Help me choose my gaming headset

budget? i'm guessing up to about $250 since you mentioned the astro a40.

my personal suggestion would be to start looking into some seperate headphone + microphone combinations unless you absolutely need usb, an all-in-one or simulated surround sound. the quality level will be quite a big jump and should be in budget.

are you looking for closed headphones (more sound isolating... blocks outside noise) or open headphones (better 3d representation of sound)?

i would suggest (headphones):

audiotechnica ath-m50s or m50x. decent cost, durable, great sound but some say they are a bit small on the soundstage. i personally own a pair and love them. they get used for mostly music but work great for gaming too.

beyerdynamic dt770 pro. similar to the above in terms of quality but has a wider soundstage and also a slightly higher price. also available in different ohm versions (generally the higher ohm the better sound but the high ohm versions may need an amp or a decent soundcard).

akg k167. dont know much about this model... but it has a good sound signature and is rated among the others here by audiophiles.

sennheiser hd598. while bass response can be a bit light these headphones also have a very wide soundstage. they might be a bit bright (focused towards higher pitched sounds) though. still a good choice if you dont like bassy headphones.

i would suggest (mics):

modmic. this is an attachable boom mic which mounts on any headphone set and is pretty low cost with rather decent sound. some people sleeve the modmic cable and mic cable with loom and leave them on forever.

zalman clip on mic. a low cost solution which while it doesnt score high marks for durability has pretty decent sound considering the low price. its also small and inconspicuous.

blue snowball mic. this is a very popular mic which is often used by youtubers. it features a cardioroid mode which helps isolate your voice from background noise which you can turn on and off. sound quality is better than the first two. this is a desk mic and not a wearable one so keep that in mind.

audiotechnica at2020 usb ver. while certainly not one of the cheaper options the sound quality blows away the others. this is capable of professional sounding recording if you so wished and is a cardioroid mic so it isolates your voice from background noises (directional pickup). if voice quality is important its worth looking into. if you dont care that much then the snowball mic is cheaper and will work fine.