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New Headset

D

Dmac122383

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 15, 2011
Messages
437
I'm in the market for a new headset and have a few questions

I've been reading reviews and Hardforum all night but still unclear on a few things.

I'd like to get the Corsair HS1 USBs

My current build is a SFF PC, and really have no plans of getting a sound card, so is a usb headset like the hs1's my best bet? Or use a standard analog headset and my onboard sound card?

I mostly play WoW/SC2 and use ventrilo while gaming, and watch movies most of the time. I'm not an audiophile, but I'd like to get the best bang for my buck and most out of my hardware/gaming experience.

My last headset was a Steel Series 5h V2 non usb, and I was amazed by the sound from the headset using standard on board sound.

Thank you,
Dave
 
If you have a crap on board sound. The Corsair HS1 USB would be a good way to go.
 
Do you watch movies or listen to music on your computer too? You should consider real headphones and a clip on mic.


JVC HA-RX700 $40 shipped
Asus Xonar DG with Headphone Amplifier $33 shipped and $23 after MIR
Zalman ZM-MIC1 Clip-on Mic $11 shipped

Total: $74 after $10 MIR

Honestly, after going with real headphones you will never want to go back to headsets again. I recently went from onboard with a headset to a soundcard with a built-in headphone amplifier and it sounds amazing with games, movies, and music. I also have that mic which just clips on to the headphone wire and it works flawlessly.

Having a soundcard just makes everything sound better in general. The soundcard does Dolby Headphone so you get simulated 5.1 with your headphones which makes games like BC2 sound ridiculous because of audio positioning. I also think Dolby Headphone makes music sound better too.
 
I have a friend who recently got a pair of Senn headphones with the Zalman clip-on mic. Hes says the headhones sound great, but the mic doesnt sound that great on my end. The corsair usb headset is a good all in one solution, unless you are looking for something more high end like the Asus Xonar Xense bundle.
 
if you watch a lot of movies you would get a much better experience with surround headphones, like the turtle beach hpa2, which is honestly the best bang for the buck you can possibly have. I hear WoW supports surround too however it's probably not much of an advantage in this sort of game; it would definitely be much more immersive though.
 
I'd definitely explore the option of the combo mentioned above, a good headphone + mic solution. The only issue with microphones (non-usb) is that it is very dependent on the sound card you use. When I used the Zalman it was surprisingly crap on an Audigy2 I had, but worked way better with the onboard sound card input, even with the gain.

Given those games you'd mentioned, I'd highly recommend going with a open back headphone (open, so you can hear what's around you). When I sat down at a RTS or MMO, I'd be there for a longer stretch than most gaming, and after a while, the closed-back (isolation) was a bit unnerving after a while and had to take the headphones off. It might not be as much of an issue with you, but something to factor in--just the comfort aspect.

Some commonly recommended ones are the Sennheiser 595/555 and Audio Technica AD700. All around $100 +/- $20 from Amazon and will also do very well for movie/music listening. USB headsets do offer a good no-fuss option though, as it's plug-n-play.
 
Honestly, he has an unlimited selection of headphones with the combo I mentioned. The only reason I mentioned those JVC's is because he mentioned he was considering the HS1's so I wanted to recommend a combo that was either the same price or cheaper than the HS1's $100 price tag. The JVC's are also highly regarded despite their price. There is a huge thread on hardforum about them with nothing but praises. Keep in mind they do have a 64ohm impedance so going with a soundcard with an amplifier is a good decision. 64ohms is not really on the high end of impedance but high enough to where an amplifier would make a difference.

I personally have the HD555's from Sennheiser and the sound is pure bliss.
 
Me and everyone I know uses HD555's+Zalman clip on mic, like 90-100$ combo on amazon. Used to go through headsets like water till I bought these, one of the best purchases I've made.
 
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