Do you like your Headset? (PC)

[Zerohm]

So once again my headset's microphone has died after about 6 months of use. That's the third (2 Logitechs and 1 Plaintronic) set that didn't make it longer than a year. I'm looking for a good PC headset. Here are my requirements...

1. Reliability, I want them to last for longer than a year
2. Good for gaming, so if it's wireless, battery life needs to be good for long sessions
3. Sound Quality, just not noticeably bad.

Recommendations?

Thinking about going with the Asus wireless solution atm...

http://www.provantage.com/asus-trave...w~7ASU918J.htm

 

[frowertr]

So once again my headset's microphone has died after about 6 months of use. That's the third (2 Logitechs and 1 Plaintronic) set that didn't make it longer than a year. I'm looking for a good PC headset. Here are my requirements...

1. Reliability, I want them to last for longer than a year
2. Good for gaming, so if it's wireless, battery life needs to be good for long sessions
3. Sound Quality, just not noticeably bad.

Recommendations?

Thinking about going with the Asus wireless solution atm...

http://www.provantage.com/asus-trave...w~7ASU918J.htm

Not sure what you budge is but take a look at these:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/private_headsets_pc_pro-gaming_502141

You can pick them up for ~$120 to the door and they will be the last gaming headset you ever buy. I have my set on order (as well with a Xonar Xense sound card).

 

[disports]

Got a used set of Steelseries Siberia V2 for sale but it's red :X

 

[Fayd]

razer carcharias
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826153043

i had an icemat siberia before this, and it broke. i tried to resurrect it and resurrect it... but it wasn't to be.

the carcharias seems to work well for my purposes. the mic is clear, doesn't have issues with wind (people always told me i was in a wind tunnel, because i have a fan on.) and is comfortable for long sessions. (it took a couple days to wear it in to the point of comfort. before that, it hurt. like migraine headache hurt.)

cord also seems pretty durable. i mainly got it because of the exposed cords between earcups and such. easy to repair should they get damaged. luckily they haven't gotten damaged yet.

 

[Mwing]

razer carcharias
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826153043

i had an icemat siberia before this, and it broke. i tried to resurrect it and resurrect it... but it wasn't to be.

the carcharias seems to work well for my purposes. the mic is clear, doesn't have issues with wind (people always told me i was in a wind tunnel, because i have a fan on.) and is comfortable for long sessions. (it took a couple days to wear it in to the point of comfort. before that, it hurt. like migraine headache hurt.)

cord also seems pretty durable. i mainly got it because of the exposed cords between earcups and such. easy to repair should they get damaged. luckily they haven't gotten damaged yet.

yes yes this one, it is big enough to be comfortable, sound quality is very good and price is reasonable, i have been thru some logitechs and hp stuff but this keeps me from changing it again

 

[0roo0roo]

the arena headset is 30 bucks ar at frys this weekend.
sound quality is ok and comfort as well, i like the memory foam pads.
i have the siberia headphones, not the headset. the soundquality is good but the ear cups were too wide since they are giant circles. the steel series cords way thicker than the creative though, but i don't abuse them so its ok. keep them on a hook hanger or osmething out of the way.

 

[thescreensavers]

I have some Senheiser PC somethings, Had them since 07 still work ok, though the vol control is messed up and I have to play with it to get sound to work on both headphones.

 

[Zerohm]

Thanks for the tips all. I just don't get it though, even in the reviews for those $80 Razors people complained about the wires shorting out after 6 months. Regular head phones seem to last forever, or at least until the speakers blow, but add a microphone, and suddenly the wires become too delicate for daily wear and tear.

 

[frowertr]

Thanks for the tips all. I just don't get it though, even in the reviews for those $80 Razors people complained about the wires shorting out after 6 months. Regular head phones seem to last forever, or at least until the speakers blow, but add a microphone, and suddenly the wires become too delicate for daily wear and tear.

If sound quality is your number one priority (which is doesn't seem to be in the list from your first post) then you would be better off getting a quality pair of cans without a mic (i.e. Audio Technica, Sennheiser, Grado, etc...) and then adding a clip on mic to the head set cord.

Of course, no matter how good the headset is, if your source is crappy (i.e. onboard audio) then it will still sound like garbage until you put a good sound card in your machine.

Just go buy some Senn PC 350's. You can get them shipped for around ~$120 and they come with a boom mic. They are off great quality. Much better than any of the Logitechs.

 

[biostud]

I have a USB headset from creative which is very nice if you only have integrated soundcard as it supports creatives 3d sound drivers. Not so fun if you have a beefy soundcard though.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/perip...eative-Fatal1ty-HS-1000-USB-Gaming-Headset/p1

 

[simonizor]

Got a used set of Steelseries Siberia V2 for sale but it's red :X

Do you like the sound quality and the comfort on the Siberia? I've been looking at getting a pair because they look very comfortable. I don't like the way my Plantronics Gamecom seems to clamp onto my head... gives me a headache after a while.

 

[Rifter]

I usually use a seperate mic not a headset, current using some cheap no name $10 mic and it works ok. What i really need to do is find out how to hook up a Kenwood KMC-9C to my computer

 

[CurseTheSky]

I can't stand desktop mics (they pick up too much background noise IMO), and I didn't want the cable clutter of an additional clip-on mic. So, I sacrificed sound quality for convenience and comfort and grabbed a pair of Sennheiser PC-160s.

They sound decent, they're very comfortable, and they feel fairly sturdy. The best part of these things is the mic - it's absolutely crystal clear. I forget exactly what I paid for them, but I think it was around $75-100ish. For that price, I'd give them a 7/10. If they were about $20 cheaper, I'd give them an 8 or 9/10.

 

[Chapbass]

The setup I have used for the past 10 or so years has always been a good pair of headphones and a desktop microphone. The desktop mic I used to use was an old Packard Bell desktop mic that I got with a machine I bought in the mid 90's. It lasted daily use from around 1999 until 2006 when it finally broke from travelling (I kept wrapping it up even though its a lot of wear on the cord). I got more compliments on my sound quality than I can remember. I bought a Logitech USB desktop mic for 10 dollars after it broke, and I STILL receive compliments on how clear I am in Vent/TS/Mumble.

My GF also uses a logitech desktop mic, non usb, just the 1/8" jack. She sounds perfectly fine, better than almost everyone else I've been on vent with.


Not only that, but I can use whatever headphones I feel like. Not really sure what the big deal is about headsets, IMO they're vastly inferior to a good headphone/desktop mic combo. Sure, can't really use a desktop mic with a laptop in your lap, but anyone who is gaming on a desk....go that route.

The desktop mic's also have directional microphones, so the idea that you'll get a ton of room noise is just simply not true.

Hell, if the mic breaks, just pay 10-20 bucks and replace it.

 

[vbuggy]

I use a Beyerdynamic MMX 300 as my general-purpose 'do it all'. I happen to use a lot of skype and for me the mic pick-up is as important as the sound quality. The MMX has one of the best mics I've used in terms of real-life performance in a consumer-grade back-electret unit, picking up much more in terms of both low and high frequencies for a more realistic speaking sound. The sound-producing part is courtesy of a DT 770 Premium. Long-term wear comfort is decent. The warranty runs for 5 years and it is build in a fairly bombproof way in any case.

If that's too rich for you, then the ~$90 MMX 2 is not bad either as a 'do-it-all'.

However, I do prefer and use the Logitech G35 for online and single-person gaming. I find the sound (especially in the virtual 7.1 mode) to work really well with modern games. The mic is less impressive and comfort is less (but it does isolate pretty well), but still perfectly serviceable, if somewhat distinctly tinny like the Sennheiser PC 350.

I've done it all - including attaching a Zalman ZM-MIC1 to my Orpheus, but there is no substitute for a decent headset if you are actually using it often as a headset. Don't bother with desktop mics, unless you're actually doing it properly, radio-announcer-style.

 

[zerocool84]

Here's a review of 6 gaming headsets. I bought the one that they said was the best.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2010/01/03/the-best-gaming-headset/1

 

[SAGE_neophyte]

Not sure what you budge is but take a look at these:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/private_headsets_pc_pro-gaming_502141

You can pick them up for ~$120 to the door and they will be the last gaming headset you ever buy. I have my set on order (as well with a Xonar Xense sound card).

Can you give your personal impression of the soundcard and cans when you get them?

 

[ViviTheMage]

razer carcharias
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826153043

My favoite headset for sure ... used them at blizzcon, and HAD to buy a pair, really comfortable, even for my big head, LOL.

I also have the Razer megaldon...just as awesome.

 

[darkewaffle]

$20 budget set

I'm on my second pair of these, first ones gave out a few months ago after about 3+ years of use and it was only because the wire got snagged on my chair/desk enough times to fuck up the wires in the inline controls. They work fine for me, I don't know if I'd ever switch though simply because I hate it when people get different mics and I have to re-learn how they sound.

 

[videogames101]

Not sure what you budge is but take a look at these:
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/private_headsets_pc_pro-gaming_502141

You can pick them up for ~$120 to the door and they will be the last gaming headset you ever buy. I have my set on order (as well with a Xonar Xense sound card).

And they'll sound god awful unless he has a proper amp, like the xonar essence.

Sennheiser's lower end and low Independence models are far more affordable and will sound better with most setups.

PC166 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106164

PC161 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106158

PC151 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106157

 

[Athadeus]

I got the Sennheiser PC151 for like $50 a couple years ago and they have worked very well and sound good with integrated sound. I don't use them that often though, so I can't speak for durability (used about 50 times, 2 hours per average use). They are not very comfortable after an hour.

The cord definitely isn't as tough as my Sennheiser HD 590 cord which survived being sucked into a vacuum cleaner thanks to it's kevlar reinforcement. Look for that if you can find it

 

[GaryJohnson]

I bought the Roccat Kave 5.1 headset recently: http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gaming-Sound/ROCCAT-Kave/#crb_2 because they feature "solid aluminum hinges." I'm hoping that means they'll last a while.

I'm not an audiophile, for FPS gaming I find the positional audio in 5.1 headsets to be helpful, and so far my experience has been that build quality is way more important than sound quality. I've had a Kinyo, 3 pairs of Razer, 2 pairs of LTB, and a Tritton 5.1 headsets that have each busted within two years of purchase. Usually at the hinges. The razers were the worst for build quality. The in-line control box kept shorting out, but the support was good as they replaced them twice. The third time they died they gave me a voucher for the razer store. That was in the space of like 6 months. The Kinyo KY-100 headset was the best and lasted the longest, but sadly they're no longer available.

 

[bret]

i like and use the http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169415500

 

[AznAnarchy99]

And they'll sound god awful unless he has a proper amp, like the xonar essence.

Sennheiser's lower end and low Independence models are far more affordable and will sound better with most setups.

PC166 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106164

PC161 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106158

PC151 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826106157

I used to have a PC150 and it was a beast. I dropped them about a thousand times on tile and they still work perfectly. Mic was amazingly clear as well. Then my girlfriend bought me a PC350 for Christmas. They are pretty good as well but I think Im suffering from this problem here. It doesnt sound too great on my X-Fi. I might have to look into one of these xonars.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=fuwaPxZqjAhgplCB&templete=2

What do you guys think of this? Its supposedly made for the PC350