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"Gaming" Headset

P

P!rate

Move Like a MoFo
Joined
Mar 16, 2009
Messages
6,073
Im looking to buy a new headset for ventrilo (mic) and for cod4 (headphones), i dont really care if its 7.1 or 5.1, i doubt you can actually hear the difference, please tell me if there is a difference, for ive been using these 400 bose headphones from my dad, i just want to get my own, considering it doesnt have a mic with it and i have to use a stand-alone mic.

So this is my criteria

  • under 200 bucks
  • can buy at a store such as bestbuy, microcenter
  • good mic quality
  • comfortable, like cushiony, pics inc. on bottom
  • good sound quality
g35.jpg


this is the type of over the ear i want, g35 is an option, but im not sure about quality, input plz? and tyvm
 
People are going to tell you regular headphones and a stand-alone mic. However, I have Sennheiser's for music listening, and Razer Carcharias for gaming. The Razer's have good sound to them. Microphone is clear, I'm told. They're under $100. Comfy, and Best Buy carries them.
I would also look at the Fatal1ty's. They're sold at Best Buy as well. Not sure about much else on those.
 
hum alright, i just dont like the whole aspect of different headphone, headset, i prefer just having one XD
 
ouch, 200 bucks :p, ill check my wallet again :)

you guys SURE these are the best?
 
As far as sound quality goes, it matters on your sound card. The PC350 probably are better quality than the g35s but logitech uses USB which may or maynot have an advantage depending on your sound card.
 
anyone have any reviews for the g35? i get RLY different answers when i look :/
 
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i hated the pc350, the mic was amazing but the sound was bad.It sounded like i was in a tunnel.I replaced it with a hd555 and zalman mic.The headphones are under $100 and the mic is around $12.
 
ive been looking around, and the g35 seems to hit my price range, comfortability, and qualities im looking for well, the enheiser wtf pc350, looks good, but the problem is that its a little too much :/, and on a review its rated same quality as g35..

im a logitech fanboy though, as per my sig, so idk :/
 
Have you made a decision yet? I just picked up a set of the Razer Carcharias, if you're still looking I can compare them to my Icemats in a day or two. I looked at the logitechs, but they have vinyl ear pads, and that bothers my ears after a while. I really wanted the pc350s but this was sort of an impulse buy and BB didnt have them in stock anywhere near me. Just wanted something with an integrated mic, and good sound quality.
 
The G35 is surprisingly decent. I was quite taken aback by the general sound quality for a gaming closed phone with real isolation (less Sennheiser-typical diffuse than the PC350, punchier, more gaming-suitable IMO - and the isolation is also notably superior to the PC350), although comfort was lower than the Senn due to the clampier fit as part of the isolation. I also find the side-mounted controls to be very handy, and the auto-muting mic to be beneficial - the pickup being as good as the PC350. Closed phone honk is reasonably well controlled, the ergononics are decent and IMO they did an outstanding job of styling it to fit into the G series vibe without compromising on usability.

Also, the surround actually works with a proper 7.1 source (CS:S, etc don't IMO render multichannel really well) - but alas, it's still all in your head and it struggles to present the front soundfield in a convincing sense, so in terms of absolute positioning cues it's still pretty iffy.

(spot the not-deliberate numeric error)

Good with movies perhaps, but unfortunately not a (literal) game-changer in my experience.

One almost deal-killer for me though is the faint whine from the right hand side. I googled this and it's not an uncommon thing. You'd be hard pressed to notice it in gaming, but if you're using these to listen as well then it might well be a problem. And they are, apart from this whine, very decent - punching up there in terms of SQ with actually isolating closed phones almost of the same price as you can get these discounted for. Logitech has sent me two replacements so far, and I was thinking this might be the end of it especially in the light of the comments I've seen online so I was getting ready for a return + refund - but no, apparently a third is on it's way. Getting a bit worried about the return postage implications, but still - you can't fault the service. Hopefully it is a batch issue as I really want to hang onto these (and yes, I already have the PC350 as well as a couple of MMX 300s)

The Zalman mics are crap. If you're serious about having a headset, don't bother with the ZM-1. I had one for a while following Head-Fi / here / other-far-from-actually-expert-"expert" advice, and didn't know better.
 
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I had a pair of Razer Carcharias. They sounded great! and they are loud. But alas, even the 2nd pair bleed sound from the cans into the mic line. Unusable if you talk much on vent. People hear themselves at almost 100% volume you hear.

I also tested this with my ipod as the source of sound, with the PC recording. Same result.

I've had the PC 350's for about a week now. Their way better. No bleeding, great mic, very comfortable.
They could have more bass, so im considering doing the hero-mod from head-fi.org.

So, i recommend staying away from the Carcharias unles you dont use your mic much...
 
Any headphones claiming more than stereo are like monster cables...to do that you need to model the sound according to the shape of peoples ears...since that dosn't happen it PR-FUD...
 
Atech said:
Any headphones claiming more than stereo are like monster cables...to do that you need to model the sound according to the shape of peoples ears...since that dosn't happen it PR-FUD...
Click to expand...

or you have speakers located around the persons ears...

just because you don't have a set, doesn't mean it doesn't work as advertised.

Mr. Killer NIC.
 
jeremyshaw said:
or you have speakers located around the persons ears...

just because you don't have a set, doesn't mean it doesn't work as advertised.

Mr. Killer NIC.
Click to expand...

Do read up...and drop the fallcies.
By moving the speakers so much closer to the ears...guess what really matters?
The shape of the ears...which is like fingerprints.

Oh..and come again with your killer-Nic Fud when you have 2 ms ping to your gateway ;)

I sense much fear in you.
 
Atech said:
Do read up...and drop the fallcies.
By moving the speakers so much closer to the ears...guess what really matters?
The shape of the ears...which is like fingerprints.

Oh..and come again with your killer-Nic Fud when you have 2 ms ping to your gateway ;)

I sense much fear in you.
Click to expand...

+1 for jeremyshaw. It's not the most effective thing in the world if you're looking at genuinely big gains (rather like a Killer NIC) but neverless there is a difference.
 
teksu said:
I had a pair of Razer Carcharias. They sounded great! and they are loud. But alas, even the 2nd pair bleed sound from the cans into the mic line. Unusable if you talk much on vent. People hear themselves at almost 100% volume you hear.

I also tested this with my ipod as the source of sound, with the PC recording. Same result.

I've had the PC 350's for about a week now. Their way better. No bleeding, great mic, very comfortable.
They could have more bass, so im considering doing the hero-mod from head-fi.org.

So, i recommend staying away from the Carcharias unles you dont use your mic much...
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning that, I did notice this as well, and I found that while testing, people said I sounded fine, but later in action, no one could understand me. I will probably take them back since the mic was the whole point, I've already got good headphones and a desktop mic. Oh well, thanks for confirming.
 
FYI, the G35's are stereo headphones doing surround sound processing like your soundcard would, it's just USB, so for the audiophiles who lump these in with the multispeakers headsets, you are mistaken.

BTW I have a pair of G35's and I love them. Very well built, great sound and love the mic. The braided cable was a HUGE plus, as this is where most headphones die after heavy use.
 
Glad i could help, i didn't want to come off as some one just greifing on razer. They would be an awesome set if it didn't happen
 
AARGH! said:
FYI, the G35's are stereo headphones doing surround sound processing like your soundcard would, it's just USB, so for the audiophiles who lump these in with the multispeakers headsets, you are mistaken.

BTW I have a pair of G35's and I love them. Very well built, great sound and love the mic. The braided cable was a HUGE plus, as this is where most headphones die after heavy use.
Click to expand...

It's just that whine which is a problem for me - but apart from that, you're right. In many modern titles the Dolby works quite well, or at least unobtrusively and the sound quality is decent in Stereo as well. They're certainly a better bang for the buck than the PC350, provided that whine doesn't bother you.
 
Not unless you want all the IP addresses and DNS resolutions blurred out :p
6 hops though from the LAN gateway.

The point is that a Killer NIC has nothing specific to do with sub-2ms pings - this is on a bog-standard Broadcom gigabit *integrated* TOE NIC which is a good few years old, and while jeremyshaw may have put himself in a position to be shown up, he's correct in where he's coming from. Saying otherwise is a load of bollocks - Just like your opinions on the multichannel headsets. And yes, I do have comparative experience (as well as sitting right now between the MMX 300 and the Dolby G35).

Self-convinced delusion in one area while trying to apply semi-learned-logic to another doesn't make you any less of a laughing stock.
 
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well, this thread is....unique

to go all the way back to the OP's question, and get off talking about network connectivity and whatever else (???):

honestly I don't know about G35's SQ, either the headset itself, or the USB audio controller, theres nothing inherently wrong with a USB audio controller, and some audio types prefer them, personally I avoid them because they're somewhat inflexible with respect to expansion (at least as implemented on the G35, something like an M-Audio interface is another story), but there is no real quantitative reason to avoid them in favor of a discrete internal solution

I do know that most "surround" gaming headphones are mostly a gimmick, the only legitimate audio manufacturer who produces a pair is Behringer, and it costs a few thousand dollars (and its essentially a pair of stereo headphones with real-time head tracking), as far as whatever "5.1" or "7.1" headphones (such as the Zalman or Plantronics), I'd really suggest taking another look at stereo headphones, as stereophonic surround is more than immersive enough, especially if you've got a decent audiocard or software audio engine behind them, and generally "surround sound" headphones are a gimmick (basically something thrown out there for people who never knew of, or have forgotten about, the capabilities of stereo, and just need to see 5.1 and HD slapped on everything, instead of two really cheap drivers, you get six, personally I'd rather have two high quality drivers over six pieces of junk)

the downside here is that you'll have to grab an external mic, more or less regardless of what brand you pick, aside from the Sennheiser models with attached microphones (I believe Koss still has the mic add-ons for Pro 4AA's, and that would fit your budget as well), so if thats a big problem, either buy the Sennheiser (or Koss), or you'll have to make a compromise there

for reference, Bose doesn't make a "surround sound" pair of headphones, they're all stereo, and one of their products is apparently suiting you quite well, if that works for you, the TriPorts are only $140, and a mic can be had for $10-$20 quite easily, pretty sure Target sells both

as far as what I personally use, I've become quite partial to my AKG K701's (to the point that I won't gladly wear anything else for gaming, just because I like the fit and sonics of the 701's), thats a bit out of your budget (the entire system, including the K701's themselves, cost me around $1000), but an example of stereo headphones providing a very immersive gaming experience (I have no issues noticing things "behind" me, and I don't need a half dozen drivers strapped to my head)

as a more extreme example, on somewhat of a challenge from a friend, I tried my vintage 'stats out in L4D one evening, I can say "never again" with confidence, not only do you really hear everything, you actually can start to notice the foley artists and hear the sound effects for what they are, exactly where they're being placed, and so on, essentially "too much" immersion, again, these are stereo headphones, not "surround sound", and I'd be willing to wager that with respect to frequency response, IMD, THD, and so on, they're a good deal ahead of any "surround sound" set you'll likely find
 
I bought Turtle Beach X1's from a local GameStop for $50... They do my computer and my 360... they are fantastic too, may not be 5.1, but shows you, they can be found.
 
Waste my time have to moderate you children again and you will not have the ability to post.
 
Atech said:
Any headphones claiming more than stereo are like monster cables...to do that you need to model the sound according to the shape of peoples ears...since that dosn't happen it PR-FUD...
Click to expand...
Not exactly. You can still perceive complex locational cues, even when the drivers are close to the ears. It doesn't work well, but it does at least "work".

HRTF still works better the majority of the time, of course, and most any sound card supports at least some form of real-time HRTF, whether it's Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3D. The ancillary benefit is of course that you don't have to sacrifice driver size with pure stereo cans, yielding significantly better stereo reproduction.
 
phide said:
Not exactly. You can still perceive complex locational cues, even when the drivers are close to the ears. It doesn't work well, but it does at least "work".

HRTF still works better the majority of the time, of course, and most any sound card supports at least some form of real-time HRTF, whether it's Dolby Headphone or CMSS-3D. The ancillary benefit is of course that you don't have to sacrifice driver size with pure stereo cans, yielding significantly better stereo reproduction.
Click to expand...

That's true. Phones like the Medusas suffer in this respect, although they're certainly able to do rear better than a pure-stereo situation. HRTF seems to be the best bet, and the G35 works as well as any I've experienced.

obobski said:
I do know that most "surround" gaming headphones are mostly a gimmick, the only legitimate audio manufacturer who produces a pair is Behringer, and it costs a few thousand dollars (and its essentially a pair of stereo headphones with real-time head tracking), as far as whatever "5.1" or "7.1" headphones (such as the Zalman or Plantronics), I'd really suggest taking another look at stereo headphones, as stereophonic surround is more than immersive enough, especially if you've got a decent audiocard or software audio engine behind them, and generally "surround sound" headphones are a gimmick (basically something thrown out there for people who never knew of, or have forgotten about, the capabilities of stereo, and just need to see 5.1 and HD slapped on everything, instead of two really cheap drivers, you get six, personally I'd rather have two high quality drivers over six pieces of junk)
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm not sure why we've got into head-tracking on the Beyerdynamic Headzone - as in gaming, your POV / head location is essentially fixed.

the downside here is that you'll have to grab an external mic, more or less regardless of what brand you pick, aside from the Sennheiser models with attached microphones (I believe Koss still has the mic add-ons for Pro 4AA's, and that would fit your budget as well), so if thats a big problem, either buy the Sennheiser (or Koss), or you'll have to make a compromise there

for reference, Bose doesn't make a "surround sound" pair of headphones, they're all stereo, and one of their products is apparently suiting you quite well, if that works for you, the TriPorts are only $140, and a mic can be had for $10-$20 quite easily, pretty sure Target sells both
Click to expand...

The problem with these solutions is either a mic on the table which doesn't work well, a mic on the screen which also doesn't work well, or a clip-on Zalman mic which is equally, relatively speaking, ineffective. The thing is that there are headset solutions around which are musically as effective as oft-recommended (by the head-fi crowd who have zero experience of headsets beyond what they've inferred from their peer group) and a much less compromised solution for not much more. True, if you're looking at the true high-end then there are no equivalents but few people are.

as far as what I personally use, I've become quite partial to my AKG K701's (to the point that I won't gladly wear anything else for gaming, just because I like the fit and sonics of the 701's), thats a bit out of your budget (the entire system, including the K701's themselves, cost me around $1000), but an example of stereo headphones providing a very immersive gaming experience (I have no issues noticing things "behind" me, and I don't need a half dozen drivers strapped to my head)
Click to expand...

As I said in my deleted post, what someone without the relevant experience of the balance of what's being discussed may infer and prefer is neither here nor there. Walk through Crysis with a G35 (using Dolby) and a K701, and I dare anyone to tell me with a straight face that the AKG represents the better experience. Hell, I can tell you that I'd much rather use the G35 than my Orpheus.
 
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Jeeprs69 said:
I have a set of Medusa 5.1 NX and absolutely love them. They were $100 shipped.
Yeah I know not a local buy. But They are great for games and even sound good for music. They have 3 plugs into your sound card and then one in a usb for the vibrate feature.
http://www.medusa-usa.com/medusa-nx-51-gaming-headset-p-954.html
Click to expand...

UPDATE of the Medusa. DO NOT BUY. My set had a speaker quit, had a friend who got 2 pair(long story) and they both broke! To send them back- it will cost me over half what a new set would cost. The company will not lift a finger to get a their defective product from their own customs. They expect me to pay what I've already paid again to get them to their company.

I now have Sennheiser HD280 Pro's and just sad I'm out the money on the Medusa crap.
 
SixtyWattMan said:
Just buy a regular pair of headphones with a Zalman clip on mic.
Click to expand...

OP, I know you said you prefer a headphone with an intergrated mic, but buying some good audio headphones (Audio Technica, Sennheiser, etc.) with a Zalman clip-on mic would be much better in terms of SQ and even cost. Many "gaming" headphones by Astro, Tritton, and some TB are upward of $200. But you can pick up a AD700 or 555 AND a mic for just around $110-120.
 
P!rate said:
ouch, 200 bucks :p, ill check my wallet again :)

you guys SURE these are the best?
Click to expand...

As far as headsets go? Possibly, but in all likelihood you can get something significantly better (SQ-wise) for half the money... So long as you're willing to live with a decent clip-on mic (either on your clothes or the headphone's cord), as far as bang-for-the buck regular headphones tend to be a vastly better option than most headsets (marketed at gamers/PC or otherwise). I have a Sennheiser PC-150 headset (replaced by the PC-151 or 161 IIRC, the non-USB version w/standard 3.5mm jacks), it was pretty good for the money... I think I originally bought it for something like $50 and you can probably find it for $35 now... Sound is okay, mic is real good, and they take a beating (tho the cord is thin, but I've run over it w/my computer chair's wheels w/o harming it).

However for the same amount of money or close to it my JVC HA-RX700 + Zalman mic are a vast improvement. You can obviously spend $10-$30 more on the headphones if you want something different/better while still staying near $100 total (tho those JVC are really good for the money, lots of praise for 'em here and at HeadFi.org).

With most headsets (Logitech's and even Senn's) you're paying more for the extra features, or USB connectivity or the mere fact that they tacked on a mic; much more so than for the quality of the headphones. There's decent discrete mics out there (from Zalman or otherwise) which are no worse than the boom mics on most headsets, you just have to play a lil' w/the volume/sensitivity.

The mics on most headsets aren't particularly great by any means, some are good, some are awful, it's just generally easier to jam it up near your mouth where it'll have to pick up your voice unless it's just useless or you're gaming in the middle of the street. :p Some people can never seem to get their discrete mcis set up properly, but you can attribute that to any number of things (crappy mic, background noise, soft speaker, etc). Doesn't mean boom mics are inherently better...
 
Get a set of Sennheiser PC350s. You can get em online for $100 or so brand new.

Alot of people also "mod" them to increase the bass by drilling a couple small vent holes....makes a HUGE difference in sound quality. Even Sennheiser engineers acknowlege it works but they didn't want to incorporate that in to original design to satisfy a wider audience...

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/modding-sennheiser-pc350-headset-406187/index7.html
 
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I actually like the Koss SB40 for an integrated solution. Prefer my K701s or DT770s if I don't need to use the mic, but the Koss definitely works well as a gaming headphone on the cheap ($30-40).
 
shawnoen said:
Get a set of Sennheiser PC350s. You can get em online for $100 or so brand new.

Alot of people also "mod" them to increase the bass by drilling a couple small vent holes....makes a HUGE difference in sound quality. Even Sennheiser engineers acknowlege it works but they didn't want to incorporate that in to original design to satisfy a wider audience...

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/modding-sennheiser-pc350-headset-406187/index7.html
Click to expand...

I did this about a month ago, I love them!
 
Jumping into this thread a little late, but yeah I've the PC350's for a bout 6 months now. Keep in mind that they're not exactly easy to drive with an impedence of 150 Ohms, you'll really hear them come alive with a headphone amp.

Sound quality is quite good, they're comfortable, and the mic quality is great. My only gripe is the mute/volume pod on the headphone cord. I keep accidentaly muting myself... lame. Also the cord is not easily replaceable like my wife's M-Audios.
 
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