I would like a surround sound/stereo headset that I can use for game audio as well as as a microphone.
I have my eyes on the Turtle Beach XP510.
Couple of questions:
1) Is that the "best" one out there?
2) Is it compatible with Xbox One, PS4, and PC?
3) Additionally, can it be used with any of: PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U?
4) Is it OVER the ear or ON the ear?
5) Can I use this for audio in lieu of a receiver for audio output from my Xbox One, PS4, PC, and hopefully PS3?
6) Is it worth 250 bucks?
Thanks for any help. Bottom line: I'd like a damn good headset with a mic. Surround sound is a plus. Compatibility across next gen (including PC) is a must and compatibility across last gen is a plus. I don't have a working receiver right now so I'm looking for this to also solve my console-to-headset issues.
Thoughts?
Posts
has doby surround sound too
http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/gamecom-780
i had a turtle beach headset and it was a piece of shit. thing didnt work right from the begining and the support is awful
Looks like the A50 is another good one, but it's 60 dollars more at today's Amazon prices.
Both the XP510 and A50 are compatible with all the consoles I want except Wii U. And it seems like I just need to use the optical out from the system, and don't need a receiver.
Can anyone confirm that last point? And any other opinions would be great.
@mts Are those Plantronics on the ear or over the ear? I used to have a Plantronics headset which was on the ear but it was too uncomfortable. Those GC780s look like they are on the ear.
I use the USB ones, but they make normal style as well.
they fit over my ears and they are not small baby ears. i have a giant head too, and they are super comfy
???
The mic on the 5HV3 is very stiff and I would have to deliberately take it in my fingers and bend it to get it to move out of place once it's set where I want it to be. Also, nobody has yet reported any difficulty in hearing me.
The mic configuration in Windows that tries to calibrate it for speech recognition or whatever kept complaining that it couldn't hear me clearly, but fuck that, I'm not using it for speech recognition.
Logitech and Plantronics are both great brands, I would give the nod to Plantronics slightly, especially if you prioritize microphone quality.
No.
I already own all those.
The A50 takes the optical out directly, yes.
I've not used the A50, but I have the A40 (with Mixamp), and it is an amazingly nice setup. They've made a few tweaks since then that I don't love (I believe the Mixamp Pro is optical-only now, for instance), but it's still IMO the best headset out there. Can't speak for the wireless, but with the wired setup it's well worth the $250, at least if you have $250 to spend.
You can also just buy the Mixamp and use it with the headset of your choice, though I don't think that works out all that well value-wise (the A40 is only $130 or so more, and worth it...the $199 retail on the headset alone is a stretch).
I will note that to my knowledge neither the A40 nor A50 is compatible with DTS, it's Dolby Digital only. The Xbox One is supposed to get DD support this month, but may not have it yet (I don't use the headset with it). You'll also need the headset adapter, as with any other headset.
One reason I'm a fan of wired, and the Astro Mixamp in particular, is modularity. Most other setups, and almost all wireless setups (including the A50), are a complete integrated system. Which means if anything breaks you are stuck repairing/replacing the system as a whole. Or if for whatever reason you don't find the headset comfortable, you're fucked. Whereas the Mixamp in particular is compatible with (pretty much) any wired headset you want to throw on with it. I broke a set of A40s (they're pretty sturdy, and repairable, but I managed) and was able to substitute another headset for quite some time before replacing it with a new set...while still using the Mixamp for all my game/chat needs.
I'll add one more disclaimer, I bought both my sets of Astros prior to their acquisition by Skullcandy. Not sure if anything's changed. Wouldn't trade my current set for anything, though. I just use a long optical cord to get around the living room, and power them from behind the couch. The Mixamp sits on the end table next to the couch, easy enough.
@mcdermott:
I'm a huge fan of Skullcandy - they make my favorite earbuds - so that's not an issue for me.
Thanks for the writeup. I'm still thinking about what to do. Turtle Beach seems to garner a lot of hate. Back in the day, I thought they were the primo pro sound card makers - better than Creative Labs (by "back in the day" I mean "back in the 1994-2000 era"). I was never really familiar with their other products, though.
But everything I read about the A50s trends toward positive.
Question though: Does the headset adapter for the XBO mean that you can use the A40/A50 chat through the headset? I'm still thoroughly confused on that front. I don't think the XBO allows chat through headsets by default. Is that what the adapter is for?
But now to me it seems like just a brand name holding company that makes cruddy plastic headsets for Xbox
Too many other great makers out there to take a risk with them IMO. If you want to find out for yourself, my Best Buy has a full Turtle Beach demo setup and that's where I realized they were junk. But maybe they just did a bad wiring job or something
To my knowledge the headset adapter, combined with a 2.5mm->3.5mm cable, mimics the functionality of the XB360 controller's chat jack. It also allows game audio to be piped (with a compatiable headset, and probably without surround), but this is not required. So basically, if the A50 is compatible with the XB360, it should be compatible with the XB1. But perhaps somebody else can verify.
I had the Logitech G930 wireless headset. It had good quality and battery life. I would run my audio red and white cables into a small adapter that combined them into a single 3.5mm plug, then put that into my line in and set Windows to listen to that device. I never talked to people in game, only on skype, so that wasn't a problem for this set up.
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/professional-gamer-headset-super-noise-cancellation-pc-350
Seems like it would work for you. They are pretty sturdy, the cord is long and they are comfortable on my ears/head for long periods (although the cushioning does make me sweat a bit).
Steam Me
"What we play is life."
- Louis Armstrong
Those Gentlemen Gamers
I bought a Siberia Elite V2 about a month ago. It's brilliant.
It's PC/Mac/Mobile only, so no PS4/XBone support (Are there even mics with universal support like that), but the mic retracts into the earpiece like yours, but the pickup is perfect. No problems. It even picks up well (Not great, but well) with the mic fully retracted.
Amazing sound quality, with a feature rich EQ and the volume control is a knob recessed into one of the ear pieces.
I have the Sennheiser PC 360 model and really like them as well in terms of both sound and we arability. However, neither the 350 or the 360 have native support for consoles. I know you can buy 5.1 audio adapters that can also be used to connect them to consoles but those end up costing as much as the damn headsets.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
I have been watching this thread intently, because I may need to purchase an entertainment headset soon. I have sold my house and will be moving into an apartment setting with shared walls. Please continue to recommend models. I'd like to buy the right one the first time.
They're more comfortable and have even better sound than the last set of headphones I had for my PC, and they seem more durably constructed as well, although I suppose I should own them for a couple more years before I can really attest to their durability compared to my last set.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar