Hi, I want to get into playing BF3 a bit more but don't want to be 'the guy with no mic' so I want to invest in a headset. I've had a few headset's for my 360 before (Turtle Beach X4 & X41 and Razer Chimaera 5.1) but have seen so many comments that pseudo-surround is not really the be all and end all so thought I'd get some opinions. Sub £100 would be nice but really just a good sound and a mic. Won't be used for much outside of gaming. One last thing is that I wear glasses if that makes any difference? I know my TB's weren't the best designed for wearers of glasses and would like these to be comfortable with glasses just in case of long sessions. Thanks, Trev
A lot of people are going to tell you that if you're going for sound quality, then you're going to want to get a set of headphones and a separate clip-on mic, and these people would be correct. The other thing I can tell you is that public BF3 servers have 0 talking going on between the teams unless there's a few friends on some other program (like skype or vent) talking together. Usually those people form their own squad and go about their business without you ever knowing. The only time I've seen communication in BF3 is when you're playing with a group of people (like on the CPC server or with people from here). Assuming you get a headset anyway, there are 2 common connection types for computer headsets: USB and 3.5mm. If you have a sound card on your computer that you want to make use of, you'll want to use a 3.5mm connection. If you don't have a special sound card on your computer then it doesn't matter what you get. You'll have to pick one that you like . I personally own a set of Creative Fatal1ty MKII's, but I wouldn't recommend them. I got them a few years ago when they went on sale at 75% off and I pretty much just wanted something to talk into. The sound quality coming from those things is extremely bass heavy while the highs and mids get washed out. It's great for explosions, but terrible for just about any other sounds. The mic on it is unremarkable (just like most other mics). My friend has a set of Razer Megalodon's, but I also wouldn't really recommend those. I didn't find them too comfortable, and while the sound quality was better than mine, it wasn't worth the price tag on them. If you're willing to drop the money, I've heard that Sennheiser's PC series headsets are OK, but they are a bit expensive. I've also heard good things about the Creative SoundBlaster headsets and some of the Logitech ones.
Firstly, I wear glasses and it doesn't make any difference at all. Secondly, yes pseudo-surround isn't very good compared to some of the stereo offerings on the market. For your price point, I myself recently picked up a Sennheiser PC360 for £78 almost new off eBay, and I highly, highly recommend you try and find one of those. Simply the best audio a headset can provide, and it does match many headphones as well. I have tried a bunch of headphones at a range of price points - including the Samson SR850s, CAL!s, DT770 pro 80s, and DT880 premiums. And of course the Senn PC360s. I can tell you from my experience that in terms of gaming alone, you can't go wrong with any of DT770 DT880 and PC360. They all provide, to me, the best positional audio imaging and detail I have heard. This is in terms of gaming alone. After much research and money spent in trying to find the best gaming headset/phones in existence, I can say with pretty much certainty that anything above the level of, say, an Audio Tehnica AD700 (ie Beyerdynamic DT770 DT880 etc, Sennheiser HD555 and up etc) you will find negligible difference in terms of gaming sound. Go for any high end can and you're sorted.
Seconded. You cannot go wrong with the PC360's if you want the best mix between a gaming headset and good audio quality. If you prefer an entirely closed headset (not open cans like the PC360) then the older PC350 would be a better choice. Personally I like open-ended headphones so the PC360 gets my vote. I do like the DT770/880's - my preference once again leans towards the open-can design of the 880's due to a number of reasons. I happen to get a "hot ear" after 1-1.5 hours of wearing closed headphones, and the open-design makes it easier to hear the phone, mobile, or any one at the door etc. I also find the sound to be less confined in an open-can design. Generally speaking the differences in sound quality for gaming are more negligible than for audio. But you need to also factor in the type of sound card you are using. For single player games like Mass Effect I prefer to stick to my audio headphones and keep the PC360's only for multiplayer purposes. As much as I like the PC360's for gaming- they still cannot stack up against audiophile headphones (and yes- I realize this is a market with diminishing returns).
Totally agree. I found the DT880s to be a tiny (only really noticeable to audiophiles) bit better than the PC360s for cinematic games eg single player campaigns, and movies music etc. But I sold off the 880s in favour of the 360s when I needed the cash, as the convenience of the in built mic won over the sound benefit. You will love the PC360/350s. However, now that the issue of a sound card comes to mind, I think that you may be better suited with a USB headset that has an inbuilt sound card. I have heard strong words on the brilliance of the Steelseries Siberia V2 with that USB surround sound device it comes with. It may be better to get that, over a PC360 with dedicated sound card?
Exactly, I actually preferred the DT880s over the 360s for movies and cinematic single player gaming - but dont get me wrong in my opinion the sound difference was very slight. You would definitely be happy with the PC360/350 Actually now that you mention the sound card, I would probably suggest getting something like a Siberia V2 that comes with a USB surround card. Otherwise you would have to buy seperate sound card and that would push the price a bit too high possibly It fits your needs IMO, great sound and a headset (definitely above average sound compared to the usual headsets for that price) I think its like £90 new with the USB sound card device? Well to be honest it depends on whether you can get a good price on a PC360/whether you would settle for something from ebay. I got my PC360 for £78 and an X-Fi Xtremegamer goes for £25 refurbished. Just so you know
I have a Xonar DG (I think). Thanks for the input will look at the PC350/360 and the DT's don't mind them being open backed considering they're only for use at home.
