best gaming headsets

[anmol4all]

i want to buy a gaming headset.
i live in india
brands available are sennheiser, razer, roccat, tt esports, audio technica, tritton, steelseries maybe more
my considerations are roccat kave, steelseries siberia v2.

i want good amount of bass. surround sound is not a must but will be liked.

my budget is Rs.6500 (~$150)
only use is gaimng. i listen music rarely

roccat kave is top on my list.

should i buy a headphone and a mic separtely??

are sennheiser hd555 good. i know their sound quality is good but do they have good bass. are they good for gaming.

edit. i am new here and dont know where to post this?

 

[j03h4gLund]

Not sure as to the top 5 or 10 gaming headsets but I can tell you that I purchased a Gamecom 777 and while the sound is great(good bass, good 7.1 surround sound and crisp sounds) The comfort level isnt very good because it has cloth earpads vs leather and that shit gets itchy as hell sometimes, especially after you shave. Something for you to think about at least.


Also - I do not recommend wireless unless you're cool with your headset dying and having to charge it up.

 

[anmol4all]

Not sure as to the top 5 or 10 gaming headsets but I can tell you that I purchased a Gamecom 777 and while the sound is great(good bass, good 7.1 surround sound and crisp sounds) The comfort level isnt very good because it has cloth earpads vs leather and that shit gets itchy as hell sometimes, especially after you shave. Something for you to think about at least.


Also - I do not recommend wireless unless you're cool with your headset dying and having to charge it up.

gamescom 777 is a good headset but owners of both 777 and kave recommend kave over it for gaming although for music 777 is preferred
and i think its also not available here.

 

[HURRIC4NE]

if you wanna save money... go for the steelseries Siberia... BUT

if you have the money and consider yourself ahead of the rest. go for the Tritton PRO no questions asked hands down lock the answer freeze the cpu release the memory clean the harddist.

 

[TidusZ]

I really like the Logitech G930 (wireless) although the weakness is the bass.

 

[Chapbass]

+1 for real headphones and a separate desktop mic. Never done me wrong.

Something like Sennheiser HD555 or 595/598's + http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836111601


I use the same mic with HD650's and its awesome. 650's really need an amp though,s o to save some costs, do HD555 or 595/598.


Just my opinion though , I've never really liked gaming headsets at all .

EDIT: Ack, didnt see the 150 dollar price point.....still could probably grab some used HD555's and the mic for under stand (not sure about in india). Could also go with the HD280's, those are pretty solid and are closed ear so you wont hear the things outside of the game/music. Also the Grado SR 60 and SR 80's can be had for around 100 on amazon...could be worth a look too .

 

[JamesV]

If you are gaming and using a mic often (like in shooters, or hanging out in vent/teamspeak), get a headset with a mic built in... having to lean forward, hit a button on, or talk louder to trigger a standalone mic is not acceptable to me.

I have the Logitech G35 headset and the sound quality is fantastic, as is the way I cannot hear people talking or noises in the house when I have them on. If you are a sound purist, pass on these, as they use sofware-based surround, and you probably want to run your sound through a card. They are a bit heavy, but I'm quite happy with them.

Before that I had the Turtle Beach x31 wireless headset, and I think I'm going to go back to a wireless TB set eventually. Charging isn't an issue if you get a set that uses regular batteries (AA, AAA) and not some proprietary battery pack - I have a set of rechargeables, and always have a backup set ready to put in the headset. While I like the G35 set, I really miss the wireless; being able to just get up and go into the kitchen and still be able to talk on Teamspeak while I'm making coffee.

I really wish you could go somewhere and try out all the top brands like Triton, Astro, TB, and others; but unfortunately all we can do is read reviews and try to guess which will be the best for us.

 

[KidNiki1]

I have this headset for gaming

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-...uct/B000O50V7I

i love it. sounds great, very comfy and very durable. great sound, not too expensive.

 

[QueBert]

Getting the Astro A40 soon here, you can add an adapter to make them wireless down the road, which is awesome. They're suppose to sound amazing wireless too.

 

[Chapbass]

If you are gaming and using a mic often (like in shooters, or hanging out in vent/teamspeak), get a headset with a mic built in... having to lean forward, hit a button on, or talk louder to trigger a standalone mic is not acceptable to me.

Wait, what? I've never had to do any of those things. Don't use a crappy mic, and place it properly and it is just perfect.

I'm not going to get in a flame war (was just about to post the negatives of having a headset, but I won't get into that, this is a good discussion), but a headphones+mic combo can be and is a perfectly valid voice comm setup, provided you do it right, just like headsets.

 

[JamesV]

Wait, what? I've never had to do any of those things. Don't use a crappy mic, and place it properly and it is just perfect.

I'm not going to get in a flame war (was just about to post the negatives of having a headset, but I won't get into that, this is a good discussion), but a headphones+mic combo can be and is a perfectly valid voice comm setup, provided you do it right, just like headsets.

The last time I used a standalone mic was around 10 years ago, and I had issues galore with it. Things are probably different now, but I'd still rather have the mic on the headset... one less thing cluttering my desk/PC area, and the ability to speak when you leave the room with a wireless headset.

If I was going for pure audio quality, then I'd probably buy a nice set of headphones and a standalone mic, but the OP specifically says 'gaming headset'; and at the price point for a gaming headset (around $99-$150), I doubt you are going to find great headphones and a great standalone mic in that price range; maybe good headphones and a cheap mic.

 

[Fayd]

i have the razer cacharias.

best headset i ever had. (i've been through several, including the siberias.)

 

[weez82]

I'll take a nice sounding comfy headphone and a modmic over a "gaming headset" any day. Right now Im using BeyerDynamic DT 770 Pro with a ModMic and I love it. But not everyone can afford that. A Creative Aurvana Live! or Audio Technica + ModMic or Logitech desktop mic or Zalman clip on mic would work great too and depending on the headphone/mic combo would cost around $70-140 easy.

And to the OP about the senn 555's. The have weak bass but clean bass. If that makes any sense. Like for games and movies you will hear the bass but it will have no impact, you wont feel it. So if you want the bass to have some impact look elsewhere

 

[technocog]

I also use the Razer Carcharias, it's very comfortable. However, I was not happy with the noise leakage to the microphone. I eventually just got a standalone mic to go with it. Now it's one of the best gaming headset I've used.

 

[davel]

How is the Corsair 1500?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%201500

Compared to others mentioned in thread?

 

[Fayd]

How is the Corsair 1500?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%201500

Compared to others mentioned in thread?

50mm drivers versus 40mm drivers for most the others. you can potentially expect stronger lows.... though i don't know how much it'd really make a difference.

 

[Remobz]

Razer Tiamat 7.1



http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2232520

 

[Chapbass]

The last time I used a standalone mic was around 10 years ago, and I had issues galore with it. Things are probably different now, but I'd still rather have the mic on the headset... one less thing cluttering my desk/PC area, and the ability to speak when you leave the room with a wireless headset.

If I was going for pure audio quality, then I'd probably buy a nice set of headphones and a standalone mic, but the OP specifically says 'gaming headset'; and at the price point for a gaming headset (around $99-$150), I doubt you are going to find great headphones and a great standalone mic in that price range; maybe good headphones and a cheap mic.

Fair enough on the first point, it does add one thing to the desk. they have gotten a ton better though. The one I linked (Logitech USB from Newegg, 25 dollars) plus a pair of solid cans like the Grado SR80i's (http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige...5513501&sr=1-2), and you're still well within the range.

Either way, I think both setups can be very good, all up to what the OP prefers.

 

[davel]

50mm drivers versus 40mm drivers for most the others. you can potentially expect stronger lows.... though i don't know how much it'd really make a difference.

heh i have no clue what that means...I am not an expert on sound. I just want to make sure I can hear my games on how they meant to be heard.

 

[Fayd]

heh i have no clue what that means...I am not an expert on sound. I just want to make sure I can hear my games on how they meant to be heard.

a driver is the part of the speaker that moves back and forth.

for a given amount of power required per unit area, the size of the driver determines the amount of air moved, and therefore the strength of the pressure wave.

for a given amount of power required per unit area (that is, assuming the 50mm drivers will take an appropriately larger amount of power to operate) the 50mm drivers will be able to put out higher volume than the smaller drivers.

what this relates to for real world users, is that it might be able to put out more convincing low frequency thumps.

 

[weez82]

driver size alone wont make a headphone sound better. It can help if implemented correctly but doesnt mean all that much. A 40mm can sound just as good if not better then a 50mm and vise versa.

 

[Fayd]

driver size alone wont make a headphone sound better. It can help if implemented correctly but doesnt mean all that much. A 40mm can sound just as good if not better then a 50mm and vise versa.

that's certainly true. that's why i'm not speaking in absolutes.

 

[Alex Sinov]

This is of great interest to me. I really hate the clutter made by the wire on my desk.
Personally I plan on buying a Logitech G930, but things like "weaker bass" kinda scare me.
On the other hand, what does "weaker bass" mean? I mean, it can mean "really crappy sound", or "not like a subwoofer".

Any G930 owners out there?

 

[Jakeisbest]

sennheiser pc 350

Then do the hero mod so that you get good bass. Best mic attached headset I have had.

 

[sandorski]

How is the Corsair 1500?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%201500

Compared to others mentioned in thread?

I have used Corsair HS1(USB) and they sound very good. The problem I have had with them is that the cord keeps breaking at the ear piece(on my second set in 2ish years). Maybe Corsair has fixed this with their newer Models, but I dunno.

My second set just went out on me and I have place an order for Logitech G930.