Gaming Headphones (w/ Mic)?
Jul 21, 2005 at 6:33 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

Guzik

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Hey all, I just recently joined the forums after browsing around for a bit, and though I'd drop the question that has been on my mind.

My old headphones are starting to die.. The mic is getting worse and the left side of the headphones are silent. I'm in the market for getting a new pair of some good (gaming) headphones - mic required.

After going through these forums, I've found a lot of great looking headphones, but with no mic. And I'm definately not wanting to get a tabletop mic since I won't have a lot of room on the table.

I would like them to be less than $150.. hopefully that's a fair range.
Thank you all for your help! I've heard great things about this forum.
 
Jul 21, 2005 at 9:35 PM Post #3 of 14
I would recommend the Ultrasone HS-15s. They sound really good and they have a mic. They may be little hard to find though. You might have to contact the company to find a dealer who can get them for you.
www.ultrasoneusa.com
They are just like the HFI-15Gs but with a mic on the left side.

Evan
------------------
Grado SR125, Ultrasone HFI-2200 and 700
 
Jul 21, 2005 at 9:47 PM Post #4 of 14
I'm wondering how plantronics stuff sounds as well. I know they are the biggest headset manufacturer, and that they offer a LOT of models. Also my dad owns some of their stock.

Also tabletop mics can be SO small. All the way from cheapo to something like this.
 
Jul 21, 2005 at 11:00 PM Post #5 of 14
if you have a decent soundcard, get headphones with a headphone jack, not USB. USB headphones have onboard sound and bypass your soundcard, which is pointless IMO.
 
Jul 22, 2005 at 12:14 AM Post #6 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by YngwieJMalmsteen
I'm wondering how plantronics stuff sounds as well. I know they are the biggest headset manufacturer, and that they offer a LOT of models. Also my dad owns some of their stock.

Also tabletop mics can be SO small. All the way from cheapo to something like this.



Let me try to answer this.
I haven't heard all of the models of Plantronics gaming headphones but I do have a Gamecom 1; I don't really use it except for gaming (which I don't do much of) so I took it out of my closet to write up my thoughts here. They are very cheap headphones (29.99 on Plantronics website) so I guess I shouldn't expect much. They work ok for gaming but are not suitable for music in my opinion. The treble has a very tinny small sound to it and is a little fatiguing (I do get fatigued by treble easily though). The vocal range has somewhat of a recessed distant sound to it. Voices often sound veiled. The bass is actually pretty decent. It’s fairly tight and has some impact to it; however, it doesn't go very deep. The soundstage is pretty mediocre. It feels closed in and doesn’t extend beyond the headphones. It is however adequate for gaming. Overall I’m disappointed in the sound quality, as they just don’t seem very coherent.

As far as the microphone quality it is pretty good for the price. It is fairly clear and my voice is easily recognizable although I would say it sounds a little bit nasally compared to some other mics. The mic does a decent job of noise canceling. Unless you adjust the headphones or mic it won’t pick up outside noises.

As far as build quality goes they feel cheap, just like most other headphones you would get for 29.99. The headphones seem to be made almost entirely out of plastic. There is a switch inline with the cable that allows you to turn the mic on or off. This is actually pretty nice. There is also a volume control on the same control pod, but it is pretty poor. The channel matching is uneven at low volumes so I just left it all the way up. They also have a clip that allows you to clip the volume/mic control to your shirt. It would probably be pretty handy if I actually used the volume control.

Overall they work just fine for gaming, however, I really found them poor for music. I honestly probably wouldn’t even have them if I had not received them for free.
 
Jul 22, 2005 at 12:50 AM Post #7 of 14
Sound quality is not a factor when it comes to gaming except in the rare case they programmed high bitrate mp3s into their backround music. Most of the sound files are very low quality and anything over 50 dollars would probably be overkill. So get the plantronics and save up that bankroll for a really nice pair for dedicated source listening.
 
Jul 22, 2005 at 3:38 AM Post #9 of 14
I have a Plantronics headset with mic. The sound...is not that great for music. The bass has abit of impact but it's not that good overall and also I find both mids and treble pretty recessed. I mainly use these phones for gaming and had no problem with using them just for that purpose. Playing games like Counter-Strike, you can head footsteps good enough to know where people are most of the time, so at least I can say there is a fairly decent soundstage.
 
Jul 27, 2005 at 10:35 PM Post #10 of 14
Thanks so much to everyone that has replied!
But I'm still unsure of what to buy!

Planatronics is what I used to have I believe, and they worked ok, but died pretty early.

Any others want to give me some input?
 
Jul 27, 2005 at 11:16 PM Post #11 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by Guzik
Thanks so much to everyone that has replied!
But I'm still unsure of what to buy!

Planatronics is what I used to have I believe, and they worked ok, but died pretty early.

Any others want to give me some input?



Just get a decent pair of regular headphones and a mic made for fastening on the wire.
Edit: Like this one from Zalman (don't know if it's any good though)
 
Jul 28, 2005 at 11:11 AM Post #13 of 14
Check KOSS SB-40/45. I own SB40, and use them exactly for gaming and Skype. They're not suitable for serious music listening tho, but in terms of comfort, isolation (they're fully closed) and overall quality they do the job. Very BOOMy - shots, explosions and thrusters are reproduced in a very exciting manner
smily_headphones1.gif
The mic is just OK. Cost no more than 50$.

Plantronics are nice, but 1) they don't isolate (neither you from others, nor others from you), and 2) I hate supraural phones - can't wear them for extended periods (that's what gaming usually meands LOL).

At 150$ U can get some wonderful AKG Headsets, but they've very high impedance usually, and will be quite difficult to drive for a soundcard.
 
Jul 28, 2005 at 11:21 AM Post #14 of 14
DT234 Pro - a great pair of cans with an excellent mic attached. Comfy as hell and great for games/music/whatever. Not sure about availability in the States, but over here they're pretty easily available.
 

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