[SOLVED] Looking for a Decent Gaming Headset

[DrummerManSpike]

Hi, I'm on the hunt for a decent gaming headset (upgrading from a cheap Runmus set), and with the sheer amount of options available, finding somewhere to start is pretty overwhelming!

Here's what I'm looking for in a headset:

• At or under $100 (exceptions might be made)
• Wired, not wireless
• Hardware surround sound capabilities
• As wide of a frequency range as possible
• Highest audio quality possible for the price
• Decent enough mic for Discord chatting
• Primary PC usage but support for PS4/5 would be great

Features like noise cancelling for both the speakers and mic aren't super necessary! Big bonus if the headset is supported by software equalizers though; I don't care much if it has built in audio control or not!

So far I've been looking at headsets like the Logitech G433 and G Pro, Steelseries Arctis 5, HyperX Cloud II, Razer Blackshark V2, and Razer Kraken Tournament Edition (does this come in black by any chance?).

Let me know if you have some good recommendations! Many thanks.

 

[hang-the-9]

Not sure what you mean by hardware surround sound, with a stereo headset it will all be virtual software fakery, but you can get one of those with USB that has it built in. I like the Cooler Master MH752 (the one with the USB DAC you were looking for). Very comfortable and very good even sound.

 

[doolittle]

if you are willing to BYO, my setup is:

Samson SR850 semi-open back​

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lapel mic, clipped to where the wire meets the headphone, easy to clip near your collar if you like (I just leave it, sounds just as well)​

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Sound Blaster Play!3, good sound with SBX v-surround and EQ​

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Sounds better than headsets 2x the price Sound Blaster's SBX allows you to adjust the depth of the surround to your liking, not sure I have seen that in other implementations​

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If you want closed-back get the Monoprice Modern Retro instead of the samson, which is a killer deal on sale - personally I prefer the semi-open back for the wide soundstage, IMO gives virtual surround much more depth and realism.​

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For PS4 compatibility, upgrade the Play!3 to the G3 USB-C, double the price but also has a very cool mixamp feature as well as CrystalVoice (SB's implementation of echo / noise cancellation), although you say you don't need it, it's there as an option​

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Interesting! I would've never considered doing anything like this, I'll look into it some more. I know very little when it comes to audio hardware; that was always my dad's thing and I never picked up on it.

Samson SR850 semi-open back​

Definitely impressed with that range! 10-30 is wider than any of the headsets I've been looking at. How strong is the bass profile on these? I like to have a nice, strong amount of low end punch.
Additionally, some reviews state that the mid-range is pretty lacking and the upper-range can be shrill, is this a hardware issue you've seen or is it easily fixed by customizing the EQ?

lapel mic, clipped to where the wire meets the headphone, easy to clip near your collar if you like (I just leave it, sounds just as well)

One of my biggest issues with the mic on my current headset is that, aside from the low audio quality, it's painfully quiet. Even with the audio input volume set to MAX in both Windows and Discord, it still has trouble cutting through. I have to have all auto settings off and sensitivity set to max. Will I see any semblance of this problem with the mic you linked?

Sound Blaster Play!3, good sound with SBX v-surround and EQ​

I don't really know anything about sound cards, internal or external, so I'll take your word on this! The reviews say great things, and the EQ software seems pretty intuitive.

 

[doolittle]

...Definitely impressed with that range! 10-30 is wider than any of the headsets I've been looking at. How strong is the bass profile on these? I like to have a nice, strong amount of low end punch.
Additionally, some reviews state that the mid-range is pretty lacking and the upper-range can be shrill, is this a hardware issue you've seen or is it easily fixed by customizing the EQ?...

Yes absolutely - by it's design open-back is a bit lacking in bass compared to closed, but with semi-open you do get a bit more bass punch, part of the reason I chose these for use with gaming / movies - in the SBX settings I have the bass level set a bit higher to give a bit more punch (for the explosions of course), I don't even bother with the EQ since I felt the mids and highs were good as-is so I leave it disabled and just used the SBX settings only. Most likely those complaints are for critical listening with good sources, for that I use a set of Philips SHP9500 connected up to my Onkyo AVR, pure bliss - but full open-back lacks bass, so what you gonna do can't really have it both ways as I prefer the wider soundstage...

...One of my biggest issues with the mic on my current headset is that, aside from the low audio quality, it's painfully quiet. Even with the audio input volume set to MAX in both Windows and Discord, it still has trouble cutting through. I have to have all auto settings off and sensitivity set to max. Will I see any semblance of this problem with the mic you linked?...

Possible that is a problem with the on-board sound, I have found the mic input is the absolutely the worst part of the majority of integrated sound boards - you can adjust the gain in the mic, I have mine set to about 60% so should be easy to adjust to your liking.

 

[DrummerManSpike]

I've been using the setup you suggested for a little while now, and I love it! The low end response is great, and everyone says that my mic quality is a lot better than what it used to be with my previous cheapo headset.