[Shadowex3]

My headphones are finally dying on me after a faithful ~3-4 years of service so it's time to get a new set, and this time I plan to get something better than a plantronics audio .90 headset. Even the windows/game 5.1 surround trick and lowering the bass frequencies in the EQ can only do so much for a dying set of speakers.

I don't mind spending a fair amount of money on a headset if it's got a good warranty on it, and I don't mind if it's big and/or bulky because they'll be used purely for gaming and be left at my gaming computer. Since I'm almost exclusively an FPS nerd positional audio trumps almost everything else. I've got good hearing and want to keep it that way so I usually run my headphones at a volume where the loudest sounds aren't uncomfortable or painful to hear, I already killed one set of speakers by accidentally setting the volume too high so I won't be doing that again anytime soon.

Ordinarily I'd just go looking for replacements but the problem is that the generic bought-in-store headphones I've been using just aren't physically up to what I throw at them anymore and I know absolutely nothing about audio equipment.

So, any fellow FPS gamers have recommendations?

 

[crappyjones123]

hd595. stop looking for anything else.

 

[Cry Havoc]

Why should he? The 595s are not the king of gaming headphones.

Ultrasone 780s (full size)

ER-4Ps. (IEMs)

 

[captainzoli]

ATH-A900s or HD 595s, depending on if you want closed or open.

 

[Shadowex3]

Wow that was a fast response. Thanks for the enthusiasm but everything here is FAR out of my price range, are there any good FPS gaming headsets that aren't insanely overpriced? I can justify spending $200 on something like a videocard or even a motherboard but headphones... I could get a really good 5.1 surround system for that.

I probably should've mentioned that I can only afford to spend $80-$120ish on a set of headphones IF they come with a very good warranty and support.

 

[rederanged]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowex3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow that was a fast response. Thanks for the enthusiasm but everything here is FAR out of my price range, are there any good FPS gaming headsets that aren't insanely overpriced?

What is your price range?

 

[Shadowex3]

probably up to $120 if they come with a good warranty and from a company known to provide good support. Aside from not wanting to spend too much of my upgrade budget it's also just hard to justify spending that much on something whose merits can't really be quantified empirically like a videocard or other hardware can.

[edit]

That and like I said above I would feel kinda stupid spending more (or as much) on a set of headphones as I would getting 5.1-7.1 surround sound.

 

[Cry Havoc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowex3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow that was a fast response. Thanks for the enthusiasm but everything here is FAR out of my price range, are there any good FPS gaming headsets that aren't insanely overpriced? I can justify spending $200 on something like a videocard or even a motherboard but headphones... I could get a really good 7.1 surround system for that. I probably should've mentioned that I can only afford to spend $80-$120ish on a set of headphones IF they come with a very good warranty and support.

What kind of "really good" 7.1 surround sound system are you thinking about that's $200 or less?

You should also realize that you get what you pay for. You may think you're getting good value for the $50 plantronics headset you saw in Best Buy, but that doesn't mean it was your best option. High quality sound reproduction has ALWAYS been an expensive endeavor. Why else do you think people spend $400 on a single Klipsch freestanding speaker? Again, you usually get what you pay for, if you can dodge the hype and the malarkey.

 

[Shadowex3]

Mistyped 5.1 and it wasn't a $50 plantronics headset from best buy it was a $15 one from office depot, I know better than to do anything at best buy except look at something physically before I buy it elsewhere.

High quality sound reproduction may be an expensive endeavor, but I'm not after high quality, just positional accuracy. I'm about as far from an audiophile as you can get. I'm using an unmodified x-fi xtrememusic and I have no problems listening to my compressed low bitrate MP3's in gaming mode rather than audio creation mode with bit accurate playback enabled.

Hell, I only 5 hours ago learned that moving the windows volume to max instead of the on-the-cord volume adjuster led to distorted sound and I should do it the other way around.

I do truly appreciate all the suggestions and anything that anyone cares to teach me, and I don't mean to put anyone who proudly calls themselves an audiophile, I just don't notice the difference so I'm realistically shopping only for something that to me would actually make a difference. At least I know better than to do anything with a bose than hold down some loose papers.

 

[KUNFUCHOPSTICKS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cry Havoc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why should he? The 595s are not the king of gaming headphones. Ultrasone 780s (full size) ER-4Ps. (IEMs)

I vouch for the Etymotic 4ps. I bought these for music, but i also play competitive online FPS. With these i have noticed an increase in my 'game'(lol). I can hear footsteps from a mile away, which i'm not use to yet. Because on my old phones, when i hear footsteps that means the enemy is very near by, now when i hear footsteps the enemy is in a radius depending on walls, water... Also i can hear reloads now- believe it or not.

 

[crappyjones123]

well i play source competitively/professionally. played under contract for a few months. been to quite a few lans now and between being able to hear despite the blaring music, comfort for extended hours of wearing, and sound quality at a high enough volume where your ears werent being hurt but you could still hear the important thing in game and the durability factor, i narrowed my list down to the 595s. you can get closed cans as well, i tried the a900s for 3 lans and while i got better noise reduction owing to their closed nature, the discomfort and the weight was far too much to compromise compared to the 595s.

 

[Shadowex3]

I did some more digging, what about the HD555's or something in that price range?

I don't mind lower quality sound as long as it's at least as good as the generic plantronics I've been using, all I really care about is whether it can play many sounds clearly with good positioning and without me needing to constantly jerk the volume up and down to play quiets and louds without distortion or dropping them entirely.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Koss KSC75 + Logitech USB mic =

 

[crappyjones123]

the 555s were going to be my other choice. ive had both the 555s and the 595s. but honestly the difference in sound is worth paying the little extra money. theres some nice 595s on sale in the forums for 120 i think. make sure you check those out...basically getting the 595 at the price of a new 555.

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowex3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did some more digging, what about the HD555's or something in that price range? I don't mind lower quality sound as long as it's at least as good as the generic plantronics I've been using, all I really care about is whether it can play many sounds clearly with good positioning and without me needing to constantly jerk the volume up and down to play quiets and louds without distortion or dropping them entirely.

the hd555 are super comfy and probably all you need. I used to play source super-competitively. The clan that I am in are in cal-m (but doing badly because every one is inactive) and was doing cevo for a bit. How many source players can say the scrimmed against hyper?

Hd555 + logitech (1.8in) boom mic and you are good to go.

@crappyjones123 what teams did you play on?