Best Headset Overall? (Gaming, YouTube and Movies)

[AndrewDafuqq]

Hey Tom's Hardware,

I currently have a broken Sennheiser PC 363D and I'm looking to upgrade, I am looking at 3 options:

-Sennheiser G4ME ONE
-Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum
*MAYBE* Kingston HyperX Cloud II or Cloud Revolver
or headphones with a separate desk microphone + different soundcard

I am looking for a headset that is easy to setup and use, has a clear microphone and high surround sound quality on both Games (CSGO, GTAV, Racing Games.etc) and also YouTube and Movies, Comfort would be nice as I will be wearing it for 8-12 hours.

Also, If I get the G4ME One/Zero, is my on-board sound on my motherboard good enough or will I need a seperate soundcard (I'm thinking of getting the ASUS Xonar DGX if it's not enough), My current motherboard is an ASUS H170 Pro Gaming Motherboard with SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC.

Thanks in advance

 

[ssddx]

game zero will be similar sounding to the pc363d.

game one (based on hd518/558) will be a little more neutral with a little more bass and perhaps not quite as tinny sounding as the zero/363d

logitech headsets arent bad but it may be a step down from the 363d, same with the hxc2. if you did get a hxc get the core version and use your own soundcard (the one that comes with it had major problems in the past.. not sure if i trust them)

what about headphones with a modmic?

 

[AndrewDafuqq]

game zero will be similar sounding to the pc363d.

game one (based on hd518/558) will be a little more neutral with a little more bass and perhaps not quite as tinny sounding as the zero/363d

logitech headsets arent bad but it may be a step down from the 363d, same with the hxc2. if you did get a hxc get the core version and use your own soundcard (the one that comes with it had major problems in the past.. not sure if i trust them)

what about headphones with a modmic?

I'll probably get either the G4ME ONE or headphones with a modmic then, which headphones would you recommend to me and also which one would be a better choice?

[strike]
*EDIT* I just heard the mic quality of the ModMic 4.0 and I don't know but it doesn't sound like the crisp clear voice I was hoping for [/strike] I take that back, the mic quality is fine, I was just tripping, but are they any other alternative desk/clip-on mics you would recommend?

 

[ssddx]

the hd518/558/598 the game one is based on are good all around headphones. the ad500x/700x are good if you want bass light headphones. both are generally easy to power. if you wanted to invest in an amp the dt990/880/770 or akg cans might also be considered.

if you go with a regular mic i would suggest a boom arm for best quality and less issues. on the cheap the neewer mics like the nw800 arent bad but lack a bit of bass. the atr2500 is a good choice for a bit more budget. the blue snowball is not bad but some complain about volume issues. there is the zalman clip on but its pretty much junk. good lavalier mics (similar to zalman zm1 but not marketed for gamers but the pro industry) can be had and some are very good.. but you would need the a cheap amplifier for them as they arent plug and play

 

[AndrewDafuqq]

the hd518/558/598 the game one is based on are good all around headphones. the ad500x/700x are good if you want bass light headphones. both are generally easy to power. if you wanted to invest in an amp the dt990/880/770 or akg cans might also be considered.

if you go with a regular mic i would suggest a boom arm for best quality and less issues. on the cheap the neewer mics like the nw800 arent bad but lack a bit of bass. the atr2500 is a good choice for a bit more budget. the blue snowball is not bad but some complain about volume issues. there is the zalman clip on but its pretty much junk. good lavalier mics (similar to zalman zm1 but not marketed for gamers but the pro industry) can be had and some are very good.. but you would need the a cheap amplifier for them as they arent plug and play

I have decided to get the HD598s with the ModMic 4.0, do you think I need an amp/better soundcard for this? Is my onboard audio good enough? (ASUS H170 Pro Gaming Motherboard with SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC)

*EDIT* Just to verify, the HD598s will be compatible and great for gaming right? also for YouTube and movies but gaming is first.

 

[ssddx]

onboard is generally "good enough" in most cases other than if you notice issues like buzzing, distortion, ringing, crackling, low volume, tinny sounding, etc. while i wouldnt call the onboard quality high its only slightly worse than products like the xonar dg on higher end boards.

if you did have trouble, getting a cheap soundcard should fix the issue (which you would have had with any analog headphone/headset anyways). the xonar dg, creative z and xonar dx are good choices. the dx is nice because it has a high end dac chip but the amp isnt super strong. the z has a strong amp but average dac. the dg is just a cheap fix if you had issues but not a big budget.

the hd598 is easy to drive and does not require a strong amplifier but it certainly does respond well to one and will get a bit more fuller sounding.

hd598 is a fairly neutral headphone with decent soundstage making it a good all rounder. sure the soundstage and positional audio is not as good as products like the ad500x but its good enough. sure you might not hear footsteps like on the ad500x but at the same time you have a bit more bass presence. they might not be as articulate as akg cans but at the same time you can listen to them for hours without fatiguing your ears. the 518/558/598 lineup is great for people who either dont know what they want or want to do many things with the same cans and dont really have any special requirements or purposes.

tldr: many people like the hd598, a soundcard probably wont be needed unless your onboard has issues.

 

[AndrewDafuqq]

onboard is generally "good enough" in most cases other than if you notice issues like buzzing, distortion, ringing, crackling, low volume, tinny sounding, etc. while i wouldnt call the onboard quality high its only slightly worse than products like the xonar dg on higher end boards.

if you did have trouble, getting a cheap soundcard should fix the issue (which you would have had with any analog headphone/headset anyways). the xonar dg, creative z and xonar dx are good choices. the dx is nice because it has a high end dac chip but the amp isnt super strong. the z has a strong amp but average dac. the dg is just a cheap fix if you had issues but not a big budget.

the hd598 is easy to drive and does not require a strong amplifier but it certainly does respond well to one and will get a bit more fuller sounding.

hd598 is a fairly neutral headphone with decent soundstage making it a good all rounder. sure the soundstage and positional audio is not as good as products like the ad500x but its good enough. sure you might not hear footsteps like on the ad500x but at the same time you have a bit more bass presence. they might not be as articulate as akg cans but at the same time you can listen to them for hours without fatiguing your ears. the 518/558/598 lineup is great for people who either dont know what they want or want to do many things with the same cans and dont really have any special requirements or purposes.

tldr: many people like the hd598, a soundcard probably wont be needed unless your onboard has issues.

Cheers for the helpful infomation

 

[aithos]

I know that this was already marked as solved but I thought I'd chime in with my input, I'm an audio guy and I also play a lot of games (competitive and otherwise). Here is what I think:

1) The game zero/game one are going to be virtually identical to what you had previously since the PC363 is more or less the exact same drivers, and the PC363 was basically the same as the PC350 before it. I consider it to be the best gaming "headset" and they sound *much* better with amplification, but they don't even come close to a mediocre pair of HD headphones.

2) If you want a good pair of headphones without breaking the bank take a look at the Sennheiser HD598 and the AKG K7XX (Massdrop), both are under $200 and with decent amplification will absolutely blow the gaming headsets out of the water. One note: the AKG are probably overall better for gaming but won't sound good without proper amplification, while the Sennheiser will sound ok without it and much better with it.

3) For amplification I strongly suggest you look at a dedicated amp/dac rather than a soundcard, mostly because virtual surround is a joke and a proper amp/dac does so much more for audio clarity that it makes for a better overall experience. You can get started for under $100 with a Fiio, or if you spend a bit more an o2+odac or a Schiit modi+magni stack will run anything short of $2000 headphones without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I would never go back to onboard sound or even a soundcard. I have the Asus ROG Maximus VI Formula which had HD audio on a separate logic board (and for onboard was stellar) and I also have a soundblaster x-fi and my amp/dac blows them both away by a fair margin.

 

[AndrewDafuqq]

I know that this was already marked as solved but I thought I'd chime in with my input, I'm an audio guy and I also play a lot of games (competitive and otherwise). Here is what I think:

1) The game zero/game one are going to be virtually identical to what you had previously since the PC363 is more or less the exact same drivers, and the PC363 was basically the same as the PC350 before it. I consider it to be the best gaming "headset" and they sound *much* better with amplification, but they don't even come close to a mediocre pair of HD headphones.

2) If you want a good pair of headphones without breaking the bank take a look at the Sennheiser HD598 and the AKG K7XX (Massdrop), both are under $200 and with decent amplification will absolutely blow the gaming headsets out of the water. One note: the AKG are probably overall better for gaming but won't sound good without proper amplification, while the Sennheiser will sound ok without it and much better with it.

3) For amplification I strongly suggest you look at a dedicated amp/dac rather than a soundcard, mostly because virtual surround is a joke and a proper amp/dac does so much more for audio clarity that it makes for a better overall experience. You can get started for under $100 with a Fiio, or if you spend a bit more an o2+odac or a Schiit modi+magni stack will run anything short of $2000 headphones without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I would never go back to onboard sound or even a soundcard. I have the Asus ROG Maximus VI Formula which had HD audio on a separate logic board (and for onboard was stellar) and I also have a soundblaster x-fi and my amp/dac blows them both away by a fair margin.

Thanks for the extra good-to-know information