Mingan on 16/4/2010 at 01:14
I'm looking for a new headset. I've been looking around a bit, but it's all alienese to me. I'm looking for comfortable, good sounding. Noise-canceling is optional, it's not very noisy around here. I've looked at Razer's, Logitech's, Steelseries' and Sennheiser's stuff and I'm very confused. Please advise?
bikerdude on 16/4/2010 at 11:58
Quote Posted by Mingan
I'm looking for a new headset. I've been looking around a bit, but it's all alienese to me. I'm looking for comfortable, good sounding. Noise-canceling is optional, it's not very noisy around here. I've looked at Razer's, Logitech's, Steelseries' and Sennheiser's stuff and I'm very confused. Please advise?
I'm like you in this regard, so what i suggest you do in this instance is knock up a spreadsheet of all the ones you like comparing features, problems, price (ie as much data as possible) then get it down to two you like then buy said two over the internet (so you can send back the set you don't like)
Personally I'm looking for a pair of surround headphones, I know the sennheiser does 3D surround (but its not true surround) but they have a rep for making good gear.
Volitions Advocate on 16/4/2010 at 15:27
I would look at what AKG has to offer as well, They have a reputation going back nearly to the invention of the microphone.
It's also important to note that the quality of your DAC converters will also play a large role in the sound quality you're after. If you're running onboard sound, and even most gamer soundcards. you might not get all your money's worth from a good set of headphones. Not that it wont sound good, quite the contrary, but if you're an audiophile you'll probably one of those fancy soundcards as well.
NamelessPlayer on 17/4/2010 at 15:55
First off: Open, or closed?
Open headphones/headsets offer a more expansive soundstage, but poor isolation. Everyone nearby will hear them, and you'll hear what's going on outside as well. Closed ones reverse this and may have other effects on the sound signature.
Second: What sound card are you using?
I doubt you're using anything more than integrated sound, but increased sound quality aside, HRTF filter technologies like CMSS-3D and Dolby Headphone can offer stunningly convincing surround sound when used with the right cans.
Third: Are you willing to plunk down for an amp?
Some cans apparently need good amplification if you want to make them sound good. AKG and Beyerdynamic seem like they need amps as a general rule, at least from the ones I usually read about. Other manufacturers will probably vary here by model, but most of the lower-priced headphones on the market shouldn't need amplification to bring out their best qualities.
Fourth: What are you looking for, sound quality-wise?
Some people like head-rattling amounts of bass. Some want nice-sounding mids and highs. Others may just be looking for immersive soundstage and imaging. (Try not to mix those two up; soundstage has more to do with size and the feeling that the sound is beyond just your head, while imaging is about being able to pinpoint sounds easily, be that someone's seat in an orchestra, a gunshot from your 5 o'clock, or somebody flying past and under you in the middle of a dogfight.)
Fifth, and most important: What's your budget?
It's difficult to make recommendations if we don't know what you have now and how much you're willing to spend on it all. For instance, you may be looking for US$250-300 cans, but most offerings in that price range need a couple extra hundred dollars on amplification. You might want a good surround sound experience, but if you don't have a decent sound card already (something like a proper X-Fi with the APU), that'll have to be factored in unless you're buying a USB headset with its own sound "card". Finally, most of the recommendations I have in mind are headphones, NOT headsets-that means no boom microphone, so you'll have to add the cost of that into your budget as well. (Whether you opt for a desk mic or mod in a boom mic is your call.)
I can't say I'm the most informed person on this sort of thing, but this is what my research and lurking on certain headphone forums has taught me.
Mingan on 17/4/2010 at 17:11
1) I don't know. Probably open
2) Right now, onboard sound
3) No
4) I'd go with soundstage and imaging
5) Maybe 100-150$
I don't really car if there's a mic or not
Ostriig on 17/4/2010 at 20:57
Is there supposed to be any difference between between the Sennheiser (
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD202-Closed-Back-Headphone/dp/tech-data/B000065BP9/ref=de_a_smtd) HD202 and the (
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-eH150-Evolution-Closed-Headphone/dp/tech-data/B00067OF80/ref=de_a_smtd) eH150? Tech specs have them as identical, from frequency response and impedance, right down to the bloody product weight. What gives?
Quote:
Jack plug: 3,5/6,3 mm stereo
Nominal impedance: 32 Ohm
Weight w/o cable: ca. 130 g
Transducer principle: dynamic, closed
Ear coupling: supraaural
Cable length: 3m
Frequency response (headphones): 18.....18000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL): 115 dB(SPL)
THD, total harmonic distortion: <0,5 %
Anyway, I've got the eH150's and I'm very happy with them. I've gotten the chance to hear better as well, but for that price they're pretty damn excellent. Good sound and isolation, and they're comfy for extended periods of time.
Mingan, I know you've got a notably higher budget, but, like NamelessPlayer pointed out, I'm not sure how much better a sound you can get out of your onboard audio.
As for surround headphones, I dunno, I never got a chance to try a pair unfortunately.
Brian The Dog on 19/4/2010 at 07:52
I've got the USB Logitech G35 headset with 7.1 surround, and they're pretty good. The surround-sound is a bit dodgy though:
- It plays surround-sound in movies.
- Thief 1/Gold doesn't recognise the surround-sound.
- Thief 2 does, but says the emulated EAX is not usable.
- Generally, more modern games work fine with it, but the older games struggle with the surround-sound.
I'm still happy I got them as I can watch movies in surround-sound, but they lose a few points from me for the EAX emulation not being accepted in various games. I'd have been better buying an OEM X-Fi card and putting some cheaper 5.1 headphones straight into them.
Zerker on 19/4/2010 at 20:49
Or, you know, ordinary headphones. And how the hell can they be .1? A separate subwoofer in the headset?
Brian The Dog on 19/4/2010 at 23:40
Good call, I never twigged this but they must be 7 surround-sound with no sub-woofer (this has no sound when the Windows test is performed). Pretty stupid of me, I know :( That's probably what messes up the surround in various games. So how do other headset manufacturers do it?
