headset recommendations... again......

[starky]

Yeah I have, though I was fairly sure that they were a rebrand of the 681's not the 688B's (same style, same 32 ohm inductance, and 10 hz to 30 kHz range) - like you however I have heard they sound more like the 688Bs than they do the 681s. Honestly though i think that might be wishful thinking - Unless the Samsons have extra electronics in them which account for that (for example if they included the passive filter that balances the frequency response that would explain it).

Owning both the 668's and the 681's the 681's are definitely more comfortable (though it's an easy mod with a electrical tape to fix the 688Bs - just to hold the 2 head pads in the correct place/distance for your head).

At the time I was buying the 668B's were £35 ($55) and the Samson I could only find for like £45 ($70) making it a no brainer to get the Superlux, but if you can get the Samson's for the same price then yeah those would be the ones I'd buy.

[QuantaCat]

"vitriol"? Both of you said "because you use it for other things, they dont suffice"
And my point was that "for that purpose alone, they are quite sufficient", to which both of you agreed.

But of course, why would you buy headphones for just one purpose? No reason, other than the person asking for it, asked for just a "gaming" headset.

[Kadayi]

But hey, if you want to get angry go ahead - but the fact is at any price-range a pair of music headphones from one of the quality manufactureres will ALWAYS be better than a gaming headset.

'ALWAYS' Crystal ball much? LOL, now I really can't take you seriously.

[koen]

I've got a Logitech G35 - I really like it. The surround sound is really good, and the 2.0 is also really quite decent. It's meant for games and movies however, and it isolates quite well with its over the ear earpads. I'd definitely recommend it. It can be found for about 60 quid.

[soldant]

I'd say if you're deadset on a gaming headset the G35s aren't bad... but I totally agree with the others that a good pair of headphones paired with a decent dedicated soundcard is still the better way to go. And to anyone thinking of buying those crappy Razer headsets... they're the most uncomfortable things I've ever had the misfortune to experience.

[Vexing Vision]

Just chiming in more or less randomly, but quite a few 5.1 speakers have multiple speakers at different angles inside each headphone.

That, and the Kave comes with amazing bass-vibration - I am sad to report that the microphone did not survive multiple falls, though. :(

[starky]

'ALWAYS' Crystal ball much? LOL, now I really can't take you seriously.

Oh come on it was clearly hyperbole, I even bolded it to make it obvious. It's still true though the vast majority of the time.

Just chiming in more or less randomly, but quite a few 5.1 speakers have multiple speakers at different angles inside each headphone.

Which is a con - the human ear can't tell the difference between angles of input, all sound is reflected down the ear canal and angle of entry into the ear makes no difference to perception.

Spacial hearing is achieved by the brain hearing something in the left and right ears at different volumes and calculating direction based on that difference - much like how the eyes are used to calculate distance.
A person deaf in one ear would lose all sense of audio direction.

[Drossy]

I've got a Sennheiser PC 350, which are really comfortable - I've worn them for hours with no problems.

[VFRHawk]

Hmm, sorry to threadjack, but I already have a reasonable pair of audiophile Sennheiser's, so has anyone tried any of the clip on mics out there and can recomend from personal experience? I was considering a set of Steelseries Siberia V2's, but mostly for the convenience of the boom mic.... Might make more sense just to buy a half decent mic.

Graham

[deano2099]

Better is subjective as is pretty much true for any headphone discussion (and lets face it some audiophiles take subjective to faith based religion complete with epic myths and legends);
Still I can give you my utterly subjective opinions on em - the 668B's are studio monitor phones, they've got a very balanced, neutral sound, ideal for EQ'ing and general use but not very exciting - that said it's easy enough to jack the bass in software EQ and get all the clubby bass in your ear you could want.
In fact they are designed to produce basically the same frequency response as the DT990's so if you like that sound, the 688B's get really close. Check: http://www.superlux.com.tw/upload/fu...8B_view_en.pdf

The 681's are a little bit brighter on the treble, and a bit heavier on the bass, some people find the treble a bit too bright and fatiguing to listen too - there is a filter mod (really easy to do and costs like 50p in components in components) which will passively reduce the offending frequency spike (or you can do it in software/hardware EQ if you like, Drop 7.25 kHz by about 5-6 dB).

The 681's with the filter make a really damn good club and dance music pair of phones - but I prefer the 688B for general use, movie watching and such - So much so that my 5 times the price HD 518's mainly gather dust.
The default fake leather can make your ears sweat, so it is worth buying the AKG k-240 velour earpads, or making your own (which I did).

I can tell the/a difference between the 688B's and the DT990, but it's small (990's are slightly crisper, and slightly punchier) but for a price of £30 ($50) compared to £130, getting as close as they do is a feat.

Oh and there is a new range of superlux which are apparently better all-rounders, but I don't own any (yet).

You have me convinced -I like my Razor Carcharias as a headset but looking for some general phones for general listening. Where would I get the earpads from? Tend to wear them for hours at a time so likely a necessity but a quick google came up blank (am in the UK).

[pmh]

Hmm, sorry to threadjack, but I already have a reasonable pair of audiophile Sennheiser's, so has anyone tried any of the clip on mics out there and can recomend from personal experience? I was considering a set of Steelseries Siberia V2's, but mostly for the convenience of the boom mic.... Might make more sense just to buy a half decent mic.

Graham

I just use the mic from my Logitech headset with my A900s, but I've seen the Zalman clip-on highly recommended

[Harlander]

Spacial hearing is achieved by the brain hearing something in the left and right ears at different volumes and calculating direction based on that difference - much like how the eyes are used to calculate distance.

It's more the relative timing of sounds arriving that determines direction perception.

Pedantry aside, I got a cheap Logitech gaming headset for about a tenner that serves my purposes satisfactorily. I practically only use it for VOIP in games, though (and for listening to films when my washing-machine's going, but I digress). I'm hardly an audiophile, though - I'm still using the little Cambridge Soundworks speakers that came with my first PC nearly a decade ago. Folks in ARPS can speak to its microphone quality and amount of unnecessary heavy breathing captured.

[ShowMeTheMonkey]

I'm stupid so I use:

Tapco S-8s mostly.
xl__tapcos8.jpg
If I HAVE to be quiet then I may concede to my trusty pair of Koss.
KOSS-PORTAPRO(b).jpg

But then I only use the mic on my awful Labtec mic:
L23-6550-a1.JPG

I wear that round my neck because the plastic is broken on the right side ghetto style.

And that's probably why ArmA people hate hearing me talk...

[Labbes]

Steel series Siberia series are expensive but long lasting and robust. I've had my current headset for about 2 years now and it's still going strong, which given the amount of ab/use it's suffered during that time is pretty remarkable. Most headsets I've had upto now have generally lasted a few months to a year at best.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...ed=0CGMQ8wIwAA

I agree with Kadayi that the Siberia v2 is the best gaming headset I have ever owned. I'm quite picky because my ears don't seem to like most headphones, so I was glad I found one that doesn't hurt after two hours or so. It doesn't break easily either, and I can't say the same thing for my old Sennheiser.
The retractable microphone is great, too, although I must say the voice quality is noticably worse than the Sennheiser headsets I used before.
I bought it when I had some disposable income, though, and I do notice that the quality could be better. I'm not an audiophile, so I can't articulate what I find lacking about the sound. Sorry.

Thanks to the fine gentlemen here I will buy a Superlux HD681 though, since it costs next to nothing and I don't use the microphone as much these days thanks to university.

tl;dr: If you have the money, I can recommend the Siberia v2. If strapped for cash, get good headphones+good microphone.

[pmh]

tl;dr: If you have the money, I can recommend the Siberia v2. If strapped for cash, get good headphones+good microphone.

I'd change that slightly to if you prefer convenience over sound quality, get the Siberia. Otherwise, good headphones + mic.

[Labbes]

I'd change that slightly to if you prefer convenience over sound quality, get the Siberia. Otherwise, good headphones + mic.

That's pretty much what I wanted to say, I'm just bad at summing up my thoughts.

[Rii]

You don't want to go investing in a decent headphone setup without picking up a soundcard also. Asus' Xonar DX is the standard recommendation. On the headphone side Audio Technica's ATH-AD700 gets a lot of love around the internets as an excellent compromise between performance and wallet impact.

On another note I recently serviced my headset needs with a Plantronics Voyager Pro+, because I enjoy ignoring the advice of others. It works well with my phone and PS3, alas I need to get a USB extension lead to bring the Bluetooth dongle clear of the EM racket around the PC before I can use it there.

[sabrage]

I have an Asus Xonar DG and the driver support is terrible - just a word of warning. Specifically, the card has trouble with any older titles that utilize EAX... Which turns out to be quite a few games.

[partyhatman]

Logitech G35's.

Fabulous.

[Alex Bakke]

I have ordered a pair of Siberia V2s. I managed to find them on Amazon for £35, woo, but they won't ship until Jan the 25th.