Please recommend a headset/headphones for my needs

Footyslayer

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Jan 30, 2013
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Hi everyone,

I have had my current PC headset for around 3 years now and need new ones as they hurt my ears after a while (Plantronics Gamecom Commander)

My primary use is gaming, all sorts of gaming really (FPS, sport, racing, platform, roleplaying, etc) but I do listen to music often and want a headset that is a very good all rounder, ideally something with good bass. Also noise cancelling is important as I am in my living room with my PC so need the missus and kids not to be heard and that they cant hear noise leaking from my headset.

For a long time I have had my eye on either the "sennheiser pc 363d" or the Philips X2 Fidelio (with V-MODA BoomPro mic). From what I read though these leak noise which is not ideal.

Is there better out there now, can anyone help recommend anything suitable for my needs?

Ideally £150-£200 but I would be willing to go higher if the right option was there,

thanks to anyone who can help
 
Solution
dt770 + modmic + amplifier or soundcard.

-good comfort
-closed so passive noise isolation (active noise cancelling distorts audio so does not sound good which is why i dont recommend active)
-for closed headphones which normally have small soundstage it actually has a fairly large soundstage
-good treble and capable of deep hard hitting bass (v-shaped signature)

-good quality mic for price
-easy to attach to any headphone
-comes in unidirectional or omnidirectional models (omni is more sensitive while uni tends to ignore other sources of input except you)

-soundcard could give you virtual surround as an option. the creative z is a good choice
-a dedicated headphone amplifier could be used with an existing soundcard or onboard and...
dt770 + modmic + amplifier or soundcard.

-good comfort
-closed so passive noise isolation (active noise cancelling distorts audio so does not sound good which is why i dont recommend active)
-for closed headphones which normally have small soundstage it actually has a fairly large soundstage
-good treble and capable of deep hard hitting bass (v-shaped signature)

-good quality mic for price
-easy to attach to any headphone
-comes in unidirectional or omnidirectional models (omni is more sensitive while uni tends to ignore other sources of input except you)

-soundcard could give you virtual surround as an option. the creative z is a good choice
-a dedicated headphone amplifier could be used with an existing soundcard or onboard and often has a stronger amp than soundcards do
 
Solution

Footyslayer

Honorable
Jan 30, 2013
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Thanks for the reply ssddx,

I have an Asus Xonar D2X soundcard which is pretty decent.

To save the hassle of clip on mics and well anything how are these?

Beyerdynamic MMX300 Closed Back multimedia Headphone, they are the same brand so possibly feature all the things you noted?

http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/mmx-300.html

I could do with some expert advice though :)
 
not sure about uk pricing but the usa pricing is very high compared with the dt770 ($185 vs $350) which makes it not worthwhile here.

i know the mmx is based on one of the earlier versions of the dt770 and is more similar to the premium line but i dont know enough to compare the two sound signatures well. from what i know it should have less bass and be a bit more airy sounding but thats about it.

in line volume control for the headphones? that is going to limit your selections heavily as many quality headphones do not have this feature. if you really want fingertip control i'd just use an external amp with a volume knob. they do make just volume control knobs as well but i'm not sure how well they work.

as for mute button on mics, some have it some do not. modmic has it, some desktop mics do. boompro mic has it (only compatible with certain headphones).

perhaps one of the others knows of something with a volume control that is as good as the dt770 but i dont know of any off the top of my head. sure, there are the v-moda headphones which if you pair it with the vmoda boompro mic includes a volume knob but they are small-soundstage closed cans so not as ideal. they tend to be more focused on bass so treble suffers a bit. so similar in some ways but not as good all around i'd say. depends on your taste though. small soundstage is generally not considered best for gaming though its certainly possible to use them.
 

Footyslayer

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Jan 30, 2013
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Thank you again, I am struggling really to decide what is best, I want to get this right.

So my soundcard "Asus Xonar DX2" has my 5.1 speakers attached, this means the front out is used by my speakers. Therefore I could attach my mic but not my headset sound input. Is there an alternative option to fix this dilemma? My current headset has a soundcard attached and was plugged in via USB .
 
use the front jacks on your pc tower. if you have it connected to the soundcard correctly (most soundcards should have a place for you to connect front audio headers to it inside the case) you can use the card from your front jacks. the front jacks are typically amplified more heavily than the rear as well (though if the dx2 is like the dx its not one of the stronger amps on the market).

32 is the easiest to drive and is meant for portables. 80 is the bassiest while 250 is the most refined sounding. the 32 is sort of the odd man out as it is only suggested when an amplifier is not an option though even it could certainly benefit.

i'd get the 250 or 80 (likely in that order) with an amp if you were going that route.