True Surround headset....need help kinda asap!!

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namelessonez

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My Carcharias has seen some mileage and I'm looking to replace them. I'm really keen on getting one of them "true surround" headsets....the ones with multiple speakers/ drivers in each cup. Note: I do not have a dedicated sound card and am using the onboard one....may think of upgrading if it doesn't break the bank!

The following caught my attention (its not limited to this list, but merely indicative as i'm kinda a noob in true surround headsets):
Sennheiser PC 360
Sennheiser PC 333D G4ME
Roccat Kave 5.1
Corsair Vengeance 1500 (I understand this does not have multiple drivers)
Razer Tiamat 7.1 (would prefer to avoid Razer henceforth, but still throwing in the option if its worth buying)

As you can see, the budget is about $160 (stretchable to 200 max). If a separate sound card is a must, I may consider getting one as well.

I understand that the Vengeance 1500 gives true surround headsets a good run for their money, primarily due to the usb dongle thingy and the huge 50mm drivers, that's one more reason I threw it in with the other options.

I'd appreciate any education on the whole 'true surround' v. 'virtual surround' philosophy.

Thanks in advance....oh, and it's kinda urgent, so really appreciate it! :)
 
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"In closing, what you're saying is having multiple speakers in a headset is not in any way better than the ones without multiple speakers (sound card aside)."
Yes thats what im saying.
Apart from the PC 360,
other highly ranked headhpones you might want to consider: Creative aurvana Live!, Sennhesier HD598, Skullcandy Slyr...

Oh and btw, if you break the cable on the Sennhesier, you can replace it 😀 (sure on the HD598, and i think also on pc360, but not sure there).

Any of those should be an upgrade voer the previous headphones, but id say the sennheisers are the highest upgrade. Ofc after those there are like still 5 levels of upgrade more 😀. Normall its like this:

under 50$, under 120$ under 300$ under 700$ under 1000$ and "you...
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Can't comment on the Corsair's as I've never used them, but I have used the PC350 before. If the 360 is similar, they will need a decent amount of burn in time to loosen up the drivers, but they do get better over time. I ended up preferring my ATH-m50 in the end though, even though my trusty Xonar Xense is tuned specifically for the PC350.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/gaming-headsets

Might help a bit to have reviews right in front of you.

Also remember: A soundcard is pointless with a USB headset, so if you get the Corsair, don't bother with a soundcard.
 
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Just for what it's worth. The software 3D is good but when in game can be ambigous (for instance in L4D2). I bought a Tiamat 7.1 and it kicks ass. Sound quality is good but not to die for -simply because speaker drivers that size can only sound so good. The quality is better than acceptable and the surround is flawless. Go for the Tiamat. I've noticed a particular edge in locating enemies in BF3, L4D2 and Borderlands 2. I really rate them. And they're very comfortable.
 
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Just to be more helpful. The software 3D emulation that is used with stero headsets only works with the avaliable parameters; which for stereo headsets are panning (is the sound left, right, to the middle, slightly left, slightly right or somewhere in between) and volume -panning essentially being volume levels split left to right. So when I play with emulated 3D I tend to think "hmmm it doesn't sound like its coming from over there" and you tend to turn around until you can hear the sound playing clearly through both drivers -"aha there you are!". Often by which point in competetive gaming you're too late.

TRUE surround headsets such as the Tiamat have drivers located so you can hear where they're coming from as opposed to know that they're not directly in fron of you but somewhere to left or right. In which instance it skips the whole "where's it coming from" part and immediate you just know "There you are!" BANG! The sneak is capped in the head and you win. Everyone's happy.
 
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Oh and for the record -I have the experience of emulated surround, speaker stereo, speaker surround and the Tiamat. Tiamat works fine. Initially when you do the speaker channel test it may seem as though the sound isn't from behind but when in game your ears percieve it as being behind you. I know they're a pricey headset. I you want amazing sound quality -go with one of the other popular stero headsets -if you want an edge -I can personally tell you the Tiamat will give it to you.
 
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I dont think i can agree with shred_777. Hearing any directional positioning has nothing to do with amount of drivers.
The sound is interpreted by the brain, and the location of the sound is defined by the diference in intensity of the sound and the delay between the sound reaching 1 ear and another.

Thats why when you hear an ambulance, it has a specific pitch of sound to identify if its getting closer to you or going away from you: Human earing exactly behind you (when the ambulance is behind you) sounds exactly the same as in front of you. The main diference is the intensity, and the way the sound travels. The sound is especially this high so the sound is easy to identify as getting closer or getting away. I belive this is called the Doppler effect (correct me if im wrong).

Here are some more opinions on the matter:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/169312/5-1-headphones
http://www.head-fi.org/t/84915/5-1-headphones-for-gaming
http://www.head-fi.org/t/100407/how-do-5-1-headphones-work
http://www.head-fi.org/t/285787/5-1-headphones\
http://www.head-fi.org/t/296203/5-1-headphones-versus-stereo

""Also remember: A soundcard is pointless with a USB headset, so if you get the Corsair, don't bother with a soundcard."" Thx, forgot to add that! 😀.
 
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There's just too much heat on multi-driver headsets, so I'm gonna avoid those for the time. Truth be told, its the reviews which had me sold on them. But I've read up on some reviews by actual users and there seems to be some honesty in those. Does't seem to be like an "OMFG!!!" experience over a good set of stereo sets.

Hence, the pick is the Sennheiser PC360.....
....until I came across these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106638
(SENNHEISER PC 350 SE 2 x)
The 350 has an impedance of 150 while the 360 has an impedance of 50. And they're both similarly priced. So it's gonna be one of them, based on what inputs I get here.

Now, I will be coupling the set with a 7.1 sound card. From all the views here (and around the www!) I understand that the quality directional sound I'm looking for will be met(?). Keeping a budget of $130-$150 for the sound card.

Really appreciate the time and effort taken out by everyone!
 
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If you need quiet around you and dont want to wake up others, go for the 350 SE.
I would probably favour the open 360, as well as the fact it has velour pads (less problems with sweat), however those will leak sound so might not be best for you.

On the Ohm department:Only telling you how much ohm it has (with no eficiency behind it) is not telling you anything.
My headphones have 38 Ohm, and i need 1 full Watt to get them to sound right since the efficiency is so low (planar magnetics are like that).

I personally dont know how efficient those are so i cant help you there.
In general, 150 Ohm must be very efficient to sound good from just a soudcard with no APM inside it... id say something like 104 dB/mW?

Not really sure here, you should probably ask in head-fi.org unless someone here has the know how on those ratings.


 
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Also when you get the headphones, try using them for a while with different forms of software surround. Probably some of those work on onboard audio as well (dont know since i use a dedicated sound card now).

The fact that a soundcard is called a 7.1 soundcard DOES NOT mean that it will give you surround on headphones. It only tells you how many chanels it has. But then again, once you save up, just start a new thread on the sound card part.
 
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Last question:
I like the PC 360 and am ruling out the 350SE. I game in my study, so no issues about waking up anyone. :) However, the PC 363D is really clawing at my attention:
http://www.gadgetreview.com/2013/03/sennheiser-pc-363d-7-1-dolby-gaming-headset-review.html

The USB supplied Dolby surround included with the headset is really tempting, especially until I get a dedicated sound card (in which case, I can unplug the jacks from the USB provided and link them directly to the dedicated sound card later.

What say?

On the 7.1 front, I understand that where it says 7.1, it would naturally include 5.1 as well! So even if the represented 7.1 does not deliver, the fall back option of 5.1 still remains, right? Which is also good enough for me.

Since I'll have some time before getting a dedicated sound card, I will be playing around with different softwares. But from whatever I've read up on till now (which has been "a LOT"!!), a dedicated sound card will be required for unlocking the true potential and capabilities of a quality headset
 
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Well, the versatility of having both USB 7.1 in headhpones (will probably be a bit bad sound quality, but cant be sure), is surely usefull.
I know that i would not bother with it (since i know the quality will be better from using a dedicated soundcard and the 3.5 mm jacks instead of the USB).
Im not sure if those are better than the PC 350 SE or the PC 360, but i think they all are about the same.

The PC 350 SE seem less efficient than the other two however, so i belive the PC 360 and 363 are about the same in sound quality.
 
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Well, I sure do appreciate all the time and effort put in here by everyone! :) I'm gonna start up a new thread for the sound card (see you there?). I'm more or less sold on the Sennheiser pc363D, but just for the heck of it, I'm gonna try out a Tiamat 7.1 somewhere where its available/ possible. As it's a huge investment for me, I'd just want to rule out the remaining doubts.

Again, thanks to all! :)
 
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That's because he's BS'ing, and hard too. "True Surround" headphones don't convey sound as accurately. You can only tell which driver the sound is coming from, which isn't the same as surround sound, and the sound you do get is thin and tinny due to the smaller drivers.



This is the most reasonable thing to do. If you have an opportunity to test them, do so. But I do wish you the best of luck trying to avoid the sales jargon in the process 😀
 
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