PC Headsets

DeadOnArrival

So my current gaming headset has started to buzz annoyingly from the left speaker and it's incredibly irritating. It's time for a new headset. This is a topic area I am not too familiar with. Please help me.

I'm hoping someone can either link me to a helpful review/comparison site or recommend to me a good headset for gaming. I am UK based, so keep that in mind. My requirements are as follows:

• Must be less than £50. Preferably £30 and below, but £30-£50 will be considered.
• Preferably available from Amazon.co.uk.
• Must have an attached mic.
• Must be over-the-head type.
• Must have padded ear cups (is that what they're called?) Leather preferred, foam acceptable.
• Must not be USB. Audio/mic jack headsets only please.

Also, just coming in and saying "Sennheisers are great." doesn't really help me much. I know sennheisers are great, but I'm looking for the best bang for my buck (pound) here. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Amrel

I've been very happy with Plantronics Gamecom line. They tend to be a little tight at first but are great after a short break-in period. Amazon has them in a non-usb version. The sound quality isn't going to be as true as what you would get from a higher end set, but I certainly wouldn't call it bad. You can easily pay more for worse. The only negative I've heard is that some people don't like the shape of the earcups. I find them comfortable and the fold away mic is a nice feature.

logic7

try out the JBL Reference 410's. I have a pair, and though the cord is royally fucked up from abuse, they still sound AMAZING. The cups are decievingly small and they have a fairly tight fit (maybe I just have a big head...). I've had mine for two years now and I'm probably going to keep them for a lot longer (I'm even looking at sending them in to get the cable replaced). The cable is, however, the weak point. The cable for it is really thin, but it does have an inline volume control on it... And it's a tad short. But if you can get past that, they're great headphones.

http://www.amazon.com/JBL-Reference-410-Headphone-Black/dp/B000KMVIDQ

NailbunnyPD

You may find your options open up considerably if you can tolerate an alternative to an attached mic. Zalman makes a mic that attaches to headphones proper. Here it on Amazon.com.

That said, I go between buds and headphones. My headphones are Grado SR-80s.

Movitz

I bought the Fatality head set from Creative after hearing good things about it. And it IS good but it took a while to convince myself to support the increasing industry of lame peripherals with cool 1337 gamerz dude's names on them. If you're man enough to swallow that pride it's a real good headset that won't cost you half your month's income :P

It fulfills all your conditions and the mic is removable which is good when you want to use only the phones.

I'm too lazy to find a UK link but I picked it up for around £25

DeadOnArrival

After reviewing everyone's tips and checking out all of the suggestions I decided to go with Amrel's choice. Ticked all the boxes and I've had (and enjoyed) Plantronics headsets before.

Thanks for all the ideas, guys!

logic7

I completely missed the part about it needing a mic.

Campy

The thread has been hijacked!

So I'm also looking for a new headset, and was hoping for some advice on the subject. The problem I've had with headsets in the past is that my head is seriously big, like way out of proportion big... as such I tend to find that earphones have been way too tight and end up hurting after any kind of proper gaming session, so I'm looking for a pair that will finally be comfortable.

In terms of spec, I'm looking for:
USB only. (Stupid tower with it's stupid none working top mounted audio jacks)
microphone attached
either in ear or over ear
if over ear then serious padding will be necessary...


Like DoA I'm probably willing to spend up to £50, though having looked at these I'm tempted to raise my money bar a little higher... Please tempt me with cheaper headsets!

Amrel

Given your situation I would recommend heading into a shop to see if there is a set of headphones that you find comfortable. Then you can look for something similar. You may even be able to get dimensions to help your search. I just found a review site which seems like a decent resource.

Campy

Tried the shopping route this weekend, seems the only decent electronics store in my town no longer exists though. The link is awesome however, literally thousands of reviews, cheers Amrel.