Needs to be:
- decent sound for music and phone calls
- mutable mic on boom
- block out or cancel ambient noise and conversations nearby
- wired
- comfortable for hours on end
- needs to plug in computer or phone (3.5 jack or adapter)
- less than $200

Using some 20 dollar logitechs right now.

That millennial-inspired fuckwattery "open office plan" crap is coming to work so now going to be doing coding with some random co-worker basically in back pocket sharing offices, hot swap cubes etc.

I figured this forum knows more about headsets like this than the stereo guys do. (Also see "less than $200" part)

Ideas or brands I should look into?

HyperX Cloud II

has usb for pc, but also has 3.5mm

https://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/headsets/cloud-gaming-headset#product-features

I have these now.  No noise canceling.  Quite comfortable for extended wear.  The mic is mutable and it also has the self contained sound card built into the cable.

The bad part is the cable itself.  It's cloth covered, get severely kinked up and cannot be straightened back out.  The worst spots are the 3.5 plug from the sound card/USB cable and right where it comes out of the headset.

The sound card does work but tends to "lose power" after extended use.  It can also get quite warm.  The removable mic boom is a bonus.

I second this one. I can't remember off the top of my head if it has a mutable mic but I'm pretty sure it does (dog chewed mine). This would put you way under budget. On my PC I use either some Sennheisers or AKGs with a separate DAC/Amp and mic etc etc so not a cheap setup BUT the HyperX Cloud II was my goto backup when I wanted something to keep the noise out (my other ones are all open back) and I used them a fair bit on my consoles. I'm not sure how the surround stacks up, I usually don't mess with the virtual surround and fuck up my audio quality by trying to trick myself into thinking 7.1 surropund is gonna happen with a couple drivers in headphones but if it's your thing that's an option.

Other than that I have a few friends that recently picked up the Steelseries Arctis 7 and appear to be very happy with it. One of these friends had been using a Sony gold headset for years and I honestly believed it was a different guy when I first heard him because the audio quality was so night and day on the Steelseries that I hadn't realized I forgot what the guy's voice actually sounded like (last saw him 5 years ago, only heard him over those Sony Golds for the past few years).

Other popular choices will be Corsair Void sets but those appear somewhat gamer-ish for an office setting and have questionable QC IMHO, and logitech which also have questionable QC with their headsets but their warranties are generally really good. A third option would be to get whatever set of headphones you like and just add an aftermarket Mic like an Antlion modmic or a Vmoda boompro.

Edit: after reading the above poster's concerns I would agree, overall they're still good but the cable issue was absolutely an issue and it shouldn't be an issue in an office but my dog did destroy that cable in about 3 seconds and he isn't a chewer. Just throwing it out there but if noise cancellation is a concern I'd probably go for that last option I posted and get something with noise cancelling and then just ad a mic. You'd need a y splitter to bring them together into the same 3.5mm jack though so it'd be a little wonky but that'll be your best performance for your dollar. I also forgot to mention the Sennheiser Game Zero. I believe those have some noise cancelling and the mic is decent but honestly anything that claims to be noise cancelling in the sub $200 range ESPECIALLY on a gaming headset is going to be questionable at best. Just something to keep in mind there.

Some good places to start, thanks. Looks like I can probably try a pair out and use them at home and would still have money left over for a different set.

I have this headset and don't experience any of those issues.  I wouldn't call it noise cancelling, but the earcups block a lot of sound.  Much more than my old Turtle Beach.

I already had a pair of Audio Technica M40x that I liked so I went with an Antlion Modmic Uni that I can just clip onto the headphones. Happy with the combo and the Modmic would work with any other sets of closed headphones.

edit, just reread and caught the part where you want to use it with a phone. You'd need an adapter with 3.5mm combo jack to separate headphone and mic jacks. Prob easier to just get an all in one headset if you don't only use at a desktop.

Just picked up the Hyper X Cloud Revolver S a couple weeks ago for a new setup.  The best headset that I have ever owned.

Has a mutable/removable mic but doesn't do noise cancelling.  These are for the house so that didn't bother me.

I run Arctis 5's. Very comfortable, they have a mutable and retractable mic. They are noise cancelling. They are USB but come with a 3.5mm adapter.

The phone thing is optional. Primary use will be plug into laptop while working for music, then use stuff like Skype/ MS Teams for work conference calls.  I use Koss Porta Pros for my phone right now but need a 3.5 jack adapter option for anything new.

There are LOUD talkers that will be in close proximity (one office wall, or maybe 15 - 25 feet of open air) that are going to make me play music too loud to be safe to keep them out.  It's very hard to do the work I do with someone jabbering away on semi-related topics.

I got beyerdynamics dt770 pro and they sound awesome.

I abstain from this conversation.

Thanks to a certain member, whom I won't name, I've become an audiophile snob.  I now require an ODAC Amp and a quality audiophile headset...



Neither are cheap.

Here is another flex. Don't buy the prebuilt stuff. It will not be as good as two seperate items. Both of which will be superior in quality.

Buy this headphone - Sennheiser HD 569 Closed Headset

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-569-Closed-Headphone/dp/B01L1IIF1A/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=seinheizer+headphone+650&qid=1578961294&sr=8-5

Then buy this microphone - Antlion Modmic

https://www.amazon.com/Antlion-Audio-Attachable-Noise-Cancelling-Playstation/dp/B07YN25KWN/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=modmic&qid=1578961179&sr=8-3

Both are superior to anything in this thread. If one screws up, the other can still be used. Under $200.

Down the line buy an ODAC+AMP and really step up your enjoyment.

That's basically what I suggested above I just think separate cables in an office environment may be annoying vs some of the other ideas in this thread.

Modmic now has a wireless version, I currently use it.

No, you're right.

The issue is no headset, of quality, has two of the features OP requests.

Noise Cancellation and Boom mic, they don't exist on superior, quality headsets.  They exist on subpar, cheap, plastic headsets that typically break within a year of use.

As Tinytim mentioned above, you can grab a very nice headset, without noise cancellation and a mic, and throw a modmic on it and have an extremely better listening experience over any of the "gaming headsets" on the market.

My comment was made so that if OP decided to ask, I could explain. No reason for me to link a bunch of shit to him that doesn't meet his requirements.

Or are you trying to moderate my posts? Trying to tell me where I can or can't post?

Modmic comes with double U connectors that keep the wires together tightly. Wouldn't be much different than a single cable. The boom also is magnetic so it can be taken off, and is less likely to be damaged than attached or permanent booms.

And yeah, I see your post. You did mention a good combo. Closed like the Sennheiser would be better in that environment.

ETA - I use a Sennheiser HD 650 and Modmic combo in an office environment. I have my office so I went with open, but it has held up well with that and traveling.

That's actually not a bad idea, forgot about that

It's like $45 more, but worth it.  My only complaints is I forget to plug it in regularly...mid game it dies and I have to plug it in.  Can still use it, but it's a dumb me issue lol.

Compared to Modmic5, same quality in sound.

ETA:  It wouldn't work on your phone either, forgot that.  Has a dongle you have to use, not a native bluetooth connection.

Someone sounds triggered.



Relax bro, if I were bragging, I'd link $300 headsets and $200 ODAC+Amps and say if you didn't get this you were a scrublord that needs to get on my level.

I found your post useful and am now considering the option. Hadn't occurred to me there would be a separate mic beyond the ones they used to hand out with soundblaster cards in 1998.

At least the OP liked my post...  

I'm partial to Audiotechnica and Beyerdynamic.

My Steel Series have been good. Mine don't have noise cancelling but they are over ear so I usually turn them up a touch to drown out whatever the wife is doing. $100-$150 depending on model.

Wife has a pair of Lucid Sound LS30 I think. Fucking awesome all the way around but made for people with smaller heads. I do not have a small head. They hurt badly after 20 minutes for me. $120-$160 depending on model.

Razer isn't terrible but fragile. Weak point is the plastic adjustment arms. I snagged the cord on a drawer of my computer desk and broke the the ear piece clean off.

Like he said just keep in mind the modmic wireless has a separate dongle so no go on the phone (I use it and it's great for at the PC though). You attach a connector with locking lugs and a magnet to the headset and the mic just snaps to it, so it's nice on the wireless one to be able to just chuck it somehwere if you don't want it anywhere on the cans at all. I used the Modmic 5 (maybe 4? can't remember) before that and it isn't really any more of a hassle since you can just clip the mic wire to your headphones wire and use the Y connector to plug them into the jack if on phone/console or plug them in separately if on PC. Same mounting method on the headphone so you can still swing it out of the way and what not. Great mic, only reason I stopped using it is I use a DAC/Amp for my headphones so it was a PITA to have the mic cable going into the back of the PC and the headphone cable going into a completely separate source a foot or two away, too much cable for me.

If you're already considering it the beyerdynamic DT770 somebody else mentioned and a modmic would put you at/under your budget and they sound great. Audio technica M50s are also a solid option but are right at budget, the M40s aren't quite as good but would put you way under budget.

Basically going this route gets you higher quality headphones (better sound and build quality, usually), and a better quality mic than what comes on in all in one gaming headset. The tradeoff though would be the convenience factor and in some cases the price (for example, could have a 2 hyperx clouds, one for office one for home for 200).

QFT. I used to use Pair of ATH AD-700 and loved them. Swapped out to a DT990 and the only difference is on the low end, the 990s have better sound with the bass.

Dac + amp makes a world of a difference.

The DT990s aren’t really that expensive now either.

The difference between a headset, even audiophile, with and without a dac and amp setup is very noticeable to me.  An example is footsteps in games like rainbow six siege, I can hear a mile away and tell exactly where the event is just by the sound alone. Prior to having a decent headset and dac I Couldn’t really distinguish the different sounds.

Highly recommend the JDS objective 2 ODAC+amp combo.

That said, throwing a pair of $90 headphones on the dac won’t do much.  Need quality headphones.

So how does that mic hook up to the senn headset? Nm should of read further down.

Ive been holding out on buying another set for a good quality set. Im tired of buying the cheap but not cheap ones haha gonna give this set up a shot.

Don't get a "gaming" headset unless you absolutely need wireless capability. Get a good pair of studio headphones and pair it with a V Moda Boom mic. This way when you wear out the audio cable you can just buy a new mic. I have linked my headphones below but they have open cans. Of you are going to use this in an office you will want some closed ones.