New Audio Setup

[flamefire999]

Right now I have Turtle Beach PX22's with a broken microphone and one ear is broken. I want to get a pair of open back headphones (I like being able to hear things around me) with good microphone quality. This what I was looking at:
Sennheiser 518
Blue Snowball

I was trying to keep it all below $150. Is this the best setup for the money?

 

[ssddx]

the 518 is not a bad headphone for the price though the 558 may offer a slightly better experience (whether you think the price difference is worthwhile is up to you). another option in budget is the ad700x which is popular among hardcore competitive gamers due to its soundstage and low bass output. however, since it has almost no bass output it is not a very "fun" headphone and is more analytical then "enjoyable".

the blue snowball has decent quality though many complain about low output volume and that people have trouble hearing you. i've heard this can be fixed but i do not know much more than that.

i do know the modmic boom mic offers some pretty decent audio quality when adding a mic to headphones but its just a tad pricey.

if you will be doing alot of recording for youtube or other important (read: for profit) venture then it may be worth spending extra money on the atr2500.

 

[flamefire999]

I was leaning towards a desktop mic over a mic that you attach to the headphones so I don't have to wear the headphones when I talk to my friends.

For the headphones I don't like the look of the AD700X and the feeling of the two bands. I prefer the single band. Also The 518's are on the cheaper side and I've read that the 558's aren't that big of an improvement. Have you had any experience with either of them?