Best Headset for Gaming

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Klosteral

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Hello TomsHardware,

I am looking at buying a new headset for my PC games. I currently have a behind-the-ears Logitech G330 but I am beginning to dislike the open-ear design and the pressure on my ears - however the silicone pads are excellent.

I was looking at a Logitech G35 but my friend says a TurtleBeach X11 is best. The Razer Megalodon is just awesome and the SteelSeries 5H V2 has had some good reports.

So, my friends... Which is best?

Regards,
-Klosteral
 
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BeCoolBro

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I'll tell you what I have been told about all these you say.Firt the logitech g35 is overpriced and the sennheiser 350s would be better at that budget.Those with a good sound card of course.Next the turtlebeaches are great,the megalodon is like the g35 and there is the steelseries siberia v2 which is better than the 5h.
 

P3ppy

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The x11s are quite amazing, I have been using a pair of Sennheisers for about 5 months now and recently bought a pair of x11s for my brother's 360, however after playing Mw2 on the 360, I quickly stole the x11s to use on my PC, they have amazing quality, and are really comfortable. Razer also have very nice headsets, I had a pair of piranahs and they were my favorite until now.
 

Alex The PC Gamer

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Please tell us what your requirements are:

- Gaming only/ or other media (movies, music, etc.)
- Stereo or Quad or Surround Sound 5.1 ?
- Do you participate in tournaments or competetive events?
- Do you need a microphone?
- What is your budget?

I have owned quite a few pairs and researched a lot before buying my current headset so I can help a lot with this.

Cheers.
 

dtq

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I personally like full over ear headphones myself, far better immersion, I have managed to waste money on headsets sold by ideas that didnt work so well in practise as they did in the marketing...

Ive got the Saitek Cyborg 5.1 headphones - waste of money, time and space :(, uncomfortable, the 5.1 (despite having multiple drivers) does nothing for me over a good old fashioned stereo... yes they look good, but they pinch the ears they over heat you and they sound rubbish...

Ive had some less than impressive logitech ones as well, and some sennheisers that whilst good just werent worth the price premium...

So far the best Ive done is a really really cheap pair of headphones. The sound quality is great the immersion is great, they dont overheat too much, but they do pinch the ears after a couple of hours :(.. Best Ive found so far though, and they are dirt cheap.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/111651#reviews

I cant believe they are the best in the world, theres got to be something with that quality of sound and build (yes these cheap headphones are better built than my saiteks at 10x the price!) that is comfortable to wear for long gaming sessions etc. But at that price they are by far the best Ive had yet :(

 

Klosteral

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I have been away (Australian school holidays) and so have been unable to check my mail until now.

-I am a serious gamer (CoD, MoH, battlefield, C&C, SC) and would like to get the best I can out of every game - audio-wise included. That said, I like to listen to good music and watch movies too. I have a pair of Senheizer PMX 200s that I use with my iPod which I occasionally use for the PC as well.

-I do not know what I want in terms of surround sound... I was hoping someone could explain.

-I am currently participating in a domination team and a search and destroy team in the CyberGamers ladder (Fading Existance if anyone is interested)

-Technically, no I do not need a microphone on the headphone itself but I am always on ventrilo, teamspeak and occasionally skype so I would like an easily accessible microphone, even if it is seperate.

-My budget is under $250 australian dollars. (98.4c AUD = $1USD)
 

Alex The PC Gamer

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I'm also a gamer (like to play COD, MOH, BF, and other online shooters with occasional RPGs). After extended research, my pick was the TRITTON AX PRO. \

PROS:

- I just love the surround sound with these. In MW2, you can actually hear everyone arround you (even if they have ninja pro on...which is a huge advantage). Same goes for when I'm watching movies, the surround is extremely clean and incredible (much better than a surround sound set speakers).

- I also love what they give you in the box: check reviews to find out all the gadgets( replacements hear muffs, optical cable, usb cable for mic, etc.)

- Although it was difficult to setup, I love the fact that the setup allows you to seperate the sound from the game and the sound from chatting. Optical cable gives you surround 5.1 while USB cable gives incoming and outgoing communication. So your default surround sound is never compromised by outside communication.

- I just love the look and the feel of these headset, the perks and all that comes in the box is incredible.

CONS:

- If you participate in tournaments, these headsets are usually not permitted because they come with additional programmable perks. They also require to be plugged in to function.

- You will see mixed opinions on this...here's mine. The setup is quite complicated if you want to setup Surround + seperate channel for communication. You also need an Optical input to really hear superior sound quality with surround sound (regular imput is fine but optical = really big difference).

Here's a link if you want to hear more about these: http://www.trittontechnologies.com/index.php/products/gaming_audio_technology/ax-pro/

The Tritton AX 720 are a little cheaper and offer almost the same performance...check them out as well!

Good luck.

Alex
 

Klosteral

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I am reading reviews as I type (http://www.cybergamer.com.au/article/796/Tritton-AX-PRO-Review/) and apparently although the headset itself is solid, the box is very fragile and the detachable microphone is sometimes faulty. They also look rather heavy, however that's to be expected from such a solid piece of equipment.

They [CyberGamers] say that this unit cost them about $374 AUD, my budget is $250. Sure, I admit they look awesome but I do not have the cash to spend on something like this. I am about to go from an $80 open-ear style headset to something thats a bit more - all round. Possibly around the $100-$200.

All I really want is a closed-ear (ear can) style headset that performs a bit better than my current G330s. I would like to move up progressively/incrementally as opposed to a big leap to the real deal.
 

Alex The PC Gamer

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Hmm... you should shop around (worst case scenario, import them from the US). I payed around 180+taxes in Canada (and Canadian dollars are about the equivalent to AUS$). If the import costs and taxes end up being a little too high for your budget, you could get the AX 720 which is about 30-40$ cheaper.

As for the box and microphone, I haven't had any problems with those (but I leave my microphone on all the time). They may be heavier than other models (not really noticable) but they are extremely comfortable which makes up for it (especially for long durations), they let your ears breath if that makes any sense.

If you're looking for other models, check the Turtle Beach headsets but they won't come with all the perks that Tritton offer. Still It's a viable option for a lower budget.
 

Blue a10

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Definetly get the AX PROs if you can. They are awesome. You WILL NOT regret getting them. I can't really give you any reasons since Alex did really well explaining them. Just take what little worth my word is for it.
 

Klosteral

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They do also look heavy and this is understandable as they require their own seperate powersupply unit. How have you people found they are in terms of comfort over extended hours of gaming? Also, the AX Pro is the top of the line in that range. Is it necessarily the best value for my money. This is a lot of money coming out of my pocket so I want to make sure it goes to the right place. I am leaning a little closer towards the AX 720 and the other lower models. I do not want to take too great a leap from my $75 Logitech G330s and the AX PROs have some interesting issues and horrible portability issues. (External psu needed; 7 cables coming in and out of that little grey box). Any more information?

Sorry for being so picky,
-Klosteral
 

Alex The PC Gamer

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They may be heavier than most Headsets but they are very confortable. I play hours at a time and haven't felt discomfort.

As for the AX PROs, I highly recommend these if you leave them at your gaming station. I do NOT recommend them if you either want to bring them everywhere (you're friends, etc.) or if you participate at gaming events. Same goes for the AX 720. Although I haven't tried the 720s, on paper, they don't seem much different (maybe except a few less options and flexibility with the box).

Again, the AX PRO are really THE luxurious headsets for that price range but ya, they are more expensive than most headsets. So, don't waste your money if you don't care about surround sound/optical sound/xtra gaming gadgets. I understand the price is quite high and if you can't justify the cost of these headsets for the amount of benefit you'll get, then I say don't buy them. As for me, I just love these and for me, they're perftect.

 
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Klosteral

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I have never played... i.e. CoD with optical surround sound or watched a movie at home with anything more than my TVs built in speakers. I was thinking of getting the Auzentech X-Raider 7.1 surround sound card for my computer anyway, even if I don't get new headphones because the seperate card may increase the output potential.

http://www.netplus.com.au/product/SO7/SOAURAID71/Sound-Card-%5C-TV-Tuner/Auzentech-X-Raider-7.1-PCI-AZT-Raider-24-bit-96KHz

I am fairly sure they have an optical output and they say if you have something, why not use it? I agree. If I get a new headset with an optical option, I will use it with this card.
 

reaper2794

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Depends on how much money you have

Virtualized 7.1 is not worth it as far I believe, that much coming out of 2 speakers is a waste, you want that for a speaker system not a headset

The Razer Carcharias is nice but I think you want something better so Megalodon maybe
 

Klosteral

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As I have said before I am looking at something <$250AUD (preferably under 200 but I can stretch to 250). As of today, [$1.00 AUD = 99.1c USD] so it is more or less dollar for dollar with the US currency.
 

theonesavior

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I have been using the razet megalodon for about 4 months now and they are amazing. They come with a tough carrying case which makes it great for travel, they feel better on your head than they do off which is a huge plus, and the headset itself comes with a sound card to take the stress off of your computer when playing games with 7.1 surround. I bought these for about 138.00 us dollars and I could not have spent that money better. I am a serious gamer and I accept no less than the best, if this headset was any less I would have returned it immediately.
good luck in your shopping!
 
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