Best Gaming Headset Suggestions (Must Include Mic)

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|Nexus|

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
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What do you guys think is the best gaming headset out there at the moment?
 
I have the icemat siberia which i think are quite decent, don't know if the quality has changed now that steelseries makes them.
 
Sennheiser HD555 with Zalman mic. You won't look like a goof and it is good for almost anything.
 
I own the 555, plastic is flimsy and may crack if you have a big head. (don't ask how I know).

sennheiser pc350 also. about $120 at amazon. note you will need a loud soundcard to properly drive them though.
 
nothing with a mic built in is good, end of story. if for some reason you absolutely MUST have a mic attached and you cannot handle using a clip-on or desktop mic, just buy whatever is cheapest.

be warned though, the quality difference is DRASTIC. a buddy of mine was boasting about his $200 headset (triton or some crap) and i convinced him to buy some $30 harx-700 just to try them out. these headphones benefit greatly from extensive burn-in and right out of the box he said they blew his headset out of the water.
 
demografik said:
nothing with a mic built in is good, end of story. if for some reason you absolutely MUST have a mic attached and you cannot handle using a clip-on or desktop mic, just buy whatever is cheapest.

be warned though, the quality difference is DRASTIC. a buddy of mine was boasting about his $200 headset (triton or some crap) and i convinced him to buy some $30 harx-700 just to try them out. these headphones benefit greatly from extensive burn-in and right out of the box he said they blew his headset out of the water.
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Hmm... This has got me thinking. I never thought of going with a separate clip on mic. I currently have a pair of Skullcandy headphones with a bass amplifier. They sound pretty good for music, and alright for gaming. Do you think it'd just be best for me to go with a mic and leave it at that? If so, which mic do you suggest? By the way, some the of the headsets with mics I've been looking at so far are all of Razer's line up.

Edit: I currently have a Creative Sound Blaster X-FI TITANIUM Fatality Champion installed. Just thought I should mention it in case it plays a role in my choice.
 
The ha rx700 are good ... for the money. I think the 555s are much better but it's a much higher price point. I've also used the Tritton AX Pro and they're probably better for gaming since the 5.1 is based on individual speakers within the cup; it carries low frequencies better than anything else I've tried. The 5.1 does work fairly well but it doesn't quite do what well-positioned, free-standing speakers will.

A lot of people knock the 5.1 headphone setup, suggesting that a good pair of of stereo phones is better. I'm a bit agnostic on the argument since I've had both setups and been happy. The sound positioning is better with the Trittons IMO and the separate LF driver makes a big difference if you like boomy bass in games and movies. A caveat for the 555 and AX Pro is, as someone mentioned, is creakiness but once they're on, I have not noticed much.

Another issue is the attached mic for the AX Pro was prone to breaking. A lot of people reported the hard plastic twist-on mount for the mic broke easily and the mic would cut out. This happened to me twice and the last exchange I made paid off because they seemed to have redesigned with a more rubbery, flexible plastic that does not break off, lets you bend the mic boom to set the distance from your mouth and it also cuts out the creaking since they seem to have replaced all of the hard plastic with the softer stuff.

I have not tried as many sets as most audiophiles. But, in my admittedly limited experience, if your priority is gaming with an attached mic, I'd suggest the Tritton AX Pro because of the redesign. They do pretty well with music too, but the Sennheisers would probably be better for music.
 
Spanks said:
What's your budget?
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Price isn't an issue. I'm looking for the best sound quality for gaming through headphones that will work with my sound card, rather than against it. Also, since earlier posts here in this thread support the idea that if buying headphones with a mic included means degraded sound quality, what quality mics are there out there?

Tuf,

Thanks for the input, I will most definitely look into your suggestions.
 
for the money, the sennheiser pc350 is a piece of junk. low frequencies are lacking, and the overall sound is muddled by mids and "tinny" highs.

you would be better off going with a desktop mic and a quality set of headphones. gaming headsets tend to be cheap in quality and marketed toward younger gamers. it is difficult to beat a quality set of headphones. it just depends on your budget.
 
|Nexus| said:
Price isn't an issue. I'm looking for the best sound quality for gaming through headphones that will work with my sound card, rather than against it. Also, since earlier posts here in this thread support the idea that if buying headphones with a mic included means degraded sound quality, what quality mics are there out there?

Tuf,

Thanks for the input, I will most definitely look into your suggestions.
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the logitech USB desktop mic is wonderful as the reviews on amazon clearly show. it's in the 20-30$ range.
 
myelin1 said:
for the money, the sennheiser pc350 is a piece of junk. low frequencies are lacking, and the overall sound is muddled by mids and "tinny" highs.

you would be better off going with a desktop mic and a quality set of headphones. gaming headsets tend to be cheap in quality and marketed toward younger gamers. it is difficult to beat a quality set of headphones. it just depends on your budget.
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Do/did you own a pair of Sennheiser PC350? Do/did you have them properly amplified? The sound description you give reminds me of how they sound when they do not have a good amp powering them.
 
|Nexus| said:
Price isn't an issue. I'm looking for the best sound quality for gaming through headphones that will work with my sound card, rather than against it. Also, since earlier posts here in this thread support the idea that if buying headphones with a mic included means degraded sound quality, what quality mics are there out there?

Tuf,

Thanks for the input, I will most definitely look into your suggestions.
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go for bayer headzone
 
IIRC PC350s are basically HD555s with a mic attached. decent but not worth $200. the 555 (and sennheiser in general) are over rated and over hyped, IMO.
 
i've not heard these

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-HS-980-Fatal1ty-Professional/dp/B002BH3JDA

but I did own a pair of creative fatal1ty professional headphones

I think it was this pair

http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/creative-fatal1ty-pro-series/4505-13831_7-32332060.html


- the ones that were like $150 bucks and I thought they were acceptable audio quality when compared to my sennheiser hd-535's. The HD-535's were slightly better, but the creative headphones were not offensive. I would have kept the set, but the mic didn't work on mine and when I sent it back to creative for replacement, they sent me the crappier cheapy set in return - the one with the smaller ear cups and the non-detachable mic. It was not the professional set. I tried to call creative and complain and they said they no longer carried the professional set I had purchased and so couldn't give me a replacment set. (true that I had purchased my professional set on a close out sale) At any rate the cheapy set was crap compared to the professional set in both sound quality and comfort so I immediately sold it.


So if you could find a working pair of the professional set I think you'd likely be satisified.
 
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I just use some Logitech USB headset, but I don't actually use the headphone part. Just place it around my neck and angle the mic accordingly. That way it works well with my Sennheiser headphones or my speakers and I am free to upgrade either without considering a mic. I like USB mics for a variety of reasons.
 
I use a Zalman Mic with Audio Technica ATH-A700 Headphones. Much better quality then any headset I've tried. You can get both on Amazon for about $130 + shipping.
 
Of course, the upcoming Xonar Xense with Sennheiser PC350, hope it will not be too expensive
 
Well the three I see mentioned the most for 5.1 and gaming are the Astros, Turtle Beach x 41, 52, etc. The Trittons were already mentioned, from searching around the net the Astros are supposed to be excellent, the TBs work well for a wireless set the the Sennheisers are supposed to be great for music. The Logitech set is probably decent too. Dunno about the rest.

If price is truly no object, drop 2k on that Beyerdynamic w/ mmx 300 (whatever that is). Otherwise the Astro A40 might be a good bet.
 
I have had my Astro A40 and Mixamp setup for a few months now. I love pretty much everything about it at this point. Its comfortable, the sound quality is very good for a gaming headset, and the mic is crystal clear.

I see some people complain about lack of sound stage or lack of detail. Take this as you will but I was playing Halo 3 the other night and heard the pin come out of a grenade as the other player threw it about 30 feet away from me. Seems detailed enough for me.
 
you know guys, someone asking for a gaming headset, might not want something that would sound "accurate" or balanced, he/she might want a 5.1 headset :p

and nothing is wrong with that, as long as you know it's not really for music.
 
I recently bought these.
Tritton AX 180, I wasn't looking for super accurate bass or whatever. They get the job done, and they aren't horrible imo.
The main selling point for me is that the MIC and Sound worked on a ps3. Plus I can use them on my PC and they worked great on my Mac as well. Mic is super clear and can be removed. Not too much either so if they were shit I wasn't out too much money.

I'd buy them again.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Accessories-_-TRITTON+Technologies-_-26235009
 
|Nexus| said:
Any at all?
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if it HAS to have a mic and since it appears there is no budget... Beyer MMX300 get's my vote.

if not.. I'm hoping a Tesla T1 and a usb mic. (just trying to save up and convince myself) heh
 
Zalman Clip-on Mic is the way to go, no matter what headphones you get.

As for the cans themselves, Beyerdynamic DT770s (~$200), Sennheiser 555s (~$105) and 595s (~$185), and Audio Technica AD700s (~$90) all tend to get lots of positive recommendations around here.

If you want to go cheap, I can't recommend the JVC HA-RX700's ($34) enough. If the sky is truly the limit, Sennheiser 650s (~$400) and a nice headphone amp would be fun!
 
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ryken said:
Zalman Clip-on Mic is the way to go, no matter what headphones you get.

As for the cans themselves, Beyerdynamic DT770s (~$200), Sennheiser 555s (~$105) and 595s (~$185), and Audio Technica AD700s (~$90) all tend to get lots of positive recommendations around here.

If you want to go cheap, I can't recommend the JVC HA-RX700's ($34) enough. If the sky is truly the limit, Sennheiser 650s (~$400) and a nice headphone amp would be fun!
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I use AD700's with the zalman mic. Works great.
 
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I use wireless Creative HS-1200.
http://us.store.creative.com/HS1200-Digital-Wireless-Headset/M/B001BAWX80.htm

For 70 Euros I consider these ones as best bang for the buck for wireless gaming headset with microphone. Surprisingly good battery life combined with decent sound and microfon.

The only downsize is weak basses. But it is a common problems for most headset. And pretty comfortable too. Before I had Phillips wireless headsets and I didn't like those at all.
 
I would like to see a review of the Astro A40's and Mixamp setup. I already own it but would like to see the [H] take on them.
 
This is just my opinion, but if you want an all-in-one set I would just go:

GameCom 377
http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom-Open-Ear-Gaming-Headset/dp/B00309D4BU
or
GameCom 367
http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-GameCom-Closed-Ear-Gaming-Headset/dp/B001E45XT4/ref=pd_cp_e_1

Since they aren't very expensive and do what you want with pretty good frequencies. The reason I say these over the surround sound is because I hear the g-35s really aren't that good(and for 30$ who cares if they get dropped or what not). I switched to a nice set of cans and a cheap usb microphone because I like listening to music. I use to have HD555 and a cheap logitech usb headset, and now I use Beyerdynamics DT-770 Pro 80ohms with same mic.
 
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Been using Steelseries for the past three years (purchased via woot! and woot! sellout). Very happy. No one bitches about my mic. No desire to replace or upgrade.

Siberia in-ear buds for the laptop bag.
3H folding headset for the occasional LAN and traveling.
4H for the desktop at home.

The only downside (through all three models) is slightly weak bass. But I actually prefer the better mid and upper-mid range performance. Still wired FP, no issues.
 
Digital Viper-X- said:
hardocp is doing a review of those now :p I'm interested to see the results for the hell of it. but for $300 they're out of their mind.
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Heh, I've a nagging feeling that high price or not, the audio quality on those things are wank, much like the other 5.1 cans out there.

My take, if money is REALLY no issue, then go the complete overkill route: a Sennheiser HMD 25, which is a HD 25-1 mounted with a MD 414 Supercardioid microphone. I'm not a sports fan, but anyone with a sharp eye who is will notice that these are the industry standards used by sports announcers at games, most noticeably in the NBA and MLB.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Su...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1271874209&sr=8-1
 
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ryken said:
Zalman Clip-on Mic is the way to go, no matter what headphones you get.

As for the cans themselves, Beyerdynamic DT770s (~$200), Sennheiser 555s (~$105) and 595s (~$185), and Audio Technica AD700s (~$90) all tend to get lots of positive recommendations around here.

If you want to go cheap, I can't recommend the JVC HA-RX700's ($34) enough. If the sky is truly the limit, Sennheiser 650s (~$400) and a nice headphone amp would be fun!
Click to expand...

If I were to go with the Beyerdynamic DT770s or any of the high end ones you suggested would my Creative Labs Sound Blaster Xfi Titanium Fatality Champ (NCIX Link To Soundcard) sound card handle those beasts (specifically the Beyerdynamics: NCIX Link)? If not do you have any amp suggestions? I'm looking for the sharpest sound in gaming, though aside from sharpness great quality would also be nice.

Neurofreeze said:
Whatever you do, please don't buy into this: http://www.psykoaudio.com/
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Funny, I was actually looking into those as a viable option. What makes you say that, I wonder?
 
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demografik said:
IIRC PC350s are basically HD555s with a mic attached. decent but not worth $200. the 555 (and sennheiser in general) are over rated and over hyped, IMO.
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The 555 isn't Sennheiser's best effort IMO.

The 580/600/650 line is excellent and definitely isn't overrated.
 
The Astro A40 audio system is by far the best "gaming" headset I've ever used, and the best audio quality I've heard (subjectively) in a ~$200-300 headphone.

The headset itself has excellent comfort and audio quality - It seems to be on par with many other headphones in the 200-300 range. I'm sure that someone will disagree with me, but I've heard some Senns, AT's, and a few other brands that had offerings at that price range and the Astro A40s matched them in subjective quality. The Mic can be installed on either side and has good quality as well. Even wearing glasses, they seem way more comfortable than any other gaming headset I've used. By default, they come with several cables depending on what you want to connect to, including standard green/pink miniplugs for PC audio, and the proprietary connector to the MixAmp.

The MixAmp is what allows you to use the Astro headsets with consoles as well as the PC. There are many ways to set it up depending on what platform (X360 which is the most complicated, PS3, PC etc..) and what you want it to do, for instance if you want it to just be voice com audio, or game audio etc. It comes with cables for 3.5mm and RCA plugs, but if you want to connect coax/toslink digital you'll need cables for them (For instance, using digital out from your PC to the MixAmp as well as USB for the highest quality game and voice audio. Also, it works as a USB audio device on its own) If you choose to have both game audio and voice come through the headset, the MixAmp has a nifty little balance knob so you can decide if you want the game or voice com audio to come through louders, which is a feature of the MixAmp itself. It also does Dolby audio processing, Dolby Headphone and 5.1 all on its own. If you're at a LAN or something you can also create a private voice com channel by daisy chaining MixAmps to each other. It also has a little input for a MP3 player lineout, which it will mix into your audio stream besides your game and voice as well.

The A40s are the "high end" model, but there are also the A30s which are more portable and a little cheaper. The MixAmp is the same either way. Buying an "Audio System" which comes with both a headset and MixAmp is the best value. The headset comes with a really nice semi-hard case for storage and travel, by default. It can fit the MixAmp too.

All in all, it is the best headset of its kind I've ever used. TurtleBeach, Tritton and others I've demoed have problems or audio quality issues of some how, but the Astro is pretty damn awesome.
 
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