Surround Sound Headsets

PolloDiablo

I'm looking to grab a good pair of headphones, preferably with a microphone attached. I'd like to get one that does surround sound, if they work right.

I was looking at the razer ones, since a friend has a pair and says they're really light and comfortable. Looking online there seems to be some confusion about them. Does the Carcharias do surround sound? Some places say it's 5.1, others say it isn't. Is the Megalodon the only one they put out with surround? Anyone have experience with either of those?

wonderpug

What's your budget, and what are your audio sources?

corky842

I had some old Turtle Beach ones. The surround sound was noticeable (and good), but they were the crappy foldable ones so the build quality was horrible.

Loki_HKD

These work wonderfully. Although they can get a little uncomfortable if you are gaming for many hours at a time. They are also a bit expensive but totally worth it.

AstroGaming

amnesiasoft

Seeing as I'm using a set of Carcharias right this moment, I can tell you that they only do stereo sound.

Campy

If you're looking for the cheaper end of things, I picked up a pair of these. I'm no audiophile, but the sound seems pretty good to me. To my knowledge the surround sound only works when plugged in through the usb and I haven't tried it in anything else but the PC. I tend to break everything electronic I touch; these have been going for over a year, so they're pretty durable.

PolloDiablo

My budget is probably no more than $150. I figured that would be good for most anything, but looking at those really cool Astro Gaming ones, I realized I might be lowballing the cost of a headset. You said the Astro Gaming ones get uncomfortable after a while? How so? I wear glasses, so that complicates the situation a little. I wouldn't want them too tight.

Audio source is going to be my PC. I've got a soundblaster x-fi card in there, too, if any headset needs that over usb or whatever.

Those plantronics seem good, too. I heard they were a good company. Do any of you have experience with logitech headsets? They seem to be well reviewed, too.

Loki_HKD

I have the PA Astro A40 Headphones. It was after a very long day/night of gaming that they became uncomfortable. I'm talking about around 8+hrs of non-stop wearing. Honestly though any headphones worn that long will get uncomfortable.

I haven't worn them with my glasses on yet. I will try and remember to do that tonight, i will let you know then how they feel with glasses on.

Loki_HKD

So i played TF2 for a couple hours today with my glasses on, and they felt fine. I've had these for over a year and this is the first time i played with my glasses on. No discomfort for me.

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Storm Shadow

McDermott pretty much nails all of the high points, especially about the MixAmps usefulness on a PC if you own an early model. However, the current/latest model of MixAmp adds USB support as an audio device and becomes as useful on the PC as it is when running Xbox or PS3. That is, say you are running Vent or Skype--you can run your voice input/output via the USB channel, and your game sound via the analog RCA/digital optical inputs and the BALANCE control will enable you to adjust voice/game balance in hardware on the fly without jumping out of your game. This is super cool.

This is a pretty sweet feature for PC users that puts the MixAmps usefulness on par with the original functionality on Xbox. BTW the same feature works great for PS3 users.

For me, the standalone A40 has always been a tough sell, and true to that fact, ASTRO sells mostly the A40+MixAmp. If you were just in the market for a headset by itself, the A30 headset has tons more value since you'll end up taking it with you and using it all day long for your ipod, portable gaming systems, and smartphone (it has two really high-quality mics, both in-line and removable mic boom) and just general traveling around via planes, trains and automobiles since it blocks out way more outside noise than the A40. Punchier bass, too. I spec'd the A30 out to be the equivalent of the Sennheiser PC166 headset but with gaming specific and travel features that you guys would want and appreciate. That Sennheiser headset has a *superb* mic that we searched high and low to match sonically and the same element is in both the A40 and A30. That guy blocks out tons of noise (for example, if you wanted to talk to someone in the room without broadcasting into the mic, you don't even need to self-mute -- just flip up the mic boom away from your mouth and it won't activate, if you are using the A40). It's one of the main reasons the guys on the MLG main stage swear by them. There's just tons of noise in that kind of environment that you can't have in your system when you are playing for big bucks.

Anyways, the MixAmp was one of my original ideas when we started ASTRO Gaming and as an audio product it's really a swiss army knife. It's almost everything I would ever want as a gaming audio product save perhaps an absurd amount of juice. It had to run on USB power so that's a serious design constraint -- even a $99 HeadRoom headphone amp has a hell of a lot more kick since they run on way higher voltage (12V). But at the end of the day it's a fair compromise for the price--the MixAmp is so much more than just a straight headphone amp.

I'm pretty partial to the Astro stuff obviously, but I'm no longer there as a full-time employee. If you have any other questions I can give you straight answers about nearly anything, so fire away!

wonderpug

Just throwing in that I bought an A40 + mixamp about a year ago per another headphone recommendation thread and I've been nothing but happy with it. I hardly use it on the PC at all, though, mostly for gaming on the 360 or movie watching on the PS3 and it's awesome for both.

ScudMuffin

I also have to put in a vote for the Astro A40's. You can pick up the MixAmp or 5.8 (Wireless) later on. Or look at the more casual Astro A30s.

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SkutSkut

I got these today, they do surround sound pretty good.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826816001

PolloDiablo

Audio is my weakest are of understanding dealing with this kind of stuff. I'm trying to get my head around it.

mcdermott, I'm not PC-only, but I'm overwhelmingly PC-centric. I checked, and it seems like my sound card doesn't do DDL, although from creative's site, it seems like I could buy or download a software pack that would enable it. I think. Although Storm Shadow says I wouldn't need a DDL-enabled card anymore?

What exactly is MixAmp? Without it, the headphones are basically stereo? And if they both rely on MixAmp, what's the difference between A40 and A30?

I'll look into that Corsair one, too.

The_Spaniard

Since this thread is about things that go on or in your ears, I just had a slightly related question. I have a set of Bang & Olufsen earbuds that I used to use to listen to my iPod before iPods started coming with controls on the cable. New B&O earbuds have the same controls on them now, but I don't want to spend 200+ bucks on another set just for one little extra feature. Though the feature is so important that I haven't used them in about a year because I'm constantly pausing and adjusting volume from the cable instead of having to pull the iPod out of my pocket every time I have to do anything.

So are there any good patch through adapters that I can get so I can start using my B&O earbuds again? I looked on amazon and they have a handful, but they seem to all be shit. I just need to know if there is a decent little adapter that I can plug in and give me all the functionality of the standard iPod headphones, without being a total POS.

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Pirusu

So, I've never owned a decent pair of headphones, or speakers, for that matter. I've been looking at the A40/A30 since I've got a birthday coming up. From everything I've read, including the wonderful posts by mcdermott and Storm Shadow, the MixAmp is where it's at, but you CAN get better headphones for the price.

That being said, I like the styling the of Astro stuff. I don't have a decent speaker system for, well, anything. My console stuff uses the TV speakers, and my computer is currently using some el cheapo 2.0 speakers, and a plantronics headset I got on clearance for 9 bucks (which is decent, but not great).

The best headphones I've used are iPod earbuds (which I know are not good). I do spend a lot of time playing games (PC and otherwise), and when I am on the PC, my headset is either on due to noise, or because I'm on vent, so I think a good headset is where I want to lean. Am I gimping myself if I use the headset as my speaker replacement? I'm trying to figure out where to spend my money. I like the idea of the versatility of the headset.

If I was going to get computer speakers, I'd probably opt for the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 set, which is a lot cheaper, but at this point I'm unsure.

Storm Shadow

You can definitely get a better pair of headPHONES for the price of either of Astro's headSET offerings. No doubt at all.

However, once you loop in the microphone capability in an apples-to-apples comparison, they are a pretty great deal.

Pirusu

Hm. Yeah...after thinking about it, I think I'll go with the A40s, and then when I have the funds again, I can always get good headphones, and use 'em with the mixamp if I so desire.

wonderpug

If the best headphones you've used are iPod earbuds, the A40s will blow you away even without the Mixamp. I don't think you'll be craving better headphones any time soon.

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Athenor

So I have a pair of Plantronics 377's, but the suckers snapped on the left side (a common complaint) about a year ago. I used duct tape to keep them together, but by this point the sharp plastic inside, the weakness of the duct tape, and the wear on the wires has caused the mic to completely stop functioning whatsoever. So it's time to replace or upgrade. I really do enjoy the Plantronics, but I have a big head and I'm afraid of them snapping again. So here I sit. I don't want to pay $250 for a headset, but with a big head I want something quality.

A replacement 377 would be about $25-30, the 777 (which from what I can tell is the 377 with the USB sound card) is $50, but I don't think the extra cost is worth it. My motherboard has a decent realtek onboard sound-card (asus mobo).

Is there anything that sounds good in that price range?

Storm Shadow

For that price the Sennheiser 131 (about $40), or the 151 (about $50) are fan-fucking-tastic.

The mic element in both of those is best-in-class, and they are super comfy for hours on end. The sound is a bit thin compared to $100+ headsets, but those are staggeringly good for the price.

Pirusu

Alllllrighty. Ordered my A40s, and I'm pumped about gettin' 'em! Thanks, everyone.

wonderpug

You'll love 'em. They also come with a smorgasbord of cables so you should be ready to go for pretty much any configuration.

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Pirusu

mcdermott wrote: »

Pirusu wrote: »

Alllllrighty. Ordered my A40s, and I'm pumped about gettin' 'em! Thanks, everyone.

Out of curiosity, you pick up the Mixamp as well? I hope so. I'm mainly wondering if you went wired or wireless, because I'm curious how the wireless works out...I'm thinking of picking one up.

I did get the mixamp, but just the wired one. I figure if I want in the future, I can pickup the wireless. It is pretty tempting.

Icemopper

Alright, I'm in a similar boat (the same basically) but I don't want to make a new thread.

I want a headset for PC and PS3 gaming that preferably gives me the surround sound feel.

Those A40's are looking INCREDIBLE, but dang sauce are they expensive... I don't know if I can manage the money for them... Are there any suitable replacements or are those just the way to go?

What's the basic difference between the A40s and A30s? They both look great.

And if I'm about 10 feet away from the PS3, I should get wireless, right?

EDIT: What about these?

Does anyone have experience with those?

Icemopper

Ok, it looks like the A40's are the way to go. Only thing I can't settle on is wireless/wired. I'm not a fan of replacing batteries, but I also don't like cables going everywhere.

Does anyone have some advice on this?

Loki_HKD

Replacing Batteries is far easier and cleaner then dealing with the cables. You will have a lot of cables if you do the wired one. I would go with the wireless.

I currently have the wired one and i barely use it on my PS3 or XBOX because of all the work it takes to hook it up. I don't have a receiver so i have to plug into the back of the consoles. My MixAmp is pretty much glued to my PC right now.

Icemopper

It's looking more and more enticing. The wireless, that is.

Icemopper

Alllllllright I ordered the A40 wireless with rechargeable batteries and the PS3 chat cable.


WOO HOO

maximumzero

I'm occasionally tempted to get the AX720s from Tritton even though I don't really need headphones. I just love the way they look and they match the rest of my white electronics. Unfortunately they're not intended for use with my Wii but I can just connect into the Optical out of my TV and I should be set.

wonderpug

Loki_HKD wrote: »

I currently have the wired one and i barely use it on my PS3 or XBOX because of all the work it takes to hook it up. I don't have a receiver so i have to plug into the back of the consoles. My MixAmp is pretty much glued to my PC right now.

I got a cheap really long optical cable on Monoprice and I just route it from my consoles around the living room discretely and have the Mixamp right next to the couch. My only issue with the cords is that big plastic dongle for the quick disconnect, which is a little awkwardly placed, but other than that I don't notice the cords at all.

Apogee

Gentlement, I'm going add my own question to the thread.

I'm looking into a headset and I have want for surround sound for some reason. I'm also pretty thrifty. I've narrowed my search to three:

First, and cheapest, the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Alpha. $50, generally positive reviews, good sound quality. The cheapest I can get, and looks like it's spiffy enough for me.

Second, the Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Sigma Headset, which is the Alpha's bigger brother. Exact same specs, except 50mm drivers instead of 40mm, and a steel construction, rather than palstic. Apparently better ear-covers too for more comfy listening. $70.

Also at $70, the Plantronics Gamecom 777, which you guys seem to like. This one looks like it's true 5.1, rather than emulated, but most reviews said that it's hard to tell the difference anyway.

Edit: strike that. Emulated as well.

Leaning towards the Alpha at this point due to the price. I'm no audiophile, but I'd like surround sound and a decent headset. Thoughts?

maximumzero

Actually, whenever I come into some spare cash I'll likely pick up the AX720 on a whim. Any impressions from the folks here?

maximumzero

Ah, just did some research and it seems that most TVs only use the optical out on the rear for digital from antenna/tuner sources. Scratch the AX 720, it seems.

Pirusu

Welp, I got my A40s and after an afternoon/night of using them, I'm in love. I think my wife is going to get tired of poking me when she wants my attention, though.

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