I need to get a headset to be one of the cool kids.

Actually, I want to use the virtual 7.1 to scare myself.



What's the hotness?

Should I stick wire wired, or go wireless?

Budget is +/- $100.

I found this:

Razer Kraken 7.1 on Ebay

Also:

Sennheiser PC 323D on Ebay

Lastly:

Plantronics Gamecon 780 on Amazon

Looks like I can get those for around $50.

I have heard great things about the newer Razer headsets.   I have heard the most about the Razer Blacksharks, but I don't know if those are 7.1.

I have also seen more and more people online moving toward the Sennheiser headsets.   So I don't think you will be disappointed with either the Razer or Sennheiser.

I don't know much about the Plantronics.  

I have had both wired and wireless headsets.  I much prefer the wired.   I have had issues with interference and battery charge on wireless units.

Great to know, thanks for the input.

Ok, I have had many gaming headsets over the years and over time really liked the Turtle Beach or the higher end Razor units.

However after a lot of research I bought Astro headset and I will never go back. I have never had a headset that has been as durable and comfortable as the A40's.  They are fantastic and the sound separation/surround is unbelievable. I can tell in FPS games where those footsteps are coming from, above, behind, a combination. I sound whore and kill people all the time :).

But MMO's or just good story games can creep the hell out of you when you can pick up all of the nuance sounds that they worked so hard for is. I talk about sounds in games with people that play them and many times they have to make extreme efforts or are they never hear some of the things that I can.

Lot of great headsets out there but Astro is truly top of the line and I cannot recommend them strongly enough. Be aware they are pricy.

Astro Gaming Headsets

I owned the A40 wired units and ended up selling them to a friend so I could get the wireless A40's and I love them. I have had zero interference issues, the batteries hold a good charge and they provided a very long USB charging cord, they are also accept AA batteries if I need to use them.

I would really like to have the A50 units to get rid of the wireless receiver, I had specific requirements that made wireless a better option for me.

I use my headset for my PS4 and PC.

I have had two astro headsets.  They are by far my favorite sounding headset of those that I have tried.   The only problem is that QC isn't consistent.  They have great batches that nobody has a problem with, and they will have batches that have problems.  

I have had to send my astros back a total of three times.   They have always been good at fixing them, but it can be a pain because you can't call them.  You have to start a ticket online and converse with support by email.  They have a habit of asking one question at a time which can draw out the process.   I have gotten to the point that I just tell them I have tried everything, and I can't figure it out so just please send me a return label.  They usually do, and that saves me some time.

The first headset which was a set of A40s had a manufacturing defect that caused the frame to break.  The tension on one of the adjustments for the fit on your head was also loose.  They fixed it quickly and sent it back.   I sold that headset to another member here because I bought the 2014 astro A40s.  As soon as he put it on it pretty much fell apart because the techs forgot to tighten the screws all the way when they fixed the frame.  He was able to get it back together, and it hasn't given him any further problems that I know of.  

I have had to send my 2014 A40's back twice.  The first was a power supply issue that happened to a lot of the headsets.  Shortly after I got it back I ran into another problem.  The mute cable went bad which caused noise, and the mic wouldn't work correctly.  

Like I said, they have always been good about fixing them, but it is a pain when you spend that much on your headset.  Especially considering that the process is far from fast with the email communication.   Once they actually have the headset the fix it pretty fast.  

They are well above your budget so you may not have to worry about Astros.  They definitely sound really nice, but I think you can find something within your budget if you want to stick with it.

Astro A50.  Done and done.

But they're bank, man!

I agree and well above your budget, maybe you can get a used pair on Ebay.

These have been a fantastic deal for me as I have gone at least three times as long without breaking them or desiring a replacement. I used to go through a sub $200.000 headset every 6 to 18 months. I have had the Astro's for 4-5 years now.

7.1 headphones is a crock of shit. Most of your "surround sound" headphones still depend on software to emulate the movement since the speakers in any headphones are located an inch away from your ear, and most of them still only have two speakers. Headphones with multiple drivers tend to be batshit expensive.






Look at getting a really good set of headphones withing your budget. If you need a mic, get it separate.



Net you will be asking us what pair of Beats you need to buy to fit in with the urban yutes.

Astro = expensive flimsy shit that sounds nice but often falls apart

Seinheiser = one of the best but other then playing with it at the store no experience other then with some of the other studio models which are top tier.

Razer= I bought the billet $300 aluminum series and they were mediocre at best and the mic sounded like you had a bag dicks in your mouth when and if it even picked up your voice.

Audiotechnica= Top of the line gaming headset in comfort, performance and build quality.

Please record this sound for us so that we can recognize it in the future.

KTHX



Nick

To build on this... Ive had a few 5.1 surround headphones and one 7.1

The best experience Ive had so far is by Sennheiser stereo headphones plugged into my Soundblaster Recon (never would have though sound cards would still be useful since its all on motherboards) with its fake surround. No tiny shitty drivers in the headphones or shitty drivers trying to run the shitty drivers. Two big ones that have better sound and a more convincing surround experience.

If you have stereo headphones/earbuds, the effect is like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA

turtle beach hpa's? I think they were called....  7.1's running on an X-fi fatality card......6 speakers total as I recall.  epic when they ran good for battlefield2....  did I mention epic?  sound is like scope/bino glass...you get what you payfor.


I'll try the astro's if I ever get back into gaming...... as Bckpk above commented on

I'm rockin the astro a50s. My only complaint is that the mic is not sound canceling. Everyone can hear my kids in the background. The good news is I can't.

I have an Astro A40. I like it.

Audio threads in gaming forums are always pretty interesting.

7.1 headsets, or "gaming" headsets in general,  aren't worth it,  IMO.   You pay a lot of money for branding and an attached mic,  but the sound quality just isn't there, and usually the comfort isn't either.    Take your money, whatever it is, and buy a good studio headphone and a 5 dollar mic separately and for the same price you will have a far, far better experience than buying some "gaming audio" thing that's all show and no go.

Audio Technica M50s run about $125 these days, and they are about the best you can buy at that price range.  If you can scrape up a couple bucks extra, that's what you want.  If you can't go over a hard hundred dollar cap, check out the Shure SRH440s.

Alternately, check out brands like Sennheiser (I use a pair of wireless RS170s), Beyerdynamic, Shure, V-Moda, Grado, Klipsch, AKG, etc.  Basically, the guys who do audio as their bread and butter.

Buy your audio equipment from audio companies, not gaming companies.  Audio companies are better at it, shockingly enough.

Meh...I can't really tell much difference between audio headsets and "gaming" headsets. I like having a mic on my headset. It makes things easier for me. I don't care much about my mics sound quality....I'm not hosting a radio show, so nobody needs to hear my that well...

 

Fair enough - everyone has their opinion and the thing about audio is that it's all subjective.  For me, there's a world of difference between a gaming set and an audio set of the same price range.  For the price of a pair of Astros I can get some really awesome, professional quality audio phones and a DAC that will crush them in the sound category (IMO, of course).  I'm not saying that Astros are on the same shitty level as Dre Beats, but dollar for dollar getting an audio phone will often give better sound quality than a gaming set.  Unfortunately, a lot of gaming headsets talk up a bunch of snake-oil bullshit about how awesome their stuff is, and because gamers often aren't audio people they don't know any better.  The same thing can be said for the vast majority of soundcards, which actually often do more harm to the sound quality than help it.

I don't care about the mic quality either.  Hence the $5 add-on recommendation.

Well, I went with the Sennheiser PC 323D's off Ebay.

Only $56 shipped!

I think it's a good deal.

I'm still using Logitech G40's ? I think. Going on 5 years. I've seen plenty of busted pics on line, but I think people just don't take care of their shit.

Mic quality to me seems more software dependent. In game talking will sound like shit, yet in mumble we are all good.

I agree on audio quality for music. I have had and used some very high end headphones (even professional sound studio units) and for music, movies etc. high end quality Audio headphones rule.

A quality gaming headset is not necessarily all about the full range tonal quality. A high end gaming headset is there to provide you with (granted simulated) surround sound so that you can hear the soundtrack etc. They also give lots of information for sound whoring in FPS shooters, story games etc.  I believe that gaming headsets fill a different niche and are slightly different. They do not reproduce music as accurately but footsteps and other things seem much more clear.


Without a perk it is odd if anything ever sneaks up behind me.

I should also note that I am optical cable for all sound except for the voice coms which come over the USB plug.

I have had troubles with lots of headphones in the past with breakage or just sucking.
I have had no issues with my Astro's but I do have a very good safe place to store them and they are either there or on my head.

I have also probably learned some things over the years about taking care of my headphones and I will say with the price on the Astro's I have been very careful.

:)


Lots of great suggestions and opinions in this thread.

My audiophile and gaming stuff is typically separate.

Each to their own and YMMV.....


I think you will be much happier with almost any of the suggestions made here. Take care of your headset none of them are what I would call extremely durable.

These days there are some good audio sets that have decent surround, though not all of course.  My Sennheiser RS170s work pretty well with their surround turned on when I game.  

Also, I've found that for gaming wireless headphones are the shit.  Digital wireless in particular is lag-free and has really good reproduction.  Not having a cable trying to choke you to death is pretty nice.

Mine use a couple of eneloop AAA batteries and last for 24 hours at a crack, so I've never had mine run out on me.  Since they have a charging rack that also doubles as a storage stand,  it's a pretty neat little system.

I'm digging these!

The 7.1 is goofy, but it does make the games more alive.

I'm debating whether to keep the 7.1 on when I listen to DI.fm or not.

It does make the sound seem fuller.