Here's my entire LP audio setup. What headset(phones) should I buy?

WatchJim · September 9, 2015

Ok, my 2012 Astro A40s have taken a shit, and I need to find a headset (or set of headphones) to replace them. I'll try to sort information well to make it easy to read...

Why I'm considering dropping Astro: I previously bought the dark grey 2015 edition Astro A40 headset + mixamp, and it was TERRIBLE; mostly because of the noise gate, which I learned is in all post-2012 mixamps. Because of that, combined with the fact that the seller said it was a black 2014 edition, I returned the thing. (Audio quality also seemed kind of muffled.) I COULD buy the new PC edition black 2015 A40s to use with my 2012 mixamp, but I figured I'd see what you guys have to say, first.

Click here to hear my Astro 2015 edition A40 + 2015 mixamp audio test
Click here to hear me use the 2012 A40s + 2012 mixamp (Much better, IMO)

(You may have heard A40s sounding worse than either of these samples. That's because the gain on these things is WAY too high. It can be fixed by turning the mic volume down in Windows. My 2012s are at 3% in that second video. THREE FREAKIN PERCENT! They're still not amazing, but they can be tamed with proper precautions.)

Here is a diagram of my entire audio setup. I'll list what I like and dislike about it below. I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to get myself back in ship shape again!

Pros:

VOICE MONITOR - This is the biggest one. The Astro mixamp lets me hear my own voice lag-free, and balance it against the game volume. This is absolutely indispensable, and I will continue using the Astro mixamp, even with a non-Astro headset, unless I find another setup that provides me with voice monitor. Even when I record with my Yeti, I often monitor myself with my boom mic.
Open-ear design - I frequently play games with my friends in the room, and I like being able to talk to them without removing my headset. Not to mention the fact that I like the "larger sound stage" open headphones provide. I never have children around, and parties don't really happen in my building, so noise cancellation is not a high priority.
TV optical out - Any audio I send to my TV is rerouted to my mixamp via optical cable. I can change between my PC and my consoles effortlessly, and it just works. I can even see (but not hear) my second monitor when I change TV signal to my console, which is perfect for recording console games. (Though, I don't know if this affects my audio quality any noticeable amount. I should test that more...)
Ergonomics & swiveling ear cups - I wear these things for nearly 8 hours every day: when consuming media, gaming, recording, chatting on Teamspeak, whatever. Comfort is a must. Swiveling ear cups aren't absolutely required, but it's an aesthetic I absolutely adore.
Detachable mic - I dislike mics that mute when flipped up. I'd rather just unplug the mic myself, or use an inline mute/mute key. This isn't hugely important, but I like being able to just unplug the mic, and I never have to wonder if the automatic mute switch has, or will ever break.

Cons:

A40 mic quality isn't perfect, and Yeti peaks - I love the quality the Yeti grants me. Unfortunately, when I play scary games, or competitive games like Counter-Strike that cause me to raise my voice, the mic sometimes peaks. I know there's no perfect solution to this, but I feel like there has to be SOME affordable hardware that will give me clarity while resisting audio distortion.
No mic monitor for Yeti - This is one of my biggest cons. I'd like a setup that allows me to monitor my condenser mic. I've been thinking about "downgrading" to the wired A40 mixamp, and running the "monitor headphones" jack of the Yeti into the MP3 port of the mixamp with an AUX cable.

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Conclusion/questions: That's all I can think of for now. I'll edit in more details if I think of them. So, in short, which headset/headphones will match as many of these pros as possible, while having better audio quality than the A40s? I don't really have a fixation with "gamer swag" styles gear. A minimalist aesthetic is more than acceptable, if I get the performance I want. Also, I've heard that switching to a mixing board will accommodate my mic monitor needs, while allowing me to limit my condenser mic's audio to reduce peaking. However, I know nothing about that kind of stuff. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Current candidates:
Sennheiser HD 558

Ruled out:
Any headsets by Audio Technica (Assuming they have that incomplete headband design. Not really a fan of that.)

Any USB headphones (They usually make mic monitor impossible, and limit the control I have over my audio setup.)

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EDIT: Here's a potential setup I'm currently toying with. Feel free to offer critiques or suggestions.

WatchJim · September 13, 2015

UPDATE: Ended up going with the Sennheiser 558s and a Behringer XENYX 502 mixer. Keeping my Yeti and forgoing the DAC until I can save a little more money. Gonna run my system volume from my TV to the mixer via a stereo RCA to 1/4" cable, and I'll monitor my Yeti with a 3.5mm to 1/4" cable. (I also bought a 3.5mm to stereo RCA cable, in case I end up liking that better for the mic monitor.)

I can always pick up the DAC, XLR condenser, and (maybe) limiter later on. Feel free to post thoughts/ideas.

KaminKevCrew · September 13, 2015

Replace the fiio with an SMSL SD 793-II, since your TV can already do optical out. It measures better than the fiio in every way, including price. Other than that, it seems like you have a pretty good setup.

Oh, for a mic, there's the new(ish) monoprice dynamic mic, which supposedly sounds better than the legendary shure sm57 vocal mic. And the monoprice is only $15 (although you might need to do some very basic soldering.)