Gaming headsets for PC

[alik4041]

Don't know what to tell you. It's possible your apparent preference for believing meaningless marketing spiel is introducing a perceptual bias, thus impacting your ability to objectively judge these products.

I guess anything is possible, but no... I think it's based off the game, and the game I'm referring to, isn't exactly new tot he market and that's counter strike 1.6. The DT770 pro, the 580, the 650 just don't seem to do it as well as the PC150's or the 5H V2's. I don't care about the marketing or any of that junk, because I'm simply about accuracy of footsteps, gun shots, and such. Now I don't know WHY it is the way it is, but the two cheaper headsets seem to deliver more when it comes to THAT game. Sorry I wasn't clear at first if it seemed like I'm talking about the newer games that support 7.1, etc.

I also don't see how all of the sudden you are aware of my "preference" of apparently "believing meaningless marketing spiel" based off a couple of posts of my experience with the product. At least the remark wasn't completely unnecessary

 

[ballpoint]

I didn't read the whole thread, but you need to give up the idea of a USB mic if your goal is to get Mic working in BF2 under Vista. BF2 will NOT work with a USB mic. I tried to solve this problem for myself recently. I had to accept that BF2 does not play nice with mics in Vista and tbh it sort of turned me off the game a bit.

 

[Gorankar]

I just can not stand paying $100 for a $50 set of cans with a $10 mic strapped to them. Or even worse, $50 for a $10 set of head phones with a $3 mic attached to it. Anyone else think that it is ridiculous what they charge for some of those "gaming" headsets considering what you get? Especially when they tend to not sound as good, as a good set of head phones and a USB mic that cost far less.

That said, the Creative Fatal1tys are Ok and not expensive, and I did like the Steel series 5H except for the bass and cost considerably more.

 

[gentoo]

I didn't read the whole thread, but you need to give up the idea of a USB mic if your goal is to get Mic working in BF2 under Vista. BF2 will NOT work with a USB mic. I tried to solve this problem for myself recently. I had to accept that BF2 does not play nice with mics in Vista and tbh it sort of turned me off the game a bit.

My mic doesn't work in BF2 regardless of what I try. Windows 7 Pro x64 with a SB X-Fi Titanium card. Mic works fine in Ventrilo after some juggling of the Flexijack and other settings but no go on BF2.

 

[Epiik]

I'll throw my vote behind the Audio-Technicas. They are the most comfortable headsets and have an incredible soundstage.

I've got the AD-500 but the most popular is the AD-700. A is closed headphones and the AD are open.

Don't try on an AudioTechnica unless you're gonna buy it behind it makes the Siberias feel like head clamps.

 

[almalino]

I use the wireless Creative headset (HS-1200). The sound quality is below average. For gaming though it works well. When I ask about my mic in game, everyone always says it is good, never a complaint. I play games on my 52 inch while sitting back on the couch so the convenience of wireless makes up for the lost sound quality.

If you only play a few hours at a time, then it is good. If you tend to have all day gaming headsets though, the battery dies after 7 hours.

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On the other hand, I have heard this is one of the best dedicated headsets you can buy under $200: Beyerdynamic MMX-2

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/580472-REG/Beyerdynamic_485896_MMX_2_Digital_Gaming.html

I use the same HS-1200 headset. I play battlefield 2142 mostly. Works fine for me. Sound is average but tolerable. Mic performance is good. Drivers are good , had no problems whatsoever.

If I need to select wireless gaming headset again I will select HS-1200 again. It gets a bit uncomfortable to play in this headset for more then 5 hours. Although, in my case all headsets are uncomfortable after 5 hours

 

[ballpoint]

Try screaming into your non-USB mic in BF2 and it will work under Vista\W7. Or put it like right into your mouth. I'm not kidding. I couldn't play this way because I had to physically press the mic close to my mouth and yell for anyone to hear me.

BF2 apparently does some tweaked out shit to the mic sensitivity under Vista/W7. Kinda the opposite of what Source games do (which is make the mic more sensitive on my system).

 

[jamesrb]

I hate playing with people using that Zalman clip on. I'll probably hear a lot of crap for saying this, but the people that use this mic are typically too quiet to be heard, distorting, or full of static. There are the exceptions where people actually set it up well, but that is the exception.

 

[infect0]

I have been using a plantronics gamecom 1 for years now. Honestly one of the best gaming headsets I have ever had with a good mic too. Think I picked it up for $20. Sure its not top of the line audio wear but for $20 its actually really good.

 

[Finkus]

I used to use some Bose on-ear earphones and Zalman clip on mic but all the leads and the clipping were doing my head in. I also upgraded my system and didn't want a soundcard so I needed a USB-only headset/mic combo.

I went for the Razer Megalodon 7.1 surround headset with mic. It's very light with a huge foam band and big, comfy earpieces. The soundcard/3D tech is inside the device so it's just a single USB cable and shows up as mic and headphone USB devices in windows.

Very happy with this setup myself. It's convenient, comfy and does what it says on the tin. I'm not an audiophile so couldn't really comment on the quality of the audio but the mic seems perfect as my friend also has one and his voice sounds clear with very little background noise, despite wife, child and TV in the room. The sound quality was noticeably poorer in music than my Bose ones but the bass was much better (great explosions) and the 3D localisation was brilliant so it gets my thumbs up for shooters.

It craps out in Vista-64 usually once a night which is a known and annoying issue and requires a game restart. I'm upgrading to Win7 soon though so it will be a non issue for me.

 

[RanceJustice]

I too am in the market for a headset for PC gaming with the following in mind...

"Best Enough" sound quality - I know I won't be getting $999 Sennheiser quality as I would from dedicated headphone enthusiast cans, but I want the top quality I can get for all around use, be it gaming audio, music, movies, and VOIP.

Comfort - I wear glasses, so I'd like something that will be comfortable with them. Preferably something easy to clean so they don't get greasy on the earcups etc... I'm kind of neurotic about keeping my skin clean.

Multiple connections - I'd like my headset to function with both 3.5mm plugs, and possibly plug into some sort of USB soundcard/decoderbox etc... There are some occasions when I'd like my set to be my primary/only sound solution, and other times when it needs to be a secondary device (ie. VOIP through my headset while game sound goes through speakers).

Linux - While it shouldn't matter 99% of the time with general 3.5mm plugs, certain USB headsets work fine under Linux, others don't. Not sure exactly why that is, but so long as they come up as a "generic USB audio" device its probably okay.

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What I'm considering so far...

Razer Moray + - These are nice, lightweight earbuds that work with everything and have a mic built in. Very cool. Could be a nice secondary...

Tritton AX Pro (Omni version) - The nice thing about these is that they work for all major game systems, USB on PC, or on 3.5mm jacks. Not sure about Linux compatibility though, and I heard early revisions had some "hiss" when the control box was connected.

SteelSeries 5H v2 w/USB - Similar to Tritton. Not sure if its too "game-focused' and that it wouldn't be good for general listening or not, but I hear they are pretty high quality. I'm to understand that the 5Hv2 is superior to the Syberia v2?

Creative Fatality Professional Series MKII - Doesn't have USB option, but I've been reading that these are actually pretty high quality and good, especially if they're on sale.

Edge Acoustics - This is actually Etymotic Research's "gaming" wing. GX400s look awesome for in-the-ears, but I bet cost a fortune.

Plantronics GameCom 777 - Another USB or 3.5mm. Bad experience with Plantronics in the past, but these have good reviews.

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Razer Megalodon and Logitech G35 piqued my interest, but these seem to be USB only so compatibility wise, I'm thinking no-go.

I seem to remember at least one more headset out there, that had "tubes" across the headband to carry the sound or something like that, for a "real" 5.1 experience?

 

[JohnleMVP]

The A40's actually don't support USB. They are just regular stereo 3.5mm headphones. The MixAmp which is primarily for console use, has USB for power and the revised MixAmp has USB for PS3 voice (mic).

 

[RanceJustice]

The A40's actually don't support USB. They are just regular stereo 3.5mm headphones. The MixAmp which is primarily for console use, has USB for power and the revised MixAmp has USB for PS3 voice (mic).

Ah, I guess I stand corrected then, and they're off my list. So... the A40s connected to MixAmp connect to the PC...how?

 

[JohnleMVP]

The MixAmp is made for console so it supports optical and RCA, which of course PC's can use, but it doesn't really make much sense for most PC users.

I think most reviews are positive or negative because of the hype around them. I think they are a good headset, but they aren't going to please any audiophiles despite the premium price.

 

[RanceJustice]

Ahh. Now I see. Well, totally off my list then.

 

[Serpico]

Ah, I guess I stand corrected then, and they're off my list. So... the A40s connected to MixAmp connect to the PC...how?

They connect to your PC via headphone jack to L/R RCA cables, RCA coax, or TOSLINK optical. Its the same as hooking up to your console audio output or receiver and they work very well. I use it on both my 360 and my PC, love it.

The main difference from using it on the 360 is that there is no use of the Game/Voice mixing knob since the voice and game audio come from the same source on your PC, while with the 360 they come from different sources, the console audio output and the controller audio output.

I keep the Mixamp on top of my case when I'm using it with my PC, so even though you don't get the mixing functions you get with a console, at worst it is a very convenient volume knob. I like it very much.

You mentioned comfort as a concern since you wear glasses. The A40 headphones are by far the most comfortable I have worn with my glasses, I can be on for hours at a time and there is zero discomfort or fatigue. Grados, Senns, Plantronics, nothing I've used is as comfortable with glasses for long periods of time, FWIW.

 

[Viper8547]

question about headphone amps.. Would I notice a difference with my senn 595's? I'm plugging them into my internal sound card right now, x-fi xtrememusic. Just wondering if I'm getting the most out of these, I'm not much of an audiophile.

 

[Serpico]

question about headphone amps.. Would I notice a difference with my senn 595's? I'm plugging them into my internal sound card right now, x-fi xtrememusic. Just wondering if I'm getting the most out of these, I'm not much of an audiophile.

Headphone amps are always a good thing, but like most things audio its something you'll only really notice once you've had it and then had it taken away. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to that sort of thing.

 

[Viper8547]

Okay, I'll pick up the FiiO E5 as recommended on page 4, not too much of an investment at least

 

[JohnleMVP]

They connect to your PC via headphone jack to L/R RCA cables, RCA coax, or TOSLINK optical. Its the same as hooking up to your console audio output or receiver and they work very well. I use it on both my 360 and my PC, love it.

To get surround sound on the PC though you probably shouldn't bother with the MixAmp. Just connect the headphones to your sound card through the 3.5mm jack and use your sound cards headphone surround sound technology.

If you use the MixAmp you need optical, which can be an issue for some PC's. Most PC games only do stereo sound over optical. To get 5.1 over optical you need to a sound card that supports DDL (Dolby Digital Live) to encode the game sound for the optical output. You want the MixAmp to get a 5.1 signal vs a stereo signal from RCA's so that it can turn the 5.1 signal into the virtual surround sound for the headphones.

 

[Serpico]

To get surround sound on the PC though you probably shouldn't bother with the MixAmp. Just connect the headphones to your sound card through the 3.5mm jack and use your sound cards headphone surround sound technology.

If you use the MixAmp you need optical, which can be an issue for some PC's. Most PC games only do stereo sound over optical. To get 5.1 over optical you need to a sound card that supports DDL (Dolby Digital Live) to encode the game sound for the optical output. You want the MixAmp to get a 5.1 signal vs a stereo signal from RCA's so that it can turn the 5.1 signal into the virtual surround sound for the headphones.

Good stereo headphones with a good stereo audio source will give you positional audio. You can create a center image, a rear image, etc etc, with just two headphones and a good stereo source. Makes sense too, you only have left and right ears and you can get a sense of whether things are font and center, left and rear, etc etc. The same tricks that give that sense of perception work with stereo headphones. You only need 5.1 audio when you have speakers, and that's because the audio source is out and away from your ears.

I've used both the direct stereo source and Dolby Digital via optical output on my 360 and PC and I actually prefer the quality of the unprocessed audio, and I don't lose any sense of positional audio either. Same as running uncompressed PCM audio from my Blu Rays.

This is why "surround" headphones are bunk IMHO, they cram a bunch of cheap low quality drivers into left and right cans when there is no need for it. Better to get a good pair of headphones, headphone amp, and DAC, its all you need. All the processing on top of that IMHO flattens, muddies up, and adds delay to the audio too much.

 

[Falkentyne]

They connect to your PC via headphone jack to L/R RCA cables, RCA coax, or TOSLINK optical. Its the same as hooking up to your console audio output or receiver and they work very well. I use it on both my 360 and my PC, love it.

The main difference from using it on the 360 is that there is no use of the Game/Voice mixing knob since the voice and game audio come from the same source on your PC, while with the 360 they come from different sources, the console audio output and the controller audio output.

I keep the Mixamp on top of my case when I'm using it with my PC, so even though you don't get the mixing functions you get with a console, at worst it is a very convenient volume knob. I like it very much.

You mentioned comfort as a concern since you wear glasses. The A40 headphones are by far the most comfortable I have worn with my glasses, I can be on for hours at a time and there is zero discomfort or fatigue. Grados, Senns, Plantronics, nothing I've used is as comfortable with glasses for long periods of time, FWIW.

Actually, the A40 mixamp (at least the newer ones that are going out recently) do allow mixing of two different PC sources. All you have to do is hook the mixamp to the RCA or optical/coax outputs on the PC's soundcard, and use the USB functionality of the mixamp as a recording device (instead of the soundcard). And presto.

Please keep in mind that this only works if you are using voice chat software which has its own VOIP selection for voice input/output, like Teamspeak/Ventrilo. The USB part of the mixamp will handle that, while the soundcard handles the in game sounds. (And the mixamp can add the dolby surround feedback to the headphones).

I don't know how effective it is for games that have their own in game voice setup, nor what happens if you have in game voice+Vent voice at the same time...but I guess it's the same.

*edit*
You don't need optical to get 5.1 surround sound with the mixamp. The RCA jack works just fine; just plug that into your soundcard's headphone jack and set the VOIP software for recording/playback to the mixamp device (the new mixamps are basically full USB soundcards; you can get sound without even having a sound card inserted at all by using the mixamp standalone if you want), and you're set. The 5.1 analog signal you get may not be AS good as an optical source, but when I was playing CS:S, I could hear music coming from a house and I could tell whether it was in front or behind me based on my position (I actually felt a tingle in my neck when I was facing away from it )

Do keep in mind that this configuration will never beat a proper 5.1 speaker setup for positional sound, and you CAN hear footsteps with a good 5.1 speaker setup, but you have to blast the speakers so loud to do that, and that may not be adviseable if you're in an apartment :/