I'm looking for a new pc headset

[Alexikik]

Hey, I'm looking for a new pc headset which provides both a great gaming and music experience. So, it needs a great bass, being commutable to wear and general good sounds. A mute button would be nice, but isn’t a must.

I also need the "mic monitoring" so I can hear myself through the headset without a delay. My current turtle beach X12 has this feature.

 

[Chugalug_]

This mic monitoring feature is very limited, and turtlebeach are one of the few companies that do it from my experience.
You should be able to hear yourself just fine regardless if the headphones are opened back, and you can set automatic playback up in settings should this be something you want.
The Sennheiser PC363D is the best gaming headset i've heard in recent years, so that's probably something worth looking at. The G4ME ZEROs (those caps) are a good noise cancelling alternative, but have a slightly smaller sound stage due to being closed back.
However as these are my current daily drivers, I can say that they are the most comfortable headset i've worked with. The only problem is that they can become a little hot in the ears after a whole day of use, so you just need to lift them up occasionally to air.
They're probably some of the best wired gaming headsets around, so sorry if I sound a little biased!

 

[gondo]

I'm a fan of a USB DAC or soundcard/on board audio with headphone amp, a separate pair of headphones, and a separate mic. My favorite headphones are the AKG K271 MKII and for a mic I like the Samson C10U. Put the Samson in a shockmount and a boom with a pop filter and you have one hell of a setup for PC use.

Many people pay for expensive gaming motherboards with good onboard sound only to plug in a USB headset not taking advantage of the sound card. I prefer a USB DAC and headphones. The headphones will also last a lifetime and are superior for music. The microphone will also beat any integrated mic on a headset. If a clip on is desired then the modmic is good.

If using a USB DAC and not a soundcard then I use Razer Surround or other plugin to get virtual surround sound for gaming.

 

[Chugalug_]

I'm a fan of a USB DAC or soundcard/on board audio with headphone amp, a separate pair of headphones, and a separate mic. My favorite headphones are the AKG K271 MKII and for a mic I like the Samson C10U. Put the Samson in a shockmount and a boom with a pop filter and you have one hell of a setup for PC use.

Many people pay for expensive gaming motherboards with good onboard sound only to plug in a USB headset not taking advantage of the sound card. I prefer a USB DAC and headphones. The headphones will also last a lifetime and are superior for music. The microphone will also beat any integrated mic on a headset. If a clip on is desired then the modmic is good.

If using a USB DAC and not a soundcard then I use Razer Surround or other plugin to get virtual surround sound for gaming.

DACs are very expensive, and the virtual surround programs essentially distort the source sound to attempt to create the effect of 7.1 surround sound through two speakers. Doesn't work very well in my opinion.
Both the mics on the Sennheiser headsets listed are high quality and noise cancelling, so they don't pick up much background noise and have good clarity.

 

[gondo]

I'm a fan of a USB DAC or soundcard/on board audio with headphone amp, a separate pair of headphones, and a separate mic. My favorite headphones are the AKG K271 MKII and for a mic I like the Samson C10U. Put the Samson in a shockmount and a boom with a pop filter and you have one hell of a setup for PC use.

Many people pay for expensive gaming motherboards with good onboard sound only to plug in a USB headset not taking advantage of the sound card. I prefer a USB DAC and headphones. The headphones will also last a lifetime and are superior for music. The microphone will also beat any integrated mic on a headset. If a clip on is desired then the modmic is good.

If using a USB DAC and not a soundcard then I use Razer Surround or other plugin to get virtual surround sound for gaming.

DACs are very expensive, and the virtual surround programs essentially distort the source sound to attempt to create the effect of 7.1 surround sound through two speakers. Doesn't work very well in my opinion.
Both the mics on the Sennheiser headsets listed are high quality and noise cancelling, so they don't pick up much background noise and have good clarity.

If you don't like virtual surround sound then why recommend the Seinheiser's that use Dolby Headphone virtual surround sound? Why not recommend True 7.1 headphones like Asus Strix 7.1 with the 10 speakers?

In my opinion if you want to double duty your headphones for music and movies then I prefer regular headphones and compromise with virtual surround sound. If all you do is game then true 5.1 headphones work great for gaming but are uncomfortable and cheap. So I prefer a nice set of studio headphones like Seinheiser, Grado, or AKG.

By not going with USB headphones they can last forever. Analogue headphones have no electronics to break, just a cable which is easily fixed especially if it's removable.

BTW razer surround is rated to sound better than Dolby Headphone according to all the forums and posts I've read. Most people seem to prefer it. I just mentioned it as an option since using a seperate external DAC eliminates all the gaming and virtual surround sound software that comes with soundcards and onboard sound, or built into a USB headset. Many people don't realize that a soundcard can be replaced by a DAC for gaming using Razer Surround.

 

[gondo]

Also, if you just want to plug and play and game with a simple USB headset that sounds great, I'd probably put the Seinheisers #1 on my list as already recommended. But I'd also check out the Steelseries headsets.

 

[Chugalug_]

I'm a fan of a USB DAC or soundcard/on board audio with headphone amp, a separate pair of headphones, and a separate mic. My favorite headphones are the AKG K271 MKII and for a mic I like the Samson C10U. Put the Samson in a shockmount and a boom with a pop filter and you have one hell of a setup for PC use.

Many people pay for expensive gaming motherboards with good onboard sound only to plug in a USB headset not taking advantage of the sound card. I prefer a USB DAC and headphones. The headphones will also last a lifetime and are superior for music. The microphone will also beat any integrated mic on a headset. If a clip on is desired then the modmic is good.

If using a USB DAC and not a soundcard then I use Razer Surround or other plugin to get virtual surround sound for gaming.

DACs are very expensive, and the virtual surround programs essentially distort the source sound to attempt to create the effect of 7.1 surround sound through two speakers. Doesn't work very well in my opinion.
Both the mics on the Sennheiser headsets listed are high quality and noise cancelling, so they don't pick up much background noise and have good clarity.

If you don't like virtual surround sound then why recommend the Seinheiser's that use Dolby Headphone virtual surround sound? Why not recommend True 7.1 headphones like Asus Strix 7.1 with the 10 speakers?

In my opinion if you want to double duty your headphones for music and movies then I prefer regular headphones and compromise with virtual surround sound. If all you do is game then true 5.1 headphones work great for gaming but are uncomfortable and cheap. So I prefer a nice set of studio headphones like Seinheiser, Grado, or AKG.

By not going with USB headphones they can last forever. Analogue headphones have no electronics to break, just a cable which is easily fixed especially if it's removable.

BTW razer surround is rated to sound better than Dolby Headphone according to all the forums and posts I've read. Most people seem to prefer it. I just mentioned it as an option since using a seperate external DAC eliminates all the gaming and virtual surround sound software that comes with soundcards and onboard sound, or built into a USB headset. Many people don't realize that a soundcard can be replaced by a DAC for gaming using Razer Surround.

I'm not recommending virtual surround sound SOFTWARE without hardware support for this, as it offers minimal difference to standard listening.
Dolby has a wider frequency manipulation range, and incorporates its modules into these headphones to improve the experience. This means for higher end headphones, Dolby gives a better performing device over Razer.
I wouldn't take these forum posts to heart, as it is often the placebo effect with heavily marketed products such as 7.1 surround sound, especially surrounding Razer, who have a knack for over marketing. Take their Kraken headset for example, it has a garbage microphone, and average sound quality, yet it still sells like hotcakes.

 

[Chugalug_]

Also, if you just want to plug and play and game with a simple USB headset that sounds great, I'd probably put the Seinheisers #1 on my list as already recommended. But I'd also check out the Steelseries headsets.

Agreed, the only problem I have with steelseries is that some of their headsets can be quite uncomfortable after a long period of time, and the more expensive ones can be a little overpriced with esports team endorsement such as the 9H.
The Elite Prisms and Siberia V2s were quite good for the short time I tested them though, although I'd still go for the PC363Ds any day, its a personal preference I guess if you really like the color.

 

[gondo]

Well when talking Razer, I'm speaking the free Razer Surround software only, with the $19 full version option. I'm not speaking their actual hardware headsets which I'm not a fan of. I'm not a fan of anything Razer. Their software however is rated very highly, rated to sound better than Creative and Dolby's options, and is very popular amung the pro DAC users who don't use sound cards. I use it, but would be interested to do a side by side comparison between the 2.

Also I am a big fan of real studio headphones, not plastic toy based headsets. I think Seinheiser are the only real headphones adapted to gaming, so they are very comfy and sound good. Also llike you mentioned they use a half decent microphone.

Another option are the AKG headsets. Those are nice. They make a 171 based one and a 271 based one. Both with either a dynamic or condenser mic. They are nice since you can swap the mic to either side. Rotating the mic up auto mutes, and the headband switch mutes it when the headphones come off. And they come with a scematic to rebuild the entire unit so they can literally last forever. It's a real analogue setup with a removable mini XLR cable that splits into your 1/4" headphone jack, and an XLR mic plug for phantom power. This type of setup is used for pro broadcasting and television, but would make an awesome setup for PC if rigged up properly. It would required a USB audio interface. Basically a small mixer that has a DAC, USB interface to the computer, and XLR input with phantom power for the mic, headphones and speaker outs, and an AUX input for something like a guitar. A good one is around $150 and would replace a soundcard. This is the real deal but would require the Razer software for gaming. But requiring no soundcard you'll never have driver issues with any version of windows in the future, and you never need to buy an expensive motherboard just to get a good onboard sound. This is actually a cost effective and good performance setup that could last 10+ years easily. This also eliminates the big usb mic on your desk such as a Yeti.


The version with the Dynamic mic could be plugged into a soundcard, no phantom power required.

 

[Alexikik]

Thank you so much for answering, I hadn't had any freetime the last few days, so therefore I couldn't reply.

I don't know a lot about all these terms, but I have bought I new expensive motherboard, which has some amazing audio, with a quad core audio thing. (the Gigabyte Ga-Z170X-Gaming 7-EU)

Which headset would be the best to take advantage of this motherboards sound? I won't be buying a dac or soundcard, since the motherboard should have some pretty good audio and audio protection from interference. And I want the mic to be attached to the headset, so it's a two in one,

From your replies it seems to be between these three:
- Seinheiser PC 363D (404USD)
- Seinheiser G4ME ZERO (397USD)
- AKG K271 MKII (157USD)
Which one is the best for gaming and music (I would like a good bass), and takes advantage of onboard motherboard audio?

You also talk about Steelseries, but no. Before I bought my current turtlbeach headset, I bought a steelseries, which broke 3 times, where I got it exchanged for a new one. When the forth broke I didn't bother anymore and went out and bought my current Turtlebeach. So I'm never gonna buy a Steelseries headset again.