Eight 5.1- And 7.1-Channel Gaming Headsets, Reviewed

[Guest]

I own the Psyko Carbons and I'm going to agree with this review. Mic is good, can be uncomfortable at times, and the sound quality is kinda weird. However, the directional sound is amazing. Pin-pointing the location of my enemies in FPS-games has never been this easy. I switch between my Carbons for FPS-games or other games requiring directional sound, and my Siberias for music, videos and other games/everyday activities.

 

[Guest]

Just got these headphones and love them! They do have an issue associated with them though. The mic audio gets noisy and sometimes the audio just quits! I have found that if you plug the system into a good powered USB adapter, the problem goes away.

 

[Ray Rodriguez]

Hi guys. I just bought the SoundBlaster Tactic Sigma based on this review, and I just did a return on it. The problem is surprising.. Windows see's this headset as a stereo and not surround device. The result is that any game that doesn't directly allow you to select the sound system decides the headset is only stereo and not surround. Even some games that do allow you to select the sound format "gray out" the surround option because windows says surround is not an available option. In the end, the surround on the SoundBlaster head set did not actually work in any of my installed games. I'm going for the Vengeance 1500 instead.

 

[jjb8675309]

^gaming headphones are shit, seriously all of them, I have tried many of these models and returned them... take a trip to guitar center and get yourself a real pair of headphones if that is what you want.

 

[Warren Stills]

If you want to experience a surround sound headphone that has no fake sound effects then you should Try the headphone from Halosurround. It´s new which must be the reason why it isn´t a part of this review. I have never heard Surround like that. You can actually hear exactly where the sound of footsteps are coming from behind you. So it is like having actual physical speakers set up in your room, but it is just on your head.
On the website halosurround it says that their research team found that a closed loop design yielded the most efficient and responsive headphone body. I guess that is why it has to be a cirkle. Though I am using it with my cap (in the same colour) you dont notice it very much and when I am having my warm hat on you can´t see it at all.

 

[Ricky Ferri]

I've got the Creative 3d Sigma, honestly the surround sucks, first of all Windows recognize those headphones as Stereo, not like the Logitech G35 for example that Windows see those as 5.1/7.1 audio system.
So the surround effect only works in game that support stereo 3d surround over headphones, for example it works with Batllefield 3, or dead space 2, just to name a few, the fact is that this surround works with ANY headphones, the thx effect just enhance the spatiality but i consider ti a "fake" effect, like the one you can find on some cheap home theatre systems dvd combos.
On all the other games that doesn't support 3d stereo over headphones it just does not work as intended and you will not get any surround effect at all.
Fortunately the audio quality is very good, so i've got a nice and conformtable stereo headphones for music listening, but now i have to purchase a 5.1 headset, wasted money basically. When you review 5.1 headset you can't omit something like this issue, that is CRUCIAL if you are searching for a 5.1 headset.

 

[GOTzMADsKILLz]

Hey Cleeve. Great roundup. When you talk about the Megalodon not have an EQ and being usb only does that mean it bypasses and soundcard you are using so can't tune it in that? Si if I am using an add in soundcard mated to a 5.1 surround speakers currently (with headphone out jacks on either but not usb) I gather if it was using analog out that would fix that issue? Sorry I am new to the headset issue or hiw they work in conjuction with everything else but need a set for household reasons. Which is why I read your roundup.