Hardware What is the Best Gaming Headset?

I have the GameCon 367, great headset. Its the closed ear version so it engulfs your ears instead of resting on them like the 377. The headband does get a bit uncomfortable at times but you just move the headset a bit on your head and its all good. The headband also gives you a cowlick after an hour or two xD

The mic works very well. Everyone says I'm crystal clear. Very affordable headset and very good quality.

 

what kind of gaming headset review doesn't even *mention* microphone quality? You also need to separate out 'build quality' and 'comfort', as the two are entirely different beasts... needs more thought.

 

this is pretty expensive but it's sick with the panel software



I used to only buy turtle beach in the early 90's.. they were always so far ahead of creatives crazy crap it wasn't even funny

 

I've owned my Sennheiser HD 570 for about 6 years now and I've never had better headphones, the only thing that has gone wrong is the cable which was my fault for rolling over it over and over again and the connector to one of the speakers got loose after I dropped them countless times, easily repairable by just sticking it back in. And lets not forgot how many times I've been accused of cheating cause of great soundspotting, back in the day in cs 1.6 I could predict when they were coming around the corner.

I'm surprised you didn't include headphones without mics cause I just find it plain annoying and break easily, especially when you're eating or drinking.
After taking a long break from fps games and playing too much wow I've started playing MW2 and altho there's alot more going on I'm still pulling the old soundspot trick unless they have ninja(damn no footsteps perk).

It will take a lot for me to stop buying Sennheiser.

 

Steel Series SteelSound 5H V2 here. Love them. Nice article guys, almost want to justify owning two headsets

 

My longest session with a set of Gamecom 367s is around 10 hours with only the necessary comfort breaks. They were, admittedly, a little tight for the first week or so but superbly comfortable after that. Basically the same as the 377s reviewed but the closed cup version. As BohleyK, said the mic quality is crystal clear and they're robust enough to survive runs to and from LAN sessions.

No, they aren't the same level of sound quality as some more expensive offerings but what exactly do you expect for around the £25 mark? The sound balance is nice and, while not as clear as some I've used in the past, clarity is more than sufficient to hear someone trying to sneak up behind you.

 

Turtlebeach HPA2's? It's one of the few 5.1 gaming headsets worth a damn.

 

No 5.1 headset is worth a damn, all of them sound terrible and have worse directional than a good pair of stereo monitors.

 

If I were to add my requirements of a set of headphones to a wish list one of them would definitely be 5.1 or even 7.1 if we're wishing. I'm guessing they would have to be Sennheiser or another great audio company to be worth an investment.

 

The thing is you absolutely 100% do not need more than 2 drivers for directional sound in a headset!

Your brain is Programmed to discern direction based on varying volume levels between each ear and with a headset speaker on each ear you have a perfectly (ideal) stereo setup by which you hear perfect directional sound. the nicer the quality of the sound source (sound card) and sound delivery (the headphones) the better directional sound you have.

5.1 is a marketing gimmick plain and simple. You really think its possible for some sound card and a few speakers to do directional sound better than your brain????

 

Sennheiser HD-555 and Zalman Microphone Zm-Mic1 (attaches to headphone cord) have served me well.

 

I don't think that's an accurate comparison. From what I understand we, like many other animals, judge the direction of sounds based on our brain's interpretation of differences in sound waves coming from multiple directions. To create a 3D space, the audio drivers would need to replicate as close as possible the variations of sound waves from all directions, rather than just left and right.

In other words, the sound card and speakers aren't replacing your brain. They are attempting to replicate the sound waves that your brain would normally hear, thus allowing your brain to correctly interpret directional sound.

How well the sound card and speakers re-create that 3-dimensional space is another matter.

 

all modern games have an extremely accurate soundscape... ask any hardcore css or cod4 player.

 

"The Arena is so loud that it should probably ship with a health warning on the box. Although the Arena is expensive, we still consider it good value given its superb sound quality and comfort, and well worth buying."

It's a shame it looks like a genetic experiment involving a storm trooper went wrong. XD

 

I do believe you underrate G35 badly, yes it is expensive, but who cares if you are to use your headset everyday for the next 2-3 year? i dont.. Build, comfort, microphone quality is superb. The 7.1 effect can be removed completly useless. Plus the volume control on the left headphone is the greatest invention so far, its so easy to get use to I even look after the volume on my left ear when I use my Sennheiser DJ headphones, also automute + mute button on ear is great.

So far its the best headset ive bought, had many, including plattronics siberia...

 

Yes and no. You may only have 2 ears but they pick up sounds directionally. A good pair of 5.1 headphones (more usually 6.0) can give a far better positional audio signal than regular stereo. I have a set of Zalman theatre 6 phones that are glorious for being able to hear exactly where someone is in game, it's just a shame that the microphone is a touch too sensitive and picks up every single sound in the room.

 

@ grimloon: depending on the program you are using you should be able to configure it not to pick up noises outside of your speaking frequencies. i know mumble does a pretty good job of this and i believe steam has a similar setup.

 

Right, People have to actually come up . I agree with you.
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Purchased the creative arena headset a couple of days ago and got it today. I am very impressed at the sound - thanks bit tech.

However I must say that the headband is not to my liking - it does not have anywhere near enough padding.

I came from the Razer Barracuda HP-1

 

I have been subscribed to CustomPC for years so its about time I registered on the forums. Anyway I can also vouch for Sennheiser HD 280 Pros which are very good for gaming. I can only compare them to HD 590's and HD 600's (previous Sen topend) with I combined with a headphone amp, and they probably come out tops due to the great base. The only negatives is that your ears get warm on hot summer days and that the cable is on the short side.

I have not tried dedicated surround gaming headphones but the general consensus on the HeadFi forums is that you are better off with a pair of quality audio headphones.