HyperX Cloud vs. CHC Silv.+ ModMic 4.0

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

I realized how shitty my audio setup is recently now that I've started to play CS:GO competitive and that I've finally gotten back into my iTunes library. The Kingston HyperX Cloud strikes me as a very good headset for the price of $100 but I was wondering if I could get better quality out of the California Headphone Company's Silverados and an Antlion ModMic 4.0.

 

What I'm looking for:

·         Comfort – I wear glasses sometimes which have very thick frames. I don’t want to have a headache from using these and neither do I want indentations on my head.

·         Microphone Quality – Which one will sound better to my friends or teammates in-game or in Skype/Teamspeak?

·         Sound Quality – I want clear-sounding music and the ability to hear footsteps well. I know close to nothing about what types of sound is linked to what type of music so I’ll just say that I listen to pop/indie music and almost never hip-hop, rap, or metal.

 

Above all I just want to get the most out of $100. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

[Whypatch]

I have the Silv's with the ModMic.

 

Comfort- The ear cup padding is extremely thick so for me it feels comfortable enough when I have glasses on. You're gonna have to give it some time to mold to your head because the foam does have a very quick rebound. Clamping force is very strong out of the box so they are hardly unnoticeable when wearing, something people recommend the Cloud's for. I do find that I have to air out my ears after a while because the leather traps heat inside the ear cups.

 

Mic Quality- The ModMic fits quite well onto the ear cup and sounds great. My friends all hear me loud and clear when we voice chat. I did have to turn noise suppression on in the RealTek driver settings because before they would pick up quite a bit of white noise.

 

Sound Quality- The Silv's have really clear sound in the mid's, so any songs with male vocalists will sound very good. High's are very clear, but sometimes get fatiguing to listen to if the song is particularly high-heavy. Bass is present and good enough for gaming I would say, but it is pushed back in favor of the mid's and high's. Overall, a decent sound signature for pop, but keep in mind that these things were built for rock.

[ShearMe]

Pioneer SE-A1000 for an open headphone option around $55. I realize this might go slightly over budget, but if you don't need noise isolation, open is the way to go for gaming/clarity.

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

Pioneer SE-A1000 for an open headphone option around $55. I realize this might go slightly over budget, but if you don't need noise isolation, open is the way to go for gaming/clarity.

To be honest there isn't any real budget, just want a good all-around-headphone/mic 

[ShearMe]

To be honest there isn't any real budget, just want a good all-around-headphone/mic 

 

Well, the Pioneer's are still good headphones. The reason they're so cheap is because the cups aren't deep, so some people get lobe irritation. I thought they were pretty comfy, and modding the pads is easy if you have some cotton balls under you mom's bathroom sink.

 

Cheapest open headphone that doesn't need modding is the Sennheiser HD518 if you're in the US.

[MayflowerElectronics]

You can't go wrong with either but I do suggest going with the modmic route. This way you can upgrade your headphones without having to buy a mic in the future. Be sure to check out headphones from superlux as well they make very good budget headphones.