![[H]ard|Forum](/styles/hardforum/xenforo/logo_dark.png){kind=logo}
Being somewhat of an audiophile, I've always been into quality headsets. Some people can get by with monaural sound or will be satisfied with whatever POS headset something comes with or they dig up through other means.
Anyway... On with my huge rant:
Back in the day, I used to get by with my 2.1 setup and a mic. Having to deal with TS2/vent/msn/xfire VOIP tools now, I noticed standalone mics tended to be too sensitive to noise/interference. So I mostly have my powered speakers turned off and use a headset almost exclusively.
I'll skip the long history and I'll start off with my old Plantronics Audio 90s. While these were great headsets, probably the best out at the time... A lot of manufacturers have come into their own and built some pretty good sets.
One thing I didn't like about the Audio 90s was their weight and the stupid rubber thing that rested on your head. Within a week of owning it, I accidentally tore the little rubber piece, so it never really ended up being the same ever again. Oh well, I made do with what I had for a long, long time. Until I ended up destroying them.
So after not having looked at anything for a while... Back in February I started looking for a replacement to my 90s. There weren't many good quality headsets, so the Audio 90s were still pretty much the benchmark. However, I wanted to spend a little more money to get something better and haven't tried before. This pretty much limited it to a few monstrocities that simulate 5.1 sound and function via USB. I have a pretty good sound card, so I never even considered USB. Having said that, my options were now Sennheiser, Zalman and a few off-brand models. I ended up buying Sennheiser PC150s. I'm happy with them, they could be better and a little more flashy, but they're great quality and get the job done.
Just today I decided I needed yet another headset. This set for my laptop. They needed to be rugged, small and able to survive a life in my laptop bag. I was almost going to go with a Plantronics foldable headset, but decided they were still too big. After some casual browsing I ended up grabbing a set of Logitech Extreme PC gaming headset.
My initial impressions are: 1 audio quality isn't bad, but it's a little thin. The form is nice and compact.. And although I haven't had it very long at all, I think it should be able to survive a while as it seems fairly flexible. The mic clarity is very good. (I tested standing next to a fan on high with the air blowing into it, it had no effect on the remote end.)
...now onto headphones.
I've always had at least one pair of Sennheiser headphones. I still use my trusty old HD490s on occasion. I also enjoyed my Pioneer SEDJ5000s.
I travel a lot and neither of the above are very portable. That drove me to Sony's earbud headphones. Ever since their introduction, I've been a die-hard user of in-ear sets. I've especially loved my Sony MDR-EX51s. These quickly replaced the garbage that Apple shipped with my iPod.
I even bought the wired remote (that came with another pair of earbuds) that Apple sells. I ditched their earbuds, kept the wired remote/extension thing and still stick with my Sony's. It's nice that Sony hasn't modified perfection much... The only thing they've done to the EX51 line in the last 1.5 years is add additional colors. They have the EX71 line, which is pretty much the same thing just slightly modified and includes an extension cable.
-------------------------------------
Having said all that, how many [H]'rs are with me when I say "BUNDLED HEADPHONES SUCK!!"
What are all of your thoughts? Regular earbuds or in-ear? Over-ear/sealed or open air? PC: headset or headphone?
Anyway... On with my huge rant:
Back in the day, I used to get by with my 2.1 setup and a mic. Having to deal with TS2/vent/msn/xfire VOIP tools now, I noticed standalone mics tended to be too sensitive to noise/interference. So I mostly have my powered speakers turned off and use a headset almost exclusively.
I'll skip the long history and I'll start off with my old Plantronics Audio 90s. While these were great headsets, probably the best out at the time... A lot of manufacturers have come into their own and built some pretty good sets.
One thing I didn't like about the Audio 90s was their weight and the stupid rubber thing that rested on your head. Within a week of owning it, I accidentally tore the little rubber piece, so it never really ended up being the same ever again. Oh well, I made do with what I had for a long, long time. Until I ended up destroying them.
So after not having looked at anything for a while... Back in February I started looking for a replacement to my 90s. There weren't many good quality headsets, so the Audio 90s were still pretty much the benchmark. However, I wanted to spend a little more money to get something better and haven't tried before. This pretty much limited it to a few monstrocities that simulate 5.1 sound and function via USB. I have a pretty good sound card, so I never even considered USB. Having said that, my options were now Sennheiser, Zalman and a few off-brand models. I ended up buying Sennheiser PC150s. I'm happy with them, they could be better and a little more flashy, but they're great quality and get the job done.
Just today I decided I needed yet another headset. This set for my laptop. They needed to be rugged, small and able to survive a life in my laptop bag. I was almost going to go with a Plantronics foldable headset, but decided they were still too big. After some casual browsing I ended up grabbing a set of Logitech Extreme PC gaming headset.
My initial impressions are: 1 audio quality isn't bad, but it's a little thin. The form is nice and compact.. And although I haven't had it very long at all, I think it should be able to survive a while as it seems fairly flexible. The mic clarity is very good. (I tested standing next to a fan on high with the air blowing into it, it had no effect on the remote end.)
...now onto headphones.
I've always had at least one pair of Sennheiser headphones. I still use my trusty old HD490s on occasion. I also enjoyed my Pioneer SEDJ5000s.
I travel a lot and neither of the above are very portable. That drove me to Sony's earbud headphones. Ever since their introduction, I've been a die-hard user of in-ear sets. I've especially loved my Sony MDR-EX51s. These quickly replaced the garbage that Apple shipped with my iPod.
I even bought the wired remote (that came with another pair of earbuds) that Apple sells. I ditched their earbuds, kept the wired remote/extension thing and still stick with my Sony's. It's nice that Sony hasn't modified perfection much... The only thing they've done to the EX51 line in the last 1.5 years is add additional colors. They have the EX71 line, which is pretty much the same thing just slightly modified and includes an extension cable.
-------------------------------------
Having said all that, how many [H]'rs are with me when I say "BUNDLED HEADPHONES SUCK!!"
What are all of your thoughts? Regular earbuds or in-ear? Over-ear/sealed or open air? PC: headset or headphone?