Best gaming headphones for 5.1?

S

Soulstice

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 26, 2001
Messages
1,104
I know there's a sticky, but given all the new headsets that have appeared on the market recently, I need some clarification.

My budget is $100 Cd, but I'm willing to go over if the price-performance ratio makes that much of a difference.

Most of the online-publication reviews I've read specific to 5.1 gaming headsets are inconclusive. Some headsets are rated high in terms of sound quality and features, but when reading user reviews, I find that many of these "highly rated" units fall apart within a few months.

Comfort is obviously very important, so that ranks as #1 on my list.

Next is quality (in terms of durability). I don't want to be RMAing the shit every two months because the headset decides to break into plastic chunks.


I'm willing to consider 2.0 or 2.1 high-quality headsets, assuming the 3D simulated positional audio can be counted on. I know this has more to do with the programming logic of the software, DirectSound, and drivers, but I want to know how much of a difference I'll notice between this and true 5.1 headsets. For instance, will I still hear voices or enemies from the rear-left, etc?

This is my first time turning to a headset for gaming. I just recently started gaming again after a two-year hiatus (with the exception of Bioshock when it was released! haha). My girlfriend complains about the sub vibrating through the walls when she sleeps. Since I sleep late, and I usually only game once-in-a-while late at night, it makes sense to go this route as opposed to completely turning down the volume on my 5.1 stereo system and losing the "sound experience".

Also, one important item to note... ...I'm running Vista x64 on my gaming box / studio machine. In other words, if the headphones include a built-in USB sound device, then it's an absolute necessity that it support x64 drivers, and runs stable. My preference, of course, are headphones that plug directly into my soundcards analog 5.1 ports, or front stereo-jack.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
5.1 headphones are marketing fluff...don't fall for it.
Click to expand...

The more I read, the more I agree with you. As I have never tried them myself, I can only base my opinion on the reviews of others. However, I'm seriously leaning toward good quality stereo headphones.

Any recommendations? Comfort and budget... ...$100 Cd or less.
 
Well you can't go wrong with the JVC RX 900 and 700.Right now they are the best bang for buck headphones around.They cost 35-55 shipped and they sound really nice.Not sure how they compare with other headphones as far as positioning goes.But i use the 700s for gaming and can tell right where people are.
 
My thoughts on this,

I was in the same boat as you you a few months back, read all the forums and hype about 5.1 headphones etc. The truth of the matter, for me anyway, is that it really depends on your sound card.

If you have a Creative sound card like an Xfi, then it's best to go with a good stereo headset, as the CMSS is very good and it's nearly as good as positional audio as 5.1 headphones.

I have a medusa speedlink 5.1 progamer and the JVC RX900. I have tried other high quality stereo heaphones as well, AD 900, Senn 600 etc, and various different sound cards like Asus Xonar DX2, Asus HDAV 1.3, Realtek onboard sound card. For gaming and specially for first person shooters like CS:S, here is my list of best for postional audio,
best top to bottom.

1. 5.1 Medusa progamer, These give great postional audio no matter which card you used them with, as long as the sound card has all the connections for front, rears and center/sub then the 5.1 progamer from Medusa is far superior to anything else I tried.

2. Xfi sound card with CMSS and any of the stereo headphones - great postional sense, from above and below as well.

3. any other sound card and stereo headphones, not great for gaming. Yes you can hear things coming behind you, but, you have to really concentrate and if there is a firefight in front of you it's really impossible to tell if anything is coming behind you.

A good set of stereo headphones are amazing for sound quality and are much better than any 5.1 headset. And Some of them like the AD700 and JVC900 have good sound stages, but, nowhere near the positional accuracy of the 5.1 headset. The only thing that comes close is if you use a creative sound card with cmss3d enabled.

So if I am playing games where positional audio is vital then I use the medusa's. If I am playing ordinary games or not really pushed about doing well, then I use the stereo headphones becasue they do sound better.
 
So decent stereo headphones with CMSS on the X-Fi cards will have positional audio almost like true 5.1 sound? I think I might get me an X-Fi Titanium soon if its that good. :p Do the X-Fi cards also make a big difference with a stereo speaker setup?

Sorry OP for asking questions here, but I thought it would be appropriate since I am interested in something very similar to you. :)
 
Yeah CMSS 3D on the Xfi cards is very good.

I don't know what it does to Stereo speakers, but, I presume the effects won't have the same impact as they have when using headphones.
 
In the Control Panel should I change the speaker output to Headphones when I'm using them?
 
Azureth said:
In the Control Panel should I change the speaker output to Headphones when I'm using them?
Click to expand...

Yes as Creative made a new 3D-algorithm for headphones with the X-Fi's, that is way better than any other solution on the market.
 
kool bubba ice said:
DSP like DH is just as good if not better then 5.1 multiple driver headphones.
Click to expand...

And I really believed this too, until I did two months of testing, if positional audio is important then its not near as good, the closest thing is the cmss3d from creative.

It's not bad, just not near as accurate as 5.1 headphones, sound quality is better, but, the sense of where sounds are coming from is so much better from the medusa 5.1 headphones.

I tried the various DSP's with and without headphone amps as well, like the zero and the asus HDAV has a very good headphone amp built in.

This is after two months of testing this for myself, I wanted to see what was best for positional audio, sound quality was not important for me, I play FPS shooters a lot in clans and wanted to get the best and most accurate headset I could get. I have the JVC 900's which are good for music and have the medusa 5.1 progamer.

then I got a loan of some gear from friends and a local computer shop. Various sound cards, a few types of headphones etc. See my first post in this thread for the results.

I did this test because I believed people who said that a good pair of stereo headphones could offer the same positional audio as 5.1 headsets. Some friends and people on forums said all this to me.

I would suggest you do your own testing really, because everyone is different, but for me, if I want to play really well, I have to use the 5.1 headphones because there is absolutely no wondering, sounds are pinpoint accurate. DSP like dolby headphone are good, but, if you want and need prefect accuracy from your sound then, for me, a good 5.1headset is a must.
 
Azureth said:
In the Control Panel should I change the speaker output to Headphones when I'm using them?
Click to expand...

Set the X-Fi control panel to headphone, uncheck "synch with windows", and set the windows sound control panel to 5.1. Make sure CMSS-3D headphone is enabled in the X-Fi control panel. I have found this setting to work well in XP.
 
I use the Tritton AX360 5.1 Headset. It also has Dolby Digital processing. For the time being I am using the analog 5.1 connectors, but when I had them hooked up to my PS3 via TOSLINK, the difference was amazing. As long as the source outputs Dolby Digital sound, it is like night and day difference. Also, if you have a soundcard capable of Dolby Digital Live, it transcodes the signal to output as digital 5.1

There is a new version out though that improves upon everything. It's a lot bigger too. It's called the AX Pro.
 
reaper12 said:
And I really believed this too, until I did two months of testing, if positional audio is important then its not near as good, the closest thing is the cmss3d from creative.

It's not bad, just not near as accurate as 5.1 headphones, sound quality is better, but, the sense of where sounds are coming from is so much better from the medusa 5.1 headphones.

I tried the various DSP's with and without headphone amps as well, like the zero and the asus HDAV has a very good headphone amp built in.

This is after two months of testing this for myself, I wanted to see what was best for positional audio, sound quality was not important for me, I play FPS shooters a lot in clans and wanted to get the best and most accurate headset I could get. I have the JVC 900's which are good for music and have the medusa 5.1 progamer.

then I got a loan of some gear from friends and a local computer shop. Various sound cards, a few types of headphones etc. See my first post in this thread for the results.

I did this test because I believed people who said that a good pair of stereo headphones could offer the same positional audio as 5.1 headsets. Some friends and people on forums said all this to me.

I would suggest you do your own testing really, because everyone is different, but for me, if I want to play really well, I have to use the 5.1 headphones because there is absolutely no wondering, sounds are pinpoint accurate. DSP like dolby headphone are good, but, if you want and need prefect accuracy from your sound then, for me, a good 5.1headset is a must.
Click to expand...
your one of the few who think this way, after trying DH with a quality headphone. You should really try it with a real heavy hitter like the 880s. I just have a hard timing believing this, not just from a audio stand point, but a technical standpoint.. I get a lot of PMs from people thanking me for recommending DH plus a quality stereo headphone..All found the accuracy, positional audio to be better.. I never heard anyone tell me that DH performed worse then a 5.1 headset.. Stereo headphones are more then capable with distinguishing location and accuracy, Biaural recordings prove this. And 2 channel stereo headphones are better for 5.1. You should hear the new cutting edge SS technology plus head tracking, and the Smyth machine that would easily better any 5.1 headset or 5.1 DSP for that matter.
 
kniah said:
Set the X-Fi control panel to headphone, uncheck "synch with windows", and set the windows sound control panel to 5.1. Make sure CMSS-3D headphone is enabled in the X-Fi control panel. I have found this setting to work well in XP.
Click to expand...

To follow your "logic", wouldn't it sound "better" with 7.1 speakers selected then?
 
kool bubba ice said:
your one of the few who think this way, after trying DH with a quality headphone. You should really try it with a real heavy hitter like the 880s. I just have a hard timing believing this, not just from a audio stand point, but a technical standpoint.. I get a lot of PMs from people thanking me for recommending DH plus a quality stereo headphone..All found the accuracy, positional audio to be better.. I never heard anyone tell me that DH performed worse then a 5.1 headset.. Stereo headphones are more then capable with distinguishing location and accuracy, Biaural recordings prove this. And 2 channel stereo headphones are better for 5.1. You should hear the new cutting edge SS technology plus head tracking, and the Smyth machine that would easily better any 5.1 headset or 5.1 DSP for that matter.
Click to expand...

Yes, but they are $1000's and I would hope they sound better. Not one person found the positional audio better using the stereo headphones. It wasn't just a case of maybe, or maybe not, it was very definate 5.1 is better. But then again, the sound quality, is much better on the stereo headphones. Only a few people that I asked to try it out were hardcore gamers, they all preferred to play with the 5.1 headset. But everyone else much preferred playing with Stereo headphones, they loved the sounds, everything from gunshots to explosions sounded better. So maybe that's why people are thanking you for recommending stereo headphones to them. You get the positional audio and great sound. Just the positional audio isn't as good as the 5.1 headphones. And if you go back to opening poster, He has $100. And He is connecting the headset to an onboard sound card. It's a headset just for gaming. There isn't any stereo headphone that will give him the positional accuracy as a 5.1 headset.
 
reaper12 said:
Yes, but they are $1000's and I would hope they sound better. Not one person found the positional audio better using the stereo headphones. It wasn't just a case of maybe, or maybe not, it was very definate 5.1 is better. But then again, the sound quality, is much better on the stereo headphones. Only a few people that I asked to try it out were hardcore gamers, they all preferred to play with the 5.1 headset. But everyone else much preferred playing with Stereo headphones, they loved the sounds, everything from gunshots to explosions sounded better. So maybe that's why people are thanking you for recommending stereo headphones to them. You get the positional audio and great sound. Just the positional audio isn't as good as the 5.1 headphones. And if you go back to opening poster, He has $100. And He is connecting the headset to an onboard sound card. It's a headset just for gaming. There isn't any stereo headphone that will give him the positional accuracy as a 5.1 headset.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but stero headphones have perfect 3D sound position on my X-Fi, I repeat:
5.1 headphones are marketing fluff.
 
reaper12 said:
Yes, but they are $1000's and I would hope they sound better. Not one person found the positional audio better using the stereo headphones. It wasn't just a case of maybe, or maybe not, it was very definate 5.1 is better. But then again, the sound quality, is much better on the stereo headphones. Only a few people that I asked to try it out were hardcore gamers, they all preferred to play with the 5.1 headset. But everyone else much preferred playing with Stereo headphones, they loved the sounds, everything from gunshots to explosions sounded better. So maybe that's why people are thanking you for recommending stereo headphones to them. You get the positional audio and great sound. Just the positional audio isn't as good as the 5.1 headphones. And if you go back to opening poster, He has $100. And He is connecting the headset to an onboard sound card. It's a headset just for gaming. There isn't any stereo headphone that will give him the positional accuracy as a 5.1 headset.
Click to expand...
On youtube there is a review on gaming headsets, & compares the multi driver to headphones with DH or another DSP.. The reviewer tested out both.. He was blind folded, & sat in the middle, & would turn to what ever position he hears..B/F/L/R.. The 2 channel headphones performed better.. Ironically, he had a hard time localizing the sound direction with the 5.1 multi driver headphones..
 
Atech did you read my posts at all? I already said the CMSS3D from creative was the next best thing to 5.1 headphones for positioning.

The OP doesn't have an X-fi, then the best positional audio he is going to get is from 5.1 headphones.

and I say, 5.1 headphones aren't marketing fluff. If you haven't got the best sound card, or an amplifier that gives you dolby digital headphone, then the best 3d sound you are going to get is from 5.1 headphones.

And Atech, I have compared my medusa 5.1 progamers with Audio Technica's AD700 and A900, the Senn 600's, The JVC RX900's. I have used my marantz Sr8001 amp, a zero dac, Xfi fatality, Xonar DX and DX2, Xonar HDAV1.3 and an onboard realtek soundcard. This is just in case you didn't read my first post. And nobody who helped me out with the testing came to any other conclusion, the medusa was way better for positional audio. The x-fi with a stereo headset was next. My local computer shop helped me out with this as well, because they were interested in the results too.

Anyway, it don't matter, I did this for myself and a few people who asked me to. And I am happy with my setup, 5.1 headset for FPS, stereo headset for everything else. And I know the 5.1 headset is better for FPS.
 
reaper12 said:
Atech did you read my posts at all? I already said the CMSS3D from creative was the next best thing to 5.1 headphones for positioning.

The OP doesn't have an X-fi, then the best positional audio he is going to get is from 5.1 headphones.

and I say, 5.1 headphones aren't marketing fluff. If you haven't got the best sound card, or an amplifier that gives you dolby digital headphone, then the best 3d sound you are going to get is from 5.1 headphones.

And Atech, I have compared my medusa 5.1 progamers with Audio Technica's AD700 and A900, the Senn 600's, The JVC RX900's. I have used my marantz Sr8001 amp, a zero dac, Xfi fatality, Xonar DX and DX2, Xonar HDAV1.3 and an onboard realtek soundcard. This is just in case you didn't read my first post. And nobody who helped me out with the testing came to any other conclusion, the medusa was way better for positional audio. The x-fi with a stereo headset was next. My local computer shop helped me out with this as well, because they were interested in the results too.

Anyway, it don't matter, I did this for myself and a few people who asked me to. And I am happy with my setup, 5.1 headset for FPS, stereo headset for everything else. And I know the 5.1 headset is better for FPS.
Click to expand...

5.1 headsets are still marketing fluff...look into the tpoic and you will know why they are fluff.
 
Virtualizing 5.1 via headphones is not something you should subject yourself to. Instead get yourself a nice pair of Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, or Beyerdynamic 'phones that are well balanced in both games, music, and movies. If you really, really need "5.1" in your headphones, then use software. Headphones that are marketed as "5.1" are a waste of time, IMHO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top