[syfer]

Hi im on the market for the very best 7.1 HEADSET i would like to know whats the best
7.1 HEADSET that wired and the very best 7.1 HEADSET wireless solution.
These headsets will used to listen to my 7.1 movies and some tv shows that i have.
Can some help me fine the perfect headset

 

 

[cel4145]

See this gaming headphone guide:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-3-29-2014-ultrasone-hs-15-added-edits

Most surround gaming headsets are actually stereo with a soundcard that has headphone surround processing. You can combine the headphones in that guide with a soundcard to get better sound than from a so-called 7.1 headset.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

If you're using it for movies you can just use a surround headphone instead of a surround headset; no sense in paying for a microphone that you won't use. Check out the RS180 from Sennhseiser.

 

[yopeople70]

To be honest, I wouldn't choose a 7.1 headphone. It is just virtual surround sound, not the real deal. For gaming, go with the Astro A40s if you want to hear enemy footsteps in first person shooters. If you just want good overall sound quality, go with a headphone that has good sound stage. 

 

[GREQ]

There is actually one true 7.1 headset, but even the 5.1's with simulated 7.1 sound really bad - all the tiny drivers are of such a low quality.
 
I found fully simulated 7.1 to sound better simply because the sound quality from only 2 higher quality drivers is more enjoyable and the sound flows around you more fluidly.
In the headsets with multiple drivers, the 2 'front' drivers are biggest and best quality, while the side and rear drivers are cheap and sound awful by comparison, so as the sound moves around you, the quality, timbre and even frequency response of the sound can change radically - I found this to be extremely disruptive and annoying.

 

[syfer]

Is the Sennheiser PC363D any good?
They look ugly but how do they sound?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Is the Sennheiser PC363D any good?
They look ugly but how do they sound?

 
I haven't heard it but that headset is on my list and one reason is they don't look as obtrusive nor flashy as gaming periphal-brand headsets, but only as a back-up if my plan to use his HT (46in HDTV and surround receiver, speakers) with a mainly Total War rig (90% of my gaming is on this, and half the time we're playing co-op) runs into some problems, like any serious issues with the display's refresh rates (I've tried my APU laptop on High graphics settings on a friend's HT and it didn't have this issue; Extreme on a discrete GPU might be different though). I'd assume it's on par with most simulated surround headphones unless anyone says otherwise; anyway the Amazon retail prices are a lot lower than the MSRP on Sennheiser's website.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Is the Sennheiser PC363D any good?
They look ugly but how do they sound?

They're Sennheiser so they're not terrible. I'd actually go check out LinusTechTips on Youtube, he's been doing a number of gaming headset reviews of late and he's of a pretty good mind when it comes to audio quality.'

That being said, I maintain, as others do, that you'd be just as well served by a good set of stereo headphones. As said before, most, though not all, surround sound headphones rely on software to mix the audio from surround down to stereo. Your computer will actually do that for you already. All you really need is a good pair of headphones with solid imaging and good bass extension.

I do a lot of FPS gaming and I never noticed a difference in my ability to perceive directions with 'surround sound' headphones vs. standard stereo headphones. And this isn't because I can't tell, I've regularly been accused of hacking for being able to turn 180 degrees and shoot someone coming up behind me. They think I'm cheating, truth is I have very good headphones and can hear their approach. Ever played Left 4 Dead 2? Can't tell you the number of times I've turned around and shot a hunter perched high above me...

 

[ProtegeManiac]

They're Sennheiser so they're not terrible. I'd actually go check out LinusTechTips on Youtube, he's been doing a number of gaming headset reviews of late and he's of a pretty good mind when it comes to audio quality.'

That being said, I maintain, as others do, that you'd be just as well served by a good set of stereo headphones. As said before, most, though not all, surround sound headphones rely on software to mix the audio from surround down to stereo. Your computer will actually do that for you already. All you really need is a good pair of headphones with solid imaging and good bass extension.

I do a lot of FPS gaming and I never noticed a difference in my ability to perceive directions with 'surround sound' headphones vs. standard stereo headphones. And this isn't because I can't tell, I've regularly been accused of hacking for being able to turn 180 degrees and shoot someone coming up behind me. They think I'm cheating, truth is I have very good headphones and can hear their approach. Ever played Left 4 Dead 2? Can't tell you the number of times I've turned around and shot a hunter perched high above me...

 
Actually there are still a couple of advantages with headsets that can be important to some:

1. Ergos - the mic is already built into the left earcup. It's not like the computer scans your hand motions and will be read by your squad; putting ping points in Shogun II or drawing attack vectors in Rome II just makes it too realistic in terms of communication issues in real battle (where, back then, it would be with flags and drums), which sounds great for enthusiasts until one realizes that the AI isn't simulating that and you end up with two humans decisively losing to a well-coordinate AI army despite comparable forces.
 
2. Earpad prices. There are a few stores here that sell generic pads and they fit a lot of gaming headsets, which can be a problem if the Hi-Fi headphone with good imaging one uses happens to be something like the AKG K701 at $45 for each pad or the HD600 at $60 per pair, or AT's Air-series as I'm not even sure where to get replacements for those aside from AT (and the website doesn't have an accessible list of spare parts as Sennheiser does last I checked).

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

1. Ergos - the mic is already built into the left earcup. It's not like the computer scans your hand motions and will be read by your squad; putting ping points in Shogun II or drawing attack vectors in Rome II just makes it too realistic in terms of communication issues in real battle (where, back then, it would be with flags and drums), which sounds great for enthusiasts until one realizes that the AI isn't simulating that and you end up with two humans decisively losing to a well-coordinate AI army despite comparable forces.

2. Earpad prices. There are a few stores here that sell generic pads and they fit a lot of gaming headsets, which can be a problem if the Hi-Fi headphone with good imaging one uses happens to be something like the AKG K701 at $45 for each pad or the HD600 at $60 per pair, or AT's Air-series as I'm not even sure where to get replacements for those aside from AT (and the website doesn't have an accessible list of spare parts as Sennheiser does last I checked).

1. Yep, they are. That's why I have one of these: http://www.modmic.com/ I don't play team-based FPS with people who don't have mics. Great way to lose. Anyway, with one of these (they work amazingly, by the way) you can even take it off when you don't need it.

2. Pads wear out after years, not weeks or months. By the time you need to replace them dropping $50 (I'd love to see a headphone that cost $120 for new pads...) for a set isn't going to seem like a big deal.

If you worry about that, you could stick with a company that uses standard pads across their line. Hifiman, for example, or Grado. Probably more than you want to drop but I use my HE-500's for gaming and they are amazing. Anyway, most of the popular audiophile headphones either have pads through the vendors or third-parties that sell them. Or some company makes one that is for one headphone but fits another... That happens pretty frequently. Either way, pads shouldn't be a concern.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

2. Pads wear out after years, not weeks or months. By the time you need to replace them dropping $50 (I'd love to see a headphone that cost $120 for new pads...) for a set isn't going to seem like a big deal.

My first set of HD600 pads wore out in less than a year. Not that they were unusable, but they were squished enough that they sound drastically different compared to a pair in reasonably better condition. THeir demise was likely hastened by hours of gaming in the afternoons in hot weather with me skimping on the AC, and my aversion to wearing them out coming from $60 every few months potentially, which might not be a big deal to some but to me that might mean less steak nights, and that this will more expensive thanks to shipping and "taxes" given how our local Sennheiser distributor doesn't stock spare parts. That's also why I said some features can be important to some people - all factors can be discussed here and it will be up to the reader to see which ones apply and which ones don't.
 
Similarly, one advantage to the mod mic over a fixed, built-in microphone aside from being able to use a nicer headphone is that you can use it with a cheaper headphone if you're the type of idiot who rage quits and throws off his headset, like my idiot cousin who already broke two headsets.

 

[cel4145]

My first set of HD600 pads wore out in less than a year.

You are spending too much time gaming

I think you make a good point, though, about how it can be expensive to replace pads. Certainly worth making sure replacement pads are at least available at a reasonable price. DougofTheAbaci is right. HiFiMan's pads are $10 for velour or $20 for leather (plus shipping), so not bad at all to replace.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

You are spending too much time gaming

I think you make a good point, though, about how it can be expensive to replace pads. Certainly worth making sure replacement pads are at least available at a reasonable price. DougofTheAbaci is right. HiFiMan's pads are $10 for velour or $20 for leather (plus shipping), so not bad at all to replace.

 
Not as much as I'd like - that was just weekends and some weeknights playing Medieval II and the old Rome TW, plus a little bit of Darksiders and Unreal Tournament. Having really acidic sweat made matters even worse for me. 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Not as much as I'd like - that was just weekends and some weeknights playing Medieval II and the old Rome TW, plus a little bit of Darksiders and Unreal Tournament. Having really acidic sweat made matters even worse for me. 

That really just sounds like bad luck. I spent a good year and a half where I was probably gaming something like 6+ hours every day, on average, and I have never had to replace headphone pads on either the Denon AH-D2000's I had before or the Hifiman HE-500's I have now. I really think you just had some bad pads.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

That really just sounds like bad luck. I spent a good year and a half where I was probably gaming something like 6+ hours every day, on average, and I have never had to replace headphone pads on either the Denon AH-D2000's I had before or the Hifiman HE-500's I have now. I really think you just had some bad pads.

 
By design, perhaps - HD600 pads are known to have a relatively shorter service life. Ditto the K701/2, whose pads have the shape that adds toe-in to the drivers (vs the mount on, say, the newer headphones like the HD800 and T1). I'm not about to spend on the HE500 and a proper amp for it  just for cheaper pads either.
 
There's also the possibility that you might not be noticing the effects the on the sound as much as I do, even if the wear on the pads puts their cups at comparative distance from our ears (note that when I stop using HD600 pads it's not like they already look the part, like I've worn them for a week straight and will never go back from that compressed shape). The wear on the HD600 pads makes for sharper treble and mudslide-like bass and bass drum notes. If your music doesn't have such notes, particularly with the bass, then this is hard to notice even on an HD600. Vocal tracks for one unless they have high pitch sections don't sound different.