Gaming Headphones / Headset sub $150?

ConsPark · 2012-06-12, 02:12 AM

The title says it all. My Plantronics headset is causing me more grief than a world-class troll (namely, developing a short and this round, striated cord TANGLES EVERY SIX SECONDS), so I'm in the market for a new headset. My only requirement is that it must be an over-the-ear cup headset. Others either never fit right or make my ears hurt.

My absolute cap is $150 unless there's a very good reason to go beyond that. I've never owned a wireless headset but I'm certainly interested. I've heard that Sennheiser and Audio-Technica make great headphones, but the complete headsets I've seen so far are either too expensive or not cups.

My first choice for wireless is currently the Logitech G930. I've also heard both good and bad things about Turtle Beach.

My two contenders for microphone-free wired headphones are the utterly hideous but supposedly wonderful Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 and the Sennheiser HD 280. In order to use either of them I'd also need either a clip-on mic or a stand mic, neither of which I've ever used (and thus I'd love some input here as well).

Any thoughts and personal experiences with these or other headsets?

Goku · 2012-06-12, 08:16 AM

Two of my friends love their Corsair Vengeance headsets, 1300 and 1500.

I have the AD700 and I LOVE them. Best headset I've had so far. Great sound quality and the headset never gets uncomfortable even after several hours of gaming. I use a clip on mic that can be annoying from time to time. I normally just pin it to my shirt collar as people hear me best that way. When I had it on the headset wire it didn't seem to work to well.

Vancha · 2012-06-12, 12:15 PM

There was a thread about this recently in the Lounge. This was my take...

http://www.planetside-universe.com/s...00&postcount=4

To repeat some things from that post, look up adhesive boom mics and also, I'd recommend spending some time on Head-Fi. Decent tech advice is guaranteed here, but for audio headphones you won't beat the expertise on that site.

ConsPark · 2012-06-12, 01:20 PM

Goku: AD700 is looking more and more likely, especially after seeing it rank so high on the site Vancha mentioned. What clip-on mic do you use?

Vancha: Great site, thanks for the link.

Goku · 2012-06-12, 01:32 PM

I've been using . I have seen it recommended quite a bit.

Surprise · 2012-06-13, 03:44 PM

I have been using steelseries siberia v2's, as a long time speaker I can tell you they are an easy break in. They are really light and comfortable. The sound quality is good, not great. my z5500's sound way better but they're headphones.

bjorntju1 · 2012-06-14, 01:57 PM

I use a Sennheiser HD595. I really love the sound quality of it. Very lightwheight and very comfortable. It isn't a cheap headset, but I don't regret buying it. I brought it for around €140, and I expect it costs around the same in dollars. That one doesn't have a mic though.

ricoxg · 2012-06-14, 05:42 PM

I've been relatively happy with my Plantronics Gamecom 307. They're only like $30, but they do decent sound, have a good mic, and use stereo plugs. I actually have Bose speakers on the system too, and still use the headphones more often. They're not rock-star or anything, but I've been pretty happy with them and find them comfortable and not too hot to wear. I've used a lot of headphones over the years, and I've found that the most expensive have very rarely been worth the price, and I'm not one to take price over quality either.

I would suggest you stay clear of USB or "surround sound" headphones. They're gimmicky and I've gone through several pair that cost a lot and sucked hard.

Obiyer · 2012-06-14, 06:58 PM

I recommend Koss headphones, they have a headset section. I've owned two of them, and they last a long time if you take care of them. Also, afaik, they are the only ones with a limited lifetime warranty in the business on their headphones.

Vancha · 2012-06-14, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by ricoxg

I've used a lot of headphones over the years, and I've found that the most expensive have very rarely been worth the price, and I'm not one to take price over quality either.

I would suggest you stay clear of USB or "surround sound" headphones. They're gimmicky and I've gone through several pair that cost a lot and sucked hard.

And these expensive headphones you bought, are we talking HD800s, or crappy, over-priced, low-quality surround-sound headsets (aka "surround-sound headsets")?

ricoxg · 2012-06-14, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by Vancha

And these expensive headphones you bought, are we talking HD800s, or crappy, over-priced, low-quality surround-sound headsets (aka "surround-sound headsets")?

Honestly, I don't remember. I bought a couple different pair from Best Buy and at least one from Target over the years.

One set I bought from Best Buy looked pretty decent, solid construction... and now I'm thinking it might have been Logitech, now that I think on it. That would make sense, I like their trackballs. Anyway, the last pair I bought from BB looked solid and was a USB set. When I got home, I had truckloads of trouble with the drivers and the card conflicted with my sound card. After some reading, I found that it was relatively common for USB headphones to conflict with onboard and dedicated sound cards.

The other two USB sets I bought were also Stereo, just used the USB for power. One had a weird buzzing to it all the time except when I unplugged the USB and ran without it. The other just plain sucked, but then I figured it would when I bought it. I was hard up at the time.

I've got a pair of Bose for traveling and I love those, but no mic-boom. They're worn out though, so I'll probably be looking for something new. I thought about these headphones I keep seeing the hip kids at the airport using. They have something on the side that looks like a "b" or a "6" or something. Seem pretty sturdy with good thick cords and solid frame. Something like that would be good if you could find a mic-boom, I think.

Vancha · 2012-06-14, 09:06 PM

Those would be Dr. Dre's Beats. Don't buy Dr. Dre's Beats.

You seem to have a knack for being drawn towards rip-offs (edit: perhaps better described as a susceptibility to marketing?). If your experience of expensive headphones is instead of expensive headsets (which I'm guessing it is, since they supposedly had USB connectors), then yeah, you won't have come across a correlation between price and quality.

ricoxg · 2012-06-15, 03:14 PM

Ah. I haven't tried them, so I wasn't sure how good they were. Thanks for the information.

But, no I wouldn't say I've been susceptible, more like consumptive. I go through headphones pretty fast, or used to back in the day. I used to take them into the field with me and traveling tends to tear them up pretty quickly. I've had a number of headphones over the years that worked quite well. It's just that in every case, they weren't that expensive, they were solidly made, and they were stereo plugs rather than USB. In pretty much every case of USB headphones, I thought they looked pretty decent and didn't see much turning me off in the reviews I pulled up on my phone, so I tried them out. When they sucked, I took them back and went for something else.

Love my Bose, though. If I could just get a set with a mic, I'd be set. =)