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Headsets for Gaming and Music
6
A Guide for the Lazy ConsumerHeadsets for Gaming
and Music
A Guide for the Lazy Consumer
I'll skip the personal introduction and get right into the meat of this stew.
The purpose of this guide is not to tell you what the best in line is for the current season of audio hardware, but provide you with the knowledge you'll need as a consumer in order to properly decide what kind of headset you should buy to fulfill your needs. We'll also talk a little bit about what I like to call fluff, that being features which provide little to no function with a purpose centred around driving the price of the hardware up. In order to do any of this, we first need to answer a deceptively simple question.
What composes a high-quality headset?
Again, this might sound like something you can give a simple answer for, one may think providing a list of features or things to look for in a headset would be enough. Unfortunately, as with most digital technology, there are times where a certain specification might seem like a good thing or perhaps decide the quality of headset overall, but in reality have little to do with audial clarity.
Frequency Response
In audio engineering we have something called the audio frequency spectrum, in fact, you've probably already seen exactly how we analyse this spectrum through media player visualizers. You know those lines that bob up and down to the beat of the music? That's actually a spectrum analyzer, they look a little something like this:
Now for the sake of this guide I've chosen to remove the second set of values in the graph to simplify things. At the top of this graph you can see the numbers "100" and "1k" (short for 1,000 which is also written as 1kHz). The high-pitched sounds you hear in such as those produced by a shrieking baby (above 10kHz) you would find to the right of the graph, while what we refer to as bass or as an example the low rumble of a diesel engine (below 160Hz) would be found to the left side of the graph.
Humans can only hear frequencies between a range of 10 Hz all the way to about 30kHz.
So what is frequency response? Simply put, it's the frequencies from low to high that the headset is capable of producing. As an example let's take a look at the latest Fatal1ty model from Creative.
http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Fatal1ty-Gaming-Headset/M/B002DS4HTM.htm#fragment-2
According to that specification sheet the headphones themselves are capable of outputting 20Hz to about 20kHz, fairly standard and nothing special. A decent headset capable of pounding out some head-pumping bass or crisp highs will generally be able to do better than that.
Now when it comes to your microphone frequency response plays a larger role. Communications input devices are notorious for cutting off around or above 100Hz. If the cut off is high enough, even a man with the lowest voice in the world is going to sound like a prepubescent tween. But, higher frequency cut-offs do help reduce environmental background noise, so sometimes it's a good thing. I personally try to look for microphones that can output from 80Hz, not so low that you'll pick up distortion from the environment, but low enough that the bass in your voice can come through. If you're a woman or someone with a naturally high-pitched I highly recommend looking for microphones that cut-off much higher, even up to 200Hz - 300Hz would work well.
Driver Units
A driver is a primary component in any speaker, it's what converts electrical energy into sound waves. The larger and higher quality your driver is, the better the sound quality and the louder the output. So what's a good driver to use in your headphones? Well, drivers are constantly evolving so it's always a good idea to do a bit of research on the latest and greatest before buying any headset. Right now most consumer headphones use 30mm - 50mm neodymium drivers. Generally high quality mid-range headphones (between $150 - $600) will use 50mm neodymium drivers and that's what you should be looking for if you really want a decent headset.
Impedance
This isn't my own writing but it's a great non-technical explanation of impedance. Here's the source.
Impedance is very technical measurement that is hard to explain without equations and scientific jargon. We'll simplify it and break it down in terms of headphones with low and high impedance. Most headphones with low impedance (less than 25 ohms, approximately) require little power to deliver high audio levels. For example, low impedance headphones will work well with equipment with weak amplification like portable music players, phones, and other portable devices. Headphones with higher impedance (25 ohms and over, approximately) demand more power to deliver high audio levels. As a result, they are protected from damage caused by overloading. They can also be used with a wider range of audio equipment.
DJ headphones generally range from 25 to 70 ohms
Headphones with low impedance are more susceptible to "blow outs" when using more powerful amplifiers. For example, connect a lower-priced pair of ear buds with low impedance (for example, 18 ohms) to a DJ mixer, turn it up to the max, and you'll probably blow them out.
Note: if you're buying very high impedance headphones (for example, the 250 ohms you'll find on the Beyerdynamic DT-880-Pro's), you should do more research on the equipment you'll be using it with.
I/O Plugs
The part at the end of the wires that goes into the hole for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. These babies are fairly unimportant in consumer headphones, they're usually 3.5mm in size but can be larger. The larger they come stock the better as you can always buy a conversion unit to down-size them. Doesn't work as well the other way around for various reasons I'm not willing to go into. High-quality headphones will almost always have gold-plated plugs, as gold provides better conductivity. They aren't a huge player when it comes to sound-quality, but it's a plus.
Comfort & the #1 Sound Quality Killer
Comfort is a huge player in any decision to buy a decent headset. Nothing is worse than having your ears ache in pain after hours of listening to music or intense gaming. Velvet cups are the best because you're not going to sweat as much, but leather works pretty good too.
If you're looking at a headset that uses leathering covering on the cups, try and find out whether or not the leather in question is faux or real. If it's genuine leather, you need to go a step further and look into whether it's top-hide (from the back of an animal) or bottom-hide (from the sides and belly of an animal). Top-hide reduces sweating because it breathes better.
Finally, make sure the headset will fit you properly. I cannot stress this enough. If you have a headset that simply doesn't fit properly no matter what you do, you need to return it. A proper fit is essential to sound quality, it's just as important as having high-quality drivers. People all too often overlook this, but even the most expensive headset out there will be drastically less purposeful if it doesn't fit you properly, you just won't be able to hear the difference if your ears aren't positioned properly in relation to the drivers.
Build Material & Flexibility
There are so many different ways to produce plastic, strengthen it and put pieces together that it's fairly inane for me to even mention this in the guide. Most of the time you don't need to worry about what kind of plastic was used to make your headset, any pair that prices over $150 is likely to be just as durable as pairs that price up to $300 or even $400.
Braided cables in wired headsets however, are an absolute must. I would not even consider an expensive headset that doesn't use braided cables.
Bluetooth + Console Limitations & Wireless v Wired
This could be a fairly lengthy topic but I'm going to keep it short. For one just remember that most wireless headsets will reduce the quality of their output over time in order to provide better battery life.
I probably won't own a wireless headset for years to come, not until the technology is drastically improved from its current state, but that's really just my own personal preference. To me, the sacrifices you have to make in the sound quality department (which aren't all that great when the audio is transported by a high-frequency RF signal) to gain mobility just isn't worth it. I don't mind using a Bluetooth set for my cellphone, but that's about as far as I'll go with it. I'm not to say that you shouldn't buy a wireless headset, if you enjoy mobility go for it.
Never buy an expensive wireless headset that transports audio via Bluetooth, RF is the only way to go in this situation. Same for microphone transmission. Sometimes you'll be forced to use Bluetooth to transport the communications signal, like with the PS4 and xBOne (one of the primary reasons why I will never be a dedicated console gamer). If that's the case, you need to understand that you simply aren't going to get better audio quality as the headsets get more expensive. Bluetooth puts severe restrictions on the signal being transported. There won't be a difference between a $120 headset and a $300 headset when it comes to audio quality if the $300 headset uses Bluetooth to transport music or game audio. If you plan on using them with both your PC and a console then it's reasonable to go with a more expensive pair, otherwise steer clear of anything above the $200 range.
External USB Sound Cards
I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of this because it involves a lot of audio engineering jargon. Just know I don't buy a headset without one and neither should you, unless the headset is console specific. They generally do quite a bit to improve sound quality. Expensive studio monitor headphones on the other hand are a different story, you'll need a real external sound card in order to get the benefit of their use.
Closed v Open Design
The primary difference between these two designs is that you will be able to hear more of your environment with an open acoustic design, but they'll reduce and be a tad bit more comfortable after long hours of use. Closed designs will shut out more of the environmental noise but will be slightly less comfortable. For those of you who don't go to LAN parties or plan on using them in a primarily quiet environment I recommend going for the open headset design.
Fluff
Way back at the beginning of the guide I mentioned "fluff" we're about to look at a great example of fluff and hopefully from this you'll be able to come to your own conclusions of just how much a headset is actually worth, and how much of it's cost is based on the sound quality it provides.
Sound Blaster EVO ZXR
One might look at the name, the price tag and the style of these headphones and think "wow that's a quality headset".
Congratulations! If this was you, you're an idiot.
Let's take a look at some of the over-hyped marketing bullshit Creative is flinging in our faces here.
"Sound Blaster EVO ZxR's FullSpectrumâ„¢ 50mm audio drivers are capable of reproducing the full audible range of the audio spectrum, so you won't miss a beat."
Wow! Their 50mm drivers are capable of outputting the full audible range of the audio spectrum. Wait a minute... their specifications sheet says they produce 20Hz - 20kHz, that's not the full audible range of the audio spectrum. So they're a standard 50mm Neodymium driver.
"The headset's ear cups cover your ears entirely" effectively shutting out external noise"
Another amazing accomplishment brought to us by Creative, they managed to figure out how to provide us with the most basic of features. Give them a round of applause everybody.
"the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature detects and cancels out the ambient noise electronically."
Amazing, so how much is it going to cost me for this? $70? Great! Fuck off.
"With the headset supporting aptX® and AAC technologies, you're assured that the audio content transmitted over Bluetooth® is crystal clear."
Except it doesn't do a god damn thing because the audio is still being transmitted over Bluetooth.
"With the Sound Blaster EVO ZxR, you can even experience cinematic, virtual 7.1 surround sound when you connect the headset to your PC or Mac!"
If you have a stereo headset, open the audio device in Windows and click that little virtual surround sound checkbox under the enhancements tab. Then go back to your game and switch it to 5.1 or 7.1, whichever is the highest it supports. You now have virtual 5.1/7.1 surround sound.
The only time this ever makes a difference is if a headset is labelled "Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound", because that means its external sound card is using a much better virtualization algorithm than the one provided by Microsoft or Apple.
"Simply tap your Near Field Communications (NFC)-enabled device on the headset for easy, one-touch Bluetooth pairing."
Hm, an extra $50 - $60 for a practically useless feature that only provides convenience and not a new function.
"To use this product with notebooks or PCs with separate audio and microphone connectors, you may use the Sound Blaster Audio/Mic Splitter Adapter (available separately)."
Well shit, it's a good thing this is able to interface with your computer via USB, but what if all your USB ports are filled? Too fucking bad, you have to use a special cable. And while this is fairly commonplace, most other manufacturers will ship the damn cable with your headset.
"Get the most out of your Sound Blaster EVO ZxR headset with the Sound Blaster Central app, from www.soundblaster.com. The Sound Blaster Central app for smart devices gives you unprecedented audio controls and enhancements right in the palm of your hand."
This can also be accomplished with every software equalizer ever.
Well, that's everything for this headset. So how much do you guys think the price of this headset has been fluffed hm? $80? $100? $120? None of those. I would say the fluff you're getting with this headset is worth somewhere around $180 - $190, in other words more than half its cost is spent on providing you with useless bullshit. But hey, those are some really nice ear cups and they look dope.
Comparison - Headsets that aren't Fluffy
Sennheiser PC 363D
Do you see play controls on that headset? How about bluetooth support? Oh, oh! How about some extra red stitching on the— oh wait those ear pads are made out of fucking velvet why the fuck would you put stitching on them.
Hold on now, what's this? They use a braided cable and they can output from 15Hz all the way to 28kHz instead of just 20Hz to 20kHz? Dolby 7.1 too? God dayum that's nice. Oh and they're also $50 cheaper? Hm, having a tough time deciding which is the better deal here guys. Oh but the 363D's won't be able to hook up to your PS4 directly; but that's okay, because you can always just output audio to your TV and hook them up to that instead. But they don't look dope and they're not wireless? They must be shit right?
Well, maybe I'm being a bit biased here, I do own this headset myself after all (comfortable as fuck by the way, doesn't even feel like I'm wearing them sometimes).
So lets look at another set.
Astro A50 Wireless Headset
Now this? This is a bitchin' headset.
Let's see what we got for specs.
Ships With: A50 Headset with Li-Ion Battery, ASTRO Wireless 5.8 Ghz Transmitter w/ KleerNet™, Headset Stand, 1.0M USB Power Cable, 0.5M USB Charging Cable, 1.0M Optical Cable, 1.5M XBOX Live® Chat Cable
Transducer Principle: Open Air
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20,000 KHz
Distortion: THD<1%
Inputs Front: Optical In, AUX In (3.5mm)
Characteristic SPL: 118 db @1kHz
Microphone: 6.0mm uni-directional noise canceling
Nominal Impedance: 48 ohm
There are a few things you'll see in there that I didn't cover in the guide, because they really don't matter or are simply way too technical to be worth explaining in full.
Okay so the frequency response isn't quite as baller as the 363D's (The wired version, the A40's, are identical in range and price, but they also come with a neat little tool to take the load off of streaming game audio) but hey, they're wireless, so they have an excuse. Look at that transmitter though, 5.8Ghz RF, now that's pretty much guaranteed to give you the signal quality these headphones are definitely capable of producing. They also hook up to the PS4 and the xBOne controllers so they're a great buy for any console gamer. Velvet ear pads too, but the design isn't as ergonomic as the 363D's, so while I doubt you'll experience any pain wearing them for long periods of time the driver might be a few fractions of a millimetre off in relation to your ear.
Oh and they look fucking dope bruh. I wasn't really comparing them to the Creative headphones though was I? That's because there is no comparison, the only fluff is in the brand name, but even I'm paying for a bit of that with Sennheiser and my 363D's. In other words, this wireless headset blows the EVO ZxR's out of the atmosphere and into the fucking sun, and they cost the same amount.
Now I could throw in some "BEETS BI DRUH" comparisons, but nobody wants to see that shit. And honestly, if you own a pair of Beets, sell them. Go out and get a real pair of headphones for half the cost that produce a way better signal from someone like Audio Technica, Sennheiser or Klipsch.
and Music
A Guide for the Lazy Consumer
I'll skip the personal introduction and get right into the meat of this stew.
The purpose of this guide is not to tell you what the best in line is for the current season of audio hardware, but provide you with the knowledge you'll need as a consumer in order to properly decide what kind of headset you should buy to fulfill your needs. We'll also talk a little bit about what I like to call fluff, that being features which provide little to no function with a purpose centred around driving the price of the hardware up. In order to do any of this, we first need to answer a deceptively simple question.
What composes a high-quality headset?
Again, this might sound like something you can give a simple answer for, one may think providing a list of features or things to look for in a headset would be enough. Unfortunately, as with most digital technology, there are times where a certain specification might seem like a good thing or perhaps decide the quality of headset overall, but in reality have little to do with audial clarity.
Frequency Response
In audio engineering we have something called the audio frequency spectrum, in fact, you've probably already seen exactly how we analyse this spectrum through media player visualizers. You know those lines that bob up and down to the beat of the music? That's actually a spectrum analyzer, they look a little something like this:
Now for the sake of this guide I've chosen to remove the second set of values in the graph to simplify things. At the top of this graph you can see the numbers "100" and "1k" (short for 1,000 which is also written as 1kHz). The high-pitched sounds you hear in such as those produced by a shrieking baby (above 10kHz) you would find to the right of the graph, while what we refer to as bass or as an example the low rumble of a diesel engine (below 160Hz) would be found to the left side of the graph.
Humans can only hear frequencies between a range of 10 Hz all the way to about 30kHz.
So what is frequency response? Simply put, it's the frequencies from low to high that the headset is capable of producing. As an example let's take a look at the latest Fatal1ty model from Creative.
http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Fatal1ty-Gaming-Headset/M/B002DS4HTM.htm#fragment-2
According to that specification sheet the headphones themselves are capable of outputting 20Hz to about 20kHz, fairly standard and nothing special. A decent headset capable of pounding out some head-pumping bass or crisp highs will generally be able to do better than that.
Now when it comes to your microphone frequency response plays a larger role. Communications input devices are notorious for cutting off around or above 100Hz. If the cut off is high enough, even a man with the lowest voice in the world is going to sound like a prepubescent tween. But, higher frequency cut-offs do help reduce environmental background noise, so sometimes it's a good thing. I personally try to look for microphones that can output from 80Hz, not so low that you'll pick up distortion from the environment, but low enough that the bass in your voice can come through. If you're a woman or someone with a naturally high-pitched I highly recommend looking for microphones that cut-off much higher, even up to 200Hz - 300Hz would work well.
Driver Units
A driver is a primary component in any speaker, it's what converts electrical energy into sound waves. The larger and higher quality your driver is, the better the sound quality and the louder the output. So what's a good driver to use in your headphones? Well, drivers are constantly evolving so it's always a good idea to do a bit of research on the latest and greatest before buying any headset. Right now most consumer headphones use 30mm - 50mm neodymium drivers. Generally high quality mid-range headphones (between $150 - $600) will use 50mm neodymium drivers and that's what you should be looking for if you really want a decent headset.
Impedance
This isn't my own writing but it's a great non-technical explanation of impedance. Here's the source.
Impedance is very technical measurement that is hard to explain without equations and scientific jargon. We'll simplify it and break it down in terms of headphones with low and high impedance. Most headphones with low impedance (less than 25 ohms, approximately) require little power to deliver high audio levels. For example, low impedance headphones will work well with equipment with weak amplification like portable music players, phones, and other portable devices. Headphones with higher impedance (25 ohms and over, approximately) demand more power to deliver high audio levels. As a result, they are protected from damage caused by overloading. They can also be used with a wider range of audio equipment.
DJ headphones generally range from 25 to 70 ohms
Headphones with low impedance are more susceptible to "blow outs" when using more powerful amplifiers. For example, connect a lower-priced pair of ear buds with low impedance (for example, 18 ohms) to a DJ mixer, turn it up to the max, and you'll probably blow them out.
Note: if you're buying very high impedance headphones (for example, the 250 ohms you'll find on the Beyerdynamic DT-880-Pro's), you should do more research on the equipment you'll be using it with.
I/O Plugs
The part at the end of the wires that goes into the hole for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. These babies are fairly unimportant in consumer headphones, they're usually 3.5mm in size but can be larger. The larger they come stock the better as you can always buy a conversion unit to down-size them. Doesn't work as well the other way around for various reasons I'm not willing to go into. High-quality headphones will almost always have gold-plated plugs, as gold provides better conductivity. They aren't a huge player when it comes to sound-quality, but it's a plus.
Comfort & the #1 Sound Quality Killer
Comfort is a huge player in any decision to buy a decent headset. Nothing is worse than having your ears ache in pain after hours of listening to music or intense gaming. Velvet cups are the best because you're not going to sweat as much, but leather works pretty good too.
If you're looking at a headset that uses leathering covering on the cups, try and find out whether or not the leather in question is faux or real. If it's genuine leather, you need to go a step further and look into whether it's top-hide (from the back of an animal) or bottom-hide (from the sides and belly of an animal). Top-hide reduces sweating because it breathes better.
Finally, make sure the headset will fit you properly. I cannot stress this enough. If you have a headset that simply doesn't fit properly no matter what you do, you need to return it. A proper fit is essential to sound quality, it's just as important as having high-quality drivers. People all too often overlook this, but even the most expensive headset out there will be drastically less purposeful if it doesn't fit you properly, you just won't be able to hear the difference if your ears aren't positioned properly in relation to the drivers.
Build Material & Flexibility
There are so many different ways to produce plastic, strengthen it and put pieces together that it's fairly inane for me to even mention this in the guide. Most of the time you don't need to worry about what kind of plastic was used to make your headset, any pair that prices over $150 is likely to be just as durable as pairs that price up to $300 or even $400.
Braided cables in wired headsets however, are an absolute must. I would not even consider an expensive headset that doesn't use braided cables.
Bluetooth + Console Limitations & Wireless v Wired
This could be a fairly lengthy topic but I'm going to keep it short. For one just remember that most wireless headsets will reduce the quality of their output over time in order to provide better battery life.
I probably won't own a wireless headset for years to come, not until the technology is drastically improved from its current state, but that's really just my own personal preference. To me, the sacrifices you have to make in the sound quality department (which aren't all that great when the audio is transported by a high-frequency RF signal) to gain mobility just isn't worth it. I don't mind using a Bluetooth set for my cellphone, but that's about as far as I'll go with it. I'm not to say that you shouldn't buy a wireless headset, if you enjoy mobility go for it.
Never buy an expensive wireless headset that transports audio via Bluetooth, RF is the only way to go in this situation. Same for microphone transmission. Sometimes you'll be forced to use Bluetooth to transport the communications signal, like with the PS4 and xBOne (one of the primary reasons why I will never be a dedicated console gamer). If that's the case, you need to understand that you simply aren't going to get better audio quality as the headsets get more expensive. Bluetooth puts severe restrictions on the signal being transported. There won't be a difference between a $120 headset and a $300 headset when it comes to audio quality if the $300 headset uses Bluetooth to transport music or game audio. If you plan on using them with both your PC and a console then it's reasonable to go with a more expensive pair, otherwise steer clear of anything above the $200 range.
External USB Sound Cards
I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of this because it involves a lot of audio engineering jargon. Just know I don't buy a headset without one and neither should you, unless the headset is console specific. They generally do quite a bit to improve sound quality. Expensive studio monitor headphones on the other hand are a different story, you'll need a real external sound card in order to get the benefit of their use.
Closed v Open Design
The primary difference between these two designs is that you will be able to hear more of your environment with an open acoustic design, but they'll reduce and be a tad bit more comfortable after long hours of use. Closed designs will shut out more of the environmental noise but will be slightly less comfortable. For those of you who don't go to LAN parties or plan on using them in a primarily quiet environment I recommend going for the open headset design.
Fluff
Way back at the beginning of the guide I mentioned "fluff" we're about to look at a great example of fluff and hopefully from this you'll be able to come to your own conclusions of just how much a headset is actually worth, and how much of it's cost is based on the sound quality it provides.
Sound Blaster EVO ZXR
One might look at the name, the price tag and the style of these headphones and think "wow that's a quality headset".
Congratulations! If this was you, you're an idiot.
Let's take a look at some of the over-hyped marketing bullshit Creative is flinging in our faces here.
"Sound Blaster EVO ZxR's FullSpectrumâ„¢ 50mm audio drivers are capable of reproducing the full audible range of the audio spectrum, so you won't miss a beat."
Wow! Their 50mm drivers are capable of outputting the full audible range of the audio spectrum. Wait a minute... their specifications sheet says they produce 20Hz - 20kHz, that's not the full audible range of the audio spectrum. So they're a standard 50mm Neodymium driver.
"The headset's ear cups cover your ears entirely" effectively shutting out external noise"
Another amazing accomplishment brought to us by Creative, they managed to figure out how to provide us with the most basic of features. Give them a round of applause everybody.
"the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature detects and cancels out the ambient noise electronically."
Amazing, so how much is it going to cost me for this? $70? Great! Fuck off.
"With the headset supporting aptX® and AAC technologies, you're assured that the audio content transmitted over Bluetooth® is crystal clear."
Except it doesn't do a god damn thing because the audio is still being transmitted over Bluetooth.
"With the Sound Blaster EVO ZxR, you can even experience cinematic, virtual 7.1 surround sound when you connect the headset to your PC or Mac!"
If you have a stereo headset, open the audio device in Windows and click that little virtual surround sound checkbox under the enhancements tab. Then go back to your game and switch it to 5.1 or 7.1, whichever is the highest it supports. You now have virtual 5.1/7.1 surround sound.
The only time this ever makes a difference is if a headset is labelled "Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound", because that means its external sound card is using a much better virtualization algorithm than the one provided by Microsoft or Apple.
"Simply tap your Near Field Communications (NFC)-enabled device on the headset for easy, one-touch Bluetooth pairing."
Hm, an extra $50 - $60 for a practically useless feature that only provides convenience and not a new function.
"To use this product with notebooks or PCs with separate audio and microphone connectors, you may use the Sound Blaster Audio/Mic Splitter Adapter (available separately)."
Well shit, it's a good thing this is able to interface with your computer via USB, but what if all your USB ports are filled? Too fucking bad, you have to use a special cable. And while this is fairly commonplace, most other manufacturers will ship the damn cable with your headset.
"Get the most out of your Sound Blaster EVO ZxR headset with the Sound Blaster Central app, from www.soundblaster.com. The Sound Blaster Central app for smart devices gives you unprecedented audio controls and enhancements right in the palm of your hand."
This can also be accomplished with every software equalizer ever.
Well, that's everything for this headset. So how much do you guys think the price of this headset has been fluffed hm? $80? $100? $120? None of those. I would say the fluff you're getting with this headset is worth somewhere around $180 - $190, in other words more than half its cost is spent on providing you with useless bullshit. But hey, those are some really nice ear cups and they look dope.
Comparison - Headsets that aren't Fluffy
Sennheiser PC 363D
Do you see play controls on that headset? How about bluetooth support? Oh, oh! How about some extra red stitching on the— oh wait those ear pads are made out of fucking velvet why the fuck would you put stitching on them.
Hold on now, what's this? They use a braided cable and they can output from 15Hz all the way to 28kHz instead of just 20Hz to 20kHz? Dolby 7.1 too? God dayum that's nice. Oh and they're also $50 cheaper? Hm, having a tough time deciding which is the better deal here guys. Oh but the 363D's won't be able to hook up to your PS4 directly; but that's okay, because you can always just output audio to your TV and hook them up to that instead. But they don't look dope and they're not wireless? They must be shit right?
Well, maybe I'm being a bit biased here, I do own this headset myself after all (comfortable as fuck by the way, doesn't even feel like I'm wearing them sometimes).
So lets look at another set.
Astro A50 Wireless Headset
Now this? This is a bitchin' headset.
Let's see what we got for specs.
Ships With: A50 Headset with Li-Ion Battery, ASTRO Wireless 5.8 Ghz Transmitter w/ KleerNet™, Headset Stand, 1.0M USB Power Cable, 0.5M USB Charging Cable, 1.0M Optical Cable, 1.5M XBOX Live® Chat Cable
Transducer Principle: Open Air
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20,000 KHz
Distortion: THD<1%
Inputs Front: Optical In, AUX In (3.5mm)
Characteristic SPL: 118 db @1kHz
Microphone: 6.0mm uni-directional noise canceling
Nominal Impedance: 48 ohm
There are a few things you'll see in there that I didn't cover in the guide, because they really don't matter or are simply way too technical to be worth explaining in full.
Okay so the frequency response isn't quite as baller as the 363D's (The wired version, the A40's, are identical in range and price, but they also come with a neat little tool to take the load off of streaming game audio) but hey, they're wireless, so they have an excuse. Look at that transmitter though, 5.8Ghz RF, now that's pretty much guaranteed to give you the signal quality these headphones are definitely capable of producing. They also hook up to the PS4 and the xBOne controllers so they're a great buy for any console gamer. Velvet ear pads too, but the design isn't as ergonomic as the 363D's, so while I doubt you'll experience any pain wearing them for long periods of time the driver might be a few fractions of a millimetre off in relation to your ear.
Oh and they look fucking dope bruh. I wasn't really comparing them to the Creative headphones though was I? That's because there is no comparison, the only fluff is in the brand name, but even I'm paying for a bit of that with Sennheiser and my 363D's. In other words, this wireless headset blows the EVO ZxR's out of the atmosphere and into the fucking sun, and they cost the same amount.
Now I could throw in some "BEETS BI DRUH" comparisons, but nobody wants to see that shit. And honestly, if you own a pair of Beets, sell them. Go out and get a real pair of headphones for half the cost that produce a way better signal from someone like Audio Technica, Sennheiser or Klipsch.
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B-B-But, Dr.Dre knows good audio! I should listen to him, right?
This is a good thread, at least I know what I'm looking for when my logitech g930 dies( The mic is complete shit).
Spoiler:
This is a good thread, at least I know what I'm looking for when my logitech g930 dies( The mic is complete shit).
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kanakanakana wrote...
B-B-But, Dr.Dre knows good audio! I should listen to him, right?Spoiler:
This is a good thread, at least I know what I'm looking for when my logitech g930 dies( The mic is complete shit).
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/g4me-zero
You're getting those right? Because you should definitely get those. Unless you want wireless, then get the A50's from Astro.
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Pyre wrote...
You're getting those right? Because you should definitely get those. Unless you want wireless, then get the A50's from Astro.I was thinking of doing,
ATH-M50x and buying a standalone microphone like a blue yeti. Though, what you linked has got me looking through youtube and other sites about that headset.
Kinda hesitant, I've been bitten hard with the "gaming quality" brand with Logitech. The "gaming" stamp has me looking twice.
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kanakanakana wrote...
Pyre wrote...
You're getting those right? Because you should definitely get those. Unless you want wireless, then get the A50's from Astro.I was thinking of doing,
ATH-M50x and buying a standalone microphone like a blue yeti. Though, what you linked has got me looking through youtube and other sites about that headset.
Kinda hesitant, I've been bitten hard with the "gaming quality" brand with Logitech. The "gaming" stamp has me looking twice.
Logitech is known for fluff just like Creative is. I own a pair of M50x's, they produce a lower sound quality than the 363D's and their successors (G4ME One & Zero), the soundstage just doesn't match up but it isn't a major difference, the M50x's are pretty good bang for your buck. If you want better sound quality at the sacrifice of the microphone you should go for the 598's, they're on for a pretty good price right now and they'll outdo both by a good margin.
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I just got a pair of Turtle Beach X12's about a month ago and I love it. I'm using it on my PC and the microphone on it is amazing as well as the sound.
I was looking for a pair that wasn't noise cancelling so my ears could breathe and this one fits the bill nicely. Any gamer would know you don't want one that is completely closed off or your ears will sweat and you will get a headache.
The amplifier on it is nice. When the mic is turned on it is set up so you can hear yourself in the headset so you can adjust your volume/placement accordingly in case you are too loud or breathing on it. I thought it might be a problem but honestly you hardly notice it. My old set I had to run the mic through my sound card to get it to sound decent. With this pair I can connect it to the motherboard and the mic still sounds great. You can also adjust the bass boost on the amplifier to your liking.
I also like the tilted ear design so the headband rests squarely in the middle of your head. The drivers are also 50mm whereas most other similar gaming headsets only use 40. And to boot as of this writing it retails for $60 and amazon is selling it for $35!
I don't own a xbox but supposedly you can plug the controller headset port with a male-to-male into the amplifier and you can control chat volume seperate from your game volume on it.
I basically decided on this pair after doing a lot of research then going out to Best Buy because they had these and a few other pairs of gaming headsets on display that I could try out. They had a Razer brand and a Logitech brand over-the-ear style just like this one but the turtle beach just fit better than both and sounded better than the logitech and about the same as the Razer.
I was looking for a pair that wasn't noise cancelling so my ears could breathe and this one fits the bill nicely. Any gamer would know you don't want one that is completely closed off or your ears will sweat and you will get a headache.
The amplifier on it is nice. When the mic is turned on it is set up so you can hear yourself in the headset so you can adjust your volume/placement accordingly in case you are too loud or breathing on it. I thought it might be a problem but honestly you hardly notice it. My old set I had to run the mic through my sound card to get it to sound decent. With this pair I can connect it to the motherboard and the mic still sounds great. You can also adjust the bass boost on the amplifier to your liking.
I also like the tilted ear design so the headband rests squarely in the middle of your head. The drivers are also 50mm whereas most other similar gaming headsets only use 40. And to boot as of this writing it retails for $60 and amazon is selling it for $35!
I don't own a xbox but supposedly you can plug the controller headset port with a male-to-male into the amplifier and you can control chat volume seperate from your game volume on it.
I basically decided on this pair after doing a lot of research then going out to Best Buy because they had these and a few other pairs of gaming headsets on display that I could try out. They had a Razer brand and a Logitech brand over-the-ear style just like this one but the turtle beach just fit better than both and sounded better than the logitech and about the same as the Razer.
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I roll with modified Sennheiser HD555s and the Rockband microphone which turns out to be pretty awesome.
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A rule of thumb i have is that if something is branded "gaming", then don't buy it.
I only buy studio headphones, and then i use my Blue Yeti as microphone.
I do this because i want a flat frequency response.
I only buy studio headphones, and then i use my Blue Yeti as microphone.
I do this because i want a flat frequency response.
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Nachbar wrote...
Spoiler:
I enjoy most of Turtle Beach's X lineup, I most recently owned pair of PX5's for a while and they were great for general usage, they were wireless and used RF for signal transport. The major downside was that if you wanted to use the microphone wirelessly you had to resort to bluetooth which meant awful input quality, but with a cable it was otherwise pretty good.
ZubaruMidori wrote...
A rule of thumb i have is that if something is branded "gaming", then don't buy it.I only buy studio headphones, and then i use my Blue Yeti as microphone.
I do this because i want a flat frequency response.
I personally don't take any kind of branding to heart either positively or negatively, it's the product that matters, not the manufacturer and certainly not the labels they put on it. If the build quality is good, the specs are in the right range and the right reviewers give it a great rating then it's worth spending money on, regardless of whether or not it's been labelled as a "gaming" product.
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Pyre wrote...
ZubaruMidori wrote...
A rule of thumb i have is that if something is branded "gaming", then don't buy it.I only buy studio headphones, and then i use my Blue Yeti as microphone.
I do this because i want a flat frequency response.
I personally don't take any kind of branding to heart either positively or negatively, it's the product that matters, not the manufacturer and certainly not the labels they put on it. If the build quality is good, the specs are in the right range and the right reviewers give it a great rating then it's worth spending money on, regardless of whether or not it's been labelled as a "gaming" product.
I totally agree, though I have never actually seen a gaming headset get a good review when it comes to its sound when compared to a studio headphone, so i usually just ignore gaming branded audio gear.
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i have the pioneer SE-CL721
with a audio programm like waves maxx audio master they produce a lot of sound
with a audio programm like waves maxx audio master they produce a lot of sound
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godsend
The Pun Master
I (sadly) am currently without a GOOD headset:
I HAD kickass a pair of Audio-Technica headphones (ATH-ANC7b) that lasted something like 5 or 6 years (I actually don't remember exactly how old they are at this point, because they were a gift), and they were AWESOME.
And then, a few weeks ago, the little part that allows the cups to hinge broke. (There's a post the wire is threaded through so it doesn't get twisted when the cups move -- the post itself actually snapped in half.)
I don't think I'd get this pair again, simply because I don't travel w/ them, so I don't need that hinging, but the audio quality was incredible, and IMO, their support staff is fucking incredible.
I went through THREE SETS OF EAR CUPS, just because I tend to put them on/take them off frequently, and all I had to do was email a guy at A.T. a message saying "Hey, the seam holding the two halves of the cup split, can you send me another set?" and I got it within a week, tops.
No charge for the parts, no charge for the shipping.
No questions asked.
Free.
I don't know of any other place that does that.
I'm definitely buying from them in the future, simply because I don't need DJ/audiophile-level headsets. (Though I probably would be able to tell the difference; my senses are much more...well...sensitive...than many other people's senses are. ADD n' all that.)
Also, they have one headset which (purportedly) can almost completely cancel ALL ambient noise (within reason of course), and gods almighty, do I need that where I live.
ATH-ANC9
I HAD kickass a pair of Audio-Technica headphones (ATH-ANC7b) that lasted something like 5 or 6 years (I actually don't remember exactly how old they are at this point, because they were a gift), and they were AWESOME.
And then, a few weeks ago, the little part that allows the cups to hinge broke. (There's a post the wire is threaded through so it doesn't get twisted when the cups move -- the post itself actually snapped in half.)
I don't think I'd get this pair again, simply because I don't travel w/ them, so I don't need that hinging, but the audio quality was incredible, and IMO, their support staff is fucking incredible.
I went through THREE SETS OF EAR CUPS, just because I tend to put them on/take them off frequently, and all I had to do was email a guy at A.T. a message saying "Hey, the seam holding the two halves of the cup split, can you send me another set?" and I got it within a week, tops.
No charge for the parts, no charge for the shipping.
No questions asked.
Free.
I don't know of any other place that does that.
I'm definitely buying from them in the future, simply because I don't need DJ/audiophile-level headsets. (Though I probably would be able to tell the difference; my senses are much more...well...sensitive...than many other people's senses are. ADD n' all that.)
Also, they have one headset which (purportedly) can almost completely cancel ALL ambient noise (within reason of course), and gods almighty, do I need that where I live.
ATH-ANC9
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Pyre wrote...
kanakanakana wrote...
B-B-But, Dr.Dre knows good audio! I should listen to him, right?Spoiler:
This is a good thread, at least I know what I'm looking for when my logitech g930 dies( The mic is complete shit).
http://en-us.sennheiser.com/g4me-zero
You're getting those right? Because you should definitely get those. Unless you want wireless, then get the A50's from Astro.
Couple of my buddies moved over to those from our old logi g35's and those things deliver for the price.
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Revelation
Defender of DFC
I used TB X32 for my xbox and it's really good because if you set it up right you can listen to game audio and watch tv directly through headset with very very small amount of sound if any coming from the tv
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Tanasinn wrote...
This might help.http://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php
Nice find, thanks.
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I'm currently using a Sennheiser MX 80. They're cheap and sounds about average. They don't stick inside the ear canal unlike other earbuds.
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SneeakyAsian
CTFG Vanguard
[color=#993300]Came here for the magical Gentium Book font, stayed for the discussion of sound tech.
For straight up sound (i.e. being in a music booth) Beyerdynamic T5p , considering that they can cover beyond the human spectrum of hearing, no worries there and are freaking comfortable. Only restriction is that they're above $1000, which is why I can only use the ones at the studio.
At home, I use Sony MDR7506s, nothing too bad and a tenth of the price of the Beyers. Unlike other headphones, give a flat EQ, which leaves it to me to modify, which is a BIG advantage since I have an adaptable EQ program for basically each song I have.
On the go, Sony MDR-NC31EM, considering I have a Sony Xperia Z2, it works together since the phone is built to work with these to run the noise-cancellation program. They aren't horrible, just your average in-ear headphone set.
Not a heavy gamer, just using some Turtle Beaches that were given to me as a present.
For straight up sound (i.e. being in a music booth) Beyerdynamic T5p , considering that they can cover beyond the human spectrum of hearing, no worries there and are freaking comfortable. Only restriction is that they're above $1000, which is why I can only use the ones at the studio.
At home, I use Sony MDR7506s, nothing too bad and a tenth of the price of the Beyers. Unlike other headphones, give a flat EQ, which leaves it to me to modify, which is a BIG advantage since I have an adaptable EQ program for basically each song I have.
On the go, Sony MDR-NC31EM, considering I have a Sony Xperia Z2, it works together since the phone is built to work with these to run the noise-cancellation program. They aren't horrible, just your average in-ear headphone set.
Not a heavy gamer, just using some Turtle Beaches that were given to me as a present.
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I have 3 setups.
Portable: Sony MDR 1R (~$299) as a portable headphone and Sony NWZ F806 (~$259) as the source.
Reference: Hidition New Tears 6 Custom IEM (~$1,299) as a reference IEM, Sony NWZ F806 (~$259) as the source, and Fiio E12 Mont Blanc (~$129) as the amp.
Home: AKG K701 (~$499) as a reference headphone paired with Hifiman EF2A (~$169)Amp/DAC.
I am saving up for Beyerdynamic T1 (~$999) and Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies (~$999). Hopefully, I will stop spending money on audio gears after buying those.
Portable: Sony MDR 1R (~$299) as a portable headphone and Sony NWZ F806 (~$259) as the source.
Reference: Hidition New Tears 6 Custom IEM (~$1,299) as a reference IEM, Sony NWZ F806 (~$259) as the source, and Fiio E12 Mont Blanc (~$129) as the amp.
Home: AKG K701 (~$499) as a reference headphone paired with Hifiman EF2A (~$169)Amp/DAC.
I am saving up for Beyerdynamic T1 (~$999) and Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies (~$999). Hopefully, I will stop spending money on audio gears after buying those.
