Gaming Headsets

[Winnow]

My Creative Fatal1ty headset pooped out on me this week so I had to buy another USB headset on short notice for the vent stuff I do in gaming.

The Fatal1ity headset wasn't bad. It had a very good mic. Great noise cancellation. Music not too bad. The cord was pretty cheap and it split right before the volume/mute thingy. The plastic tore away exposing the wiring and eventually that broke.

I went to Fry's and checked over the selection. Price really isn't an object when it comes to general PC peripherals. There were headsets from 20's to 250 dollar range.



I ended up getting the Corsair HS1 which ran $99 (can get them cheaper)

http://www.everythingusb.com/corsair-hs ... 20486.html

This is the kind of total ear covering headset that cuts you off from the rest of the world so if you need to hear stuff (people, kids, etc) then you probably want to look elsewhere.

Checking out Newegg's reviews, the negatives are bad wiring (hey, same thing that trashed my last headset) and bad mic (which I use a lot)

With two important items in the negative column, I still bought them.

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These are very comfortable. Most headphones don't completely cover my ears but these do. That, combined with very comfy memory foam, sets them apart from my old Creative headset and the high end Logitech G35 headset I had tried awhile back

These are not for music. That said. Movies and games sound incredible. I played the highest quality movie I had which is 1080P avatar high bitrate (20GB file). It's like listening the movie for the first time again with all the sounds you pick up that just aren't there if you don't have decent surround.

You need to of course, activate the 5.1 or 7.1, otherwise the immersion isn't going to happen.

Aion is at the top of the heap when it comes to graphics and audio in MMOs. Using these headphones in 5.1 or 7.1 mode made a huge difference. I'm kinda pissed I've bee missing out on quality audio in my headset.

On the negative side. People picked up the sound of my PC fan, etc. while using Vent. My previous headset had excellent noise cancellation.

I can't recommend the Corsair HS1 USB Headset for music or for someone that uses voice a lot in gaming but for Immersion in Games and Movies, they're excellent. This is Corsair's first go at gaming headsets. Hopefully they'll learn from it and improve the Mic and wiring. I still haven't done much tweaking on the mic so it may be improvable.

I'll be putting gaming headsets on my radar from now on to research them. I don't think you necessarily need to spend huge for them but even in the 100.00 range, there's a big difference in quality as I just found out. If something comes along in the 250 range that makes a difference, I'll grab them right away. There are some headsets that have the wiring to work with the big three: PC, Xbox and PS3.

Ongoing project.

[Aslanna]

Why does it have to be a USB headset?

If I were buying at the moment I'd probably maybe get a Turtle Beach PX5 although I'm not a big fan of wireless due to battery consumption (and yes I am aware of the existence of rechargeable batteries). Can use it on both 360 and PS3 and also unofficially on PC as well. Not sure what sort of weird wiring contortions you'd need to go through to move between them though.

[Winnow]

It doesn't have to be a USB headset. I've got crappy motherboard audio so went with the integrated sound option. If you've got a nice sound card, skip USB for sure.

The headsets that work on PC, 360 and PS3 looked like they had all sorts of wires and powered external boxes, etc. I wasn't up for that without researching so went with the dedicated PC headset.

[Funkmasterr]

I have a px5 and it's a fucking audio miracle. The only cord it needs is USB for power and fiber optic for sound. So I have a fiber optic hooked up to each device sitting by the receiver, so when I switch I just unplug one and plug in the other.

The sound is well beyond anything else I've ever used. It's great for games, movies and music. You can make custom presets where you can change the levels of everything on the equalizer, name them and load them onto the headset. You have 9 presets for xbox and 9 for ps3. I have different setups for different types of games and I definitely notice the difference.

If you don't want to mess around with making your own presets, you can download prelate ones for differenttypes of stuff. Some game developers are even making presets specifically for their games and putting them out there.

You can also buy a bluetooth adapter for the xbox so you don't have to use a cord for chat function, it's like 20 dollars.

Battery life is also better than I expected. I probably get 20-25 hours out of batteries per charge. Most reviews I've read about the px5 say nothing negative, they just say it's a shame the price point will keep a lot of people from trying them cause they're missing out.

[Winnow]

I'll have to research the PX5. Sounds interesting. I've got long ToS (optical) cables for both my Xbox and PS3. They're like 15 feet long cables so I could easily use them even though my game consoles aren't super close to me.

[Funkmasterr]

Yeah, the optical cables just have to go from the console (or your computer) to the receiver for the headset. The receiver is pretty small and just has the various plugs and a audio bypass for regular stereo headphones on it, as well as a power switch. It also servers as the base to set the headset on, which is nice, cause with something that expensive I'm not comfortable just leaving it laying around.

Another notable feature for the PX5 is the mic. You can totally unplug it and take it off the headset when you don't need it for chat, which is really nice. With a lot of the other turtle beach headsets it will get in the way when you aren't using it, or you have to worry about it breaking if it gets bent too much. It really is the ultimate headset in my opinion.

[Aslanna]

$250 list but only $213 at Amazon which I personally don't think is "expensive". At least not for a well reviewed product.

[Funkmasterr]

I paid 250 for it and bought a extended warranty, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[Winnow]

This looks like a contender to the PX5:

http://www.everythingusb.com/creative-s ... 21324.html

Cross-Platform 3D Surround Sound Processor

Powered by the revolutionary Sound Core3D™ quad-core sound and voice processor, this breakthrough USB audio enhancer delivers powerful gaming audio to your Xbox 360®, Playstation® 3, PC or Mac. With hardware-accelerated THX® TruStudio Pro™ and Dolby® Digital decoding it transforms even basic stereo sound into exhilarating 3D surround audio on your headset or speakers. Hear your enemies before they hear you with the proprietary Scout Mode™, which tunes your hearing to your advantage on the battlefield. Calibrate and save every aspect of your audio settings directly to the Recon3D unit for use on any platform with the exclusive Recon3DProfile™ system. The gaming audio revolution is here. Be part of it.

Powered by Sound Core3D™ quad-core audio processor

The revolutionary Sound Core3D™ Audio and Voice chipset allows you, for the first time ever, to enjoy the benefits of an internal sound card in an external USB device. Whatever your gaming platform of choice is, you can now experience Sound Blaster audio.

Hardware-accelerated THX TruStudio Pro technologies

THX TruStudio Pro sound technologies create unprecedented levels of audio realism that includes stunning surround effects, producing virtual speakers around, above and below you on your existing headset or headphones.

Hardware Dolby Digital decoder

Transform any Dolby Digital 5.1 source into high fidelity immersive surround sound for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, or Mac with the built-in hardware decoder.

Breakthrough mobile audio enhancer

Stylish, rugged and extremely portable with easy-to-access controls: THX TruStudio Pro On/Off, Scout Mode On/Off, Master volume control, Microphone boost (3 settings), Instant Mute, and platform selection.

CrystalVoice™ voice enhancement and clarity technology

Four separate hardware-accelerated technologies ensure the best possible voice communication:
CrystalVoice™ Noise Reduction - significantly reduces background noise
CrystalVoice™ Smart Volume - normalizes your voice to make sure your outbound voice isn't too overwhelming or too soft
CrystalVoice™ Acoustic Echo Cancellation - eliminates speaker audio from your voice transmissions while using speakers
CrystalVoice™ FX - morphs your voice into different characters and accents

Scout Mode - Hear them before they hear you

This proprietary technology allows you to hear your enemies from further away, giving you a distinct tactical advantage in combat.

Programmable Recon3DProfile audio settings

Easily port your gaming audio settings by connecting to your PC or Mac and customizing your personal Recon3D Profile™ that can be used with any platform.

I like that it can be used with the PC/MAC as well. Also the CrystalVoice tech as that's what was in my last headset that made the Mic funtion so well.

[Funkmasterr]

Looks nice, but doesn't have anything technologically that the PX5 doesn't. It's even slightly less feature rich, and not wireless. Personally I'd stick with Turtle Beach no matter what, long term they always get rated better, out perform and outlast the other options.

[Funkmasterr]

The PX5 is Bluetooth, so you can sync it with anything that does Bluetooth. I have it synced with my phone so if I'm playing a game and I get a call, the game volume goes down a bit and the chat cuts out and is replaced by the phone call. It's pretty cool. I also have it synced with my iPad so for some games I'll play music while I game.

[Aslanna]

I'm going to do my best to never ever buy a Creative Labs product again (and I advise others to do the same!) so that's not even a contender.

They have to be one of the worst companies I've had the displeasure of dealing with.

[Winnow]

Well logitech has horrible drivers but I have to forgive them since their hardware is so good. Creative is behind the headset that failed on me and I was never a big fan of sound blaster. Liked my Creative Zen back in the day!

I'd have no trouble dropping Logitech if I could find a better mouse that I liked elsewhere.

[Winnow]

I'm reading a lot of px5 user comments that there are a lot of crackle and pop sounds due to the headsets using 2.4GHz to communicate wirelessly which routers interfere with.

Alternate suggestion is the Astro A40 which also runs 249.00 but operates on 5.8 GHz

http://www.astrogaming.com/a40-audio-sy ... ro-edition

I need to research those.

Ongoing project!

[Fairweather Pure]

This is the kind of total ear covering headset that cuts you off from the rest of the world so if you need to hear stuff (people, kids, etc) then you probably want to look elsewhere.

vs your response about the Logitech G35 from another thread:

I tried those and returned them. They completely close out outside sound which I don't like. I know some may like that style but I like to hear the doorbell go off, etc.
Not sure why, but I didn't feel comfortable with the G35s. Big factor is probably if you like outside sound being completely cut out or not.

What say you?!?

[Winnow]

yeah, it's good and bad. Sounds awesome but you do get that closed out feeling, especially with the G35's but the Corsairs aren't far behind in the blockage of outside sounds. The difference is the the G35's made my ears hurt and hot while the Corsairs have much better memory foam padding and are larger resulting in a comfy fit. Your ears can get a little toasty with the Corsairs but not hot and irritated.

One thing I read that the turtle beach things have is some voice feedback which the corsairs don't so you can hear your voice in the headset. It potentially could be an issue with G35's and Corsairs...try talking with your hands covering your ears and that's the sensation you'll get. Overall, for the Corsairs at least, it hasn't bothered me. It did with the G35's.

[Funkmasterr]

Very rarely do I have any static or popping, and when I do it's so brief and quiet that if I'm playing a game I don't notice it.

Also, with the PX5 you can turn the option on or off to hear your own voice when you talk.

[Winnow]

Very rarely do I have any static or popping, and when I do it's so brief and quiet that if I'm playing a game I don't notice it.

Lot of complaints about popping noises and you won't know til you try it depending on you router location, etc. Also reading about drop outs and voice clipping.

How's charging work. One review said if you use rechargeable batteries you have to reset the headset each time while you don't if use regular batteries. I use rechargeable so this would matter to me.

I hate returning stuff. 250.00 is high enough price that it would piss me off if I had issues. The 2.4GHz frequency choice seems like a bad one. All else being equal, I'd rather roll the dice with 5.8GHz since I use a lot of wireless devices.

[Funkmasterr]

I currently have the base for mine sitting butted up to my router and don't have issues. I've never had to reset anything with rechargeable batteries, I've changed them out mid game and been fine.

[Funkmasterr]

Turtle beach headsets 20% off with free shipping on their website. Just have to enter code. GAMESMART20

[Aslanna]

That's a decent price. However I applied the code and it's not showing free shipping.

[Funkmasterr]

It's supposed to be standard on their site right now for orders over 50, I don't thi k you need the code for that part.