PC Gaming/Music Headset for the Canadian Gamer
Nov 30, 2011 at 9:33 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16
argo49

argo49

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Hey Head-fi, I heard you guys were the authority on everything sound related so here I am in dire need of your help.
 
I've already scoured the forums for a solution to my problems but alas I live in the wintery wastes of Canada and can't catch a break for my life. Most of the headsets/headphones i've been looking at either don't ship to canada or simply aren't sold here.
 
So here's what I'd like:
 
Good gaming sound quality: I'd like to have the full surround sound experience but I've heard that 5.1 surround sound in a headset doesn't translate very well to PC gaming. I'm not using these for competitive gaming but i would like to be able to have a certain advantage over some players.
 
Preferably a mic: I saw the v-moda crossfade LP comes with a nice little mic-cord kind of deal which would be nice to have instead of a big clunk stick posing erect from the side of my head lol. Also, if you know of a pair of headphones that work better than a headset for gaming then please feel free to let me know :D
 
Good bass: I love electronic music in general so quality bass is important to me. I'm also a huge fan of ska and metalcore. Some of my favorite artists from each genre would be Feed Me, The Planet Smashers and August Burns Red for example. So I don't know if that helps any of you but i figured i might as well let you know in case it does!
 
Budget: 50$-150$ 
 
I'm relatively new to the headset scene. The only pair I own is the Turtle Beach X1 headset so i figure I have nowhere to go but up from here.
 
I was looking at the "AKG Acoustics K-240 Semi Open Studio Headphones" featured on amazon.com as well as the 
"V-MODA Crossfade LP Over-Ear Metal Headphones" on newegg.com but neither one of them ships to canada. (I know they both have .ca equivalents but the v-moda is on rediculous america sale mode since it's the week after black friday and the canadian site doesnt have the sale)
 
If you guys could try to keep it to canadian retailers and website it would also be greatly appreciated :D
 
Thanks!
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:21 AM Post #3 of 16
AKG's would be a bit too hard to drive for PC's. I would say you might want some low-ohm and high-sensitivity headphones. I would recommend Audio Technica.They normally give more accurate and large sound stage on PC's compare to AKG's.
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:50 AM Post #4 of 16
 
I'm using a $60 pair of Sennheiser PC133 (I believe) and they sound great. Sennheiser headsets, I don't believe you can go wrong. I do think the mic is great for the most part, but the noise-cancelling aspect doesn't work as well as I hoped. Razer has a good following too for a lot of my gaming friends.
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 2:12 AM Post #5 of 16
Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, with Beyerdynamic EDT 200 Velour ear pads.
Total price in USA is under $60
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 12:14 PM Post #6 of 16
Ya after doing some research i think I'd love to go the way of the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S since that would leave me some extra cash for a sound card, but unfortunately amazon.com DOESN'T SHIP TO CANADA D:<
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, keep 'em coming :D
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:25 PM Post #8 of 16
Fischer FA-011's will work wonderfully.  Easily driven by Asus Xonar DG ($20-$30) soundcard and perform much better for both music and gaming than anything else I can think of under $200.  gdaudiobase ships world-wide, may take a while (took 3 weeks to get mine) but worth the wait.
 
 
Panasonics do well for their price, they're fun but they lack good detail for gaming.  Still a great value though.
In all honestly, I like using my Koss KSC75's better than the panasonics when playing games.  Panasonics are funner due to their bass, may be good to have both considering how cheap they are.
 
Get an inexpensive clip-on or desktop mic, works much better IMO
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 1:56 PM Post #9 of 16
Haha it's funny you should mention the Xonar DG, it's in my newegg.ca cart as we speak :wink: Just out of curiosity though, it says something along the lines of it can give 5.1 surround sound to any set of headphones. Is this true or am I massively ignorant?
Edit: Actual quote: "Dolby Headphone enables up to 7.1 channel surround sound from any set of headphones for an immersive experience."
And thank you for pointing me to gdaudiobase, it's a really awesome site :D
 
Dec 2, 2011 at 2:07 PM Post #10 of 16
Dolby headphone basically takes a 5.1 soundtrack and processes it into an artificial surround sound for stereo headphones.  I personally don't care for it as it degrades the sound quite a bit and isn't as convincing to me as stereo w/headphones with very good soundstage.  You can turn it on/off as you please, try it out and make your own opinion.
 
Quote:
argo49 said:
Haha it's funny you should mention the Xonar DG, it's in my newegg.ca cart as we speak :wink: Just out of curiosity though, it says something along the lines of it can give 5.1 surround sound to any set of headphones. Is this true or am I massively ignorant?
Edit: Actual quote: "Dolby Headphone enables up to 7.1 channel surround sound from any set of headphones for an immersive experience."
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Dec 2, 2011 at 5:51 PM Post #11 of 16
Ok only one problem. I don't currently have a free PCi slot for the Xonar and I'd rather not spend 80-100$ on a new motherboard on top of the price of the card. Would an equivalent solution be to get a DAC/Headphone Amp usb combo? I'm definitely leaning heavily towards the Fischer FA-011 now too but i need an amp for the 160ohm impedence.
 
Dec 4, 2011 at 11:49 AM Post #13 of 16
Sennheiser HD650 without a doubt :) Such realism and natural sounding:)
 
Dec 4, 2011 at 11:56 AM Post #15 of 16
Quote:
cardashd650 said:
Oh, and the Titanium HD SC :)
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Quote:
cardashd650 said:
Sennheiser HD650 without a doubt :) Such realism and natural sounding:)
Click to expand...


Haha ya i wish, unfortunately budget and no free PCIe slot is kind of limiting me on what i can get. Although i dont think im being too stingy on entry level equipment:
argo49 said:
OKAY here's what I'm settling on:
 
Fischer Audio FA-011
 
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD 24-bit 96KHz USB Interface Sound Card
 
Does anyone having any warning/comments on this setup?
Does anyone else have experience with any of these items or a combo of them both?
 
Thank you for all your help Head-fi guys, you're really generous people :)
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