Gaming headsets?

[Bodzilla]

looking for a gaming headset, i'm leaning towards the Razer Carcharias or the Logitech 35, the only thing is i've had some downsides with logitech headphones in the past, albeit cheap shitty logitech headsets but still.

whats the best one out there?

[NullZero]

Some proper headphones plus mic?

E.g. Sennheiser HD595's / AD700's / DT990 + some mic

No? Perhaps one of these: http://www.sennheiser.co.uk/uk/home_en.nsf/root/private_headsets


If you don't care about sound quality, read up on any headset and pay attention to the endurance/build quality.

[Amit]

I have the Tritton AX180 set. It's an excellent choice that is also very affordable. I bought it for $69.99US on the Gameshark store a few months ago and I got a set of Tritton XB100 Earbuds for free with it. It's pretty damn comfortable. I don't usually play games for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time, but I did have this LOTRO gaming session one night where I had the headset on for close to 8.5 hours and I almost forgot I was wearing them. That's how comfortable they were. Mic gain is great, nifty features, and it works with consoles. The only gripe I have is that the cables are fucking long, but that's only a bother for me since I now use laptop most of the time. It's good that the cables are long because my desktop PC is a good distance away from my monitors where my head will be while gaming.

The Razer store sells the Carcharias for $79.99US, but they are back-ordered. I looked through some local retailers around me and saw the Carcharias for $104.99CAD. That's not encouraging if you want to buy it from somewhere other than Razer.

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

My razer Carcharias broke after about six months of use.

[Lateksi]

Don't buy stuff made by Razer.

[iizahsum]

Call me mainstream but I use Beats By Dr.Dre when I game.

[Aerowyn]

looking for a gaming headset, i'm leaning towards the Razer Carcharias or the Logitech 35, the only thing is i've had some downsides with logitech headphones in the past, albeit cheap shitty logitech headsets but still.

whats the best one out there?

Personally I just use the Logitech headphones that they carry at the local Wal-Mart. They're about 40 dollars and tend to last me a while. Not sure of the model; from what I remember they've discontinued this particular model and yet wal-mart continues to carry them.

But I bought the Logitech Clearchat headphones once (about $30) and they were pretty nice. No real complaints about them.

Now if you're looking for something god-tier for gaming, I hear a lot of people say good things about Plantronics headsets. *shrug*

[Rook]

Listen to zero. I bought a sennheiser HD 515 for ~$60 then bought a logitech desk mic for $20. To start off with the quality on the headphones are better than any phone/mic combination in that price range, and if for example the sound stops playing on a combo you usually gotta replace the whole thing anyway.

[Warsaw]

Don't buy stuff made by Razer.

Their older mice are fine (think Copperhead and original Diamondback (not the 3G version)). The current, highest-end Razer mice are also fine.

Since everyone has already mentioned the same sets I would, I'm just going to say that you should probably go to your local electronics store and see if you can't find examples to try on. Comfort is subjective to the user since we all have differently-sized heads and differently-shaped ears. Also wouldn't hurt to give them an audio test.

[343guiltymc]

Anybody tried the Corsair HS1? There is a analog version coming out soon.

[Bodzilla]

Whats a good headphone / mic combo?

[ThePlague]

I use Turtle Beach X1's, they seem to work pretty good. Had them for more than a year and still working. Pretty good bass, and on games I can pinpoint where enemies/sounds are.

[Cortexian]

+1 for Logitech, they've probably got some of the best customer support for a computer peripheral manufacturer ever. I had a Logitech wireless MX Revolution stop working properly after a year and a half, opened a support ticket with them and they ended up sending me a brand new one free of charge without any hassle.

This is a common occurrence as well, I only ever hear good about Logitech.

[Bodzilla]

well i've got the G9, but it needed the cord resouldered, and i've always used logitech since the very first ergonomic mice, however i'm on my 3rd logitech headse so i'm wary of them.

alternatively whats the bst head phone / mic combination.

take note i've blown out at least 3 mics i can recall off hand with my voice.
most of the time i'm pretty quiet which makes backround noise a huge factor but sometimes i get bloody loud.

i prefer quality over cheap shit so...

[Amit]

I heard Turtle Beach Headsets are uncomfortable due to their unnatural ear shape.

[Lateksi]

I trust in Steelseries' hardware. I have their mouse and a headset. Cheap and good quality.

[Patssj6]

I don't understand why people spend so much money on gaming headsets.

When listening to music (and I mean real music not commercial shit) it makes sense to use some high quality AKG or Sennheiser headphones but for gaming? If you want to use the headphones for good quality gaming then you can buy the ones mentioned.

When talking to other people the "high-quality-sound-experience" is ruined anyway by those crackling noisy voices by the other persons. Then you can just buy a cheap headset with a reliable microphone. The one I bought the last time which was around $7 is still lasting longer than its more expensive counterparts.

[Syuusuke]

Listen to zero. I bought a sennheiser HD 515 for ~$60 then bought a logitech desk mic for $20.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Desktop-Microphone-Black-Silver/dp/B00009EHJV/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Is that the desk mic youre talking about? Lots of good reviews. Getting one myself soon.

[Rook]

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Desktop-Microphone-Black-Silver/dp/B00009EHJV/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Is that the desk mic youre talking about? Lots of good reviews. Getting one myself soon.

Yeah and it's pretty decent. CodeBrain has the same one too.

[Amit]

I trust in Steelseries' hardware. I have their mouse and a headset. Cheap and good quality.

You kidding me? Steelseries has the most overpriced stuff. The mice are uncomfortable and unnecessary. However, the headsets are quite comfortable. I can't say the sound quality was any better than Logitech headsets, though.

[NullZero]

So, in conclusion Bod, depending on your budget (these are all open headphones):

Headphone: HD595/598 (if you like accurate and neutral sound with a good soundstage) ( http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD595-Performance-Premiere-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVE0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294766811&sr=8-1 )

Sony MDR XB700 if you like bass (at the cost of reduced accuracy and soundstage) http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-XB700-Diaphragm-Driver-Headphones/dp/B001RB24SW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294766838&sr=1-1

Beyer DT880's: good soundstage, accurate, perhaps more comfortable? (really a personal preference to the fit). Downsides is it requires an amp to drive these headphones properly and it's more expensive than the others. ( http://www.amazon.com/Beyer-Dynamic-Premium-600-Headphones/dp/B0024NK35S/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1294766968&sr=1-2 )


Regarding the mic, I have very little knowledge in this area, so looking at the reviews for Rook's mic, it seems to be decent (especially for the price).