My headset died and I'm looking for a new one

[Lamoot]

How long did your Megalodon last, anyways? Specifically speaking.

As for what I am going to suggest... no Razer, SteelSeries, Logitech, Plantronics, or other plastic gaming peripherals toybrand will come even close to. These are professional grade audio products made by companies who have been succeeding in the business for a far longer time. They focus purely on audio products and nothing else. They are used by all your favorite musicians, movie-makers, the creators of the sounds/music in your favorite video games - you get the idea. This is top notch quality stuff and not nearly as expensive as some would think. And do mind, for music, none of those gaming headsets will be nearly as optimal as these.

If you have $150~ I'd suggest a pair of Audio Technica ATH AD700 (great for gaming and music, though slightly lacking in bass I hear) and a Zalman ZM-Mic1 clip-on microphone.

Other great headphones you could consider in the same price range would be....

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Shure SRH 440 Professional Headphones (I use these, love love love them)
AKG K240 Studio Headphones

And of course there others from these brands you can look at, these are just the most often suggested. The most popular amongst the regular posters here on the computer forums would be the Audio Technica ATH AD700s, Shure SRH 440s, and AKG K240s.

Overkill for just gaming, music, and movies imo. And they don't come with mics... He clearly said he wanted one with a mic.


I personally would suggest http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming...-sound-headset Works great, i've had mine for almost 3 years with no problems. And the mic is top-notch too.

[DeltrusDisc]

Overkill for just gaming, music, and movies imo

Oh.... but the more expensive, $150~ Razer/Logitech/Steelseries headsets people may suggest ARE NOT overkill? Bull. Those headphones I linked all range in the $80-100 range and the mic is about $9.

Did you even look at what I linked? Or did you just see SENNHEISER and immediately go:

"OMG HE IS LINKING SENNHEISER HE IS SUGGESTING $1,000 HEADPHONES!!!"

No, I am not suggesting HD700/800 headphones. Please read and check links before judging next time.

---------- Post added 2012-08-03 at 08:44 PM ----------

Also, I need to inquire further into your reasoning...

How exactly are a pair of headphones overkill for pretty much all 3 of the possible things they will be used for, anyways? Games, music, and movies, there really isn't much else headphones are used for. lol

Oh, right, VOIP, which is even less important and where the $9 mic comes into play and works wonders.

[Lamoot]

Oh.... but the more expensive, $150~ Razer/Logitech/Steelseries headsets people may suggest ARE NOT overkill? Bull. Those headphones I linked all range in the $80-100 range and the mic is about $9.

Did you even look at what I linked? Or did you just see SENNHEISER and immediately go:

"OMG HE IS LINKING SENNHEISER HE IS SUGGESTING $1,000 HEADPHONES!!!"

No, I am not suggesting HD700/800 headphones. Please read and check links before judging next time.

---------- Post added 2012-08-03 at 08:44 PM ----------

Also, I need to inquire further into your reasoning...

How exactly are a pair of headphones overkill for pretty much all 3 of the possible things they will be used for, anyways? Games, music, and movies, there really isn't much else headphones are used for. lol

Oh, right, VOIP, which is even less important and where the $9 mic comes into play and works wonders.

Those headphones are for people who work with sound for a living, not the average guy playing a video game, listening to music, and watching movies. As far as the $9 mic goes, you get what you pay for imo.

[Keller]

Are they actively noise-cancelling headphones? If so, they do make some white noise, it's by design and part of the actual noise cancellation process.

OT: I just bought some Arctic P531s. They're pretty nice (aside from the confusing warranty) for the $70 I paid. They have legitimate dedicated 5.1 surround via 6 independent drivers and 2 mini subwoofer thingies (lots of bass if you want it, if not there's an adjustable slider on the volume control). And surprisingly enough, sounds honestly sound like they're behind you on the rear channels. It's the way they have the little drivers pointed. It throws the sound in front or behind your actual ear.

The sound quality is fantastic as far as I'm concerned, and apparently according to the reviews they have some pretty accurate sound reproduction.

I don't know, just my 2 cents. :P

having more then 1 driver per side means that the company is doing something wrong. All that does is it spreads the sound frequencies across 4 crappier drivers, which while sound more clear, do not have the same impact, nor the same extension as other headphones.

It's decent if you're only going to do gaming with the setup but with music - it becomes a hinderance.

As far as active noise-cancelling headphones go - They're terribly impractical, they need extra power, they have a high pitch, and take time to actually adjust . Passive noise cancelling has none of those problems.

---------- Post added 2012-08-03 at 08:48 PM ----------

Those headphones are for people who work with sound for a living, not the average guy playing a video game, listening to music, and watching movies. As far as the $9 mic goes, you get what you pay for imo.

Yes they are. there's no reason gamers and people who dont cant enjoy them. They're superior in most respects, without having the convenience of an included microphone, they generate superb audio, which a lot of people can appreciate.

[DeltrusDisc]

I personally would suggest http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming...-sound-headset Works great, i've had mine for almost 3 years with no problems. And the mic is top-notch too.

Those headphones are for people who work with sound for a living, not the average guy playing a video game, listening to music, and watching movies. As far as the $9 mic goes, you get what you pay for imo.

FYI: The microphone in your Logitech G35 is probably about the exact same quality of sound recording the Zalman one I have is.

You want to talk TOP NOTCH microphone? I AM a musician and I can tell you what a real top notch mic is, hint: it's not on any bloody "gaming" plastic toy headset, sorry to say.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-MD-...ser+microphone

Something like that is top-notch.

Again though, the Logitech G35 headset is a $90-130 waste of money. I get far superior sound from my $80 Shure SRH440 headphones and the same reproduction of my voice from my Zalman mic, and I have a Samson M15 handheld microphone for when I want to be all professional.

[Kankuri]

A buddy of mine at GameStop hooked me up with the Turtle Beach Earforce X12. Prior to that, I was using a cheaper pair of headphones that I bought after my Logitech G35 went out ;-;

I've been thoroughly satisfied with them. Sound is clear and pristine, and music blasts straight into my brain like a shot of ecstasy to my primary auditory cortex. The microphone is clear and super sensitive. I've thrown the hell out of them while playing, and they still look and perform just as well as when I got them.

I can't recommend them over the more complicated setups (dedicated audio headphones + separate microphone), but I can say that they are some of the best entry PC gaming headphones I've ever tried.

[glo]

having more then 1 driver per side means that the company is doing something wrong. All that does is it spreads the sound frequencies across 4 crappier drivers, which while sound more clear, do not have the same impact, nor the same extension as other headphones.

It's decent if you're only going to do gaming with the setup but with music - it becomes a hinderance.

As far as active noise-cancelling headphones go - They're terribly impractical, they need extra power, they have a high pitch, and take time to actually adjust . Passive noise cancelling has none of those problems.[COLOR="red"]

Uh, no. I fail to see how making a 5.1 headset with 6 drivers is "wrong". Virtual surround is total crap.

They have big 40mm drivers slap dab in the middle for 2.0 sound when you're listening to music, and the option to either enable the sub channel, or all 6 channels if you want for stereo.

Nor do they have any form of noise cancelling.

[Riaya]

If you are looking for something with real highs and lows and also 5.1 capability (as long as you have the ports with the on board sound or your sound card) I would recommend the Turtle beach Z6A. Mine have been going steady for about a year now. They go down to 20hz and up to 20khz and up to 120db. I can guarantee the base will knock your socks off and they are very sturdy. The only annoyance is the short cord between the head set and the amplifier.

On top of that they are only £69.99

[Deleted]

Turtle beach x12s

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turtle-Beach...4027566&sr=8-1

May not be the best, but they havent let me down, and seem to have pretty decent sound quality. Although I have found mine seem to make my ears feel a bit uncomfortable if i wear them for over 3 hours.

[Keller]

Uh, no. I fail to see how making a 5.1 headset with 6 drivers is "wrong". Virtual surround is total crap.

They have big 40mm drivers slap dab in the middle for 2.0 sound when you're listening to music, and the option to either enable the sub channel, or all 6 channels if you want for stereo.

Nor do they have any form of noise cancelling.

It's because none of those drivers are of actual quality. Sure you can use cheap crappy magnets, but a good headphone usually comes armed with a single neodymium or rare-earth driver. That differs sometimes, there's headphones that come with many magnets within a single driver, but that is certainly not the case here.

I dont see why you are arguing against a fact. Virtual surround is a form of HRTF software that uses 2 speakers and so does your headset. It just uses more cables. ( or perhaps an usb soundcard which further substracts from the sound quality by limiting sampling rates in the volume control box, if it's a single USB plug )
You have Only 2 ears and as such a single sound source per ear is enough to make the illusion of a 3d soundstage, adding more drivers just takes loads off the other drivers, but substracts from the actual quality of the headphone, because if the headphone were using a single quality driver such measures would not be needed.

I just spoke against noise cancelling because you mentioned it, and it's just that, it works, but there's better methods of doing it passively, i was just informing the uninformed.

[speehs]

I highly recommend Sennheiser. Top notch audio quality and long-lasting construction. The only problem I've had with mine is that the foam is starting to come off the cups after about four years of use.

[DeltrusDisc]

I highly recommend Sennheiser. Top notch audio quality and long-lasting construction. The only problem I've had with mine is that the foam is starting to come off the cups after about four years of use.

lol four years. Most peoples' headsets won't even last half that time. :P I'd say that's pretty good. lol

[glo]

It's because none of those drivers are of actual quality. Sure you can use cheap crappy magnets, but a good headphone usually comes armed with a single neodymium or rare-earth driver. That differs sometimes, there's headphones that come with many magnets within a single driver, but that is certainly not the case here.

I dont see why you are arguing against a fact. Virtual surround is a form of HRTF software that uses 2 speakers and so does your headset. It just uses more cables. ( or perhaps an usb soundcard which further substracts from the sound quality by limiting sampling rates in the volume control box, if it's a single USB plug )
You have Only 2 ears and as such a single sound source per ear is enough to make the illusion of a 3d soundstage, adding more drivers just takes loads off the other drivers, but substracts from the actual quality of the headphone, because if the headphone were using a single quality driver such measures would not be needed.

I just spoke against noise cancelling because you mentioned it, and it's just that, it works, but there's better methods of doing it passively, i was just informing the uninformed.

Let me get this straight:

1. You don't know what type of 40mm drivers the headset metioned uses, but apparently you magically know that they suck. Even if they did "suck" to your standards, the fact that they're $70 matters not.
2. Since everyone only has 2 ears, dedicated surround is pointless.
3. Virtual surround is of good quality.
4. More sound drivers automatically makes the other worse.

Are you even reading what you're writing? Just let it go. I know you're only responding like this to my post because of how often I've corrected your misinformation elsewhere. Just let it go please.

[Keller]

Let me get this straight:

1. You don't know what type of 40mm drivers the headset metioned uses, but apparently you magically know that they suck. Even if they did "suck" to your standards, the fact that they're $70 matters not.
2. Since everyone only has 2 ears, dedicated surround is pointless.
3. Virtual surround is of good quality.
4. More sound drivers automatically makes the other worse.

Are you even reading what you're writing? Just let it go. I know you're only responding like this to my post because of how often I've corrected your misinformation elsewhere. Just let it go please.

Yes that's exactly what i'm saying. More drivers has it's place, but if they were good drivers.
Unless specifically stated ( which it isnt ) drivers are usually not neodymium , mostly iron plated with nickel, and if a company is making a headset, they are not going to magically produce the drivers on their own, they're going to outsource them, and since there's no technical data, it's to be assumed that they're of low quality.

I'm sorry, but it is like that and you should not be arguing on a subject you obviously know nothing about at all.

Infact, looking at the technical data, they even fail to mention at what level those frequency responses are measured at.

[glo]

Yes that's exactly what i'm saying. More drivers has it's place, but if they were good drivers.
Unless specifically stated ( which it isnt ) drivers are usually not neodymium , mostly iron plated with nickel, and if a company is making a headset, they are not going to magically produce the drivers on their own, they're going to outsource them, and since there's no technical data, it's to be assumed that they're of low quality.

I'm sorry, but it is like that and you should not be arguing on a subject you obviously know nothing about at all.

Infact, looking at the technical data, they even fail to mention at what level those frequency responses are measured at.

So what you're saying is:

Since you can't find the technical data (which is actually there on their site), they're just automatically bad. You don't really know at all, but since you assume they're terrible, they are.

Care to elaborate and provide a source on why surround sound as a whole is pointless since all humans only have 2 ears? Care to elaborate and cite a source on why virtual surround sound is superior to dedicated surround sound? Care to elaborate and provide a source on why if a certain headset has more than 2 drivers, all of them are worse?

If you can't, then please stop.

[Drunkenvalley]

2. Since everyone only has 2 ears, dedicated surround is pointless.

Err, no. If we had 1 ear you'd be right. We have two. As with our eyes offering perspective because we have a pair of them to see with, our ears offer a pretty good map of where a sound comes from.

[glo]

Err, no. If we had 1 ear you'd be right. We have two. As with our eyes offering perspective because we have a pair of them to see with, our ears offer a pretty good map of where a sound comes from.

That's not me saying that. I'm just trying to dissect these apparent words of wisdom from another poster. Never in my life have I ever heard someone claim virtual surround is superior to dedicated... I honestly am having trouble figuring out if the guy is actually serious. <.<

[DeltrusDisc]

Err, no. If we had 1 ear you'd be right. We have two. As with our eyes offering perspective because we have a pair of them to see with, our ears offer a pretty good map of where a sound comes from.

I need surround monitors all around me so I can see in front of me while also seeing behind me!

[Drunkenvalley]

I need surround monitors all around me so I can see in front of me while also seeing behind me!

Because optical illusions aren't a thing, right? It'd be really awkward if our perspective could be toyed with.

[Expensiveham]

i read "headset" as "husband"

Mod Edit: Don't post completely irrelevant information. - Cilraaz