Surround Sound Headphones - $150

[BrapYeah]

I am looking for a surround sound headset (minimal 5.1 channel) for around or under $150 (CAD). I could be persuaded to go up to $200 if build quality and durability deem it worth it. I plan to use the headphones for gaming, movies, music, and skype (in that order). I would prefer Circumaural but as I have a generally big head, sometimes the "over the ear" bit becomes "uncomfortable pressure on the ear" so circumaural or supra-aural will work. I don't really care whether they are isolating or not. I do not really care for connection type, but USB would be the preferred connector. As for audio tastes, I like EVERYTHING so just something that doesn't sound like crap. I don't have a soundcard, other than the build in one. I'm not above getting a soundcard if it makes the experience that much better. As of right now, I just have a laptop (Desktop is a work in progress, funds seem to be lacking). A microphone is a must. It doesn't need to be fantastic, but just something to get the job done.

Wired or wireless doesn't really affect my choice, although if it is wireless, it would be good to be able to use them while charging.

Something that carries a lot of weight in my decision is build quality and durability, as I'm very clumsy and usually put my possessions through some torture (example - I recently replaced my laptops mechanical HDD as it had an encounter with cement flooring). The reason I haven't put any possible options is because I have read many reviews, but none REALLY address build quality and or durability (that i've read).

Any help is appreciated.

EDIT: Surround Sound is not necessary, but Accurate Sound Positioning is.

[Shikarikato]

Heard good things aboutt he Corsair Vengeance 1500 and 2000. Linus would suggest the 7H; you can get analog or USB, if you are going to get a sound card in the near future go with analog if you don't expect it for a long time you might enjoy USB more. If I were you I wouldn't get surround sound headphones. I've tried HD 558's and my G35's don't even compare. Of course the HD 558's are double the price and don't have a microphone but the " surround sound " is absolutely useless unless you turn up treble to no end and personally liking to listen to music while gaming and FPS game just makes it pointless yet again. I've heard some people have issues with the G35 and their build quality, I personally throw mine all over the place and they haven't broke yet. I've had them for a year or so but G35, Vengeance 1500/2000, and 7H are good options. I've tried the Vengeance 1500 and G35 and I have a rather large head and I wear my G35s for about 6-8 hours straight on weekends and I have never had comfort problems with them.

[NewKID]

HD 558 $200

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=74315&vpn=HD558&manufacture=Sennheiser%20Electronics&promoid=1021

worth the price. it doesnt usually get lower in Canada. dont use virtual surround sound. its just distorted sound. its just horrible. your better off with headphones with accurate sound positioning and a wide sound stage. the HD 558 would be good for that. my buddy has a big head and enjoys the HD 558. had a great overall sound too. not good traveling headphones though. they dont fold up and they're open eared. a little hard to pack and not much noise isolation. you could stuff some foam inside the driver for more isolation. my friend did this and said its pretty good on the subway.

[BrapYeah]

I suppose I should come straight that I was under the impression that to have accurate sound positioning was surround sound. With this new information, surround sound is not necessary. Also a mic is a must, as gaming will be the primary function.

That being said, I should also note that if there is a good set under my price point, I have absolutely no issue taking that route as well.

I should also ask, is there much difference between analog and USB? The main reason I would like USB is that it should bypass some of the frustrations that HP drivers cause with making skype and games both through the headphones.

Out of the reviews I've read, the G35's seem to be a great headset.

[Artorias]

HD 558 $200 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=74315&vpn=HD558&manufacture=Sennheiser%20Electronics&promoid=1021 worth the price. it doesnt usually get lower in Canada. dont use virtual surround sound. its just distorted sound. its just horrible. your better off with headphones with accurate sound positioning and a wide sound stage. the HD 558 would be good for that. my buddy has a big head and enjoys the HD 558. had a great overall sound too. not good traveling headphones though. they dont fold up and they're open eared. a little hard to pack and not much noise isolation. you could stuff some foam inside the driver for more isolation. my friend did this and said its pretty good on the subway.

I agree with NewKID don't use virtual surround sound and get the HD 558.

[Aphexx]

don't trust a headphone company that advertises 5.1, 7.1 or Surround audio

I own the corsair vengeance 2000 with the supposed 7.1 audio I use them almost daily but it fails at accurate positional audio. for FPS games I use my audio technica headphones.

you really should stay away from headsets. if you truly value positional audio queues look at open air headphones.

[BrapYeah]

Do you know of any reputable models?

And thanks guys, i'll put HD 558's in with the candidates.

[h264]

Do you know of any reputable models?

And thanks guys, i'll put HD 558's in with the candidates.

Reputable models of what?

[NewKID]

I suppose I should come straight that I was under the impression that to have accurate sound positioning was surround sound. With this new information, surround sound is not necessary. Also a mic is a must, as gaming will be the primary function.

That being said, I should also note that if there is a good set under my price point, I have absolutely no issue taking that route as well.

I should also ask, is there much difference between analog and USB? The main reason I would like USB is that it should bypass some of the frustrations that HP drivers cause with making skype and games both through the headphones.

Out of the reviews I've read, the G35's seem to be a great headset.

ah when you said surround sound, i thought of virtual surround.

personally, i wouldnt spend more than $20 on headsets. USB headsets use the sound card in the usb adapter which usually isnt as good as the integrated sound on the motherboard. i wouldnt use USB.

[BrapYeah]

Do you know of any reputable models?

And thanks guys, i'll put HD 558's in with the candidates.

Headsets

[t0wer]

a helmet with logitech speakers held up with wooden dowels 1' from your head in all directions.

although you still have the problem of it not having a mic.

or if you prefer the lazy, but infinitely better sounding non diy route, audio technica ad700, sennheiser HD5xx, beyerdynamic dt770pro, akg k701

and a modmic or a clip on mic

[h264]

Do you know of any reputable models?

And thanks guys, i'll put HD 558's in with the candidates.

None that I'd recommend, except maybe the Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic headphones the broadcasters use for football games. Those go for a little over $400-$600. And they're designed for amps.

Beyer just recently released a headset specifically branded "gaming" but you could just get Beyer headphones and a clip on mic for much less and get the same audio experience if your just talking to your clan, so I won't recommend that either.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Headzone-Digital-Surround-Microphone/dp/B001EHF1WU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1366668258&sr=8-6&keywords=Beyerdynamic+headset

Linus should get one of these to review.

and that image should be my new avatar...

[BrapYeah]

So there are really no decent gaming headsets with a built in mic?

[h264]

well /g/ certainly thinks so. I'm from /g/, but I'd think it would be possible if you paid for a pro headset and an amp like:

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Dual-Sided-Closed-Back-Supercardioid-Microphone/dp/B000Z76JBM/ref=pd_cp_MI_0

or

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-26-600-XQ-Dynamic-Hypercardioid-Broadcast/dp/B0065ULABC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366672329&sr=8-1&keywords=HMD+26

but in the price range most of us would consider sane for the consumer space, as you'll surely note if you read some of the other threads in this forum, they've been known to break, and quickly. All good trolls on 4chan are good trolls because they start with a grain of truth, and the fact of the matter is most headsets for gaming purposes are cheaply made right now.

[BrapYeah]

So, if it is decided that there are no TRULY good, quality, worth the money headsets (which I am convinced), that leaves the question:

Is there a regular set of headphones that are worth their pricetag?

I remember Linus did a video on the mod mic, is it worth purchasing if I get a headset without a mic, or should I just save up for something like a Blue Snowball?

[h264]

So, if it is decided that there are no TRULY good, quality, worth the money headsets (which I am convinced), that leaves the question:

Is there a regular set of headphones that are worth their pricetag?

I remember Linus did a video on the mod mic, is it worth purchasing if I get a headset without a mic, or should I just save up for something like a Blue Snowball?

sure, so are just about any cheap mics you can clip to or attach to the headphones. If the mic breaks, you're only out $10 - $40.

We all keep recommending things like the Beyerdynamics DT770/880/990 and the Sennheiser HD558/598 probably because they last much longer and sound better than any headset. Beyers are built like tanks, my pair rides in the cargo compartment of a plane twice a week in a PSU bag and it still looks like new.

If you want >$100, there are the AKG K240s, the Sony MDRv6, and the Audio Technica ATH-AD700.

[m0n5t3r]

I would recommend the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They're an open air design and have a really great sound stage.

For gaming though I would highly recommend a sound card.

Do not let others tell you a sound card does not make a difference. That is nothing but bull**** to put it bluntly.

These headsets, along side with a cheapo sound card with 3D positional audio processing are much, much better than 5.1/7.1 Surround speakers that have one large driver and tiny 2.5mm drivers.

Though these headphones do not come with a mic, the mod mic is pretty good from what I hear.

[h264]

I would recommend the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They're an open air design and have a really great sound stage.

For gaming though I would highly recommend a sound card.

Do not let others tell you a sound card does not make a difference. That is nothing but bull**** to put it bluntly.

These headsets, along side with a cheapo sound card with 3D positional audio processing are much, much better than 5.1/7.1 Surround speakers that have one large driver and tiny 2.5mm drivers.

Though these headphones do not come with a mic, the mod mic is pretty good from what I hear.

Sound cards certainly DO make a difference. In a perfect world, everyone would have a dedicated card or an external Amp and DAC. The people on this board have limited budgets, however, so I make it very clear my opinion is that the headphones make a MUCH bigger difference than the sound card. For the bang for the buck, the headphone alone is always the quickest way to better audio, not the sound card "upgrade".

You wouldn't get a celeron for a high end Z77 board with 16GB of RAM and a Titan, would you? So why get a sound card for low impedance, sub $100 headphones?

[h264]

I would recommend the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They're an open air design and have a really great sound stage.

For gaming though I would highly recommend a sound card.

Do not let others tell you a sound card does not make a difference. That is nothing but bull**** to put it bluntly.

These headsets, along side with a cheapo sound card with 3D positional audio processing are much, much better than 5.1/7.1 Surround speakers that have one large driver and tiny 2.5mm drivers.

Though these headphones do not come with a mic, the mod mic is pretty good from what I hear.

>Perhaps you didn't fully read either my post and the original thread starter.

>"EDIT: Surround Sound is not necessary, but Accurate Sound Positioning is."

>Since when can Realtek, VIA and any other cheapo things out there create anywhere near decent accurate sound positioning audio?

>+ I added "cheapo sound card with 3D positional audio processing"

3D audio processing is usually just done with software. Very few games have creative's hardware processing as an option. Dolby Headphone is also mixed in software and sent to your headphones. Either option is only available on supported sound cards, you are correct.

Please note, however, that 3D audio processing is NOT "accurate sound positioning". This is a function of a headphone's perceived sense of space and direction, the sound card has nothing to do with it.

Sorry if you were confused.

[Shikarikato]

My friend owns a blue snowball, he says its a great mic for recording but in Skype calls (I'd assume this would translate also into CoD, etc. also) but that it picks up a lot of background noise. So if you have a lot of that maybe it won't be the best to have Skype calls with. I heard that the Blue Yeti (about double the price of a snowball) doesn't have the background noise issue but I don't personally own one yet so I can't give any feed back. Mod mic or clip on mics would probably be the best to just grab one right off the bat so you have something to use while you're looking around on purchasing a stand alone mic. Though I forgot to add his computer is in the middle of his living room and he owns two dogs and his kitchen is behind him so that would be a varied factor. I'm sure if you're in a room with no fan blowing directly into the mic you should be fine.

[Aphexx]

My friend owns a blue snowball, he says its a great mic for recording but in Skype calls (I'd assume this would translate also into CoD, etc. also) but that it picks up a lot of background noise. So if you have a lot of that maybe it won't be the best to have Skype calls with. I heard that the Blue Yeti (about double the price of a snowball) doesn't have the background noise issue but I don't personally own one yet so I can't give any feed back. Mod mic or clip on mics would probably be the best to just grab one right off the bat so you have something to use while you're looking around on purchasing a stand alone mic. Though I forgot to add his computer is in the middle of his living room and he owns two dogs and his kitchen is behind him so that would be a varied factor. I'm sure if you're in a room with no fan blowing directly into the mic you should be fine.

I'm still kind of intrigued on the microphones bundled with the creative's Z series sound cards. they say its a pair of customizable directional microphones so basically they can form a box around your head where it picks up sound and sound outside that box wont be picked up.

of course there are directional mics that you can purchase like Heil or the rhode mic that linus used. you can see it perform on linus' CES coverage. you can hear the interviews taking place on the noisy CES floor. if you watched coverage by other people its an inaudible mess.

caveat. : people hate creative due to poor drivers. the Z series is a new line that is less than 6 months old if I was shopping for a new card I'd try my luck on it.

I'm unsure if there is an affordable version of a quality directional mic out there. microphones aren't my thing.

[NewKID]

My friend owns a blue snowball, he says its a great mic for recording but in Skype calls (I'd assume this would translate also into CoD, etc. also) but that it picks up a lot of background noise. So if you have a lot of that maybe it won't be the best to have Skype calls with. I heard that the Blue Yeti (about double the price of a snowball) doesn't have the background noise issue but I don't personally own one yet so I can't give any feed back. Mod mic or clip on mics would probably be the best to just grab one right off the bat so you have something to use while you're looking around on purchasing a stand alone mic. Though I forgot to add his computer is in the middle of his living room and he owns two dogs and his kitchen is behind him so that would be a varied factor. I'm sure if you're in a room with no fan blowing directly into the mic you should be fine.

^ sound like a marketing gimmick