I Want the Best Headphone/Mic/Soundcard for gaming < $200

L

Ltor

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 7, 2010
Messages
159
I just built my first computer a few months ago with help from HF, but I still don't know shit about shit when it comes to parts and such. So I'm curious as to how important having a sound card is and what exactly do I need to buy (soundcard? mixamp? headphones mic) for the best gaming sound quality for a reasonable price. I'd like to do it for under $200 (hopefully around $120)

I'm currently using a pair of G330's that I got for $20 I want something with as good if not better mic quality and better comfort and sound. My biggest issue besides the fact that the right ear is starting to crackle is I find them a uncomfortable after a while. I can't really comment on sound quality since I normally use $3 ear buds that you buy at the checkout counter. So it's fair to say I'm no Hi Fi snob...but hopefully you guys can make me one.

These will be used for gaming and and for recording voice over...In order of importance I care about:

Comfort (for 7 hour swtor benders/no too heavy/don't squeeze your skull)
Durability (Nicest headphones I ever owned were klipsch image s4's and I broke them in a day. Not to mention the g330's I'm replacing are 1month old, I roll over cords a lot)
Sound Quality (don't want something that requires 50 lbs of fancy equipment but be If I can tell where people are based on sound alone I'll be happy)
Mic Quality (>G330)
Looks (would prefer not to rock lime green cans...trying to look as classy as I can while wearing giant plastic earmuffs on my head)

From a few hours of reading and research I hear good things about...

Audio Technica AD700 Comfy but needs to be modded for a mic, I considered using these with a clip on mic like Zalman ZM-Mic1 but I really don't want to deal with 2 cords

Logitech g930 2 steps up from my current pair, I like the wireless, but I' hear they are a bit heavy and uncomfortable for extended use. Not to mention the mic quality is lousy on these.

How much worse would a bluetooth headset like the Motorola MOTOROKR S9 sound compared to an AD700 with a Xonar DG Card?

I just want a nice comfortable little set up with solid mic and audio fidelity at a reasonable price that I don't look like an ass hat wearing. Is that so much to ask?
 
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Go with the Turtle Beach PX5's. They are the best headphones available for gaming IMHO. They are wireless so no more running over cables! Don't think you need a beefed up sound card for these either as they have an independent audio processor (I think?) so anything with a digital output should work nicely. They also sell a USB sound card with a digital output if your PC doesn't have one. What's really nice about these is that they also work with the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

Here's a video if you want to see all the really nice features they have (don't have time to list them all):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUpq6zW_Qg&feature=player_embedded

They retail for $250 but you can get them for under $200 if you shop around. Try Google product search, ebay, etc.
 
My brother just got a pair of creative sound blaster professionals (or some similar name) they sound amazing (to me at least) and can be had for around $70.
 
Ltor said:
How much worse would a bluetooth headset like the Motorola MOTOROKR S9 sound compared to an AD700 with a Xonar DG Card?
Click to expand...

Quite a bit worse. Have you looked at the Sennheiser line of headsets? Their PCxxx series is supposed to be quite good, but I'm not sure they are in your price range.
 
Ltor said:
Audio Technica AD700 Comfy but needs to be modded for a mic, I considered using these with a clip on mic like Zalman ZM-Mic1 but I really don't want to deal with 2 cords
Click to expand...

No need to deal with two cords with the Zalman mic, see below:
http://i.imgur.com/KT9B4.jpg

My ATH-A700s are my "gamer" cans and I've had them setup this way since 2009 and it's worked well the whole time.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
No need to deal with two cords with the Zalman mic, see below:
http://i.imgur.com/KT9B4.jpg

My ATH-A700s are my "gamer" cans and I've had them setup this way since 2009 and it's worked well the whole time.
Click to expand...

The AD700's I can understand, but the A700's - I don't, since the likes of the G35 are in-class. Wireless does seem to give additional issues for the 930 so I'd personally go for the G35. Reasonably priced after typical discount, convenient controls, Logitech's decent warranty, fairly decent mic - at least better than constantly fiddling with the Zalman for best position (and failing) - not to mention virtual surround that blows even the Xonar STX clean away too.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
No need to deal with two cords with the Zalman mic, see below:
http://i.imgur.com/KT9B4.jpg

My ATH-A700s are my "gamer" cans and I've had them setup this way since 2009 and it's worked well the whole time.
Click to expand...

How did you get them to stay together like that and do you have an issue like someone said below with positioning the mic? Also how are those headphones for extended use?

Finality can anyone tell me if my MSI Z68A-GD55 - Link has the on-board sound chops I would need for a non usb setup like ad700's & zalman? Or would something like the xonar DG's be a huge improvement?

Edit: Oh and any good places to pick up the ad700's and the mic besides amazon? (in NY) I was looking at a price tracker and the zalman jumped from 15 to 6 to 11 in the past 2 days and the ad700's were $90 for month they're now $110.
 
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I don't hear this resolution very often, but I use a pair of audiophile cans, and I would never even think of attaching a crappy mic to the headphones and have 1 more cord to worry about. I use my logitech usb webcam, that sits on top of my monitor, as my mic. It's by far the most hassle-free alternative to not using a headset. Not to mention most headsets are crap quality anyway. Decent webcams are like 30 bucks nowadays.
 
Ltor said:
How did you get them to stay together like that and do you have an issue like someone said below with positioning the mic? Also how are those headphones for extended use?

Finality can anyone tell me if my MSI Z68A-GD55 - Link has the on-board sound chops I would need for a non usb setup like ad700's & zalman? Or would something like the xonar DG's be a huge improvement?
Click to expand...

I have the MSI Z68 board. The realtek is ok, but at the end of the day...it's still onboard sound. Any dedicated sound card will be better, IMO. Switching to the Recon3D today when it arrives via UPS.
 
Tarrnation said:
Go with the Turtle Beach PX5's. They are the best headphones available for gaming IMHO. They are wireless so no more running over cables! Don't think you need a beefed up sound card for these either as they have an independent audio processor (I think?) so anything with a digital output should work nicely. They also sell a USB sound card with a digital output if your PC doesn't have one. What's really nice about these is that they also work with the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

Here's a video if you want to see all the really nice features they have (don't have time to list them all):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTUpq6zW_Qg&feature=player_embedded

They retail for $250 but you can get them for under $200 if you shop around. Try Google product search, ebay, etc.
Click to expand...

Wait... the PX5's work on the PC? You're sure? I was told in a store yesterday that they didn't. If they do, great! If so, I shouldn't be surprised that a big box mother f&^%$#r didn't know.

I was thinking about getting the g930's from Logitech, but if the PX5's work...!
 
Ltor said:
has the on-board sound chops I would need for a non usb setup like ad700's & zalman? Or would something like the xonar DG's be a huge improvement?
Click to expand...

Biggest difference for the DG is that it supports Dolby Headphone, which is a big improvement for games. Sound quality should also be better, but not as significant as something like the Titanium HD or Xonar DX.
 
Forceman said:
Biggest difference for the DG is that it supports Dolby Headphone, which is a big improvement for games.
Click to expand...

But hugely inferior to the Logitech G35 (even assuming the DG's DH implementation is the same as the Essence STX)
 
I've got a pair of ATH-900, absolutely love them. I Also have paired them up with the Zalman mic and the X-FI prelude, easily one of the best sound cards out there. Perfect Combo.
 
Ronco said:
But hugely inferior to the Logitech G35 (even assuming the DG's DH implementation is the same as the Essence STX)
Click to expand...

I don't know. I've never used the Logitech's, but the Xonar DG+A700s has pretty much spot-on positioning, not sure how much improvement you can make in that area since they are both using the same underlying Dolby Headphone tech. I find it hard to believe it would be "hugely inferior".
 
Forceman said:
I don't know. I've never used the Logitech's, but the Xonar DG+A700s has pretty much spot-on positioning, not sure how much improvement you can make in that area since they are both using the same underlying Dolby Headphone tech. I find it hard to believe it would be "hugely inferior".
Click to expand...

You'd think so, wouldn't you? I'd made the same assumption - in fact I thought it'd be better due to the caliber of headphones which would be attached - when I bought the STX, given everyone else's advice, which I know is largely in part a Head-Fi BS-influenced peer group i.e. no-one who parrots the peer opinions actually knows what they're talking about because they've only ever had one product out of the comparisons - but I figured there had to be some minor grain of truth to it.

Now I have decent headsets - the MMX 300 for example - as well as the G35 which happens to be my gaming headset of choice to date, but since I have e.g. thousand-dollar mics hooked up to $4.5K / $2K soundcards in turn connected to $400 closed + $1.3K open phone on every desktop at home, I figured it was a little silly to be on a $100 headset most of the time on my gaming rig. So I finally went out and bought the STX, as well as a Fatality Champion (feeding the output from these into the pro audio soundcards, so that i/o was processed through the pro card). Turns out - not so silly.

Both add spacialization, but the depth and direction of sound cues are so inferior on the STX to be almost a joke. If this is what people are experiencing with virtual surround, no wonder some see it as a bit of a gimmick. To add insult to injury, the STX suffered from interference issues in the slot configuration I had the card in - which was admittedly right up against a GPU, but it should be designed for electrically hostile environments.

Now, the biggest "if" is that I don't have experience of the DG. Does that have a better DH implementation than the STX? Seeing as both are from the same vendor I - and this is conjecture - find it hard to believe that would be the case. However who knows - I'd like to hear from someone who's done a comparo between the two. For now though, I'll stick to USB headsets with integrated virtual surround features.
 
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I'm not familiar with how well PX5 works, but it appears to be a high-end item, but I've been disappointed with Tritton and TurtleBeach in the past with respect to their headsets. If your budget is a little flexible, allow me to suggest the following..

Astro Gaming- (Try to purchase direct or Astro via Amazon to be sure you get the newest versions). Out of all the gaming headset products, I've found Astro's kit to be the best with the widest array of uses and compatibility. Buying an "Audio System" means you get either their A40 (their highest-end, over the ear style headset) or A30 (on-ear, slightly less expensive) and either their Wireless Mixamp 5.8 (5.8ghz, less likely to mess up in the crowded 2.4ghz band ) or Mixamp Pro wired version. Either Mixamp supports Dolby 7.1, Dolby Headphone etc... and has quite a few connectors, and the ability to work on X360/PS3 and PC without use of any drivers, but the full featureset.. The Pro version has both TOSLink and Coax, as well as USB-only if you so choose, enabling you to connect it as a discrete secondary audio source if you wish - should you want your game sound to come out your speakers, but your want VOIP to be in your headphones only. The Wireless Mixamp 5.8 doesn't support this, it needs TOSLink connection for audio input and only uses the USB for the mic outgoing. The A40s themselves I found to have the best potential audio quality of most gaming headsets (outclassing logitech, tritton, and turtle beach I've tried) and they're quite comfortable, especially the 2011 edition "upgrade" ear pads. They're also fairly aesthetically pleasing and you can choose from many "speaker tags", including plain ones. If you can find a coupon for them, you may be able to get them a bit below MSRP. Buying from Amazon or elsewhere will be cheaper as well.

Asus Xonar Xense - Asus' Xonar line of sound cards have proven to be amongst the best, as far as quality and compatibility are concerned, ending decades of Sound Blaster proprietary lockdown (for years, X-Fi chipsets did not work in Linux, prompting me to my first Xonar). The Xense is their most feature-filled card, capable of 7.1 analog audio, TOSlink/coax digital supporting 7.1 and a variety of "Dolby everything" options, and "Essence STX"-like high-end support for headphones, including large 6.3mm studio jacks and impedance settings. Best of all for your situation, is that it comes with a special version of the Sennheiser PC350, modded with 6.3mm plugs and upgraded audio components (the details of these I'm unsure). The Xense-Mod PC350 is easily up there with other high end headsets, exceeding many of them in quality, and the fact that its plugged into one of if not the best consumer soundcards available, ensures great quality (be sure to switch the Xense's impedance to the PC350 xense edition setting!) .

In both these cases you'll have versatility and quality, plus longevity and ability for expansion in the future (especially with the Xense). Will the A40s or PC350s stand up to Senn 800's or something? Of course not. However, compared to many other headsets that I've used over the years, these are by far the best-of-breed solutions.

If the cost proves too much, consider instead as others have mentioned an Asus Xonar DX, which should come in under $100 or so (I'm pretty sure the DX is a better card for your uses and more full featured than the DG, but I can't remember. Someone can probably clarify this), or the DG which is definitely less expensive but requires a PCI slot. Then you'll have $100+ to spend on a headset to which, which others have provided plenty of suggestions. Corsair, Sennheiser, Creative, Turtle Beach, Steelseries, Astro Logitech etc... whatever you can find that fits your budget.
 
@Ltor

Focus first on your source then how it gets to your ears. I'd recommend either the
Asus Xonar DX or the HT Omega Stryker
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
The Xonar will do its justice in games with its EAX emulation. The Stryker will do its justice in movies and music.

The mic, I do second the webcam. I used a microphone for years, and it died--when I switched it to my webcam everyone in TS3 thought it sounded amazing, I don't even bother with anything else.

For the cans: the AD700's are a great choice. I'd recommend those or the HD558's. (replacements to the HD555).
 
Have been using the built in mic on my laptop and ATH-A900s for years. Now I've moved over to a desktop for gaming and have gone with the Zalman clip on mic. Hopefully it'll work well!
 
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