Buying a new headset.

DallenRex · June 11, 2016

Looking to buy a new Headset as my A50s, coming on three years old, are experiencing some issues. I have spent a lot of time looking at headsets, and reviews are all over the place. I'm currently leaning toward Sennheiser G4me Zeros, but am in now way decided. They will be used primarily for games with a focus on positional audio and clarity, decent mic is preferable. I'm very much inclined to buy closed back despite the issues to reduce sound bleed that others can hear. I do not have a sound card. I have an ASUS Z87-Plus mobo with the Realtek ALC892 on board sound. I do need a headset that is compatible with the Xbox One, but I play on PC 95% of the time. I do have Astro's MixAmp TX (Their weird one that only came with the A50s, not their standard MixAmp Pro TR) still, and I may be able to use it in some way with a different headset. I'm open to the idea of buying a different amp/mixer, but would prefer not to. I'm not sure if my mobo can run the G4me Zeros. I don't even know if I need a mixer/amp to use them with the Xbox as I'm by no means tech savvy. I am still open to suggestions about other headsets, cost ceiling somewhere around $400, cheaper would obviously be nice. I am also looking into buying a mid-tier stand alone microphone for PC use, but still need a headset as I'm not aware of any way to use separate headphones and mic for the Xbox. So, to sum things up, my main questions are the following: are the G4me Zeros decent, will they work with what I currently have, what would I need if they don't work with my setup, are there significantly better options, and what would anyone recommend as replacements for any of these products?

TheHappyJarhead · June 11, 2016

the g4me one is the best gaming headset you can buy, the open back one. i have it.

DallenRex · June 11, 2016

5 minutes ago, TheHappyJarhead said:

the g4me one is the best gaming headset you can buy, the open back one. i have it.

While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I'd prefer some more information. Open back is pretty much a no-go. I can't really have people in the room with me hearing the audio clearly enough to understand it. I haven't used open backed headphones before, but I already worry about sound bleed on my A50s and they're pretty good about it. I do like the Game series though, especially the ear cup material as it would be far easier to clean than open foam.

DallenRex · June 11, 2016

Writing the OP brought something to mind that I hadn't thought of before. Is there a good way for using a standalone desk mic with the Xbox One? I know I can currently use the optical out on the console for audio into my mixamp. Would it be possible to take a desk mic with a 3.5mm jack and plug it into the controller as voice input? I know that standalone microphone and headphones are better, so if they can work with the console, I'd switch gears and get that instead of a headset.