I need some gaming headset setup advice.

[somedude168]

First off, I'm new here and can't really consider myself an audiophile since I've never owned a decent set of cans or speakers. However, I want to change

 
I've decided I want to purchase a headset for the main purpose of gaming. Budget would be 300-500ish. I listen to a wide variety of music but that comes second to my gaming experience. Whatever setup I go with I plan to use on my laptop and desktop. Both systems have no special amazing sound card, just running with onboard, so I will probably be looking into getting a dac/amp as well. An attached mic is nice but not necessary. I want great directional sound for fps games, I also want it to be good for music because I will be spending a TON of time on Star Wars The Old Republic MMO when it comes out, and anything Star Wars tends to have pretty good music attached to it...usually.
 
Now as a noob to all of this, I'm looking for some good advice.
I have been looking at several headsets
Sennheiser PC360
Audio Technica ATH-AD700
Astro A40's
Sennheiser HD 598/595's
 
I originally was thinking of going with pc360's and hooking it up to an Astro mixamp, but after reading so many reviews and opinions, I just don't know. I'm sure there's plenty of other candidates to be suggested. If I'm going to spend 300-500 dollars I want to make sure I'm getting the most bang for my buck.
 
So this is where you guys come in, I need headset suggestions, amp/dac suggestions, considering my budget and main gaming use. What would you guys suggest

 

 

[chicolom]

Hi,
 
Is this for primarily multi-player gaming or single player gaming as well.
 
Out of your list, I think the HD598s would do the best with music.  I would scratch the A40s and 595s (598s are better) off your list.  The AD700s are good for pure FPS sound-whoring, but only good for classical music.  There is also the Beyerdynamic MMX 300, which is quite pricey and is essentially a Dt770 premium with a nice mic attached.
 
The mixamp is geared towards console gamers, I guess you could hook it up to PC with a USB cable though.  A cheaper option would be a dolby headphone soundcard.

 

[somedude168]

Well my list is purely based on speculation and opinions I've heard. I'm very open to other suggestions and is the main reason I'm here.

I want a balanced gaming set because like I said I wont be playing strictly fps games all the time. I enjoy mmo's and singleplayer games as well. As far as music goes I really only listen to rock, metal, rap/hip hop.

Basically what I'm asking is if you were me and had 3-500 dollars to burn what set of cans would you get and would you get an amp/dac and what would it be as well.

 

[chicolom]

Well, I would make sure the setup had Dolby Headphone, as gaming in stereo sucks in comparison (IMO).  I assume a dolby headphone soundcard would be the easiest setup, as you would just plug your headphones and mic directly into it.  That would mean the DAC and amp wouldn't get used for gaming, just for music. 
 
For those music genre's you would want some bass.  But too much bass is bad for gaming where positioning is important.  I think maybe some DT990s would be good as they have good soundstage and bass.  For music listening you could pair them with a warm DAC and amp to tame the treble. 

 

[somedude168]

Thanks for the replies. For the most part considering I want to stay away from any internal soundcards at the moment because I will be spending a lot of my time on my laptop as well, unless you are referring to an external card, which I doubt you are.
 
I was under the impression the mixamp was good for PC as well as consoles because it gives you that simulated surround sound that you wouldn't have otherwise and you can also plug your mic into it. Was I misinformed? Considering my situation where I'll be going between desktop and laptop can you give me some specific suggestions on what kind of equipment I should get, minus the headphones of course.
 
Also it appears you have a pair of Sennheiser PC360, how do you like them?
 
I've seen other's suggesting DT990's, Which one are you suggesting to me? There seems to be 4 different pairs on amazon and have no idea which set I should be looking at.
 
Thanks again.

 

[somedude168]

I think i might just go for the PC 360's for now and later on when I have a little more cash I'll go for something a little more high end. I'm sure I'll be plenty happy with them considering my ears are what I'd call virgins to any kind of high end audio at this point. The attached mic is nice.
 
Now considering I'll be going between my laptop/desktop with the PC 360's should I pick up the astro mixamp for the chat function and artificial surround sound? Or should I look into something else. Anyone?
 
Thanks.

 

[chicolom]

If your computer can send 5.1 dobly digital through an optical cable it will work with the mixamp.

 

[somedude168]

I know this is another noob question lol... How can I check if my computer is capable of this?

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

I know this is another noob question lol... How can I check if my computer is capable of this?

Good question.  I'm not sure TBH.  I don't game on PC or even have optical to try and output it....
 
 

 

[somedude168]

Well can you provide me a link of an optical wire on amazon or something that I would need to try it out? Im assuming the mixamp doesnt come with one since the mixamp is based mostly around consoles.

Thanks again, you've been very helpful.

 

[nutrifa]

http://www.razerzone.com/tiamat/en/features

 

[144004]

Quote:

http://www.razerzone.com/tiamat/en/features

Wrong thread?

 

[144004]

Quote:

Well can you provide me a link of an optical wire on amazon or something that I would need to try it out? Im assuming the mixamp doesnt come with one since the mixamp is based mostly around consoles.
Thanks again, you've been very helpful.

Check Astro's product page for the MixAmp. They list the package contents.

 

[chicolom]

Quote:

Well can you provide me a link of an optical wire on amazon or something that I would need to try it out? Im assuming the mixamp doesnt come with one since the mixamp is based mostly around consoles.
Thanks again, you've been very helpful.

No problem.  I get the vast majority of my cables from monoprice -> http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229