Headsets

[Blunt]

The surrounds had no fitting instructions, so I used a YouTube tutorial.
I would've been all day shouting and swearing if I hadn't.
Two pairs of hands are required to fit these mothers.
Once fitted they are great.
Thanks for the link Lionheart.

[Sneakytiger]

should have my [h=1]HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset for PC/PS4/Mac - White[/h]by the week end.

[ReddFour]

I'm looking for a new headset. I have a Corsair HS30 but they sound awful to me and the mic is rubbish.

My main requirements are -

1. Best possible positional sound.  With the HS30 I can never tell the direction of gunfire in Arma.

2. Best possible isolation from external noise. So I guess must be closed cup.

3. Best possible sound quality.

Mustn't break the bank either. I'm not asking much am I. Any recommendations?

I'd also point out I am using the on-board audio of my msi z97 gaming 5 motherboard. It is supposed to have great audio but works I still be better getting a sound card? I'm using Sound Blaster Cinema 2 with it but still can't notice any surround effects in Arma. I might be using the software wrong though as there are no decent instructions. I just choose headphone and enable surround but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

[Sneakytiger]

U could try the hyper x cloud 2 gaming headset it has all the great sound of the hyper x cloud and also has a virtual 7.1 sound. All for 74.99 I think it is on amazon

[smilodon]

I am no audiophile but I am liking my Turtle Beach PX22 headset. It's nothing exceptional, but has decent sound, is very comfortable, feels well put together and has a few nice features like being able to hear your own mic input and vary it's volume. I always found my own voice very muffled on comms and so started to get louder and louder when on TeamSpeak. Now I can adjust my own voice volume in the headphones I don't find that a problem.

 Amazon

Don't forget to buy through the dMw affiliate store

[ReddFour]

U could try the hyper x cloud 2 gaming headset it has all the great sound of the hyper x cloud and also has a virtual 7.1 sound. All for 74.99 I think it is on amazon

Thanks. I'll look into them although is that 7.1 USB sound card going to be any better than what I have on my motherboard?

[Gorion]

Thanks. I'll look into them although is that 7.1 USB sound card going to be any better than what I have on my motherboard?

Generally speaking, Scards nowadays are pointless.  Unless you have specialist needs.

I used to buy the top of the line sound cards, I don't anymore.  No difference at all, unless you consider some creative effects.  But Creative are douches anyhow, and don't bother releasing drivers for new OS's.  Also before, we needed Scards in order to have 5.1/7.1 audio systems (Jacks).  Today, mobos support 7.1 by default.

Watch this if you want an actual explanation.

As for headsets, see this.

[ReddFour]

Generally speaking, Scards nowadays are pointless.  Unless you have specialist needs.

I used to buy the top of the line sound cards, I don't anymore.  No difference at all, unless you consider some creative effects.  But Creative are douches anyhow, and don't bother releasing drivers for new OS's.  Also before, we needed Scards in order to have 5.1/7.1 audio systems (Jacks).  Today, mobos support 7.1 by default.

Watch this if you want an actual explanation.

As for headsets, see this.

Thanks for that too. I am already seriously considering buying "normal" stereo headphones and then adding a Antlion Modmic 4 to them.

[lionheart]

" Each to their own" is probably the expression that best sums up sound from PCs. I have personally always found sound cards superior then on-board for music, but then I spend a lot of money on head phones for this purpose. Gaming is a different matter. I use a wireless set of logitechs for gaming, these use a usb sound card and are brilliant for surround and the wireless makes them convenient , down side is they need charging after 10 hours use, you can still use them while charging of course but then if you forget you've got them plugged in nipping to the toilet causes great upset to the desk space and general well being of your ears.  For music, they really do suck donkey.

It doesn't matter if you have £200 worth of sound card if you're using £30 headphones. Its gonna be £30 worth of sound.  TBH I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to sound so this is one area I don't compromise, especially for music, but one thing I can tell you is that a cheaper set of headphones will sound better and be more flexible then a much  more expensive gaming head set.

[ReddFour]

Yes getting headphones and adding a mic is definitely looking the better option. I had stumbled upon the Antlion Modmic 4 yesterday and started looking at headphones to go with it - either Sennheiser HD215 or Audio Technica ATH-M30x. The longer I look though the more I am tempted to up the budget which I must resist.

Although open cup is better for the sound stage and therefore virtual surround, closed cup is a must so I'll have to sacrifice a bit in this area.

[Gorion]

The difference between an X-Fi Elite Pro ($400 back in the day) to an on-board was effectively nil, once you eliminate the proprietary enhancements like crystalliser and cmms3d.

Unless you're an audiophile you don't need soundcards, and even if you are there's not going to be any difference whilst gaming. Scards used to be necessary, they're not anymore.

If high quality music is the goal, a gaming setup is the wrong choice, and you probably want tube amps.


As for microphones, I have been using a $20 Logitech USB one which is brilliant, and doesn't have any annoying issues with winblows.  If you want top notch stuff for the budget, try yetis, samsons, or audiotechnica (might be pricey).

Read reviews on headphones here before committing to a model.

Headphone + microphone is the way to go.

[Sneakytiger]

heres my 2 cents about headsets and s cards

1: buying a s card is pointless nowadays unless your gonna be using it for sound editing or driving a 7.1 sound system.
    if its just for gaming and watching stuff on the net the onboard sound is good enough i mean most new mbs have a good sound chip anyway.
2: headsets:i know have my hyperx cloud gaming headset and i must say, what a nice headset, they feel very comfortable the mic shounds good, the have 53mm drivers so they pick up the base really well.

in my opinion you could go for the [h=1]Beyerdynamic MMX300 PC Gaming Premium Digital Headset with Microphone[/h]if you have money to burn

or take a look at the hyerx cloud range.
i mean the pro gamers use these hyperx headsets.

[albert]

I can't say much about quality as my hearing is probably shot to pieces by years of listening to music but I certainly had the same issue identifying which direction sounds were coming from in-game. I changed from a USB wireless headset to a wired set and immediately the stereo was back and much clearer. So avoid wireless if you want true separation of the left and right channels.

I have a mobo with a daughterboard soundcard (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_GENE/) in it and the quality is very high compare to a standard sound chip, but in the end they are all just realtek chipsets. Definatley a separate card is the best choice if you like the highest quality sound and as a few guys have said, dedicated no-mic headset for quality.

[Sneakytiger]

tbh if i'm listening to music i turn on my pc speakers, if i'm gaming i have my headset on

btw how can a seperate mic be better than one attached to a headset like 99% of all gaming head sets do?
chatting on ts or skype has always sounded better with a mic on your face rather than desk based unless ur streaming on twitch or utube.
then it starts getting expensive for mic booms.
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Seiren-Elite-Digital-Microphone/dp/B00QXT5M3C

[TeaLeaf]

Often the combination of a better quality mic + your desk can overcome the fact that the mic is not 'in your face' listening to your drooling.    TLDR: the extra space available in a desk mic chassis means you can get a better mic system.  If the mic is an LDC then the larger the diaphragm the better the base response.  I personally find that an LDC mic gives more colour and warmth to the sound (perhaps because of the better base response).

I have a Sennheiser headset mic that I use for normal gaming, but when I am doing a video voice over or doing a conference call I tend to use my Blue Yeti desk mic.  Even without a pop filter, shock mount and boom stand the sound quality difference is staggering and very noticeable to others.  I have also used it on a few of those evenings when your ears just get 'too hot', so when that happens I switch to speakers and the Blue Yeti mic.  When you switch the Blue Yeti to cardioid mode (cardioid mode records sound sources that are directly in front of the microphone only - ie it picks up only my voice and not the speakers which are set behind it), I have found that unlike cheaper desk mics which pick up everything (including the flush of the toilet next door and your mum's telephone conversation), the cardioid Yeti will allow me to hear game sounds through the speakers, but does not feed that game sound back through my mic for others to hear the feedback loop.   It's a pretty awesome trick for the mic and makes for a few evenings of headphone-free gaming each year!

When you add a pop filter, shock mount and a boom stand to the Yeti, it becomes (imho) studio quality.  For £100 it's a stunningly good usb LDC mic and very highly recommended.

To see a Yeti in action check out the latest Star Citizen ATV video:
https://youtu.be/fmrAVHGWmio?t=339
(but please ignore the fact that they clearly do not know how to position the mic and are using it incorrectly!)