HEADSETS: Sennheiser PC150 VS. Plantronics DSP500

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I need a good headset (mic has to be attached on it), and so I found these two. Both models have gotten great reviews from newegg.com, amazon.com, etc so I thought I'd ask the audiophiles of the world at head-fi.

I've read about the build quality issues with the Plantronics, and that isn't a problem, the in-store warranty will cover me for up to 3 years. So right now, it's all up to the sound quality and the microphone performance. The sennheisers I'll have to order online, so if they're only marginally better, I'd get the Plantronics instead. I know both of these aren't the best for music and such, but I have Shure E3s for that purpose. The headset is just for watching DVDs and playing games online, as such directional awareness is very important.

I recently returned Zalman 5.1 surround sound headphones, they were garbage, the rear channel was weak as hell and the clip-on mic was terrible. I thought they'd be good for online games, but the sound is very muffled and the rear channel was barely audible.

Thanks guys.

 

[gshan]

Might I ask what soundcard you're using?

(it's possible to get great positioning with cheap headphones if the soundcard packs the hardware. can't really do it w/o the hardware ime)

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

No sound card. The motherboard has on-board realtek audio. So switching to a headset with built-in soundcard won't be going down in audio quality or performance.

If I had an Audigy, it would be a waste to get the Plantronics since they don't even utilize the PC card.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

bump

 

[XxATOLxX]

Get yourself a PC150, my brother has 4 pairs of Plantronics in his closet because it broke or the mic died.

 

[Kameleon]

I'd have to throw a spanner in the works and say DT234Pro (if you can find a pair) - DT231 with a noise-cancelling boom mic. Better sound quality than both, better comfort too...

 

[blackreplica]

the PC150 is excellent for the price. The mic is very clean and clear, the sound is very good for something in it's price range, it's light and comfortable. I would recommend it

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I'm leaning towards the PC150 now, I can get it from NCIX.com for 80. Less if I can find a Canadian site that sells it for lower since NCIX is very good with price matches.

EDIT: Tigerdirect.ca has them for 53, so there we go. 53 from NCIX. Yay.

 

[gshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZimbuTheMonkey I'm leaning towards the PC150 now, I can get it from NCIX.com for 80. Less if I can find a Canadian site that sells it for lower since NCIX is very good with price matches. EDIT: Tigerdirect.ca has them for 53, so there we go. 53 from NCIX. Yay.

Not bad for a popular headset. Let us know how well it turns out.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

Sure thing.

After researching a bit more on the Plantronics, I think it would have been pretty stupid to get them. The store has them for 100 bucks (+15$ for 3 years warranty, a must for Plantronics headsets, +15% tax). So the total would have been 130. My on-board audio is pretty good, plus I'm not much of an audiophile to notice anyway, the directional awareness and mic are more important than sound quality. So the USB and built-in sound card of the Plantronics is pretty useless to me. The store doesn't usually offer extended warranties on these kinds of items, but it did on the Plantronics headset, not a great sign.

I'm reading so many comments on sites and forums about how the Plantronics right channel and mic just dies out.

I'm getting the Senn PC150s at 75$ CAD Shipped! So better sound, a better mic, and more reliable for 50 bucks cheaper. Not too shabby.

 

[myneazy]

ZimbuTheMonkey what headphones did you end up getting?

Did they live up to your expectations?