Not sure about headsets..

[DatBrummie]

Hi all,

 

For the past 5/6 years I've been using a Corsair Vengance 1500 headset, with the digital 7.1 surround sound and unfortunately it's starting to show it's age physically so I'm looking to replace it. However I've not looked at headsets at all for so long that I'm not really sure where to even start. 

It looks like the direct replacement for my current headset would be the Corsair Void Elite, however I'm not sure if I want to go down that route as I've heard that the microphone is extremely quiet on them. 

 

I'm also not really sure what's recommended in terms of surround vs stereo. I don't know whether I should be looking for a USB headset like I have now, that has the digital surround. Or if I should be looking for a stereo 3.5mm headset, so any input on that topic would be appreciated, as well as any specific suggestions. If I was to go down the 3.5mm stereo route would I be best off putting something between my headset and my computer like a DAC?

 

My budget is around £150, I could maybe stretch to £200 for good quality.

I only have onboard sound from my motherboard, and I have a Gigabyte Aorus Pro Z390 if that makes any difference. The headset will only be used in my room, on my PC.

[Praesi]

Sennheiser GSP 500

 

I use it for a Year now. Top of the Line in that pricerange.

[DatBrummie]

1 hour ago, Praesi said:

Sennheiser GSP 500

 

I use it for a Year now. Top of the Line in that pricerange.

Thank you for the suggestion.

What made you go for the 500 rather than the 600?

[Praesi]

3 minutes ago, DatBrummie said:

Thank you for the suggestion.

What made you go for the 500 rather than the 600?

I like Open Headsets better.

[DatBrummie]

9 minutes ago, Praesi said:

I like Open Headsets better.

 

Is that the only difference between the two?

[Praesi]

3 minutes ago, DatBrummie said:

 

Is that the only difference between the two?

As far as im aware of, yes.

[an actual squirrel]

4 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

I'm also not really sure what's recommended in terms of surround vs stereo. I don't know whether I should be looking for a USB headset like I have now, that has the digital surround. Or if I should be looking for a stereo 3.5mm headset, so any input on that topic would be appreciated

Well, often times you will hear people say that stereo is better, but I think the people who say that don't really understand the implications of using stereo. There are two examples of big games that give an option in the audio menu to output headphone surround sound, overwatch, and pubg. There is this video here that makes the case for why stereo audio is worse 

 

In most games however, when you look at the audio menu, all you see is volume options, and no headphone surround option. In these cases (eg Apex Legends, Fortnite), you can get the benefits as noted in the video from using a virtual 7.1 headset. This is because the problems fundamentally arose from stereo only having left and right channels, and thus having problems with imaging in other dimensions. The way these headsets/games work is that they use processing (often referred to as hrtf) to get around that limitation.

[DatBrummie]

22 minutes ago, an actual squirrel said:

Well, often times you will hear people say that stereo is better, but I think the people who say that don't really understand the implications of using stereo. There are two examples of games that give an option in the audio menu to output headphone surround sound, overwatch, and pubg. There is this video here that makes the case for why stereo audio is worse 

 

In most games however, when you look at the audio menu, all you see is volume options, and no headphone surround option. In these cases (eg Apex Legends, Fortnite), you can get the benefits as noted in the video from using a virtual 7.1 headset. This is because the problems fundamentally arose from stereo only having left and right channels, and thus having problems with imaging in other dimensions. The way these headsets/games work is that they use processing (often referred to as hrtf) to get around that limitation.

Thank you for the detailed response!

 

So, if I'm getting it right as a summary.. Stereo headsets are just as good as virtual surround headsets, in games that support HRTF. However in games that don't, the virtual surround is better?

So for positional audio in general I'd be better off getting another virtual surround headset like I have now rather than getting a stereo and hoping that my games support it?

[an actual squirrel]

28 minutes ago, DatBrummie said:

Thank you for the detailed response!

 

So, if I'm getting it right as a summary.. Stereo headsets are just as good as virtual surround headsets, in games that support HRTF. However in games that don't, the virtual surround is better?

So for positional audio in general I'd be better off getting another virtual surround headset like I have now rather than getting a stereo and hoping that my games support it?

Yea, that's basically it.

 

Ultimately, there is a few options for what you can do. You can buy a logitech headset like the g933. Or you can buy the gsp 500 and a sennheiser gsx 1000, which offers 7.1>headphone processing. Or you can emulate this processing on the cpu through free software called hesuvi, but that is gonna take more tinkering than the other two options, which are relatively straight forward.

[DatBrummie]

58 minutes ago, an actual squirrel said:

Yea, that's basically it.

 

Ultimately, there is a few options for what you can do. You can buy a logitech headset like the g933. Or you can buy the gsp 500 and a sennheiser gsx 1000, which offers 7.1>headphone processing. Or you can emulate this processing on the cpu through free software called hesuvi, but that is gonna take more tinkering than the other two options, which are relatively straight forward.

 

Thank you for the definitive advice! 

 

When you say the Logitech G933, could I substitute that for any USB headset that has virtual surround? My current Corsair one does, and the new version of it does too. Also the Sennheiser GSP 350 I think too?

 

And could I swap the GSP 500 for any stereo headset? Or do only Sennheiser headsets work with the GSX thing?

[an actual squirrel]

6 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

 

Thank you for the definitive advice! 

 

When you say the Logitech G933, could I substitute that for any USB headset that has virtual surround? My current Corsair one does, and the new version of it does too. Also the Sennheiser GSP 350 I think too?

 

And could I swap the GSP 500 for any stereo headset? Or do only Sennheiser headsets work with the GSX thing?

With usb headsets, you do want something that Windows will end up seeing as a 7.1 speaker system. Logitech has their drivers set up right with that series, whereas other companies I am not sure.

 

You could swap the gsp 500 for any stereo headset. I think sennheiser ones complement the gsx the best.

[Praesi]

7 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

 

Thank you for the definitive advice! 

 

When you say the Logitech G933, could I substitute that for any USB headset that has virtual surround? My current Corsair one does, and the new version of it does too. Also the Sennheiser GSP 350 I think too?

 

And could I swap the GSP 500 for any stereo headset? Or do only Sennheiser headsets work with the GSX thing?

Logitech Headsets have not a good build quality. I bought a Headset 2 times and both times it brake after 12 Month´s.

[HumdrumPenguin]

14 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

Hi all,

 

For the past 5/6 years I've been using a Corsair Vengance 1500 headset, with the digital 7.1 surround sound and unfortunately it's starting to show it's age physically so I'm looking to replace it. However I've not looked at headsets at all for so long that I'm not really sure where to even start. 

It looks like the direct replacement for my current headset would be the Corsair Void Elite, however I'm not sure if I want to go down that route as I've heard that the microphone is extremely quiet on them. 

 

I'm also not really sure what's recommended in terms of surround vs stereo. I don't know whether I should be looking for a USB headset like I have now, that has the digital surround. Or if I should be looking for a stereo 3.5mm headset, so any input on that topic would be appreciated, as well as any specific suggestions. If I was to go down the 3.5mm stereo route would I be best off putting something between my headset and my computer like a DAC?

 

My budget is around £150, I could maybe stretch to £200 for good quality.

I only have onboard sound from my motherboard, and I have a Gigabyte Aorus Pro Z390 if that makes any difference. The headset will only be used in my room, on my PC.

May I suggest for you to get a headphone and microphone separately? You see, when you buy a headset, you have to take 2 variables to play with; the sound output (headphone) and input (mic). It's not easy finding something that works well with both. Most people I know of that like headsets haven't tried good stuff before. Once you get a "good enough" mic like a Blue Snowball, it will perform better than any other mic in a headset. You will be paying just a bit for it because they are cheap like potatoes, and it will solve one variable in the equation for good. The options for standalone headphones are far better than the ones for headsets.

 

About the usb connection you mention, this is likely due to your current headset having an internal DAC that emulates 7.1. Unless your headset has all physical drivers (as if you had all 7 speakers and a sub), you are emulating surround sound. If you get a headphone/set with a 3.5" jack, it will convert the digital audio to analog on either your motherboard / sound card or external dac (that may be built in to an amp or not). In other words, you would emulate 7.1 via a software on your pc if you desire to do so.

 

I always recommend people to avoid gaming brands. They are more about buzzwords than anything else. If you indeed go with my recommendation, we can then talk a bit about headphones (not sets). I'd have to do some research on low budget efficient headphones though, because most of what I play with are either dynamic drivers with high impedance or planars (both not efficient, therefore requiring proper amplification).

 

P.s.: To my ears all motherboard DACs suck, be it a low budget model or a high end one. I've done enough side by side comparisons to arrive to this conclusion.

P.s.2: Let me know if you didn't quite understand something and I'll try rewording myself.

[DatBrummie]

4 hours ago, an actual squirrel said:

With usb headsets, you do want something that Windows will end up seeing as a 7.1 speaker system. Logitech has their drivers set up right with that series, whereas other companies I am not sure.

 

You could swap the gsp 500 for any stereo headset. I think sennheiser ones complement the gsx the best.

Thank you! I'll definitely have to have a look around.

 

1 hour ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

May I suggest for you to get a headphone and microphone separately? You see, when you buy a headset, you have to take 2 variables to play with; the sound output (headphone) and input (mic). It's not easy finding something that works well with both. Most people I know of that like headsets haven't tried good stuff before. Once you get a "good enough" mic like a Blue Snowball, it will perform better than any other mic in a headset. You will be paying just a bit for it because they are cheap like potatoes, and it will solve one variable in the equation for good. The options for standalone headphones are far better than the ones for headsets.

 

About the usb connection you mention, this is likely due to your current headset having an internal DAC that emulates 7.1. Unless your headset has all physical drivers (as if you had all 7 speakers and a sub), you are emulating surround sound. If you get a headphone/set with a 3.5" jack, it will convert the digital audio to analog on either your motherboard / sound card or external dac (that may be built in to an amp or not). In other words, you would emulate 7.1 via a software on your pc if you desire to do so.

 

I always recommend people to avoid gaming brands. They are more about buzzwords than anything else. If you indeed go with my recommendation, we can then talk a bit about headphones (not sets). I'd have to do some research on low budget efficient headphones though, because most of what I play with are either dynamic drivers with high impedance or planars (both not efficient, therefore requiring proper amplification).

 

P.s.: To my ears all motherboard DACs suck, be it a low budget model or a high end one. I've done enough side by side comparisons to arrive to this conclusion.

P.s.2: Let me know if you didn't quite understand something and I'll try rewording myself.

 

I had thought about doing that however the main thing I'm not sure about for this is the space, as I could need somewhere to put a microphone as well as having a headset.

 

This is the main reason I was looking at the Sennheiser ones, I've heard people say that they're the best sounding headset for both speakers and microphone. However I can definitely imagine that other headphones would be better sounding. 

 

This then still leaves me with the stereo vs virtual surround though! If I was to buy a separate pair of headphones to go with a microphone. Would I still have the stereo vs surround problem to deal with that "An actual squirrel" was talking about? Would I need to get something like the Sennheiser GSX 1000 to give me virtual surround for positional audio?

[HumdrumPenguin]

3 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

Thank you! I'll definitely have to have a look around.

 

 

I had thought about doing that however the main thing I'm not sure about for this is the space, as I could need somewhere to put a microphone as well as having a headset.

 

This is the main reason I was looking at the Sennheiser ones, I've heard people say that they're the best sounding headset for both speakers and microphone. However I can definitely imagine that other headphones would be better sounding. 

 

This then still leaves me with the stereo vs virtual surround though! If I was to buy a separate pair of headphones to go with a microphone. Would I still have the stereo vs surround problem to deal with that "An actual squirrel" was talking about? Would I need to get something like the Sennheiser GSX 1000 to give me virtual surround for positional audio?

The surround will be done via software. No problems at all. As I've mentioned before, if the headphone/headset doesn't have all physical drivers, they are just emulating 7.1. They are really 2.0 (stereo) headphones.

[DatBrummie]

14 minutes ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

The surround will be done via software. No problems at all. As I've mentioned before, if the headphone/headset doesn't have all physical drivers, they are just emulating 7.1. They are really 2.0 (stereo) headphones.

 

So the only reason to buy one of the USB headsets like I currently have is that they come with the surround software rather than having to do it myself?

[an actual squirrel]

3 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

 

So the only reason to buy one of the USB headsets like I currently have is that they come with the surround software rather than having to do it myself?

Basically, yea. And the relatively low cost of these headsets is also a benefit.

[DatBrummie]

Just now, an actual squirrel said:

Basically, yea. And the relatively low cost of these headsets is also a benefit.

 

I think I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser GSP 350 set. It has the 7.1 virtual surround that I'm after, while having a Sennheiser name on it which HumdrumPenguin suggested (avoiding gaming brands).

 

While I'd love to have a setup with a separate microphone and headphones I don't think I really have the space or the budget!

[HumdrumPenguin]

15 hours ago, DatBrummie said:

 

I think I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser GSP 350 set. It has the 7.1 virtual surround that I'm after, while having a Sennheiser name on it which HumdrumPenguin suggested (avoiding gaming brands).

 

While I'd love to have a setup with a separate microphone and headphones I don't think I really have the space or the budget!

I can't find which drivers they are using, but based on spec sheet and release date, I'll take a wild guess it's the same as in the 559 but tweaked for higher efficiency. If I'm correct, you're not getting any shit, but nothing super either. It's oh so far from a balls to the walls experience, but you'll have a good time with it nonetheless. Thankfully you can get past the aesthetics, which I can't

[DatBrummie]

14 minutes ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

I can't find which drivers they are using, but based on spec sheet and release date, I'll take a wild guess it's the same as in the 559 but tweaked for higher efficiency. If I'm correct, you're not getting any shit, but nothing super either. It's oh so far from a balls to the walls experience, but you'll have a good time with it nonetheless. Thankfully you can get past the aesthetics, which I can't

Thank you for the help anyway!

If I had a slightly higher budget, I'd definitely have been interested in the separate setup. But I just don't think I have the budget for it. The microphone alone that you suggested is over £100 on Amazon! Plus the headphones, plus needing a DAC.

 

The way I was thinking about it is my current headset is a fairly cheap USP headset from 5 years ago, and to me it sounds fine. So I doubt I'll end up worse off!

[HumdrumPenguin]

6 minutes ago, DatBrummie said:

Thank you for the help anyway!

If I had a slightly higher budget, I'd definitely have been interested in the separate setup. But I just don't think I have the budget for it. The microphone alone that you suggested is over £100 on Amazon! Plus the headphones, plus needing a DAC.

 

The way I was thinking about it is my current headset is a fairly cheap USP headset from 5 years ago, and to me it sounds fine. So I doubt I'll end up worse off!

Oh wow, that price for a Snowball? It was my first external mic, and when I got it years ago I had paid CAD15 (Canadian Dollar) on a 2 months used unit. On Amazon.ca it was about $50 as I recall. The price is just ridiculous in the UK. Nowadays I have a Blue Yeti Nano (which performs on par with a Blue Yeti, but it looks much better and is much smaller). Once you get your headset, let us know your thoughts on it then  Enjoy and have fun.

[DatBrummie]

48 minutes ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Oh wow, that price for a Snowball? It was my first external mic, and when I got it years ago I had paid CAD15 (Canadian Dollar) on a 2 months used unit. On Amazon.ca it was about $50 as I recall. The price is just ridiculous in the UK. Nowadays I have a Blue Yeti Nano (which performs on par with a Blue Yeti, but it looks much better and is much smaller). Once you get your headset, let us know your thoughts on it then  Enjoy and have fun.

 

I was mistaken, the Snowball is on there for £55 and the Yeti Nano you said is £100. But for my budget needing headphones and DAC too even £55 is a bit much! For now anyway..

[rice guru]

1 hour ago, DatBrummie said:

 

I was mistaken, the Snowball is on there for £55 and the Yeti Nano you said is £100. But for my budget needing headphones and DAC too even £55 is a bit much! For now anyway..

How much is a Samson q2u over there?

[DatBrummie]

4 hours ago, rice guru said:

How much is a Samson q2u over there?

 

£63 for one that's in some kind of pack, here. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-SAQ2U-Microphone-Recording-Pack/dp/B001R747SG/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=q2u&qid=1587938406&sr=8-1