1. #1

    Headphones+mic or headset?

    I was wondering what was reccomended, I'm looking for something that'd work great for gaming and music etc. I was told mic+headphones is usually a better idea. What do you guys think?

  2. #2
    Mic+Audiophile headphones >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> headsets. But it depends on your budget, if you can, buy an Audio-Technica AD700

  3. #3
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    I went with a Zalman clip on mic and a pair of Grado SR80i headphones.

    I could not be happier with that choice.
    Quote Originally Posted by Cyanotical View Post
    anyone want doughnuts? i hear there is a great shop in Vancouver

  4. #4
    Shure SRH440s and clip on Zalman mic. I threw in a headphone amp while I was at it.

  5. #5
    What are your guy's thoughts on the Logitech G930?

  6. #6
    Deleted
    What's your budget? A proper pair of headphones and a stand alone microphone will almost always be the better choice.

  7. #7
    Deleted
    Also if you're looking into a proper set of headphones and don't want a clip on take a look at these guys: http://www.modmic.com/

  8. #8
    Gaming headsets are not a bad idea if all you do is game, or all you care about in them is gaming.
    However, you do not. So I would advice you headphones and a separate microphone, yes.

    What's your budget? There are some great and decent headphones to be had in almost all price brackets. The one thing you make sure of, is to get sound from a sound company.
     

  9. #9
    I might as well ask wile i'm here i have been looking in to getting the Astro A40 Audio System witch is the A40s + The mix amp.
    Witch will set me back around 300 USD Or 230 Euros the most i will ever pay for a headset.

    But is it possible to get a cheaper and better deal going with a pair of headphones and a stand alone mic.
    Its a + if they look good as well the main reason im considering getting a pair of A40s is cause well

    A i haven't really heard any thing bad about them
    And
    B they are really smexy looking
    im just not sure if they are worth the price tag

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by RaZz0r View Post
    I might as well ask wile i'm here i have been looking in to getting the Astro A40 Audio System witch is the A40s + The mix amp.
    Witch will set me back around 300 USD Or 230 Euros the most i will ever pay for a headset.

    But is it possible to get a cheaper and better deal going with a pair of headphones and a stand alone mic.
    Its a + if they look good as well the main reason im considering getting a pair of A40s is cause well

    A i haven't really heard any thing bad about them
    And
    B they are really smexy looking
    im just not sure if they are worth the price tag
    They arent. You havent heard bad things about them because people reviewing them dont want to lose traffic / free samples.
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Keller View Post
    They arent. You havent heard bad things about them because people reviewing them dont want to lose traffic / free samples.
    why exactly aren't they worth it?
    I need to know some more info like they are not worth it because.
    X And Y and X + Y headphone and mic are cheaper and better because X And Y

    just going they aren't doesn't help me at all i need some side by side comparison comparing actual specs etc

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by RaZz0r View Post
    why exactly aren't they worth it?
    I need to know some more info like they are not worth it because.
    X And Y and X + Y headphone and mic are cheaper and better because X And Y

    just going they aren't doesn't help me at all i need some side by side comparison comparing actual specs etc
    That's the thing. you can look as much as you want at specs , but the truth is, for the astro A40, there is only a frequency response graph , no square wave response, no nothing. Also, I would have to say, that for a company that gets sells most of their products on the back of competitive gaming, it's probably not the best price / perofrmance ratio, since a ton of that goes to marketing.

    Let's do a quick rundown of the specs:
    Ships With:A40 Headset, Astro Speaker Tags, and Astro MixAmp™Headset Cables:2M 3.5mm Quick Disconnect Cable; PC Splitter/AdapterMixAmp 5.8
    Cables:3M Optical TOSLink, 3M USB-USB Mini, 1.5M Xbox Live Chat Cable, 2M 3.5mm Audio Cable, Daisy-Chain Connector
    Transducer Principleynamic, Open
    Frequency Rsponse:15 - 28,000 Hz
    Nominal Impedance:50 ohm
    Weight w/o Cable:324 grams
    Characteristic SPL:104dB
    Ear Coupling:Circumaural
    Kessel Run Distance:Under 12 Parsecs
    Headband Pressure:2.6 N
    Distortion:Less than 0.1%
    Microphone:6.0mm uni-directional noise canceling
    Power Supply:USB mini-B (USB 2.0 compatible), or 4x AA batteries (not included)
    Power Output:70mW 32ohm per channel
    Battery Life:12+ Hours
    Frequency Response:35-20,000
    HxInputs (front):Headset Connector, 2.5mm Xbox Live voice communication connector
    Inputs (rear):L/R analog RCA, TOSlink digital, coaxial digital, 3.5mm microphone (PC voice), 3.5mm mp3 connector, USB mini-B (audio/power)



    The mixamp, initself, is an alright buy, if you do multiplatform gaming, but you can save your self the trouble and get a DAC/AMP combo if you game on PC, exclusively.
    They list the transducer, that's alright, but they dont list the transducer size, which leaves us guessing.
    The frequency response they've listed, yeah, but you dont list spikes, frequency response described like this is meaningless. Now this has been measured -


    This tells us that they have elevated bass, recessed high mids and low highs and an excess of high frequencies. This does not tell us anything beyond that, you need square wave response to tell what the exact case is.

    Impedance is not a factor here since it comes with it's own powering unit - the mixamp.
    It's rather weighty for what it is, i find 300 grams to be alot.
    The rest is not saying much either, the microphone is great, that may be, but it's no better than a modmic.




    And the fact of the matter is that this thing runs you 300 dollars, you should atleast give it a go at a store and compare it to some actual headphones before you decide on what you want, you dont want to blindly purchase something that expensive off the internet without having first hand experience just because of the marketing put out about it, atleast that's how it should be.

    Unless you live in a small town, chances are you have an audio store in your city - go for it, try some sennheiser, some AKGs some beyers, some shures , some denons and then go to a tech store or a gaming store that has peripherals and then try the astro ( you're bound to find one )
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Keller View Post
    Unless you live in a small town, chances are you have an audio store in your city - go for it, try some sennheiser, some AKGs some beyers, some shures , some denons and then go to a tech store or a gaming store that has peripherals and then try the astro ( you're bound to find one )
    That's the problem i live in the middle of flipping no where the closes city is like 2hrs and 30 min drive away from me.
    And we don't really have any audio stores unless i want to drive in to the big city witch is another 1hr20 away.
    For the few stores i have close by they only sell like cheap and crappy 10euro headsets.

    So its not really ideal for me to drive around and try them out if i even manage to find a store that sells proper headphones / headsets in the first place.
    Witch is why i hoped i could get some suggestions on headsets / headphones + mic and just order them online.
    Sense if i don't like them i can always send them back for a full refund.

  14. #14
    Yeah, that's going to be a real problem then, the best idea would be to check this thread:
    http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-...-dolby-digital
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by somepunkkid View Post
    What are your guy's thoughts on the Logitech G930?
    I like it, decent considering it's wireless, but I usually keep it plugged in so I don't get the annoying beeping once it's low on battery. The headband isn't the most comfortable thing either, but again. Not the worst.

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