A/V Advice on a Headset or headphones + mic and sound card.

Hi all,
I'm in the process of looking for a new headset or headphones with a mic and potentially an internal sound card and any advice or suggestions would be fantastic. I know this question has probably been asked a thousand times before but isn't that what forums are for

I currently own a pair of turtle beach x12s which i find very capable for their price range but am starting to wish i had spent more.
I do not have a dedicated sound card and rely on my on board chip - gigabyte Z77X-D3H http://tinyurl.com/nsm24c5

I enjoy playing a few FPS games on my PC and Xbox, which i have hooked into my PC line in, including battlefield 3 and halo etc. I also listen to music like everyone else with a wide variety of genres but mostly heavier rock stuff. I tend to use skype on a daily basis hence the need for a microphone.

I wouldn't class myself as a audiophile but i do appreciate good quality.

I've done quite a bit of research but am hugely stuck on whether or not to go for a gaming headset or a set of good headphones and separate mic. I slightly leaning towards the two separate devices simply for music quality purpose and for the fact i can then use the headphones out and about as well.

I have a budget of £150 for headphones+mic/headset + sound card.

What would you guys suggest? Do you believe a good quality gaming headset can deliver both on music and games? Or is it worth spending a bit more on a separate headset and mic?

I've had a look at a few but these seem to be the best at the moment, if you've had any experience with them or have any other suggestions?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-51EF0060AA001-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000W6Y0JY

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-...d=1371837239&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd449

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CA-...837255&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+vengeance+1500

i'm also hoping you guys can advise me on a sound card or even if it's worth it? I have heard good things about the Asus line.

I've been very interested in the creative sound blaster Z card as it comes with its own microphone. Does anyone have any experience with this card and mic or any particular opinions ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CREATIVE-So...7339&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+sound+blaster+z

Any help would be greatly appreciated and please shout out if I've missed some info off =)
Thanks in advance

 

Personally I have been through two headsets this past twelve months and an extremely cheap microphone also.

End of last year I picked up a dedicated usb microphone for £55 if memory serves. May have been more. And I spent £160 on some Seinheiser HD508's.

I play a variety of games, a lot of BF3 and listen to a wide range of music and for the price they have been well worth it. For an all in one the QPAD QH-90 has some good ratings. I know Parge did a video review.




And here is a written review also. http://www.play3r.net/reviews/gaming/qpad-qh-90-white-pro-gaming-closed-cup-headset-review/

 

whilst i agree spending more is probably worth it in the long run i don't need to spend that much on a mic as i only skype with friends and i'd simply struggle to come to terms with spending more than £80 on a set of cans. the improvement from £50 to £80 would be far greater than £80 to £100+.
Although saying that i have little experience so i may be talking out of my arse. correct me if i'm wrong.

Haven't encountered those yet. will take a look. thanks

 

Generally, a separate headphones and microphone combination will be better quality, because you get what you pay for. But most people prefer headsets for compactness and neatness.
Sennheiser are a good bet, as are Audio Technica Ad-700's, but they're about 2x 's more expensive. Mod Mics by AntLion are supposedly good, but you will have to attach it to your headphones yourself. Not sure if you can get hold of them easily either.
Also found this: http://www.whathifi.com/awards/2012/headphones

 

Yeah i hear good things about AKG. And those suggested do look good but i much prefer ones that cover my ears rather than just sit on them.

 

Owner of an AntLion ModMic 3.0 throw questions at me if you want.

 

I have a Logitech USB Microphone and I will not come back to gaming headsets anymore. Just choose a good quality headphones and a usb microphone, it's by far the best combination.

 

thanks . US based or UK? they do look very good i'm just wondering if it's worth ~£35 simply to chat to my friends.
If you are UK based how long was shipping/overall cost?

Any one with any experience or knowledge regarding the creative sound blaster z and microphone?

 

Personally I'm a fan of Sennheisers, currently thinking about going for the HD 215.

 

I am UK based. AntLion is US based. I can't remember how many days exactly but it arrived in less than two weeks.

There are two versions currently. The 2.0 and 3.0 with a 4.0 kind of on the way. The 2.0 is an omni-directional. The 3.0 is noise cancelling but is in a pilot phase because of its incompatibility with a lot of Realtek audio chips.

3.0 was $36 + $12 shipping (£32.65) plus £3.93 VAT by UK customs and then £8 handling by Royal Mail. Crap that's £44.58

The Soundblaster Z looks like it comes with a beam forming microphone if that's the kind of info you were looking for.

 

Ha quite a lot then. But thanks for letting me know. I had worked it out at £35 ish some how. As good as it looks thats a bit more than i need to pay for a mic.

No I'm just interested if i can get away with the mic that comes with the card. Haven't seen many reviewers talk about it is all.

 

If you are able to avoid a headset at all costs, headphones + mic will always be much better value for money, if you looking for a good pair of headphones I highly recommend these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-20378...ie=UTF8&qid=1371989431&sr=1-13&keywords=lindy

http://www.head-fi.org/t/585281/review-brainwavz-hm5-a-new-neutral-champ

Review here, over 100 pages of user feedback regarding them, the lindys are the exact same as the Brainwavz HM5.

 

Cool thanks. They look very good for the price.

Are headphones good for gaming too? I'm thinking if I get a headset it's better for gaming but not as good music quality. And visa versa for headphones. Am I correct or will the right pair of headphones deliver in both departments?

 

Well it depends on if they are open or closed headphones, open headphones usually have a better sound stage at the cost of hearing everything else around you, there are closed headphones that do have a pretty good sound stage while keeping outside noise out. The ones I linked do have a pretty good sound stage despite being closed. Gaming also benefits from bass heavy headphones.

 

Ok sounds good. I'll definitely be looking at closed cans as I'd like to use them if I travel or anything. So I want bass heavier for gaming but not for music then. Hummm

 

As I have not seen a budget....(am I blind?)

I would suggest a HiFi Headphones AKG (which ever you can afford, see sig they are OP!)
AKG 271 mkII detachable/replaceable cable.

Mic depends on how much you value sound quality. Samsun make very nice ones but expensive. Any cheap studio mic will blow away PC versions.

Any Asus Sound card. Get the highest one you can afford. look for ones with Headphone amp build in some day you will go Audiophile believe me it happens to the best of us.

 

Ahh sorry, budget is <£80 for headpohnes/headset. I want to keep the total below £150 for headphones mic + sound card if i get one.

What do people think about studio/monitor headphones? I'm not quite looking for 100% sound reproduction but something that sounds really good and punchy for both music and games.
Hence why I'm more inclined towards something like Sennheiser's range as opposed to other brands.
What are people's thoughts on that?

 

Senns are some of the best PC headsets you can buy atm (for a reasonable price).
I would still look for a headphones with detachable calbe though. I have a tendancy to run over mine.

 

Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

It's a bit sinful, considering I own AKGs (701s) but for gaming I actually rather enjoy my Razer Tiamats.

The mic is shite (i use a blue-yeti) - possibly due to the noisy USB power, but the positional audio and bass are spot on.

They are true 7.1 and feature 5 drivers in each cup - damned comfy for extended periods too.

I personally would avoid senns, you pay more for brand recognition and get a mediocre set in comparison to some of the other offerings.

Senns tend to colour the sound to cater to the masses, mostly bass-heavy and scooped mids.
AKG's for accuracy 100% of the time.