Headphones

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Jay

Jay

I decided to replace my old PC 350 Sennheiser headphones (had them for 5 years now) due to a broken microphone.

I've been looking at many new headphones and checking their reviews. Preferably I wanted something 7.1 and wireless but from what I can see, most 7.1 are lackluster and wireless technology has been piss poor.

I might be leaning on the PC 360 Sennheiser, the new and improved cousin of the PC 350 along with an extended warranty.

I also want to finally buy a better sound card and I've been looking at the Asus Xonar series.

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicati...onar&image122.x=0&image122.y=0&sort=1&recs=10

With this being possibly the choice I'm leaning towards

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2941927&CatId=2771

What do you think Audio gurus?

I'm looking for a high quality, long term solution.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

I will be watching the answers in this as I would LOVE a good headset with some serious sound quality for late night gaming.
 
Jay

Jay

I was hoping for the Astro A50 to be awesome as it is 7.1 and wireless but reviews are WAAAAY to unstable. Some people claim awesomeness, other claim many many issues and Astro has confirmed they need to work on new firmware to make their shit better and their support has been overwhelmed since it came out.

I've checked many wireless headsets but damn most look and are rated shit. Then for headsets that are wired, most are rated shit and those who aren't have various issues reported by many users.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

My problem usually is trying to find great headphones under $100 that aren't -review ruined- by audio-masterbaters.
 
drifter

drifter

Xonar DSX is on sale at Newegg for like $50 bucks.

Although you might consider skipping a new sound card and getting a headphone amp, depending on your old sound card.

As to headphones, seems like most people recommend getting a pair of quality cans and a stand-alone mic. Apparently the cost/performance ratio for gaming headsets is terrible.
 
Frank

Frank

5.1 and 7.1 headsets are silly if anything I've ever read by any audiophile is to be believed.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

Frank said:
5.1 and 7.1 headsets are silly if anything I've ever read by any audiophile is to be believed.
Click to expand...
I've heard 7.1 Headphones (my sister owns a pair of Razer Megalodons) and it's really amazing how it really does create a virtual surround sound in your head. Sadly though they're way out of my budget and she has complained on occasion of their quality in sound.
 
Frank

Frank

I was just looking up some articles on them and the consensus seems to be they're mostly a gimmick. It's stacking sound drivers on top of sound drivers. You're more often going to get a higher quality of sound emulating 5.1 with a decent sound card using a good quality set of stereo cans for a lot less money than you are paying the extra money for the 5.1 or the 7.1.

I don't know this for certain myself, as I'm not really an audiophile and I live by myself and have a nice set of speakers for my PC and home theater, I don't use my headphones very often.
 
Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

Frank said:
I was just looking up some articles on them and the consensus seems to be they're mostly a gimmick. It's stacking sound drivers on top of sound drivers. You're more often going to get a higher quality of sound emulating 5.1 with a decent sound card using a good quality set of stereo cans for a lot less money than you are paying the extra money for the 5.1 or the 7.1.

I don't know this for certain myself, as I'm not really an audiophile and I live by myself and have a nice set of speakers for my PC and home theater, I don't use my headphones very often.
Click to expand...
I use headphones nightly, trying to keep the noise level down for the family as I'm a night owl and they're all early risers. I wouldn't say the 7.1 is a gimmick because you really do get 7 points of sound direction when they're on, I will however say that the quality isn't as -high- as a regular -audiophile- level of headphones.
 
Frank

Frank

Like I said, audiophiles (this is from reading head-fi.org which seems to be the internet gathering of crazy audiophiles) seem to consider them gimmicks as you can achieve an equal or greater effect with stereo headphones and a good amp and sound card.
 
DarkAudit

DarkAudit

I do fine with my Audio-Technica M-50s and an O2 amp. Using a Sound Blaster X-Fi USB widget in place of onboard sound to eliminate electrical noise.
 
figmentPez

figmentPez

Staff member
I just want a soundcard that can do Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect, or whatever they're calling them these days, so I can make better use of my previously under-utilized Logitech Z-680 speakers, which I can now use more regularly now that I'm in my own place. I think I'll probably get a Xonar DS for Christmas.

For headphones I use a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 pro (ran me about $80), and just a cheap little $10 Logitech microphone for voice communication in games.

I don't know anything about 7.1 headsets, though Woot is currently having a sale on Turtle Beach headsets, through the 4th. Doesn't look like the level of quality you're looking for, though, Jay.
 
Adam

Adam

Considering I spend most of my day wearing headphones just to block out office noise, as such:

headphones.jpg


I found them really comfortable, especially on the top of my head where there's no hair to create a comfort zone. Just a pair of cheap iTec's from Walmart. Totally doesn't help you, but tough.
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

As one of those people who just wants to hear if he's getting shot at while gaming, this thread fascinates and confuses me in equal measure.
 
DarkAudit

DarkAudit

Can't argue with anything he said there. Definitely more comfortable than the V-80s, and less leaky than the SR60s.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

I think a lot of the recommendations anyone could make are going to hinge on the following: Does the mic have to be part of the headset? You will have a LOT more options if the mic can exist separately on your desk, but if you have to have something that has a boom mic as part of it, your options are going to be significantly reduced.

--Patrick
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Then I can't recommend the Zalman ZM-Mic1 enough. It's been my trusty mic for a couple years now, and I think it's the best one I've ever owned... and it cost less than 5 bucks. Clips right on to "thick" headset cables (the kind found on better headphones, not the skinny kind)
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

I've been using a pair of ATH-M40fs for almost 10yrs now, and I have no complaints.
Fair warning, though. Neither of these are surround headphones, they're just plain ol' 2-channel stereo.
They do sound really nice, though.

--Patrick
 
drifter

drifter

From what I was reading, seems like people really like open-ear cans for gaming. Larger soundstage, FPS, blah blah blah. The AKG K701 and the ATH-AD700 both came up a lot. Of course, if sound isolation is an issue, this may not be for you.
 
Jay

Jay

PatrThom said:
I've been using a pair of ATH-M40fs for almost 10yrs now, and I have no complaints.
Fair warning, though. Neither of these are surround headphones, they're just plain ol' 2-channel stereo.
They do sound really nice, though.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
But what if I want surround?
 
strawman

strawman

Jay said:
for headsets that are wired, most are rated shit and those who aren't have various issues reported by many users.
Click to expand...
Surround sound headsets have a variety of issues that make them difficult to do well in every category.

In order to fit several speakers in a reasonable can, and position them so they actually produce a small but discernible surround stage, each speaker is small, and thus loses out in terms of frequency range, power, and audio quality.

So you will never see a surround sound headset with great audio quality. You can either have surround sound, or great audio, but not both in a headset. That's a fundamental tradeoff you're going to have to make, and many people who care about both have two or more headsets and switch between them as needed. Surround sound headsets aren't terrible - but they simply can't compete with a good stereo headset in terms of sound quality due to physical constraints.

The kicker is that even then you'll never have great surround either because the sound stage is too small. It's better than nothing - you can tell the difference, and that's important for games where you have to know where the sound is coming from, but it simply can't compete with even a cheap 5.1 speaker setup that covers the room. You choose gaming headsets when you can't have a lot of external noise, or when you do have a lot of external noise and can't crank your speakers up enough to drown out external noise. Otherwise reals speakers set up in the room will almost always beat headsets.

Further, the surround sound headsets have many, many more wires than stereo headsets, and as such there are a lot more points of failure. This also leads to thicker, stiffer cords - and the thinner the cord, the more likely it is to break.

So you will always find a variety of issues once you choose surround sound headsets. It just comes with the territory. They are a compromise, and you need to decide what you're going to settle for.

If you go read amazon reviews and other suggestions keeping these tradeoffs in mind, I think you'll find one or two that stand out for you.
 
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