Hi everyone. Any help is appreciated.

I'm looking for a new set of headphones. Preferably ones with a boom-mic, but that is not absolutely necessary.

I play games mainly, so decent positioning is important, but also listen to some music (though I'm far from being a music audiophile).

My problem is that I keep getting phones that break after 6 months.

My first set was the eDimensional FX force feedback. $35 or thereabouts.
They were decent headphones for my needs, though a but warm during a long session. The mic was nice. The force feed back broke quickly but not a huge deal. Then after 6 months, the sound went out of one side.

My next purchase was the black Icemats headphones, $70. Good sound quality for my purposes, nice and cool even when marathon playing, didn't care for the clip on mic. The mic fell appart quickly ( the on/off switch split appart, though it still worked), and a week or two ago, the sound started becoming crackley and it would cut out frequently. VERY annoying. Overall, I liked the sound/comfort of these phones, but I HATED the mic, so, durability issues aside, I don't think I would purchase a similar set.


So, can anyone recommend a good set of phones/mic that will last me more than 6 months?
I have no problem paying for a good set if I know they will last.

Anyone have experience with the Razer Barracudas? (as you can see in the sig, I have an X-Fi)

Any other recommendations consistent with my needs are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

from personal experience i reccomend you this
or another model but the same manufacturer
german quality rocks

Take a look here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/0 [...] 0_dollars/

Thanks for the links guys.
I'll check them out.

if a mic is not necessary and you can spend around 170$, the beyerdynamic headphones are nearly indestructible. i saw a picture somewhere of a car rolling over them and they apparently kept working afterward. good sound quality on top of that i heard.

www.head-fi.org

Agreed.

I have the HD 280 Pro model... not only have they lasted 6 months so far with no visibile (or audible) damage, but they are modular, so if one part goes bad (say the cord gets damaged) you can simply replace that part. I've been travelling daily with this pair on the train as well as using them on the PC intermitently, much better quality than past headphones I've had.

I've always been partial to these

i would stick with with headphone only maker companys like sennheiser, grado, beyerdynamic, akg, ath, etc

imo, there is no point buying heaphones that worth more than 200 bucks if your not an audiophile, especially if you dont have high end equipment to go with it. but i think anyone can see the improvement at this price point. IF and only IF you are ready to spend that much money, just know that you ll get a really,really good gaming eperience with a decent audio processor. i may suggest ath-a900, beyerdynamic dt700 80 ohm or sennheiser hd 595 or even the grado line if you like rock. i you can appreciate quality audio and yu need a mic buy a seperate one if you have to.

but you might just be fine with lower end headphones though. depends on you

I recommend these:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/ [...] NTID=10013

Here is why:
1) Good price.
2) Good sound quality (for gaming, music, etc.)
3) Mic works perfectly and clearly for games and VoIP programs
3) Connects with USB, which I found to be very useful and easier than the normal two connectors (one for mic, one for headphones) most headsets have.
4) I've had it for a long time without any issues
5) if you buy it at bestbuy you can get the 2 year warranty plan for $5 which lets you replace if it breaks and if they have a new version of it in, they will upgrade you for free.
6) the volume and mute controls on the wire of the headset work really well

Thanks again everyone.

A lot of you are recommending phones designed, I think, more for music than those designed specifically for gaming.


Can some of you please comment on how some of these perform in game? (Out of the one's I've looked at so far, the Sennheiser HD 280 look the best)

Specifically, how is their sound placement? (you know, for hearing where others are in CounterStrike, etc.)

Oh, I don't think I'm at the point where I'm willing to spend several hundred dollars for phones.

I'd like to keep it, all told, under $200 (and the less the better, as the wife considers all things fun related to be bad, it appears)

Chief, look at the logitech ones I posted about. I have them and I play counterstrike. They work perfectly for games.

stewartwi put up the plantronics. They rock.

sennheiser are phenominal too. I have them for music. For gaming I have the plantronics. Mine are the older model, but comfort, durability and sound (from speakers and for the mic) are very solid for that price. (no audiophile music sound, but respectable and very good for gaming in bf2 and CS) I have had mine for about a year and have taken them to LANs and had general at-home all nighters with them rockin fine. The comfort for those long sessions was what really sold me.

I tried logitecs and others, none were as comfortable over the long-haul.


/my 2 bits

FYI: I use these for gaming (and as studio monitors with my protools setup):

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V60 [...] 439&sr=8-1

They are great. They have pretty accurate sound reproduction so for FPS games the crack of gunfire sounds amazing (even better than my Klipsch Promedia speakers + monster cable pack). Anyway, they are also durable. My brother has a pair that has been kicked around for like 6 years and they are still great.

You also can't go wrong with HD280s though. They are great (but I've never owned a pair).

Agreed.

I have the HD 280 Pro model... not only have they lasted 6 months so far with no visibile (or audible) damage, but they are modular, so if one part goes bad (say the cord gets damaged) you can simply replace that part. I've been travelling daily with this pair on the train as well as using them on the PC intermitently, much better quality than past headphones I've had.

HD280 FTW! There's a pair on my head right now as a matter of fact.

Thanks for the input everyone.


It appears as if the problem with my Icemat Siberia phones may have worked itself out. I'm hoping anyways. Probably not, but the problem I was having is gone for the moment.

After reading your responses and the forums on head-fi, I think I've decided on the Senn. 280 pros if the problem (inevitably) returns.

Thanks again.