I've had a pair of Sennheiser HD-497's forever, and I really like them.  I know they're probably not amazing, but they're so much better than most cheap headphones it's amazing - especially for bass that's very much there, but not all muddy like most other headphones.  I especially like how clear things are - sometimes when I hear things on the headphones it sounds like it's in the same room as me (I've had to look around sometimes to make sure).
 
 
That being said, I 100% of the time use the headphones with my PC, and the cord is really starting to get in the way.  I've been toying with a bunch of different options, and I wonder if there's something that matches my wishlist.
 
-Good sounding.  At least as good as the HD497's.  If they were as good or better than the HD555's (which were to be my next upgrade), even better.
 
-Wireless
 
-Built-in mic
 
-Analog in/out (3.5mm / RCA).  I often switch between speakers & headphones, and USB devices are really too hard to work with here (try switching from speaker to headphone in the middle of a voice conference, not fun)
 
Does such a thing exist?  I've seen PC headsets w/ built in mic, but I worry that most have sound quality second to mic/looks.  I've also seen wireless headsets w/ mic, but most are USB.
 
Do I need to compromise and just get a set of wireless headphones, then a separate headset with a mic?  Doesn't that seem like a waste?
 
Thanks!

Wireless: Any Senn wireless. Some have timing issues. But I'm not into wireless
 
Wireless mics: Get a bluetooth usb input and a bluetooth headset. Attach the headset with velcro to point at your mouth. This would be custom without a guide.
 
Check out Sennheiser for cans and Monoprice for the bluetooth headsets. Not sure if monoprice sells the usb inputs though.

Beating HD497.... that's really tough thing for wireless headphones in general.
 
Sennheiser RS series are really only one worth mentioning, and they cost a lot (too much) for what they are doing.

 
Quote:

botbyte said:

Wireless: Any Senn wireless. Some have timing issues. But I'm not into wireless
 
Wireless mics: Get a bluetooth usb input and a bluetooth headset. Attach the headset with velcro to point at your mouth. This would be custom without a guide.
 
Check out Sennheiser for cans and Monoprice for the bluetooth headsets. Not sure if monoprice sells the usb inputs though.

Click to expand...

 
I'm not into wireless either, I'd rather just get a HD555.  But the cord has become a big hassle recently, and I've reached the point where the convenience outweighs the cons (battery life, price, sound quality).  If I could, I'd love to buy a small wireless transmitter/receiver and plug a custom short cord from a pair of HD555's into it.  Best of both worlds?  But I'm not sure if anyone makes something like that.
 
Interesting idea about the bluetooth.  I use bluetooth all the time for my phone, and while I do switch headphones/speakers often, I normally only have one mic.  That might be doable.  I actually have a few donor bluetooth headsets that I could use for experimenting, for mic only.  In fact, I might attach a bluetooth to my HD497's as a test of a ghetto add-on bluetooth mic.
 
Quote:

wnmnkh said:

Beating HD497.... that's really tough thing for wireless headphones in general.
 
Sennheiser RS series are really only one worth mentioning, and they cost a lot (too much) for what they are doing.

Click to expand...

Yeah, those are the ones I've looked at.  Looks like I'm paying $200-300 for a nice pair of RS wireless headphones - and they still don't have built in mics.  I might go this route, but again - seems like a waste to pay a lot for wireless headphones, strap on a ghetto bluetooth mic, and end up with something a little janky in the end.
 
If windows XP supported hot-swapping of music sources (ie. quick switch between analog out & USB out), that would solve much of my problems.  But unfortunately, it doesn't - I have to restart applications (or at the very least go through some convoluted settings change) to do it.
 
Right now I have an analog switch that does 1) analog out to speakers, 2) analog out to HD497 headphones, and 3) analog in from 2.5mm cell phone headset.  I regularly switch between all three.  Obviously this is a bit of a pain.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far.  Esp. BotByte for the bluetooth ghetto mod - I think I'll try that next and see how well it works.