kamyk on 19/9/2010 at 12:41

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I'll try to make this simple unlike my usual wordy posts.

I have a neighbor downstairs who seems to be able to hear me even breathing too loud.
I have been wearing a PC headset for over a year every day for hours at a time.
My current headset is 5 years old and giving it's last gasp, and Xmas is coming up, so I'm looking for ideas...

Musts - Can't live without it
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Since I wear them so often I'd like some that are extremely comfortable.
My sound card supports 5.1, and I'd like that in a headset without having to resort to software fixes.
I'd like them to be decent at blocking external sounds.
I'd like them to be very durable, as they would get so much regular use.
I'd like a mic that has excellent sound quality. (Filters out any background noise, doesn't pick up any sound from the earphones, etc
Decent cord length unless extension cables are useable, and won't cause any sound issues.

Preferred - I'd like these but they won't make or break the deal.
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I'd prefer them to be analog, and have jacks for each of my sound cards outputs/inputs.
I'd prefer not having to deal with usb powered unless the best ones you can suggest give me no choice.
Honestly I'd prefer no power requirement at all, again unless I have no choice.
I don't need fancy bell and whistle ones that have their own sound chip, etc. I'm happy with my soundcard.

My soundcard is a Soundblaster Audigy LS.

So far I've looked at a (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153051) Razer Megalodon, a (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=26-502-011&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=true&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2) Turtle Beach TBS-2114 Earforce HPA2 5.1, and a few others, but none of the reviews are terribly great for such expensive headsets.

I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions, even if they are recommendations for ones I've looked at, and I don't care what source site it is at. Tigerdirect, Newegg, Bestbuy, whatever.

steo on 19/9/2010 at 20:55

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I'm very happy with my Razer Barracuda headset - the Megalodons look to be replacements for the Barracudas. I've had them for about a year now: they're comfy, block out background noise, work with my x-fi sound card and they haven't yet shown any signs of breaking (though the cable has it's fair share of favourite twists to get back into). On the downside, they are USB powered and use an HDMI jack which plugs directly into Razer sound cards, though they come with an adapter which changes that to the four standard 3.5mm jacks for any other sound card.

I can't really comment on the mic because I haven't used it much, it's detachable and I've acutally misplaced it at the moment.

The 5.1 sound positioning is generally pretty good, you can fairly precisely tell where sounds are coming from, but some games do a very bad job of mixing the channels. In Farcry 2 for example, you can turn your head a few degrees while in a jeep and hear the engine noise suddenly change completely between channels.

I think the sound quality is very good, particularly the bass. Playing with the sound up can add a great deal of immersion to a game like Call of Duty or Vietcong 2. I also use them for listening to music, but I dare say there are a few audiophiles about who would consider it blasphemy to use such not-completely-top-of-the-range gear.

kamyk on 1/10/2010 at 02:53

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Anyone have any more suggestions? I've looked at some more headsets, but I'm still kind of at a loss...