Gaming Headset

R

runLoganrun

Gawd
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Jul 4, 2005
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Is it better to use USB or 3.5mm plugs for a headset? I have a Creative Audigy 2ZS Gamer soundcard.

Is Creative Fatal1ty a good way to go? Any suggestions?


Thanks,
rlr
 
I'd go with 2.5mm jacks.. going the USB route involves some system overhead and the headsets are more $... I really like the Plantronics Audio-370 headset.. for $50 is super comfortable (over the ear) and the audio qual + mic qual is very good..
 
sometimes that's true but not always.. I was stunned at how nice the plantronics ones I got were for only $50! but if the OP has a more ample budget, maybe get some Sennhieser PC-161 or the PC-350's.. those are crazy nice.. Razer has some nice ones also..
 
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the audio-technica ATH-A700's, are supposed to be pretty good if you can spend some more.
 
USB headphones have a built in sound card. So really you would just be wasting your money buying a usb headset because you wouldnt be able to use your soundcard.

I have a plantronics USB headset that I spent $50 on three years ago. Its held up pretty well and the sound quality + mic quality on it is not to shabby for 50. I like the USB because I dont have anything better then an integrated sound card in any of my PCs that I game on.

It really is you get what you pay for in the headset world.
 
lloose said:
Its all personal preference, I like USB.
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No it's not. He has a nice sound card and by getting USB he is bypassing that nice audio processing and higher quality audio because it uses it's crappy USB sound chip. But using a 3.5mm audio jack he can get the full quality of his sound card.
 
dont get a USB headset. like the OP said, it'll bypass your nice soundcard.

isnt creative fatality a soundcard? are you asking if you should change your soundcard also?
 
USB is for convenience only imo... sound quality is not a factor and if it's super important to you to be able to just slap a usb connection in to use your headset - then it might be for you.. personally I love to be immersed in the sound with my headset on, so I like the best sound quality I can get from the source.. admittedly, my headset is not the highest in audio qual, but it's very good.. it's good enough so that with the comfort of wearing the set it works well for me.

I still think for the price the plantronics audio-370's are really nice... you can pick them up at BB for $50 or order online and get them for about $10 cheaper (shipped).

here's a review: http://hardware.gotfrag.com/portal/gallery/834/
 
I absolutely love my Koss SB-45s. I've gone through a lot of headphones in the last 4 years (Creative, Altec Lansing, Plantronics) but these are by far the best value and they sound awesome. Most importantly though they are comfy. There is no in-line volume control. This wasn't a problem for me as I have a volume control on my keyboard but its something you should know, I'm also told that this reduces interference somehow but cables aren't really my thing so idk on that one.


Linkage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826263010
 
devman said:
I absolutely love my Koss SB-45s. I've gone through a lot of headphones in the last 4 years (Creative, Altec Lansing, Plantronics) but these are by far the best value and they sound awesome. Most importantly though they are comfy. There is no in-line volume control. This wasn't a problem for me as I have a volume control on my keyboard but its something you should know, I'm also told that this reduces interference somehow but cables aren't really my thing so idk on that one.


Linkage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826263010
Click to expand...



I recommend the sb40s view the headset thread in the audio tab from what the reviews say there even better than the sb45s and sb49s and are only 30$
 
Definitely agree that USB headsets are going to sound like crap for gaming. They are for VOIP only, IMO. On that note, I recently tried out a slew of Razer gear, including their 5.1 headphones that I was really hoping would be as awesome as they looked. They sucked, and Razer support sucked. What a mess. I did a full review of the mouse, mousing surface, and headset:
http://www.edbordenblog.com/2008/04/razer-review-can-headphones-and-mice-be.html
 
Uberbob102000 said:
No it's not. He has a nice sound card and by getting USB he is bypassing that nice audio processing and higher quality audio because it uses it's crappy USB sound chip. But using a 3.5mm audio jack he can get the full quality of his sound card.
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Yes, but with USB you don't have to unplug your analog speakers so you can switch to the headphones and mic. My mic input on my X-Fi is being used as digital coax to an EMU 0404 so for me going the USB route would be much more convenient. Just because analog works good for you doesn't mean it does for everyone. Yes, USB uses more cpu to process the sound but it may be the better choice if you have a complex setup to begin with. I certainly wouldn't want to have to go to the back of my PC and unplug shit just so I can use a headset so the the cpu overhead would be something I would be willing to compromise for sake of convenience.
 
edborden said:
Definitely agree that USB headsets are going to sound like crap for gaming.
Click to expand...

That depends on the quality of the DAC they use. My EMU 0404 USB can be fed either via USB or via digital coax and it sounds the same used either way. Which is very good, indeed. There is no reason a USB headset should sound bad, it will just use more cpu resources and if implemented poorly or you have crap USB on your mb might cause some sound stuttering. Lots of high end headphone amps use USB to get sound from the PC so audio quality wise there is nothing inferior about USB sound at all.
 
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