[129207]

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Hmm. I'm still unsure... The more I think about it, the more I think I'm just going to wait until I can afford a proper gaming headset. It'll cost more but at least then it's one self-contained unit and I can think about getting surround-sound as well.
 

You just used the words "proper" and "gaming headset" in one sentence. This is a contradictio in terminis. You also mentioned "getting surround-sound" for that gaming headset.
 
Right.

My advice would be to get the ATR-3350, self-powered, clip-on lavalier microphone for you Mac's line-in and an ATH-AD700 headphone. I know you'll ignore this advice and buy something silly from Turtle Beach, Roccat, Razer or Siberia. So, I suggest you go to either Bit-Tech.net or Hardwareheaven.com to find something with enough flashy lights to suit your needs. 

 
 
 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Hey, thanks for the insulting tone. It's really appreciated. Thank you for assuming I'm an idiot as well. It's really helping. Once you're done throwing a hissy fit maybe you could try giving some actual advice instead of condescension. Or, if that's too difficult for you, then you can go be a pretentious pedant somewhere else.
 
Oh, and the reason I didn't take your advice to get that mic was because no one, including yourself, has confirmed that it will work. I spent 20 minutes on Google trying to find someone who talked about it but the only mention I had was of people using it with cameras. So you'll have to forgive me if I don't just take your word for it. Oh, by all accounts it's a good, cheap microphone to be used with a camera, but I've already dropped enough money based on an assumption and I'd rather not repeat that.
 
As for your mocking of my choice of words... "Proper" is often used as a stand-in for "good" in some cultures. Specifically the English. In my context I was talking about a good gaming headset. Which some headsets are better than others thus one could expect there to be good and bad ones. So far so good. But what about the surround sound? OK, in reality you can't have actual surround sound as that would require a number of different speakers placed around my head in a sort of bubble, but you can fake it enough that you get the same effect. So that one is OK, too. Wait, could it be possible that what you were doing was being a holier-than-thou pedant? Hmm. Yes, that does make more sense, doesn't it.

 

[129207]

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So that one is OK, too. Wait, could it be possible that what you were doing was being a holier-than-thou pedant? Hmm. Yes, that does make more sense, doesn't it.

Awww... and I was just trying to be witty. I'm sorry if I have hurt your tender feelings. I was actually trying to be constructive.
 
Reading through the from-the-edge-of-your-seat typing, I now understand the main reason you're looking for a headset instead of seperate components, is because you're looking for an all-in-one solution? Problem is, there are really no headsets that offer sound quality on par with a good, $100 headphone. The Sennheiser headset that has been previously mentioned is nothing more than a HD555 with a mic attached. 
 
If you want, I can try my ATR-3350 microphone on a co-workers Macbook to see if it works?

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

 
Quote:

Awww... and I was just trying to be witty. I'm sorry if I have hurt your tender feelings. I was actually trying to be constructive.
 
Reading through the from-the-edge-of-your-seat typing, I now understand the main reason you're looking for a headset instead of seperate components, is because you're looking for an all-in-one solution? Problem is, there are really no headsets that offer sound quality on par with a good, $100 headphone. The Sennheiser headset that has been previously mentioned is nothing more than a HD555 with a mic attached. 
 
If you want, I can try my ATR-3350 microphone on a co-workers Macbook to see if it works?

 
If that is indeed how it was intended then I apologize for my reaction, but it didn't come across that way. I just get annoyed when someone pulls out the "I bet I'm smarter than you and that gives me the right to be derisive"-card.
 
If you could try it out on his MacBook that would be very handy. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd searched Google and couldn't find a single instance of someone saying, "Oh, and it worked on my Mac as well." Then every other result I found was people saying, "You need to go USB if you're on the Mac."
 
And while I'm sure the audio isn't nearly as good as a good headphone, with a few exceptions, most games don't have much that really requires good audio quality. The  only real exception I can think of is Portal 2, and that's because of the kinetic-soundtrack. (Yes, I'm aware that's probably not the proper term for it but I don't think there is one yet and that one seems to fit best.)

 

[129207]

I'll try it out for you today and post the results. 
 
Some modern games that I think have great audio:
Battlefield Bad Company 2, Arma 2, Bioshock 1&2, Call of Duty WaW, Call of Duty MW2, Dead Space 1&2, Mass Effect 2 and my absolute favourite in audio design Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
 
I think a headphone suitable for gaming should help you immerse yourself more into the game world. Not all headphones can do this in my opinion. Another feat to take into consideration is imaging and soundstage to help you pinpoint enemies and directional cues. Nothing beats hearing a helicopter actually fly ABOVE you when all you're wearing is a stereo headphone. Currently I'm enjoying my DT880 250 most for FPS-type games and my HD580 for RPG/adventures. My favourite closed gaming headphone is the Superlux HD662F. 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

I've played most of those and while I agree they do have good sound, with Portal 2 and games like it, there's something more. You should check it out if you haven't and make sure you are using your headphones. There are multiple instances where what you're doing and how you're doing it will change the sound in the game. It adds an extra level of immersion that I'm hoping will become more prevalent. The only game I know of that does anything like it was Sword and Sworcery EP on iOS.
 
Though, I think I would also add The Witcher 2 to games with good background soundtracks. Not It's not reactive like P2 but like so many new games, the soundtrack is by itself fantastic.
 
Which is why I was really happy when I realized the free copy I got when I downloaded it on Steam was lossless.

 

[129207]

I actually played Portal 2 all the way 'till you got to those historic, 1940'ies puzzles. When you first get paint, you know? Stopped there because I started playing The Witcher 2.  
 
For me, the sound in Mass Effect 2 is absolutely amazing. The ambient sounds of the cities especially. There's a real sense of depth and distance in there. I also dig the constantly adapting reverb on the dialogue. Small details make this game a wonderful experience. 
 
Check out these threads too:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/483802/quest-for-holy-grail-of-gaming-sound
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/534479/mad-lust-envy-aka-shin-cz-s-guide-to-headphone-gaming-particularly-with-dolby-headphone

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

You know how Portal got better after Gladdos tried to kill you? Well, you stopped right at the best stuff for Portal 2. the various gels really make the game interesting.
 
I have to admit, in ME2 I never payed too much attention to the ambient sounds in the cities. I spent too much time running around trying to buy upgrades. I actually started to replay the ending so I could have everyone survive. I'm probably not going to finish doing that until closer to when ME3 hits or if there's a gap in new games... I'm pretty sure BF3 is going to eat up a really big chunk of my free time.

 

[Roller]

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I'm rather hesitant to go with anything by Creative. I'm hearing more and more often that they often claim Mac support with little being there and that they aren't as active in that support as they are for Windows. It's one of the reasons I avoid Logitech. I don't want to buy a product from a company where I have to worry about a new version of the OS completely killing compatibility on my 3-month-old product.
 
I'm not worried about the non-stellar audio quality of a gaming headset. I have my Denons for that. One of the reasons I was originally thinking a microphone was the best solution was because my Denons, aside from only being stereo, are fantastic for gaming, just as they are brilliant for music.
 
To be honest, I'd be very surprised if anything Sennheiser puts out has low build quality. Even their cheap headphones are pretty well made for how much they cost. Again, just need to find out about what their record is for Mac support.

In all seriousness, E-MU isn't the same as Creative, shown by both hardware and software provided.
 
What you should consider is that Astro, AX Triton and all that junk will give you nothing even remotely close to quality, they're just that bad. Are you seriously going to pay real headphone money for Skullcandy/WeSC quality? Like I said before, the issue lies on the Mac, not on the headset, as it is as elementar as it can be, audio jacks, period.
 
By using something like the 0204, you'll have all the connectivity you need, bypassing that whole limited onboard plugs, and can use real headsets, as close to proper headphones as they can be, unlike those dirt *not-cheap* "gaming" headsets. If you think about it, there are quite the resemblances with Logitech in that regard.

 

[129207]

The Logitech G35 is the only headset I'd consider really. If I was forced to buy a gaming headset that is. At gun point. 
 

 

[Roller]

Forgot to add that Logitech "gaming" headsets fit on the same category as the ones I've previously mentioned. Not to mention how they bypass gear you actually intend on using.
 
And going with the previous poster's line of thought, if I was forced to buy a headset, it would be at least the Sennheiser PC360.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

@Negakinu: How did the experiment turn out?

 

[129207]

Well, it worked pretty well. Volume was loud enough during gaming too. Only problem was, the microphone is mono. So you only get voice on one channel. If I use it for video interviews it's not a problem since you can just adjust the channel to stereo in my editing software. If you find a way do this is through your Macbook's soundcard it'll work perfectly. No idea if adjusting channel balance is possible though since I have zero experience with Apple. Good luck!

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

That's interesting because as far as I can tell the built-in microphone is mono as well. Gonna have to look it up but this now sounds like a very viable solution. Thanks!