stoo

I disagree.

So this topic kinda slid into the merits of multi-driver headphones, which I kinda expected.
 
Of course it's completely subjective, and it's probably just that I'm used to this setup. I will say that the SBZ has excellent sound quality - to my ears - and I'd be pretty annoyed to get a USB set with integrated sound and find that the sound characteristics were worse.
 
Yeah, maybe I'd be better off succumbing to the "virtual" surround offered by so many USB-based headsets, but the arguments against multi-driver headsets here bear a lot of similarity to the arguments made against high refresh rate monitors. Some people argue that you can't tell the difference. Some people are wrong.
 
In the end, I ordered a replacement set of ROCCAT Kave XTD 5.1 Analog from a seller in the US, getting shipped to my brother in Texas who will forward them onto me in the UK.
 
Yes, I realize this is a stop-gap measure; that eventually the replacement will also fail or driver support for the SBZ will end or something else will force me to change, but for now I'm happy with this setup. When I eventually replace my PC I'll probably look into the newest 7.1 USB sets.
 
I guess, in the end, the biggest obstacle is there is no cheap, effective way to evaluate different headsets and pick the one best suited to your needs and expectations; it's always a gamble. Maybe somewhere in the world a headset "showroom" with live demos of each headset would be commercially viable, but that place isn't here.
 
Better the devil you know.

I disagree.