Hi guys, looking for some real-world advice, been watching loads of reviews. My headset is pretty much on its way out, its got tape on it, its been superglued, the cable has been rolled under my chair a million times and my toddler seems to think they are his. There about 7 years old so no shame to them (skull candy slyrs 40mm drivers, usb adapter ) So i wanted to try and get something with a much better mic, this is a boom mic, sounds good but no noise cancellation. So far trying to keep within a £100 budget i have come up with the Razer v2x , coolermaster mh751 or 752, purly because of the mics on them, watched the hardware cunucks roundup. Wireless would be nice, but i can kiss mic quality goodbye if i do that, and with uni and other stuff i would much rather have one, the webcam one sucks, i have a neewer mic somewhere but just gets in the way and ill let u all know if i ever mind my boya shotgun mic Long story short, i have come across what i think is the perfect pair, the sennheiser game ons or the pc37x which i believe to be more or less the same, there out my budget but im watching a few on ebay. Open vs closed back ........not to bothered tbh, would like a better sound stage... .the missus would not. Have concidered a decent pair of cans and a modmic or the vmoda one,. since cheaper, no noise-canceling tho, but cant seem to pick or find good cans within the budget. Lots of peeps recommending stuff like the Philips 9500s or the fidelio x2s. Please help me pick, im not an audio nut, quite honestly id love to be but i need to live within my wage bracket , i game, i listen to all types of tunes, i edit videos i use chat for uni and other stuff. Suggestions welcome.
I received a set of SteelSeries Arctis 3 Bluetooth, and although I've yet to try out the mic, they're comfy and i like the sound, bit more base-ey than my wired Sennheiser 201s, but have coped with everything i've thrown at them... They can be used wired, or wireless, and the mic can retract when you dont need it.
I HAVE OPINIONS but I'm also drunk, happy new year. Welcome to Enby's stream of consciousness after a white burgundy or 4. This might be rambling and should have been a blog post but it helps me put my thoughts in order so hopefully it's of some use to someone else who finds this thread. BUCKLE UP or skip this nonsense I'm not the boss of you. I'd argue the difference between wired and wireless headset mics is like the difference between poor and slightly worse quality. If you're chatting with mates on discord and to a uni class I don't feel the difference is really that great in the grand scheme of things. Like, yeah, they're worse, but you're already at a low bar so it's not like you're losing much; it's like the difference between 18th and 20th on the F1 grid, it's not great. That's my value judgement to make and might be different to yours, but to my ears and the tests of the likes of canucks, a cheap USB desk mic seems to outperform most headset mics, wired or wireless, it's just the physics. Therefore, if you're already happy using a wired headset I don't think that a wireless headset is really that much of a downgrade. To go to the other end of the scale, if you do want getting-on-for broadcast audio quality, it's much more within reach than it's ever been, a cheap xlr mic / boom combo + interface can be had for not a lot (e.g. tonor + behringer), add something like the ATH-M20X headphones and you're golden. I mean none of it's amazing but it's better than most headsets. Next, some thoughts on wireless. I really wanted the joy of fewer wires on my desk, I do seem to frequently catch them in the arms of my chair, or just get distracted by them dangling around (AMIRITE GUYZ), but a couple things held me back. 1) the lack of replaceable battery (logitech seem to have replaceable ones) would really get my goat if it couldn't hold a charge after a couple of years b) the cost premium seemed too much when compared with "audiophile" headphones. I shelled out however many ingots of the realm for my hyperx cloud 2 however many years ago and they still seem competitive in wired roundups, but they pinch a little and the cups aren't quite big enough and i've spent an awful lot more time with them this past year so have been looking at upgrades hence me posting. Audeze recently released some wireless planars, outside your budget (and mine really), but I felt that was investing too much into tech that didn't meet what my requirements were. SO WHAT DO YOU WANT I hear you scream at me like my ex; ultimately I'm looking for an increase to my listening experience, I'm using the same desk for business and pleasure and would like a headset to meet both those uses, and at least the same experience for those listening to me. I had to rule out wireless. Open vs Closed - if there's nobody else around then open seems to be the way to go, they create a much larger soundstage with more "air" between voices where a closed headphone can sound a lot more in your head, then there's IEMs which be all up in your headspace. For me open is the way forward as I am fortunate to have an office space. I'll probably go SHP9500 with tonor mic and motu m2 interface to use with my guitar and synth. To wrap with some thoughts on some of the points you mentioned: If you don't want to disturb others closed backs really are a necessity. The Philips SHP9500 seems only really available through ebay and aliexpress now but is widely cited as being great value for <£60. It could then be paired with a v-moda to create a much better sounding headset than most, but they're open so may not be suited for your use. I mention this as warranties etc can be a pain if they're not UK. The G4me One is getting on a bit as well but has a good rep, although you'd hope there was something better for the money now, I guess it depends what deal you're getting second hand. I don't think it's going to be significantly better than those you mentioned tbh so buying new might serve you better. Although the V2X really missed a trick by dialling down the aesthetic of the V1 for me. I also much prefer velour earpads to fake leather (I have toxic sweat which will degrade any non-fabric in months to leave me picking bits of black out of my ears after gaming). I think the hyperx comes with both so you can choose. If I were you any of the three you've mentioned seem fine and it would likely be down to fit, although as fun as inline controls are (useful for muting when having a break) I find the weight of them gets on my nerves so would look for some other solution, be it desk mount the DAC thingy or something else.
Don't buy the X2. Trust me on that. They are just like Grado, and I can hear mine from downstairs they just urinate sound.
Well, that was way more than i was expecting lol, but simply amazing and drunk too. I think the difference in mics are enough for me not to consider wireless, i do have an xlr one here but it just gets in the way, i do have to make little videos now and again with it and the audio is much better, i managed to find my boom mic and tried that out, a little echoes from a foot away but better than the mic i have so i may consider that as an option. The vmoda boom mic is an option but no noise cancellation (but i guess thats what rtx audio is for now) Cost is a big factor, id love to splurge and get something better, but just not gonna happen, the sennies are aged now for sure, but yet still amazing, if i get something like that i dont think ill need to replace them unless i break them tbh, if my skull candys lasted 7 years or so then these should be pretty safe. Very much like yourself, these need to be all-rounders, as they will be used for everything much like yourself. I have a small office but the walls in my house are so thin I dread to think about leaning on them or i may go right through, so not sure the missus would like the open back idea, however, i do crave a bigger sound stage, even just to experience. Your recommendation for the SHP9500s is what i wanted originally but don't really wanna wait from china, plus i know some folk who bought some from there (granted not Philips) and they came and were fakes, was a nightmare to get money back and so forth so aiming within the uk. I never thought about earpads so thanks for mentioning that, i think id be the same, my skill Candys are velour pads and not fake leather-like ones. 100 percent agree Noted. Maybe i can get a semi closed back style of design, seen a few senni 373d appear which look similar to the game one, seen alot on reddit with complaints on mic not working with alot of them so its kinda putting me off. Since post wont be back to normal for a few days i figure ill take my time, no doubt ill see something.... be like..... yup those and just buy them. My other option is a family member has a spare pair of bose qc35s, there wireless, but work with the cable which is nice (no anc if you do that , not that thats a concern for me), Hes asking for the top end of my budget, im pretty sure it would work with the vmoda with an adapter possibly but ........unsure
Don't get me wrong. Open back headphones are much better for gaming. They make the area seem far bigger, and the sound stage can really help to pinpoint enemies, but you will drive your SWMBO mad with open back. But yeah, headphones like the Fidelio rely on like, totally open back to achieve that (like Grado) and thus every sound they make will be easily heard in the same room. If someone even coughs in Discord when I have my closed backs on I s**t myself. Or if I get head shotted in PUBG it really makes me friggin jump. Not sure I like it tbh lol.
ha very nice, i could use some of that, well im in a study, if i crank my current ones and doors arent closed she hears them unfortunatly, but we shall see
I still might buy a pair, instead a family member had a spare pair of bose qc25s, so i have those at current, there nice, hes letting me buy them for £60, there like new. Had a wee look, £20 for an adapter make em bluetooth too which could be handy with the guy or doing dishes or that. So think i might be sticking with these
If you want to depress yourself, buy the notorious Chinese miracle headphones, the Superlux HD681. I find it depressing how good they sound for £25 and my AKGs mostly sit sullen and rejected making small whimpering noises. And yeah, desktop mics all the way. Integrated headset mics are always poo in my experience, even the super expensive gaming headsets still sound just passable compared to any dedicated mic.
The only headphones I regret getting rid of were my original Hyper X Clouds (sold to someone else on Bit Tech, curse you!), those things were definintely a case of all the money being in the two speakers, mic was so bad I put it back in the box and never used it again, but they sounded better than cans I have had that cost more than double the £60 they were. However my favourite headphones are the ancient Sony MDR-V6s I got at a car boot sale after my uncle (stage sound technician) freaked out and ordered me to buy them years ago, they're older than me, they sound amazing.
The worst mic I have is the one on my Asus Centurion. Which was a £200 headset. That is the one that makes every one complain.
Paying that i can imagine. Suggestions for a desk mic lol ? ... something that dont need to sit in my face
Blue snowball or Yeti if you are feeling rich. The snowball is the best, according to all of my pals.
ty , ill take a gander at some reviews later tongiht, my friend said to check out the the razer siren min
I have a snowball, can confirm, it's wonderful. Environmental enough out to about 18 inches, too, so you can sit some distance from it. It will pick up desk vibrations and key taps, though, so you're best arm mounting it.
