Headset vs Headphones for gaming

[HemilTV]

I require a new headphone/headset and  am not sure if I should get a pair of headphones for gaming or a dedicated gaming headset, my budget is around £120 ($185.99) at an absolute maximum please bare in mind that I live in the UK and items available here are not as varied as elsewhere. A link to the UK retailer would mean the world.

 

P.S I dont mind if the headphones do not have a mic as I can get the modmic or maybe another mic can be bought seperately

Second P.S: I am looking for headphones/headset that have good positional accuracy for fps games and that are comfortable when playing for up to 3 hour sessions.

 

Thanks you LTT Forums

[sonarctica]

If headphones have a mic, it would be a headset. Anyway, I would recommend something like Sennheisers as a brand, what are you looking for, closed or open headset/headphones?

[MayflowerElectronics]

I don't know how much they cost on your side of the pond - But look for two different headphones -

 

ATH-AD700x's, and AKG K241's

 

They should be between $100-$150 - The AD700x's are better if you can squeeze them in your budget.

 

For a mic - Pick up the snowflake mic, or Sanson mic if you can get it in your price range.

 

Don't buy a headset, you'll get a better audio if you buy seperatly. Always get a dedicated headphone, and dedicated mic.

[ShearMe]

Checkout the V-Moda Crossfade LP on Amazon, should be around a hundred pounds. Then there's a Zalman clip-on mic for a cheaper option than the modmic - should also be available on Amazon UK.

[HemilTV]

I don't know how much they cost on your side of the pond - But look for two different headphones -

 

ATH-AD700x's, and AKG K241's

 

They should be between $100-$150 - The AD700x's are better if you can squeeze them in your budget.

 

For a mic - Pick up the snowflake mic, or Sanson mic if you can get it in your price range.

 

Don't buy a headset, you'll get a better audio if you buy seperatly. Always get a dedicated headphone, and dedicated mic.

as the audio technica's are imported they are ridiculously expensive this side of the pond around £180 ($278) which is ridiculously unreasonable, as for the akg's they are discontinued.

[HemilTV]

If headphones have a mic, it would be a headset. Anyway, I would recommend something like Sennheisers as a brand, what are you looking for, closed or open headset/headphones?

what is the difference between open/closed/headphones?  I am simply looking for comfortable headphones/headset that offer good positional audio for fps gaming

[HemilTV]

Checkout the V-Moda Crossfade LP on Amazon, should be around a hundred pounds. Then there's a Zalman clip-on mic for a cheaper option than the modmic - should also be available on Amazon UK.

Yes they are £107 but do they offer good positional audio for fps games?

[MayflowerElectronics]

To make it easier for us, please send us a link on where you plan on buying headphones. As it's a guessing game for most of us in the states.

[ShearMe]

Yes they are £107 but do they offer good positional audio for fps games?

 

They're semi-open so you don't get muddy bass interfering with positioning, while still getting boomy bass for explosions and what not.

[Shindo]

Don't buy a headset. I've worked as a manager of many headset designs and I can tell you that when you add an audio in and audio out system together (a mic and headphones) you cheap out on both of them. Instead of getting a $130 headset, get $100 headphones and a $30 dollar mic to get better quality from both departments. 

[t0wer]

I've had sennheiser HD595's and they were the most comfortable headphones I've worn and are great for gaming

 

the HD598's and 558's are based off the same style.

 

There is a foam mod that is supposed to make the HD558's sound like the the 598's and it's reversible if you don't like it.

[sonarctica]

what is the difference between open/closed/headphones?  I am simply looking for comfortable headphones/headset that offer good positional audio for fps gaming

With open headphones the sound is more natural, like it would come from around you in the room which some people prefer, this also means that other in the room can hear what you're listening to which might not be ideal sometimes. Closed is the opposite I guess, you can't hear a lot what's going on around you but others can't hear what you're listening to.

 

I've had my closed G35 headset with 7.1 virtual surround for few years now, it's good for gaming I guess but it's a headset so the sound is pretty bad IMO, I would definitely go with headphones + mic. Any headphone with virtual surround sound will give you good fps positional audio, think Razer even has a software that makes virtual surround sound for stereo headphones if your headphones don't do it out of the box.

 

If somebody notices something off from my post, please correct me

[HemilTV]

To make it easier for us, please send us a link on where you plan on buying headphones. As it's a guessing game for most of us in the states.

www.amazon.co.uk

www.scan.co.uk

 

I've had sennheiser HD595's and they were the most comfortable headphones I've worn and are great for gaming

 

the HD598's and 558's are based off the same style.

 

There is a foam mod that is supposed to make the HD558's sound like the the 598's and it's reversible if you don't like it.

the 598's are £50($77) more than the 558's and I thought that if I'm buying headphones for gaming I might as well use them daily for music when I'm out and for when I'm at home. Is the extra $77 REALLY worth it in terms of performance as I am on a budget as I wish to buy more peripherals.

 

With open headphones the sound is more natural, like it would come from around you in the room which some people prefer, this also means that other in the room can hear what you're listening to which might not be ideal sometimes. Closed is the opposite I guess, you can't hear a lot what's going on around you but others can't hear what you're listening to.

 

I've had my closed G35 headset with 7.1 virtual surround for few years now, it's good for gaming I guess but it's a headset so the sound is pretty bad IMO, I would definitely go with headphones + mic. Any headphone with virtual surround sound will give you good fps positional audio, think Razer even has a software that makes virtual surround sound for stereo headphones if your headphones don't do it out of the box.

 

If somebody notices something off from my post, please correct me

I currently used Turtle Beach p11's from when I had my ps3 but now they are slowly but surely dying on me and they were closed I believe, and they used to make my head very hot after a few hours of use and were only 5.1 surround sound. In addition I tried to use the Razer surround software on my other system with shure srh 750 headphones but it doesn't at all feel like surround sound. I'm sceptical about choosing headphones over a gaming headset. 

[MayflowerElectronics]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SAMSON-METEOR-Samson-Meteor-Microphone/dp/B004MF39YS/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1377952500&sr=8-25&keywords=microphone - 56

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-High-Headphones-E-A-R-Technology/dp/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377952680&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+558 - 119

[HemilTV]

will be getting the 558s after seeing this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rCtnh77GAw

 

Also thanks to those who recommended them