Any suggestions on good 7.1(Or 5.1) headphones?

[GoldForest]

I'm looking for new headphones. I was thinking about RMAing my current ones(Logitech G930s) as the right ear piece's audio was cutting out, but then the right ear piece's hinge connector broke, so I doubt RMAing then now would do any good. 

Price really isn't a factor since I can save up for them, but I would like to keep it $250 to $300, although, I am looking at possibly going for the Razer Tiamat 7.1s lol.

Anyway, what I would like is:
Sturdy - I.e. able to withstand constant movement and constant taking on and off of my head. I sometimes pull them off my one earbud. I know, I know, I'm bad! I know this is what ruins headphones easily. I don't ALWAYS do it, but I do it more than rarely. It's a habit...
Surround Sound - I watch movies and videos, so I would like immersion, hence the want for 7.1. I also play a lot of games, so the 7.1 for FPS or TPS would be great. 
Microphone - I voice call with friends, would like to talk back lol, although, if you can suggest a cheap($100-$150) but good table mic, I might consider going with not microphoned headphones.

LONG cables or wireless - I play VR. If the cables are long that's fine, but if I'm not going to get more than six feet out of them, then please suggest either an extention cord which would make the total length of the wires around 16 feet(Around the length of a VIVE's cord I think), or wireless. 

So that's all I can think of right now. Thanks in advance~

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

most headphones 5.1/7.1 are just virtual surround

 

they have an usb soundcard coming with it

 

if u want high quality sound i would recommend getting an good stereo headphone instead with a high grade soundcard, they deliver a better 7.1/5.1 experience then the headsets with the usb shit

 

if u can get a true 5.1/7.1 headset ud still want a good soundcard if u want good sound

 

u can hear the sound quality difference even on mp3 earplugs ;b

[GoldForest]

Just now, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

most headphones 5.1/7.1 are just virtual surround

 

they have an usb soundcard coming with it

 

if u want high quality sound i would recommend getting an good stereo headphone instead with a high grade soundcard, they deliver a better 7.1/5.1 experience then the headsets with the usb shit

I've read that the Razor Tiamat's are true 7.1. I've seen them and they do have like 6 wires on them. Would they be good for my needs? Also, I've got an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme. I've heard that with these high-end board you don't need a sound card. Is that false?

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

2 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

I've read that the Razor Tiamat's are true 7.1. I've seen them and they do have like 6 wires on them. Would they be good for my needs? Also, I've got an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme. I've heard that with these high-end board you don't need a sound card. Is that false?

even if they run a true 7.1 connection those headsets connect through a usb soundcard

 

also it doesnt matter how good ur mobo is, even if it says soundblaster stuff its just codecs the actual chips are VIA chips in most cases

 

same for the maximus series,  i have a maximus vi hero myself and my recon3d champion soundcard is 100x better ( onboard sound just cant compare to a proper soundcard such as a soundblaster z ect )

[D Levy]

I haven't seen a true 5.1 headset for years tbh.. years ago I had one with a ton of speakers in each ear which felt super immersive for 5.1,

but since then all "surround" sound headsets I've tried are virtual and imo sound like shit in comparison.

If you want true 5.1, or 7.1.. don't take what the manufacturers claim.. see how many speakers are in each ear. If it's less than 3 per ear.. don't buy it. Doesn't matter if it "handles" 5.1 or 7.1 sounds.. it's only going to "emulate" what it "should" sound like with less than ... IIRC.. 4 speakers per ear.. it's been a long time.. i forgot how many speakers that headset had in each ear but it was a ton.

[GoldForest]

5 minutes ago, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

even if they run a true 7.1 connection those headsets connect through a usb soundcard

 

also it doesnt matter how good ur mobo is, even if it says soundblaster stuff its just codecs the actual chips are VIA chips in most cases

 

same for the maximus series,  i have a maximus vi hero myself and my recon3d champion soundcard is 100x better ( onboard sound just cant compare to a proper soundcard such as a soundblaster z ect )

So soundcard + non-computer headphones is what you're saying?

2 minutes ago, D Levy said:

I haven't seen a true 5.1 headset for years tbh.. years ago I had one with a ton of speakers in each ear which felt super immersive for 5.1,

but since then all "surround" sound headsets I've tried are virtual and imo sound like shit in comparison.

If you want true 5.1, or 7.1.. don't take what the manufacturers claim.. see how many speakers are in each ear. If it's less than 3 per ear.. don't buy it. Doesn't matter if it "handles" 5.1 or 7.1 sounds.. it's only going to "emulate" what it "should" sound like with less than ... IIRC.. 4 speakers per ear.. it's been a long time.. i forgot how many speakers that headset had in each ear but it was a ton.

Huh, good to know. 

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

3 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

So soundcard + non-computer headphones is what you're saying?

Huh, good to know. 

im saying just get a high grade stereo headset and a good soundcard

 

i would for example recommend a sennheiser headset with high impendance with a soundblaster z

 

and for 5.1/7.1 u can enable virtual surround mode ( its basicly the same as those headsets , but with actual dolby surround )

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

i personally use a kingston hyperx cloud headset connected to a recon3d champion

 

the headset delivers great quality and is cheap as fk

 

coz i have a 150buck soundcard basicly i can get the full 5.1/7.1 experience using the higher then average ohm headset   ( pst the soundcard supports up to 600ohm loool )

 

u could even connect a DJ headphone on that thing for example, but since ur a gamer id just recommend sennheiser headsets ( high impendance )

[D Levy]

Virtual sound = ?????????????

For stereo.. get whatever headsets (if you don't need an on ear mic) sound guys use in the film industry.

Usually sennheisers...

I have a cheapy Sony alternative to those:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/

[GoldForest]

9 minutes ago, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

im saying just get a high grade stereo headset and a good soundcard

 

i would for example recommend a sennheiser headset with high impendance with a soundblaster z

 

and for 5.1/7.1 u can enable virtual surround mode ( its basicly the same as those headsets , but with actual dolby surround )

 

5 minutes ago, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

i personally use a kingston hyperx cloud headset connected to a recon3d champion

 

the headset delivers great quality and is cheap as fk

 

coz i have a 150buck soundcard basicly i can get the full 5.1/7.1 experience using the higher then average ohm headset   ( pst the soundcard supports up to 600ohm loool )

 

u could even connect a DJ headphone on that thing for example, but since ur a gamer id just recommend sennheiser headsets ( high impendance )

 

3 minutes ago, D Levy said:

Virtual sound = ?????????????

For stereo.. get whatever headsets (if you don't need an on ear mic) sound guys use in the film industry.

Usually sennheisers...

I have a cheapy Sony alternative to those:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/

 

3 minutes ago, L.Lawliet said:

 

 

This is what u need to avoid..those gimmicky gaming shit..

To achieve good virtual surround all u need is STEREO HEADPHONE repeat after me STEREO HEADPHONE THATS RIGHT!

 

 

I'm getting mixed messages...

Go for multiple speaker headphones, but don't because it will blow out my ears.
Go for stereo with only two speackers which emulate surround sound

 

.... I'm thoroughly confused.

[D Levy]

1 minute ago, L.Lawliet said:

 

 

This is what u need to avoid..those gimmicky gaming shit..

To achieve good virtual surround all u need is STEREO HEADPHONE repeat after me STEREO HEADPHONE THATS RIGHT!

 

There's a reason for it..home theater 7.1 or 5.1 are speaker which is far from your ears unlike headphone which very close to your ears..so here's the simple explanation.

What if u have 2 tweeter 1 sub and 2 woofer speaker that very close to your ears and try playing music with it..

Try it and u'll end ripping your hair..
Thats exactly what true 7.1 headset did..it used multiple driver in each ears and its never been a good idea since its so hard to make them work in harmony..

1 Good driver is all you need on each side cause its a headphone..its very close to your ears that will make each note easier to hit so u dont need 5 drivers on each cup.

If u still insist then be my guest..

As for the sound card if u really need virtual surround then u should get a sound card however most sound card has a high output impedance around 10-20 Ohm and if ur headphone impedance is not 8 times higher u'll get distortion in your headphone.

My solution is to buy external dac/amp combo+razer surround software..although is not as good as dolby surround u'll get low output impedance from external dac/amp combo like fiio e10k.

 

 

That's half the story correctly stated.  You're not putting even 5 watts per ear IIRC. The point is you get sound generation from different orientations in a way your brain can perceive from your ears. Making multiple drivers per ear work in harmony, well that might of been the issue for discontinuing the product. I personally have never found a headset that did a better job giving me a truly immersive sound in video games which offered surround sound output.... at the time. This was a LONG while ago.. I'm thinking maybe a decade ago... not sure.

[D Levy]

Just now, GoldForest said:

 

 

 

I'm getting mixed messages...

Go for multiple speaker headphones, but don't because it will blow out my ears.
Go for stereo with only two speackers which emulate surround sound

 

.... I'm thoroughly confused.

The blow your ears out is bullshit, multiple driver headsets aren't going to be made so powerful that your ears will be in serious risk for normal use. OFC don't put ANY headset on full blast into your delicate ear drums.. just common sense stuff.

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

4 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

 

 

 

I'm getting mixed messages...

Go for multiple speaker headphones, but don't because it will blow out my ears.
Go for stereo with only two speackers which emulate surround sound

 

.... I'm thoroughly confused.

im saying just get a high grade stereo headset and a good soundcard

To achieve good virtual surround all u need is STEREO HEADPHONE repeat after me STEREO HEADPHONE THATS RIGHT!

 

^

 

whats mixed about this?

 

[GoldForest]

1 minute ago, D Levy said:

The blow your ears out is bullshit, multiple driver headsets aren't going to be made so powerful that your ears will be in serious risk for normal use. OFC don't put ANY headset on full blast into your delicate ear drums.. just common sense stuff.

I do tend to listen to stuff on the high side. Not so loud it hurts, but loud enough that it makes it so you can't call me in a normal voice, even when you're ten feet from me. 

[D Levy]

1 minute ago, GoldForest said:

I do tend to listen to stuff on the high side. Not so loud it hurts, but loud enough that it makes it so you can't call me in a normal voice, even when you're ten feet from me. 

My best advice, is if you have an electronics store or gaming store with demo models.. go test them. The ones that make you feel most immersed like you're in another place entirely.. those are the ones for you. It comes down to personal preference really.. you may end up really liking a particular headset with virtual surround.

 

Me personally... I haven't found that yet.. just good ones for stereo. And I don't like virtual sound since I can hear a difference. To each his own.

[GoldForest]

Just now, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

im saying just get a high grade stereo headset and a good soundcard

To achieve good virtual surround all u need is STEREO HEADPHONE repeat after me STEREO HEADPHONE THATS RIGHT!

 

^

 

whats mixed about this?

 

Nothing, it's the two different answers I'm getting. Two of you say stereo with sound card, but then I hear get multi speaker headphones.

2.1 + sound card or 7.1 (possibly with sound card)

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

2 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

Nothing, it's the two different answers I'm getting. Two of you say stereo with sound card, but then I hear get multi speaker headphones.

2.1 + sound card or 7.1 (possibly with sound card)

7.1 with soundcard wont do anything bcoz all those headsets come with a usb soundcard that only

 

high grade stereo headset + soundcard is what we r saying :v

 

 

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

9 minutes ago, L.Lawliet said:

Who said anything about watt?
If u still persist then be my guest.

I wont say anything anymore.

 

It will not blow your ears nobody said that..what i meant to say is u'll get crappy audio because the concept of surround is using binaural audio and one driver is more than enough to do that..u can even use cheap stereo earphone and listen to virtual barber cut on youtube..
If u have real 7.1 headset with multiple driver on each side compare it to those cheap ass earphone and judge yourself which one is better.

Still dont believe me? make another threads about Virtual surround..or just google it..

Years ago i am the victim of real 7.1 headset.

The truth is there google it i am outta here.

Cause other dude say overpriced real 7.1 with multiple driver will resulting in better surround experience.

nah

 

get high impendance stereo headset and a GOOD soundcard

[D Levy]

I'm just relaying my own experience...

this proves your point on two drivers is enough.. but the experience and what to use to get it is subjective.

"The way our ears identify direction of sound is by a time delay between the left and right ears. In Real Life if a sound come from the left, it hits the left ear, then there is a time delay of a few milliseconds (because of the speed of sound) before the sound travels to your right ear. This time delay allows you to identify the direction of the sound."

 

If money was no issue,

you couldn't go wrong with a Sennheiser HD 800 or one of the other audiophile options.

 

[GoldForest]

4 minutes ago, Valkyrie Lenneth said:

nah

 

get high impendance stereo headset and a GOOD soundcard

I do have one question, will they provide good surround sound? 
Also, I did more research on the Tiamats, they connect directly to the PC through 3.5mm jacks. There is a USB, but that's for power. All the speakers are jacked. The USB with the Tiamat from what I understand is for speaker pass through, letting the control box send sound from PC to your Speakers. 

3 minutes ago, D Levy said:

I'm just relaying my own experience...

this proves your point on two drivers is enough.. but the experience and what to use to get it is subjective.

"The way our ears identify direction of sound is by a time delay between the left and right ears. In Real Life if a sound come from the left, it hits the left ear, then there is a time delay of a few milliseconds (because of the speed of sound) before the sound travels to your right ear. This time delay allows you to identify the direction of the sound."

 

Alright, well, I've have a lot to think about. I think I might head to one of the big cities near me and try to find a best buy or something with demos. 

[Valkyrie Lenneth]

2 minutes ago, GoldForest said:

I do have one question, will they provide good surround sound? 
Also, I did more research on the Tiamats, they connect directly to the PC through 3.5mm jacks. There is a USB, but that's for power. All the speakers are jacked. The USB with the Tiamat from what I understand is for speaker pass through, letting the control box send sound from PC to your Speakers. 

Alright, well, I've have a lot to think about. I think I might head to one of the big cities near me and try to find a best buy or something with demos. 

the demo systems dont use proper settings and soundcards :v

 

a good soundcard will deliver good surround sound even on a mp3 earplug ( ofc way better with a decent headset )

 

trust me ive heard all those headsets and its nothing compared to my surround sound using a standard stereo headset

[D Levy]

7 minutes ago, L.Lawliet said:

Nah high impedance doesnt justify the sounds quality and if some cases it does u'll need something powerful enough to drive it (rough guide)

Most of gaming headset that has USB connection has Built in DAC/AMP inside the headset so good luck trying to improve the sounds with sound card or dac/amp. because u cant.

 

U kidding? those cost u a souls and a kidney and its only for those who knows how to use it.

For OP is way too overkill ( no offense op)

OP can handle it, I have faith in him! lol and they're $1k headphones.. there's much more expensive ones then those.

 

this thread got me curious again so did some googling...

 

these look interesting

Audeze iSINE 10 In-Ear Headphones

Frequency response range 10Hz – 50kHz 

30mm planar magnetic drivers

16 Ohms

$399

 

it's be probably better if the range was 5hz to 50hz.. but you'd typically only see that range in $1K+ headsets.

So I think this is a really interesting earbud solution in the 10Hz to 50kHz range.

 

When you go shopping OP.. look for something well above 20kHz capable on the high end of it's range. and 15Hz or below.

 

[GoldForest]

8 minutes ago, L.Lawliet said:

Nah high impedance doesnt justify the sounds quality and if some cases it does u'll need something powerful enough to drive it (rough guide)

Most of gaming headset that has USB connection has Built in DAC/AMP inside the headset so good luck trying to improve the sounds quality with sound card or dac/amp. because u cant.

 

U kidding? those cost u a souls and a kidney and its only for those who knows how to use it.

For OP is way too overkill ( no offense op)

 

2 minutes ago, D Levy said:

OP can handle it, I have faith in him! lol

 

this thread got me curious again so did some googling...

 

these look interesting

Audeze iSINE 10 In-Ear Headphones

Frequency response range 10Hz – 50kHz 

30mm planar magnetic drivers

16 Ohms

$399

 

it's be probably better if the range was 5hz to 50hz.. but you'd typically only see that range in $1K+ headsets.

So I think this is a really interesting earbud solution in the 10Hz to 50kHz range.

 

When you go shopping OP.. look for something well above 20kHz capable on the high end of it's range. and 15Hz or below.

 

I'm not looking for audiophile headphones. I just want a set that does:
Good to great surround sound
Mic
Can handle a little abuse

Have long cables or are wireless
And don't cost me giving up my ticket on Elon Musk's BFR.  (Kidding about having a ticket)

[D Levy]

You might also want to check out these

https://www.soundguys.com/best-headphones-under-200-5489/

https://www.soundguys.com/headphones/gaming-headphones/

The site devs are aholes because they put amazon affiliate links where they claim "click here for full review"... 

but if you copy and paste from the product names into google you can avoid that BS.

 

P.S.

The Sennheiser HD 600's and HD 650's are just under $200 more than the 558 for a massive frequency range and quality of sound improvement.

 

558:

• Transducer type: Dynamic, open
• Headphone type: Circumaural
• Frequency response: 15 - 28,000 Hz
• Total harmonic distortion: < 0.1% (1 kHz/100 dB SPL)
• Sound pressure level (SPL): 112 dB
• Impedance: 50 Ohms
• Cable length: 3m
• Jack plug: 6.3mm
• Weight: 270g

         
HD 600     $286.00

• Frequency response    12 - 39000 Hz
• Impedance    300 ohms
• Transducer principle    Dynamic, open
• Sound pressure level (SPL)    97
• THD, total harmonic distortion    0.1 %
• Weight w/o cable    0.57lb (260 g)
• Contact pressure    ca. 2,5 N
• Ear coupling    Circumaural
• Jack plug    1/4" / 1/8" (3.5/6.3 mm) stereo
• Warranty    2 Years

[GoldForest]

51 minutes ago, L.Lawliet said:

Great.

Get the Audio Technica M40x + Blue snowball or Modmic pro 4  if u want closed headphone.
Get the Sennheiser HD 558 + those mics if u want Open back for better sound stages (surround gaming)
 

 

49 minutes ago, D Levy said:

You might also want to check out these

https://www.soundguys.com/best-headphones-under-200-5489/

https://www.soundguys.com/headphones/gaming-headphones/

The site devs are aholes because they put amazon affiliate links where they claim "click here for full review"... 

but if you copy and paste from the product names into google you can avoid that BS.

 

P.S.

The Sennheiser HD 600's and HD 650's are just under $200 more than the 558 for a massive frequency range and quality of sound improvement.

 

558:

• Transducer type: Dynamic, open
• Headphone type: Circumaural
• Frequency response: 15 - 28,000 Hz
• Total harmonic distortion: < 0.1% (1 kHz/100 dB SPL)
• Sound pressure level (SPL): 112 dB
• Impedance: 50 Ohms
• Cable length: 3m
• Jack plug: 6.3mm
• Weight: 270g

         
HD 600     $286.00

• Frequency response    12 - 39000 Hz
• Impedance    300 ohms
• Transducer principle    Dynamic, open
• Sound pressure level (SPL)    97
• THD, total harmonic distortion    0.1 %
• Weight w/o cable    0.57lb (260 g)
• Contact pressure    ca. 2,5 N
• Ear coupling    Circumaural
• Jack plug    1/4" / 1/8" (3.5/6.3 mm) stereo
• Warranty    2 Years

Alright, so I did a little looking around.
I think I might go for HD 600s. That covers headset, but I need a mic now. I want one that is on body. I'm looking into that Modmic pro 4, but I'll take other suggestions too. I do MP VR, so, need the mic on me and not ten feet away, unless the Snowball picks up sound 10 feet away like it was 1 foot away. 
Other things: 
Amp or dac? Newegg reviewers keep saying, "Need amp, need amp." 
Sound card? Do I need one with these? or will my motherboard sound handle it?