First "Gaming" headset

[Shaun311]

I have used quite a few different studio grade headphones in my time, and I know where the quality of some drivers can come into play, but in the gaming realm I am at a loss. There are three I am looking at right now, but need some user opinions as to which set I should go for.

First up is the ROCCAT KAVE XTD 5.1 Digital Premium 5.1 Surround Gaming Headset USB Remote and Sound Card ($136.99). I love some of the features on this set like the usage of three drivers to produce the surround sound feeling, the price is very attractive, and it would match my system very nicely.

Next up is the Creative Sound Blaster Recon 3D and Omega Wireless Headset Bundle ($250). Also aesthetically pleasing, Cross platform, not too sure about the wireless thing, and it has smaller cans than the Kaves.

Last up is the Sennheiser PC 363D High Performance Surround Sound Gaming Headset ($299.95). Like I mentioned before I have used a lot of studio grade headphones in the past, and for mixing and editing I tend to reach for my Beyerdynamic DT770s. The Sennheisers uses the same velour that my DT770s use, and I LOVE THEM for long periods of usage, I'm just not too keen on the open air thing. I have tried open air headsets before during mixing, and I could hear the room I was in, and that drove me crazy. I just worry that if I got them I would be distracted by outside noises, and I do not want to be trying to focus on listening instead of what I am doing. My cave is in the basement, and with winter coming up, the heater will be kicking on and off. I play a lot of horror games, Borderlans, and various others. I am not a competitive FPS gamer. I would rather walk down a dark hall and hear some type of monster walking behind me.

Primary function will be PC only, but it would be a plus if I could use them on a console, or even an Nvidia Shield Portable (2) if they ever release one. Waiting for that. If not, I could care less. I still have my Beyerdynamics. I believe all three of these comes with some type of amp, so I am fine with that. Not really looking into buying a soundcard JUST for using my headphones. I have my system running to an outboard sound system with speakers. I'd prefer not to spend the $300, but I am completely willing to if the consensus leads me in that direction. Also one more thing, I do plan on getting the Oculus Rift whenever that comes out also, so this is another reason for wanting a surround set.

 

[byza]

Keep the Beyerdynamics and get an Antlion ModMic 3.0. I just got one to add to my Audio Technica's and it's great. Also as it's only held on with a small magnetic baseplate, you can remove it easily if you want it out of the way or want to take your headphones out with you.

 

[Shaun311]

Keep the Beyerdynamics and get an Antlion ModMic 3.0. I just got one to add to my Audio Technica's and it's great. Also as it's only held on with a small magnetic baseplate, you can remove it easily if you want it out of the way or want to take your headphones out with you.

That's a pretty cool idea, but I'm not in the market for a mic. I rarely talk to anyone online, nor do I ever really play online games. I just want a pair of headphones that will give me a more 3D effect of surround sound for my Horror games and whatnot.

 

[byza]

Well in that case I wouldn't bother with a gaming headset. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700 have really good positional audio but they are open which you said you don't like. Try out the Razer Surround software with your current headphones and see how that goes for you. If you've got good drivers, stereo headphones can usually mimic true surround pretty well.

 

[Shaun311]

Well in that case I wouldn't bother with a gaming headset. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700 have really good positional audio but they are open which you said you don't like. Try out the Razer Surround software with your current headphones and see how that goes for you. If you've got good drivers, stereo headphones can usually mimic true surround pretty well.

Not bad, but still sounds very stereo to me. I didn't notice any depth to it, like behind me or in front. The demo seemed like it just emphasized the EQ capability, and that's all. Still doing some digging and research. I really wish there was somewhere that had a line up of headphones to try out. Thank you for your suggestions though so far. I actually didn't even know that you can get a surround imaging program for stereo headphones. Now that I know, I need to look into more of these.

 

[byza]

Well in that case I wouldn't bother with a gaming headset. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700 have really good positional audio but they are open which you said you don't like. Try out the Razer Surround software with your current headphones and see how that goes for you. If you've got good drivers, stereo headphones can usually mimic true surround pretty well.

Not bad, but still sounds very stereo to me. I didn't notice any depth to it, like behind me or in front. The demo seemed like it just emphasized the EQ capability, and that's all. Still doing some digging and research. I really wish there was somewhere that had a line up of headphones to try out. Thank you for your suggestions though so far. I actually didn't even know that you can get a surround imaging program for stereo headphones. Now that I know, I need to look into more of these.

Yeah it tends to work better with open headphones as the sound waves aren't 'trapped' by the cups and some stereo headphones are better at it than others. I wish there was somewhere you could try it out too. The main problem is that headphones that have good positional audio don't tend to actually sound as good, but then neither to headphones with multiple drivers in each cup imo. There are some really good headphone reviews out there if you do a bit of google searching. When I was looking for headphones I found one guy who reviewed over 50 headphones and a bunch of sound cards and had very good comparisons for them, shame I've lost the page.

 

[Shaun311]

Well in that case I wouldn't bother with a gaming headset. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700 have really good positional audio but they are open which you said you don't like. Try out the Razer Surround software with your current headphones and see how that goes for you. If you've got good drivers, stereo headphones can usually mimic true surround pretty well.

Not bad, but still sounds very stereo to me. I didn't notice any depth to it, like behind me or in front. The demo seemed like it just emphasized the EQ capability, and that's all. Still doing some digging and research. I really wish there was somewhere that had a line up of headphones to try out. Thank you for your suggestions though so far. I actually didn't even know that you can get a surround imaging program for stereo headphones. Now that I know, I need to look into more of these.

Yeah it tends to work better with open headphones as the sound waves aren't 'trapped' by the cups and some stereo headphones are better at it than others. I wish there was somewhere you could try it out too. The main problem is that headphones that have good positional audio don't tend to actually sound as good, but then neither to headphones with multiple drivers in each cup imo. There are some really good headphone reviews out there if you do a bit of google searching. When I was looking for headphones I found one guy who reviewed over 50 headphones and a bunch of sound cards and had very good comparisons for them, shame I've lost the page.

Yeah, I've been watching PLENTY of YouTube videos, and reading reviews on tech sites, and even looking at buyers reviews. That's why I had it narrowed down to these three. I just need to look and see if I need a sound card or something for the Sennheisers. I haven't noticed yet if it comes with one or not, but even so I am skeptical to get them because of their open design. So far I am leaning towards the Roccat Kaves. I really can't find anything bad on them, the price is right, and I think I would rather have multiple drivers as apposed to one with some kind of software, but then again I have seen a lot of people stating that Dolby headsets are the way to go.......man. I really don't know, haha!