A sound setup for pure gaming, need help

[AhellHound]

I'm new to  the sound community, and I've wanted to upgrade my headphones (Logitech G930). So I wanted to get the real deal, and use a dedicated sound card. 
 
Through Linus Tech Tips, I found the Asus Xonar Essence STX. It's within my budget, and I've only heard good things from it. But I've looked around for headphones that are compatible with the sound card, and will actually use the soundcard to some of it's potential. Now, the only results from searching are a plethora of headsets that I've never heard of, and i'm lost. Most are above the $200 mark, and don't have a mic attached to them (I believe it's called a boom mic, may be wrong).
 
I've also heard that quality headsets don't have mics, but I don't want a seperate mic I need to buy.
 
If you have any questions, please ask, but I'd like to know what you think I should use for headphones, and what Sound Card + Headphone combo you have.
 
 
Additions:
Here are some headset's I've looked at, so I'm wondering what's your opinion with them.
 
- Sennheiser PC 360
- (Still looking)
 
 
 
Thanks for the help!

 

[StudioSound]

Most people would agree that Creative's CMSS-3D is the best headphone virtualization out there for gaming right now.
The newer cards only offer THX TruStudio surround (also branded as SBX ProStudio) which is a 7.1 > stereo virtualization rather than true 3D audio. It's good, but not as good as CMSS-3D.
I don't like Dolby Headphone (which the Xonar Cards use) at all - it just adds a ton of reverb, and makes everything sound like I am sitting in an empty room.

So the best card for gaming is the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, as it offers both CMSS-3D and THX TruStudio surround options.

That being said, it only matters if you care about virtual surround. Some gamers don't use virtual surround at all and just stick to the stereo audio mix that the game provides.
Check out YouTube for some demos of CMSS-3D vs Dolby Headphone/THX TruStudio.

A new option is that Razer have released some virtual surround software that should work with any device, but I have not had a chance to try it out yet, so I don't know how well that compares to THX/Dolby. There are probably videos demoing that now too.


If you don't care about virtual surround, I wouldn't buy a sound card at all. As far as sound quality is concerned, you're much better off with a USB DAC and headphone amplifier, or an integrated unit - something like the JDS Labs O2 or better.

But if you're wanting to use a headset rather than a good pair of headphones, most sound cards also include a line-in and/or a mic-in, which will allow you to use an analog headset.
A number of headsets are using USB now, which means they have their own DAC/ADC chips, and there's no need for a sound card at all - but this means you lose the virtual surround option. (unless Razer's works for you)
Personally, I would probably go with a good headphone setup and use a desktop mic rather than a headset.

 

[asgiov]

I picked up a modmic for my Sennheiser HD 650s to use for Skype sessions. It comes with a little piece that attaches to the headset with adhesive (Which can be cleanly removed later). And you magnetically attach the mic to the headphones with a small magnet. It works really well.
 
The quality of the mic is far better than any headset I've owned, including the Astro A40s. 
And it's only $30. It uses a really nice condenser mic. Really good for the price. 
 
modmic.com is where you order it from.
http://www.modmic.com/collections/frontpage/products/modmic
 
I'd go this route, 100%. 
 
Another option would be to get a pair of headphones with in-line mic. Then pick up the Astro Y-splitter, that separates the 4-pole plug to separate mic and stereo plugs. $5 at astrogaming.com http://www.astrogaming.com/astro-pc-splitter-559
 
As far as to which headphones to go with... that depends more on if you want something with a nice, deep, impactful bass to make it more fun... or something that's better for competitive gaming... that'll give you more accurate pin-point sound-stage. 
 
I think the Beyerdynamics DT-990 Pro might be a good place to start. 
http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-AMS-DT-990-Pro-250-Professional-Acoustically-Applications/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373194391&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+990+pro
 
Good headphone for gaming for the price. Just attach a modmic to the thing and you'll be good to go.