=logitech+g35&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch

Awesome, thanks for the advice, although I think almost a 40 hour drive would be too long try out a pair of headphones .

 

[RedJaron]

My Turtle Beach PX22 has served me well for two years now. Decent sound quality, good mic, and the in-line amp has not only volume and mic control, but treble, bass, chat volume ( distinct from game or system volume ), and voice monitor volume ( it helps to hear yourself just a little when you talk ). It's also compatible with most systems ( PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PS4 ) and the headset can be detached from the amp to be a regular four-pole headset to use on a phone, tablet, or anything else.

 

[hcorion]

My Turtle Beach PX22 has served me well for two years now. Decent sound quality, good mic, and the in-line amp has not only volume and mic control, but treble, bass, chat volume ( distinct from game or system volume ), and voice monitor volume ( it helps to hear yourself just a little when you talk ). It's also compatible with most systems ( PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PS4 ) and the headset can be detached from the amp to be a regular four-pole headset to use on a phone, tablet, or anything else.

Awesome, that looks really cool, I'll definitely take that into consideration!