Looking for a gaming headset, recommendations appreciated

[Slott]

Hi all, looking to get a headset. In the past I typically just used speakers with a mic on ventrillo, which doesn't work out too well on skype... I've had limited experience with a headset, namely a logitech one that was too cumbersome and heavy...and well, i barely ever used it. Anyone have any recommendations? I've typically used razer/logitech products, but if anyone has any suggestions let me know. The lighter the better as well.

[Ghost_Wheel22]

What is your pricerange and amount of usage?

[Slott]

I'm willing to spend money on a decent set. Not limiting myself, but i'd say 300 dollars is probably way too excessive. Somewhere in the 150-200 range seems to be somewhat normal I guess? Will most likely use for several hours each day.

[avelle]

I've had Sennheiser PC350s for years and never encountered an issue. Well the little clip on the cable did break off after a while but the product has never stopped working or otherwise given me trouble.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-...nnheiser+pc350

[Boyiee]

Well hellooooooooooo my favorite thread that resurfaces so often, I've missed you. It has been a while, how nice of you to keep in touch.

First things first:

What you don't want to do is buy anything (for the most part) that is labeled a "headset." Most products on the market labeled as headsets use cheap mics, cheap headphones, put them together and price them at a huge premium.

The majority of headsets use mics that you can buy yourself for $10-15. So what I recommend, as I do to everyone, is to buy yourself one of these cheap mics and pair it with a really good set of entry level headphones like the HD 555's or HD 558's.

The 555's you can open up the ears to and pull out a piece of foam that will make them sound like the higher model 595.

However, usually this combo won't run you more than $100-120 total, but for some reason it will right now. If you can't find the 555's for 100-120 somewhere else, then I would recommend the PC350's mentioned above. They are one of the only "headsets" I actually trust, but that's due to the brand name and that brand caring more about sound quality more than anything else. Most microphones will give you the same voice quality, there really isn't too much difference in that department. So my suggestion is always go cheap on voice and big on sound.

Try to avoid Razer and steelseries products. They are designed to last for a certain amount of time (sometimes less than a year) before they inevitably fail. I went through hundreds of dollars of cheap headsets from the 20-80 dollar range before I finally grew some balls and invested in something that will last. Beware though, once your ears feel the difference, you'll want to spend more. My current phones are the HD 650's and boy are they godlike.

Happy hunting.

[Slott]

That's actually a good point. I have a desk mic already, I guess I don't need a headset, but headphones would work perfectly. Using earbuds has caused me to get a headache after a while lately, so that's why I wanted something more optimal (headphones). I see sennheiser seems to be recommended quite often, thanks for the suggestions so far!

[Vandole]

EG sent me a pair of steelseries siberia v2's and they are fucking magnificent. Not much in the noise cancellation dpt but they are godtier for comfort and gaming.

having owned a pc350 and the siberia, i would have to say buy siberia.

[Serra]

I recently bought a pair of V-Moda LPs and I love them, so I'd give them a look. They just rolled out or are soon rolling out a new set (M-100), but I hear all their sets are great.

[Ghost_Wheel22]

I used Astro A40s for the last three years and they are pretty godtier for comfort and sounds pretty close to Senn 555s. Downside is they run $250

[Mellema]

If you go with higher quality head phones, make sure your sound card can handle the higher ohms. The 555s and 558s have 50 ohms impedance, and shouldn't be a problem to use. The pc350s are 150 ohms and lots of sound cards won't be able to power them to their best performance.

[avelle]

If you go with higher quality head phones, make sure your sound card can handle the higher ohms. The 555s and 558s have 50 ohms impedance, and shouldn't be a problem to use. The pc350s are 150 ohms and lots of sound cards won't be able to power them to their best performance.

Huh, I did not know that. I've been running onboard audio so I doubt that has enough power for the 350s. I suppose I should check out some sound cards sometime.

[Boyiee]

EG sent me a pair of steelseries siberia v2's and they are fucking magnificent. Not much in the noise cancellation dpt but they are godtier for comfort and gaming.

having owned a pc350 and the siberia, i would have to say buy siberia.

I went through two pairs of Siberia's in about 6 months. I'll never make that mistake again. They were comfortable for a while, but after constant 5-6 hour+ sessions the ears turn to cut your head sharpness.

[Salodin]

On the note of power, is that what those little portable amps are for? Do they do anything other then help amplify or power headphones? Is it worth getting one if your pc can power whatever it is you're using any ways?

[chiyio]

On the note of power, is that what those little portable amps are for? Do they do anything other then help amplify or power headphones? Is it worth getting one if your pc can power whatever it is you're using any ways?

It really just depends on what headphones you are using. For nicer ones they sound much better amplified.

[Fairy-Killer]

Amplifiers do a lot of things. They help attenuate noise that you don't want to hear along with amplifying things you do. And as Mellema was saying, a lot of headphones are able to support higher wattages than a normal run-of-the-mill headset.

[Jonny]

I used Astro A40s for the last three years and they are pretty godtier for comfort and sounds pretty close to Senn 555s. Downside is they run $250

the other great thing about the Astro's is that they can be used on consoles, if you are going to use these on PC tho you need to have a sound card that has an optical audio jack for the amp.

[Grey Jorildyn]

the other great thing about the Astro's is that they can be used on consoles, if you are going to use these on PC tho you need to have a sound card that has an optical audio jack for the amp.

You don't "need" an optical but that quality is best afaik. You connect with regular headphone jack or even usb (but usb is just bad).

To echo what was said before: they are incredibly comfy and sturdy. You definitely get a high quality constructed headset for the price. I've also had mine 2.5 years now and they are as good as on day 1.

[GoggleHead]

I'll put another recommendation in for Steelseries Siberia v2. They've been good to me for over a year now, possibly longer. They're comfy, light on the head, decent sound and mic quality as far as I can tell. The only complaint I have is that the mic could stand to be a bit longer to accommodate positioning it a bit better.

Take all that with a grain of salt though, because the only other headsets I have to compare it against were rubbish bargain bin stuff. They've been good to me, but I haven't really shopped around on account of being lazy and not having enormous wads of cash to throw at trying out a bunch of different headsets.

[Slott]

Thank you all for the many replies - sadly I am still using onboard audio. How much would a semi decent sound card cost me, in order to use a proper set of headphones? Again, all of your contributions are very appreciated!

[Jojimbo]

Depends on the type of headphones, if you are getting something like ATH-AD700 (good headphones for gaming) then something like an Asus Xonar DG/DGX which has Dolby Headphones (virtual surround sound) will work well, ATH-AD700s may not need the built in amp but the virtual surround is worth it. If you mean a gaming headset then there isn't really anything you can get, more often than not they are USB and have their own internal sound card so you can't use your own.