Best gaming headset for around $100 or less

[filenotfound]

Well im looking for a decent gaming headset around $100 or less. Id definitely prefer one that has 3.5mm analog connectors rather then usb.

some i seen which i was considering

corsair 1300 or hs1a
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826816004
http://www.corsair.com/en/gaming-audio-series-hs1a-gaming-headset.html

Steelseries siberia v2
http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Siberia-Full-Size-Gaming-Headset/dp/B002Q8IHDQ

razer tiamat 2.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153088

(yes sennheiser and astro are the best headsets available, but they are alittle more then id like to spend on a headset >.>)

i know all 3 of the ones i listed are good, i just want opinions on which i should maybe get.

the price of them really isnt a concern as they are all within my budget of around $100 or less.

im just looking for the best sounding of them and made well overall (the last headset i used was the creative 3d tactic alpha, and it was like $36, and it broke after like 8 months of use, due to cheap hollow plastic design, it broke when trying to put them on in the spot in which the earphone connects to the headband part. and i take EXTREMELY good care of everything i own)

 

[edogawa]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B1KJK22/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&keywords=plantronics%20headphones&qid=1368075112&sr=8-11

AVOID RAZER LIKE THE PLAGUE. Never ever buy headsets from Razer.

 

[filenotfound]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B1KJK22/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&keywords=plantronics%20headphones&qid=1368075112&sr=8-11

AVOID RAZER LIKE THE PLAGUE. Never ever buy headsets from Razer.

i was considering those, but i thought it would be better to raise my budget alittle more and get a decent headset with 50mm drivers, rather then 40mm. As having bigger drivers will allow more sound and less distortion, especially at lower frequency bands. (not that 50mm always guarantees better sound, but its possible with a decent headset like the corsair or steelseries)

well i guess its a corsair vs steelseries, but they are both pretty good headsets :/

 

[edogawa]

Personally I would go with the Steel Series. Corsair only started making headphones for "gamers" and I doubt they are very good.

You can always buy a set of ATH-700s too. You can always get a closed set if you don't want to bug people around you.

http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B000CMS0XU/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368076462&sr=8-1&keywords=ad700

 

[filenotfound]

Personally I would go with the Steel Series. Corsair only started making headphones for "gamers" and I doubt they are very good.

You can always buy a set of ATH-700s too. You can always get a closed set if you don't want to bug people around you.

http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B000CMS0XU/ref=sr_1_1_ha?ie=UTF8&qid=1368076462&sr=8-1&keywords=ad700

well those are headphones, not a headset, i want one with a mic.


well ive heard that the corsair are very comfortable, and also sound great if you have a sound card that has a head phone amp.
It seems there are ALOT i mean ALOT of ignorant people who buy them, and are like zomg these suck, and its because they dont have a headphone amp. and people think because they have a sound card, or even an expensive sound card, that means it will sound good, which is false. You NEED a headphone amp for the headset to function (it actually says right on the description of the headset, but people in this day and age are illiterate)

BUT atm, i only have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102036 for my laptop. Which it does have an amp, but not a really good one (like those compared to a full size sound card).
But i do plan on building my own computer soon and getting an http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102041 sound card that has a headphone amp.

and http://www.amazon.com/review/R1S8W6AQIQ473K/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1S8W6AQIQ473K (funny the top rated review on there, was using the exact same usb sound card XD)

Its the exact same headset as the 1500, other then its analog and thus requires a headphone amp to power it, opposed to the usb one in which the usb port gives the power it needs.


But the steelseries are also really nice, and the steelseries mic may be alittle bit better since it has a larger frequency response. and being able to tuck the mic in is nice, and the auto-adjusting headband is also really nice.


so
corsair
-is more comfortable around the ears and top of the head (the places that put pressure, since it has really good memory foam padding)
-likely have better audio reproduction

steelseries
-auto-adjusting headband will likely make it fit better, which may make it more comfortable if the preset sizes of the corsair dont fit right on you.
-likely a better mic (and its retractable which is kind of nice)


now i like listening to music (when playing other then fps games, or when not gaming), i also am planning on making a few youtube videos so i want a decent enough mic to i sound clear, and i ofcourse want it for chatting in games, aswell as being able to hear well in fps games (i mean i dont really care that much about being able to hear like the exact degree and angle someone is at lol).
But i think chatting is on the lesser side, so id probably lean alittle bit more towards the corsair then the steelseries, but it really is a tough choice.

maybe ill buy the corsair 1300 through newegg and if i dont like them, ill return for refund and get the steelseries.

 

[edogawa]

I should also add that you can use a clip on Zalman microphone or a Logitech microphone which I have and they are good.

Since you listen to music the audio-technica are great for that and are easy to drive. The ATH 700s are actually a great set of headphones for gaming too.

Headphones/Headsets made by gaming companies tend to suck generally too and you can't assume they are good because the specifications say so.

I think your best option is the just trying them both, whatever makes you feel comfortable. Personally I think the Steel Series appears like it would be a pretty good option and looks comfortable. This is just my opinion so you can take it or leave it.

 

[filenotfound]

I should also add that you can use a clip on Zalman microphone or a Logitech microphone which I have and they are good.

Since you listen to music the audio-technica are great for that and are easy to drive. The ATH 700s are actually a great set of headphones for gaming too.

Headphones/Headsets made by gaming companies tend to suck generally too and you can't assume they are good because the specifications say so.

I think your best option is the just trying them both, whatever makes you feel comfortable. Personally I think the Steel Series appears like it would be a pretty good option and looks comfortable. This is just my opinion so you can take it or leave it.

I understand its your opinion, and i respect it, im just throwing my points in aswell.
Well i also have used a logitech $15 stand up mic, and it was pretty terrible. and ive heard the zalman clip ons from different sources, and it also sounds quite terrible.

Buying $100 headphone + $10-15 mic is not a very good idea at all imo. and the thing with mics, is there are no good ones. There are terrible ones, and like professional mics lol. There is no like unidirectional mic for gaming and voice chatting that is in the price range of like $30-50 that is good.
All the low end mics have either an "underwater" type sound to them or they sound really tinny, in which when you talk, hitting some syllables you cant help but cringe when you hear it. And they often have very poor noise cancellation.
I sit on vent all the time and most of the people have really terrible mics, and most of them are using these types of mics. So if i cant stand other people using them, im not going subject others to have to listen to that XD

Really i think my built in mic on my laptop actual rivals those cheaper mics (if not betters it).

gaming headsets are usually a mixture of mic and headphone quality. some sacrifice mic to give better audio, some sacrifice audio to give a better mic, some do a good job balancing both for the price.
So each headset will ofocurse vary on mic and headphone quality, and im sure they do charge more then they would be worth for that level of quality for convenience of having a mic and headphone together.

i do have a decent receiver and sound system i can connect my computer to if im watching movies and really want to listen to music, i just want a headset so im not always bumping music through the house all day, and its better for gaming since people i talk to wont have to listen to it.

ands its just on like every forum post where it has been asked, everyone says to get the corsair 1300/1500 (they are identical other then 1300 is analog and 1500 is usb. and the 1300 can be better then the usb if you have something with a decent headphone amp), over the steelseries.

people seem to complain about the corsair headset, the cord breaks easily at the inline controls. I dont think that will be a problem for me.
The steelseries seems more rugged, but people say the earpads wear out fast.

also http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Analog-Headset-CA-9011111-WW/dp/B005QUQP7Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1368127106&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+1300 is $59 on amazon, so its actually quite a bit cheaper then the steel series.

So i think what i will actually do is buy these now, then after i get my computer built, save up and buy some sennheiser's and give these to my brother or something. As i just need something to last me like 6-8 months or so, that sounds good and wont break from taking really good care of them. (like the $36 creative ones i had lol)

i just made the thread to maybe get a few different opinions on them, but i think in the end ill get some nice sennheisers which have really nice mics and have really good headphone quality aswell.

 

[edogawa]

Mics on headphones are pretty sub-par, and realistically gaming headsets are total crap audio wise, but I use audiophile grade stuff so maybe it's a bit unfair for me to say that.


Razer headsets have TERRIBLE mics. Razer cannot do audio and which is why I recommended against the Tiamat, boy they are terrible and I cannot express that enough. I have a 15 dollar pair of cheap headphones that sound better than Razer headsets(not joking). -.-

I don't need a professional mic myself, but I can say the Logitech stand one is clear and good for the price I got it at when it was on sale.

Glad to hear you figured out what you want though. Sennheiser is one of my favorites too.

Definitely go with the analogue too, you get more flexibility.

This site isn't the best place to go for advice on headphones though, try here for a lot more information: http://www.head-fi.org/

 

[filenotfound]

Mics on headphones are pretty sub-par, and realistically gaming headsets are total crap audio wise, but I use audiophile grade stuff so maybe it's a bit unfair for me to say that.


Razer headsets have TERRIBLE mics. Razer cannot do audio and which is why I recommended against the Tiamat, boy they are terrible and I cannot express that enough. I have a 15 dollar pair of cheap headphones that sound better than Razer headsets(not joking). -.-

I don't need a professional mic myself, but I can say the Logitech stand one is clear and good for the price I got it at when it was on sale.

Glad to hear you figured out what you want though. Sennheiser is one of my favorites too.

Definitely go with the analogue too, you get more flexibility.

This site isn't the best place to go for advice on headphones though, try here for a lot more information: http://www.head-fi.org/

what are your thoughts on difference between like the 323D, 350, 350 SE, 360 and 363D.

 

[edogawa]

Sound quality wise the 323D and the 360 are pretty good.

The PC 360 is good with CMSS-3D or Dolby using a sound card.

I don't like the PC323D very much, sound quality is average.

I have not used the 363D, yet.

350 bass is lacking and it's closed, so you would want the 360 since it's open for better sound stage. If you need audio isolation you will want closed headphones.

If you can live without a built in microphone the Sennheiser HD 598 or dt990 are excellent choices.

If possible find somewhere near you that you can try out headphones too.

 

[RevolutionHD]

-.- I have the Razer Kraken 7.1s and they are amazing. Mic is really good, the headset itself is really, really comfortable and the overall build quality is great. Don't say that much bad things about Razer. I have many products from that company and they all work just how they should!