Planning to upgrade from G430 looking for recommendations

[LoneMartin]

I'm upgrading from a Logitech G430 headset. I was wondering what's the best headset I could get for around 100$. I've been doing a lot of research and see that the HyperX Cloud Alpha is pretty great. Are there other recommendations you guys have? I plan on using it for gaming (mainly Siege) and music.

Edit: Is the Arctis 7 worth the 150$ price tag compared to the Alphas? I think I can stretch my budget a bit.

 

[WildCard999]

I'd go with the Alpha.

 

[doolittle]

The G430 is one of the best budget entry vsurround headsets with a couple of drawbacks (for me at least), namely the headset itself feeling "cheap" and seemed prone to breakage easily and the USB sound card and windows 10 driver issues (once the software does not see the sound card any longer to configure, you have to remove the software / drivers, reinstall and then it works for a couple of reboots - then lather, rinse repeat, a major hassle). I gave it to a good friend of mine who is happy with it.

I am currently using a DIY headset with a semi-open back - the Samson SR850, a lapel clip-on mic and a sound blaster play! 3, a sub $65 solution which IMHO the wider soundstage of the semi-open back gives vsurround much more depth and realism. Much improved sound quality, can actually listen to music (which was a bit cringe-worthy on the G430s)...

If you need closed-back for portability or if you're environment is not open-back friendly I completely understand this may not be a solution that may not work too well.

 

[LoneMartin]

@WildCard999 Is this from personal experience?

@doolittle Thanks a lot for the very informative answer. I actually love my g430 because it does whats advertised. Unfortunately, I'm usually in a noisy environment so I'm not sure if I can use your suggestion. I'll look into it though. Thanks!

 

[WildCard999]

Yes but unfortunately my experience was just for a couple of hours as I was watching my buddies house for a couple of days but gamed on his system. I will say though gaming for about 4-6 hours with them was very comfortable and the sound was great. The only real downside is there's limited software for customizing however the stock sound was impressive, well at least for me as I've been using TB X12's for the past few years and I'm waiting for them to break before replacing.

 

[LoneMartin]

At least you managed to experience it and say it was good. What do you guys think of the arctis 7 compared to the alpha? I could stretch my budget a bit. I don't really mind wireless or wired as long as the headset or headphone has great audio for music and gaming.

 

[doolittle]

There is a good deal on the ATH M20x for $40, with the mic and sound card that would be around $75 total and would sound pretty awesome.

 

[LoneMartin]

@doolittle
I've been reading some reviews about the M20x. While it is pretty good for its price, I just don't think I might like it. I'll definitely look more into it though. Also, the sound card is not that widely available where I'm at (Philippines) so it might be a no go for me as well.

 

[WildCard999]

At least you managed to experience it and say it was good. What do you guys think of the arctis 7 compared to the alpha? I could stretch my budget a bit. I don't really mind wireless or wired as long as the headset or headphone has great audio for music and gaming.

The Arctis 7 does seem a little bit better.
https/www.rtings.com/headphones/tools/compare/steelseries-arctis-7-vs-hyperx-cloud-alpha/498/627

 

[LoneMartin]

That's what I saw too but I just heard how its mic sounds like and its ok. The advantages it has are 7.1 and wireless. Audio quality seems to be more or less the alphas with less emphasis on bass. I think the reason why it has such a high score compared to the Alpha is because its more customizable and wireless.

I also saw the Sennheiser pC373x but it pretty much doesn't exist here in the Ph.

 

[LoneMartin]

Decided to go with the Alpha.

Thanks a lot for the help!