Hardware & Technical Good headset recommendation?

burzum

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I've spent now some time trying to find a good headset but haven't had much luck so far. :(

Most headsets seem to be garbage by default, means they break after a very short time. The other half seems to suffer from a pretty bad microphone quality. I want to use it for playing ED with Voiceattack and Skype.

So what headsets are you using and more importantly to me, for how long? I don't mind spending 200 euro on a headset if the hardware is excellent built and won't break within the next ~5-10 years.

I've mostly read reviews about the Corsair Vengeance 1500 and the ASUS Orion PRO. First seems to have a bad mic quality, second has a reliability issue and the mic seems to suck as well.

I would immediately buy the Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ear because the company is a good one and it's made of steel, aluminum and leather, but it has no microphone. :(

I don't want a cordless headset, I don't like cordless devices at all.

Another requirement I have, besides good sound, mic and reliablility is that it will work together with an Oculus Rift, in other words both devices should sit well together on my head. ;)

Please hurry, my Oculus DK2 arrives tomorrow! :D
 
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Davevti

Davevti
burzum said:
Thank you, but I forgot to mention that I don't want a wireless headset.
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what kind of set up do you have?

I.e. are you using onboard sound options through the motherboard directly? do you have a sound card? if so what?

i have a 'gaming headset' though i am happy, i would not get one again...the best thing that came from my astro 'rig' is the 5.1 amp setup, so in the future all i need to replace is the headphones part whilst retaining the full Dolby experience.
 

flexy123

F
>>
I don't mind spending 200 euro on a headset if the hardware is excellent built and won't break within the next ~5-10 years.
>>

Much luck finding such a headset or consumer hardware in general that lasts so long. Since headsets break here often, cats chewing wires, falling down, breaking etc...I see them as "consumables". I buy the cheapest Logitech PT860 from ebay...and when it breaks I get another one.

That being said, there is a Sennheiser which looks good, forget the model..but you're right Sennheiser should be a good brand.

If you want a headset with a VERY GOOD microphone, look whether you can get the Audio Technica ATH COM2 still somewhere. (It's out of production but some stores still carry it). It's still a consumer device and sure not "military quality", but it has one of the best microphones. This I bought because I am using Dragon Naturally Speaking and needed one with an excellent mic. But it works also great for gaming.
 
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burzum

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Davevti said:
I.e. are you using onboard sound options through the motherboard directly? do you have a sound card? if so what.
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I'm using the Asus Gryphon and the onboard sound which is a lot better than the one of my former mainboard. But I'm no audiophile any way, my speakers are still two big stereo speakers powered by an ~35 year old amplifier that is connected to the PC.

But for the rift game experience I'm aiming for a much better surround sound like experience, from what I read good headsets are capable of providing that.

flexy123 said:
Much luck finding such a headset or consumer hardware in general that lasts so long. Since headsets break here often, cats chewing wires, falling down, breaking etc...I see them as "consumables". I buy the cheapest Logitech PT860 from ebay...and when it breaks I get another one.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's sadly true, I really dislike this f*kng throwaway society. My mothers sewing machine broke recently after 35 years and I've just commented that with "Good luck, the new one will probably just last 35 month". Especially electronics are are built to break on purpose these days, and I really hate it. The EU should really come up with laws for a minimum service life for different devices. Some world war 2 radios and 40 year old TVs still work these days while the LCD crap often dies after just a few years - what the f* is wrong these days?

flexy123 said:
If you want a headset with a VERY GOOD microphone, look whether you can get the Audio Technica ATH COM2 still somewhere. (It's out of production but some stores still carry it). It's still a consumer device and sure not "military quality", but it has one of the best microphones. This I bought because I am using Dragon Naturally Speaking and needed one with an excellent mic. But it works also great for gaming.
Click to expand...

Yes, Sennheiser makes good hardware audio wise. The ATH COM2 doesn't enclose the ears completely, I'm looking for something that encloses the whole ear for a better experience with the Oculus Rift together.
 
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Davevti

Davevti
ok, the thing is with gaming headsets they have a lot of pseudo marketing which offer '5.1 multiple drivers' etc which are not the best in the audio world by a long shot, i have some astro 5.1 a30s, and they are great but....i borrowed my dads technic 20 year old headphones and they sound amazing, purer, fuller, huge soundstage (which you want for gaming).
So why are they better? because of the single high quality drivers either side, software/technology replicates 5.1 better in a headphone over a 'headset' with multiple drivers either side.
My advice? i would invest in a 5.1 Amp/DAC and a moderately good set of headphones and buy a clip on mic for chat, as long as sound and immersion is important to you, you would not regret it.

let me know if you want pointing in the right direction...
 

burzum

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Davevti said:
My advice? i would invest in a 5.1 Amp/DAC and a moderately good set of headphones and buy a clip on mic for chat, as long as sound and immersion is important to you, you would not regret it.
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Hehe :) I just had the same idea.

Thinking about getting me this one http://www.modmic.com/ and a Sennheiser Momentum. It's expensive but it think it should be pretty solid based on the material it's made of. So what do you think?
 
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Jaba01

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Why do you say expensive? 260 Euro/205 Pounds isn't that expensive for good headphones. Still a good idea. Go for it!
 

burzum

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Thanks for the links guys!

@Davevti sounds like you've got some experience, is the headphone amp required or just a good addition? I don't plan to plug the headphones into my old stereo amp but directly into the front panel of my case.
 

Davevti

Davevti
It all depends what you want from your headset {headphones) buddy, to get an accurate soundstage (surround sound) then you would need that amp,not only does it boost the signal from your PC but it converts the signal from a 2channel sound to a Dolby sound (5.1/7.1) which you could not recreate without the Dolby amp or a Dolby licence'd soundcard.

There's nothing better than being able to track an opponent just by hearing them, I play Arma so being able to hear exactly where I am being shot from is invaluable,

But as i said it comes down to what you want from it and what else you would use it for,
 

burzum

B
Davevti said:
It all depends what you want from your headset {headphones) buddy, to get an accurate soundstage (surround sound) then you would need that amp,not only does it boost the signal from your PC but it converts the signal from a 2channel sound to a Dolby sound (5.1/7.1) which you could not recreate without the Dolby amp or a Dolby licence'd soundcard.
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If I get the specs right the Realtec chip should be already 7.1 capable.

The ALC892 provides ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1 channel sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the front panel stereo outputs. Two stereo ADCs and one stereo digital microphone converter are integrated and can support a microphone array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Beam Forming (BF), and Noise Suppression (NS) technologies.
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And at the bottom:

Optional Dolby PCEE program, SRS TruSurround HD, SRS Premium Sound, Fortemedia SAM, Creative Host Audio, Synopsys Sonic Focus, DTS Surround Sensation | UltraPC, and DTS Connect licenses
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Davevti said:
There's nothing better than being able to track an opponent just by hearing them, I play Arma so being able to hear exactly where I am being shot from is invaluable
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I play Arma (3) as well :) and DCS too. Being able to hear an enemy behind me would be great as well, if I invest a chunk of money here I would like to do it right.
 

Davevti

Davevti
i have the same realtek codec chip on my asrock.

as far as i know it will output in 5.1 but in a compressed format - so if it went to a surround sound system then the multiple channels could be split to the appropriate speakers.

Using a headset on the other hand would need the compressed signal to be decoded on the headset end, so, just plugging a headset into the standard headphone jacks would only output a 2 channel audio uncompressed.

I use the optical output to my astro mixamp which splits the signal back into 5.1 and then into my headphones - i have a 5.1 headset but the amp will turn any pair of headphones into 5.1 or 7.1 using its onboard codec/software.

also the codec i had with my mobo didnt have a paid licence to use dolby lol

there are many alternatives but the one i suggested is what i use and am more than happy with, if i was to buy them again i would just buy the mixamp and get some decent (but cheaper) headphones.

Do a bit of research on what i have said, i might of got it wrong ha! but i was in the same boat as you once a while a go!
 
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