[kumarparbhatn]

Hi there. I currently own Sennheiser HD202 and SoundMagic E10. I use SoundMagic with my phones and tablets and kept the Sennheiser for the PC. Now the wire on the right side of the speaker on Sennheiser is loose and I have taped around it, which I don't think will hold for too long. I am planning on upgrade. My budget is $150.
 
I currently use the mic present in the laptop for my calls on Skype which isnt clear. Hence I m thinking on buying a headset which includes one. However, when I search around I find the headsets which are termed "gaming". This may be marketing term or may be such headphones focus more on bass and not on soundstage. Hence most of such headsets might not be ideal for listening music. I listen to heavy metal/rock music.
 
Could someone suggest a headset which is designed for pleasant music experience and has a mic ?

 

[ZMan2k2]

I like my Ultimate Ears UE6000 for rock and heavy metal.  They come with a detachable cable that is Apple proprietary, but you can do what I did, and buy a $15 cable from V-Moda that makes it universal.  Both cables have mics on the cable, and work well with Skype calls.  You can find the UE6000 on NCIX for $105. http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=92142

 

[aljowen]

You could buy a nice set of headphones without a microphone and then buy a mod mic to attach to them.This allows you to get whatever headphones you like with a sound that suits you. I would advise against nearly all gaming headsets if you want to listen to music etc. They are (nearly) all badly balanced for music with a very muddy sound, but some people prefer that sound in games.
 
http://www.modmic.com/

 

[ArcaneGlyph]

There is a cheap zalman clip on that sounds really decent for under 10 bucks. I use it with my dt 770 s and have no complaints

 

[aljowen]

If you wanted to have a bit of DIY fun you could also take inspiration from this guy: http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Microphone/?ALLSTEPS
 
The zalman or mod mic may be a better solution for you but i thought i may as well share this in case you would enjoy it. If you want to run it through a 3.5mm headphone jack then you can just leave the sound card section out and go directly into your own solution.

 

[sealman]

I will second the mod mic recommendation . I have been using one for 6 months or so and get a lot of compliments on voice quality

 

[bms44974]

You may want to check out joker's awesome review: http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-317-iems-compared-astrotec-ax-35-added-06-25-14-p-931
 
There is an interactive search tool that will help you find IEM with 1- or 3-button inline microphone here:
 
http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-list/
 
Cheers... Brian

 

[kumarparbhatn]

I've heard good things about Audio Technica ATH M35. Has anyone tried that out ? Does ModMic work on that ? Also, the PC I use comes with Reaktek HD on board sound card. I know a dedicated sound card would improve the quality. But I was hoping headsets mentioned above and the ones I mentioned here would produce good (if not awesome) quality with those soundcards.