Looking for Headset Opinions

[MilliaHakumei]

It seems like my current headset,(Plantronics Gamecome 777) Is beginning to die from wear and tear after the many years I've had it, and I am thinking about moving to another headset.

My first trouble is I love surround sound, Virtual or otherwise, and do not have too much spare change at the moment, but I did some looking myself and came across the following:

http/www.amazon.com/Vibration-Intelligent-Experience-Lightweight-Headphone/dp/B00RNBCCYQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1428980583&sr=8-4&keywords=7.1+headsets

http/www.amazon.com/dp/B009SJR2BE/ref=asc_df_B009SJR2BE3612293?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pricegrabbe05-20&linkCode=df0&creative=395097&creativeASIN=B009SJR2BE&ascsubtag=1428994381_5769895d84d6d562a783cafd8a593917_63_402_1158289951_491_24.191.123.142

I also was wondering Analog vs USB Headsets, but I do not think my motherboard supports Surround sound anyhow: http/www.msi.com/product/mb/H61MP31_G3.html#hero-specification

So I come to ask this community of their opinions on these subject matters please, and thank you!

 

[RazerZ]

Most games where positional audio is important have their own sound engine and using virtual surround sound software won't be needed. Any pair of stereo headphones is perfectly capable of giving you a good sense of spacial positioning, watch this video with a pair of headphones for example:

[video="https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gpl99s02Aw"][/video]

Your best bet would be to buy a good pair of stereo headphones and attach a mic to them. A pair of Superlux HD 681 and a cheap flex mic should work great. Much better than the gaming headsets you picked out at least. You will need a 3.5mm male to female extension cable and zipties to connect the mic to the headphones. If you're willing to do a little DIY the vinyl pads can be made more comfortable with the sock mod (cutting the elastic part of a sock and pulling it over the earpads).

http/www.head-fi.org/t/470304/shure-srh840-earpad-mod

Generally you want to stay away from gaming headsets that have cheap, over the top plasticky designs and have heaps of marketing gimmicks in the description.

 

[MilliaHakumei]

Well yea...sadly I have this attraction to fancy looking headphones one of my weaknesses lol. I had not realized though that the ones I had been looking at were not to great.

I do hear in my current headphones with the video you linked how the surround sound is still felt, and I also see how, now, that all the fancy words are just to draw attention. (and here I used to call myself an audiophile >.>)

Although I do not really like the idea of DIY attaching a mic to a pair of stereo headphones as I like my products to be wholesome, but I would also assume if I get a real quality pair of headphones the audio quality would be that much greater, but I do have to ask, what is your opinion on the Turtle Beach headsets?

Looking up that headset I also came acrfoss this Mic http/www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y

So this is actually looking like a good solution, thank you very much for the aid!

I may go with,.

http/www.amazon.com/Superlux-681-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B002GHIPYI
http/www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_y

 

[RazerZ]

I would stay away from headsets made by turtle beach, Razer, Logitech, etc. Generally average or below average build and sound quality and are over priced. The only decent headset I've seen under $100 is the HyperX Cloud by Kingston which are a rebrand of the Takstar Pro 80, a decent set of headphones. The new version named the HyperX Cloud II appears to have quality control issues and I would stay away from it. There are also other higher end headsets from well known companies like Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, etc. but are ridiculously over priced.

Needless to say, the quality is much better if you have a decent pair of headphones compared to a similarly priced gaming headset. One of my friends has the Razer Kraken Pro in green and I had the chance to compare them to my Panasonic RP HTF 600-s which at the time went for $30 new. They're actually my favorite pair of headphones and fair well compare to higher end headphones more than twice their price like the ATH m50s. Due to their popularity gain the price is now $45 new. They were better than the god ugly Krakens in every way but build quality was around the same. I've tried the Superlux HD 668B which is a variation of the 681 and it was very good for the price, just like my Panasonics. They also went from $30 to $45.

The HD 681 are a semi open pair and have a decent soundstage so they work well for gaming. Since they are semi open they will leak a good amount of sound. It's best if you use these in an environment with no one around you otherwise it's likely you'll be listening at volumes below a comfortable listening level. They are neutral in sound signature but don't sound "dull" compared to other neutral headphones. The highs can be piercing at times and it is considered bright... I would recommend to use an equalizer and play around with the settings until you find the profile that best suits you. Bass wise it is excellent, maybe not as hard hitting as my Panasonics, but it can deliver if called for and with detail at that. The mids are really where this headphone shines. Vocals sound excellent. Build quality isn't that great and I'm not a fan of their aesthetics , but without question they have sound quality past the mere $30 price tag.

For ~$30 there are no well priced gaming headsets. If you want the best for you're money you'll need to run a pair of headphones with a mic.

The Zalman looks decent but it seems to have issues picking up ambient sounds. If you insist on an easier solution you could go with this XTY microphone which is only $2.70 shipped and pick up a velcro strip to attach it to the housing.

 

[MilliaHakumei]

Dang, can't believe even Turtle Beach being that bad in quality. I do own one pair that a friend gave me which I just use for playing consoles, but never gave them much thought. Also hurts to see that even Logitech is under fire from it. For about 5 years now I was sticking with Plantelectronics, but you've opened my eyes much wider to a much greater variety.

After hearing you comment on the Semi-open leaking sound, that is a drawback for me. Currently my headset I can blast music to the max, to near hurting my years level and the mic does not pick up any of the sound whatsoever, so am I to assume that is a, do not know the term, Non-Open headset? I'm constantly on Skype with friends when I do play, so I'd like sound to be leaked to the minimum. (I wish I could just use my Ps3 camera as a mic, but sadly it picks up even the sound from my quiet fans)

I did read about the problem with the Zalmans, and if by ambient you mean will pick up any sounds of my surroundings and not just my voice I'm thinking it to be. My current Headset seems to pick up nothing but my voice as if designed to be right by my mouth I guess.

I'm sorry if I'm begining to be too much trouble btw, I can be a pain, but I have so many questions all the time, but last question would be, if I were to put the variable of money to the side, but not insane like getting a 200 dollar headphones, which would you recommend, and do you think a stand alone, say Omnidirectional mic stand that I could just place in front of me (Like the one I use for recording at a friends house) Would work well? Or do you think that may be overkill?

And seeing the DIY in Infographic form actually makes the idea of doing it DIY much more attractive, more enjoying the idea now!

For reference in case you have seen my current headset before http/www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom777-Gaming-Headset/dp/B003NVMDYY

Looking at your Panasonics now, and thinking of probably stretching my budget further.

Again thank you for all the help ^^

 

[RazerZ]

No problem, I'm on here in my free time for my personal enjoyment in helping others. Everyone has to start somewhere, ask away.

The term you would use for your current headset is closed back. At least that's what I would say it is from your text description. After clicking your link the phones are described as open back, although semi open seems more fitting since most of the housing is closed. There's closed back, open, and semi open. Closed back means the outer shell is fully covered, open back is when the outer shell has perforations in the form of slots or grills which allow for air to flow through, and semi open is like open, but these perforations will be to a lesser extent. Closed back headphones are designed to isolate sound while open backs allows air to flow freely and external sounds can be heard. Semi open is a mix between the two.

What I meant earlier was that they will leak sound and others around you will be able to hear what you're listening to. Generally this isn't a problem if you use them with a flex mic near your mouth, but seeing that you like to listen to music at full volume it would be worthwhile to look into a closed back pair.

The omnidirectional mic should work, ideally you would want a unidirectional mic if you don't already have one, since they are geared towards picking up a signal from one direction ( only your voice), compared to the former.

If you had a budget what would it be? Is around $100 alright? When I was looking for a pair of headphones around that range I was suggested the ATH M50s. They have tank like construction and were a good deal for what I bought them for. Got them for $86 used in like new condition on amazon. I bought them around June of last year and at the time they went for $120 new. At its current price of $140 I really can't recommend them since there are headphones out there around $100 or less which can do everything the m50s can, sometimes ever better, for a cheaper price.

The Panasonics I have are described as closed back but sound leakage is actually quite bad since there are open vents on each side of the earcup. At full volume others around you will be able to hear what you're listening to. Also build quality isn't that great, not a big concern of mine since I'm careful with them, but if you needed something that could also duo for portable use you should look elsewhere.

I can make recommendations for headphones if you give me a budget as well as the genres of music you listen to.

 

[MilliaHakumei]

Your awesome then ^^

Alrighty thanks for clearing up that definition on the types of headphones.

Yea well I mean I won't be taking these headphones out, so as long as the sound doesn't bother, or perhaps I should say, as long as people on Skype cannot hear their own voices that'd be fine. (Although I do love noise cancellation headphones which no one could hear what I'm listening to, but kinda unnecessary.)

Of course yes, didn't know what the singular word was used in place of Omnidirectional seeing as it's the only stand mic I've worked with, but they certainty would put the price point higher.

Umm not quite 100, maybe towards 60 max. I'm not looking for the best of the best, but maybe something better than my current Plantelectronics headset. I mean if I could grab those used around the same price that'd be great, but I also need to set some money aside from a bluetooth radio for my car, which is beginning to gain priority as I do not have a CD-drive to make any more for my car lol.

Clamping force is kind of important to me as I like them to be so glued to my head that I can forget they are even there, in a sense. I'm wearing them right now and I just feel the circle around my ear, but it's comfy and does not make me sweat or feel hot, so has good air flow.

Usually listen to 80s Rock, Hard Rock, Speed Metal, Video Game Music, and some Japanese/Korean Pop. Weird aren't i? I wanna say a budget of 30-60 dollars for headphones, butcan stretch if something looks like a deal. My headset still works lovely, but the Mic on it may be going, so I'm looking to future proof myself, and at the same time watch for sales on items that would be well off.

 

[RazerZ]

Well everyone has their own tastes 😛

For comfort ideally you want an open back pair with velour pads and moderate to low clamping force.

This pair happens to have all of those traits and work great for your genres. Design is similar to Beyerdynamic's DT 880 but not quite up to snuff in quality. Still good for the price though:

Takstar HI 2050
$50 new on amazon- http/www.amazon.com/Takstar-Monitor-Headphone-Gaming-Computer/dp/B009PIQUB6

reviews:

https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjbwkUA2WIs

Best review I could find, though it's in Polish. Use google translate:

http/forum.mp3store.pl/blog/53/entry-81-takstar-hi-2050-

Another option is used Sennheiser 518s, but I would opt for the takstars since you're getting them new cheaper and they appear to have a more fun sounding sound signature while still being neutral compared to the 518s.

 

[MilliaHakumei]

Those look perfect! They seem like they'd sit really comfortably on my head, and have the audio quality I truly wish for ^^. I love bass very much, so can't wait for these now, soon as I put the order through, may wait for a sale or if I find an amazon coupon.

Thank you so much for your support and help in aiding me

Hehe and after shopping around I found a cheaper one by like5 bucks! 😀 http/www.amazon.com/Takstar-Monitor-Headphone-Computer-Surface/dp/B00L6W6AKA

 

[RazerZ]

Happy to help

Let me know how you find them.

 

[MilliaHakumei]

After it has finally arrived as I'm to cheap to get fast shipping, lol. They are performing great! Bass is wonderful, I feel surrounded as if I am in a concert if listening to a live album, and listening to the song, even though it's on youtube: https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAWO5Q-cdFQ I can hear all the voices separately, and really feel engrossed in it, and they sit so comfortably on my head, and lightly!

Thank you very much for all the help!

 

[RazerZ]

No problem, glad to hear you like them.