[gamesahoy]

Hey Head-Fi! This is my first post on the forum, so lets get along!
 
I decided to get a surround sound headset to replace my stereo headphone (Senn HD 238) for gaming usage. I love my HD238, but I felt that it didn't quite fit the role of competitive gaming.
My priority is lower price with unexceptional performance (like HD 238 IMO), where I came down with either a headset or a processor:
 
Logitech G35: virtual surround sound headset, with reasonable price for a 7.1 and light & sturdy build.
 
Turtle Beach DSS2 Processor: among the cheapest surround sound processor out there, I thought I can maybe pair this up with my ol' HD238.
 
So my real question is, will the TB DSS2 pair up well with my HD238? or should I just go for the G35 that is bundled with boom mic and awesome features?
OR is there any other alternative that is budget-efficient?
 
Any opinion would help me a great deal! thanks
 
EDIT: I'm a PC gamer, no consoles at all. Not implying that console is inferior or anything

 

[crimsondynamics]

I prefer gaming headsets for gaming, mainly because the microphone is integrated into the cans, and there's less spaghetti wiring all over the place. I have enough of that already with the keyboard, mouse and 360 wireless dongle, let alone when I hook up a flight stick or a steering wheel.
 
Good gaming headphones tend to exaggerate ambient sounds, sounds and explosions, and those with DSP surround tend to accentuate footsteps, all which make them great for shooters. For everything else they range from tolerable to utter crap, but I'm not buying them to listen to music or movies anyway.
 
In terms of budget-efficient, what are we looking at?

 

[NamelessPFG]

Buy a sound card and use that as a surround sound processor, something like a Xonar DG at the cheap end or an X-Fi Titanium HD at the high end. More cost-effective, better quality. Devices like the Ear Force DSS2 and Mixamp are meant for console gaming.
 
Your current headphones should be good enough to start with; tack on a ModMic or get a desk mic if you need voice chat.
 
Also, I'd steer clear of USB headsets whenever possible. Better to have a USB sound device and a headset with standard 3.5mm jacks if you want to go that route.

 

[gamesahoy]

Quote:

Buy a sound card and use that as a surround sound processor, something like a Xonar DG at the cheap end or an X-Fi Titanium HD at the high end. More cost-effective, better quality. Devices like the Ear Force DSS2 and Mixamp are meant for console gaming.
 
Your current headphones should be good enough to start with; tack on a ModMic or get a desk mic if you need voice chat.
 
Also, I'd steer clear of USB headsets whenever possible. Better to have a USB sound device and a headset with standard 3.5mm jacks if you want to go that route.

 
It's a shame to say this as a PC gamer, but I use a laptop to game, not the best one at that :b. Which means the sound processor have to be an external one. Heard that Turtle Beach stuff is only supported with Dolby sound drive, mine is Realtek so I guess TB is out of question.
Amazon is having August headphone sale shenanigans and I found Sharkoon X-tatic true 5.1 and EarForce DPX21 both only $90. So any of these are good at all?
 
*optimal budget range is around $100

 

[NamelessPFG]

Well, that complicates things somewhat.
 
Fortunately, you can still get a USB sound device like a Xonar U3 on the cheap (around $30-40), and get Dolby Headphone that way. You're also free to use whatever headphone or headset you want with it, so long as it terminates in 3.5mm jacks.
 
At the very least, your laptop should have a built-in mic somewhere, so you don't have to worry about that as much. But if it's not good enough, there's always the ModMic.

 

[gamesahoy]

So what you're saying is that Xonar U3 allows me to use DH processor like DSS2?
or you mean Xonar U3 can produce surround sound itself?
 

 

[NamelessPFG]

The Xonar U3's drivers support Dolby Headphone, so you don't need to use an external audio processor to begin with. It IS the audio processor.

 

[gamesahoy]

Alright, thanks for the helps
I think imma get Xonar U3, I've seen thread saying it works fine with AD700 so it should do the trick