Hi there, I searched the forums and reviews but couldn't find what I was looking for.
 
I am looking for a headphone with a mic, around 50 bucks or so, but of course if there is something so much better for 80 or so please tell me. I like to game, so I don't want to wake the whole house by playing my games and music at night. Most of the time I am gaming with my music on. The most important things are sound quality and comfort. The mic isn't a big deal, I just want just in case. Or do you think it's better to buy a separate mic?
 
I know my budget isn't very high, but could you please help me choose one? There are so many options and I am just lost now.

Right up front, I don't have a brand/model to recommend to you, but that said:
 
I've never found a good headset. That is, I've never found a good set of headphones that has a mic attached. I long ago went the route of standalone mic.
 
Logitech makes a very good "noise canceling" USB mic that sells for about $35 at best buy. mine sits about a foot and a half from my head and doesn't pick up any background noise (I can tell because my wife has the same one and I can hear what hers sounds like). If you can find it, logitech has an analogue (the little pink 1/8th inch plug) version that used to sell for about $20 when I was able to find it. very high quality for the price, and it frees up your choice of headphone tremendously.
 
As far as comfort, you're going to find it hard to beat circumaural "over the ears" type cans. I've gamed with my sennheisers  (HD-650s, and before that HD-590s) on for upwards of 12 hours straight at lan parties before. They're incredibly comfortable.
 
Closed cans have a lot less noise leakage, but as long as nobody is in the same room with you, open cans normally don't leak enough for anybody to notice. open cans are also generally (not always, but generally) cheaper for the same quality.
 
Despite what I said at the begining of my post, it occurs to me that you might want to see if you can catch the Sennheiser HD-555s on sale at amazon or something like that. When they get cheap, they fall into your budget range. The 555s have drawbacks (most commonly heard is that their bass is somewhat weak compared to other headphones) but they are a very good option for gaming and music with comfort in that price range.
 
Btw, take it from me, don't go near Grados for gaming. They're pretty uncomfortable after about an hour or so.

Thanks for the help. I decided to just go for the headphone, and up the price to about 100.
Is there anyone else who knows a great headphone for the price? I'd like some more advice before I decide which one to buy.

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bertus728 said:

Thanks for the help. I decided to just go for the headphone, and up the price to about 100.
Is there anyone else who knows a great headphone for the price? I'd like some more advice before I decide which one to buy.

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around $100, your options are going to open up a bit. There are still the HD-555s, and the Audio Technica ATH-M50s may be within reach as well. I havn't heard much about the M50's qualities as a gaming headphone though, perhaps someone else has some experience gaming on them.

Bump!

Oh no not the M50s for gaming. Bad.
 
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skarecrow77 said:

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bertus728 said:

Thanks for the help. I decided to just go for the headphone, and up the price to about 100.
Is there anyone else who knows a great headphone for the price? I'd like some more advice before I decide which one to buy.

Click to expand...

around $100, your options are going to open up a bit. There are still the HD-555s, and the Audio Technica ATH-M50s may be within reach as well. I havn't heard much about the M50's qualities as a gaming headphone though, perhaps someone else has some experience gaming on them.

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I'm curious, what's the problem with gaming on the M50s?
 
Can't be worse than gaming on grados, can it?

First of all, thanks for the help. I don't know why exactly a headset is worse than a headphone?
 
Should I just buy the HD555 or is there anyone else with some good advice?

Headsets are typically not built with quality in mind. And then you are paying for marketing that Headphones don't incur. Then you have the convenience of having a mic attached. A lot of people buy headsets because they are made for gamers, right? You will be very happy with the 555 for gaming especially after removing the foam.

Why remove the foam?
Anyway thanks for the help, I guess I will pick up one of those 555

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bertus728 said:

Why remove the foam?
 

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It does improve sound, (more soundstage for gaming)

I searched around a bit, and I can't get the 555 for lower than 140 .That's a little too much for me.
Are there any other suggestions? And why exactly is the m50 bad for gaming?
 
Edit: I read this thread http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/529144/buying-headphones-seeking-guidance-don-t-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here/615. Are the creative aurvana live any good for gaming too?

And how about JVC HARX900? Are these headphones easy to come by or are they a pain to get?

The m50 is bad for gaming because all the sound comes from inside your head, so you have a very hard time telling which direction sounds are coming from.  You should check prices on the audio technica ad700's as they are probably better for gaming than the hd555, and might fall into your price range depending on your location.  

That's what dolby headphone is for,if he has a sound card that supports it.. I use DT 770 pro 80's and they are glorious..Blow's any gaming headsets away and I've have about 6 different kinds..