What headphones should i buy for gaming and music>

[Khaled_7]

Hello. I wanna buy a gaming headset but i wanna enjoy music on it too. I was willing to buy The razer kraken 7.1 chroma , but i stopped due to bad reviews , however there is a new version of this chroma V2 http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-kraken-71-v2 . What do u think in general about the sound quality of the razer chroma 7.1? please take to notice that i care about the sound quality and microphone the most but i also loved the look of these razer headsets , they look so cool. I have an hp pavilion laptop with a realtek soundcard , will the razer headsets work fine on my laptop? coz i heard that in some cases the sound of the razer chromas was very low and u need an amp in such a situation , will it work just fine for my laptop? Im currently using the Bloody Gaming Headset - G500 , i dont wanna spend almost 200$ to get a worse headset than my bloody 30$ headset Please tell me that the razer kraken chroma v2 will be better than my bloody coz razer kraken v2 will be priced over 150$ in lebanon. Best regards!

 

[amtseung]

Razer and audio quality are two things that don't really go well together.

Look into buying proper headphones and a separate microphone. Headsets usually cost so much more because of the convenience of having the microphone already attached to the headphones. You're paying a premium for the easy way out and second rate audio quality.

I doubt you can afford any of the super nice, super amazing open-back designs, but there are really good closed-back headphones and studio monitors under US$100. A microphone like the Zalman ZM-1 cost me a hair over US$7, and surprisingly, sounds really good. I have no idea what the pricing is in Lebanon, so I wish you luck in your endeavors.

 

[Khaled_7]

Razer and audio quality are two things that don't really go well together.

Look into buying proper headphones and a separate microphone. Headsets usually cost so much more because of the convenience of having the microphone already attached to the headphones. You're paying a premium for the easy way out and second rate audio quality.

I doubt you can afford any of the super nice, super amazing open-back designs, but there are really good closed-back headphones and studio monitors under US$100. A microphone like the Zalman ZM-1 cost me a hair over US$7, and surprisingly, sounds really good. I have no idea what the pricing is in Lebanon, so I wish you luck in your endeavors.

Thanks for the reply mate! Your suggestions are appreciated. However, i wish if you could answer my many asked questions that have been submitted.

 

[amtseung]

I was pretty sure I covered all the questions, whether directly or indirectly, so I guess I'll start from the top and answer them one by one.

- No experience with the Razer Kraken V2. Only worked with the original Kraken, which was not very good, but that was like 3-4 years ago. It didn't sound good, fell apart pretty quickly, and the ear cup material was uncomfortable to wear.

- All headsets except the ones with a USB Type-C connector will work in just about any computer from the last 10 years. Except Apple laptops, because Apple. The thing is USB Type-A. Why wouldn't it work?

- You may or may not need an amp. Usually, USB-powered audio has already been pre-amped by the USB port. Otherwise, that's easily US$100+ in additional purchases. Again, no experience with the newer Razer Kraken. The old one had no such volume issues. I also haven't found any amps with a USB audio output, since amplifiers, by nature, output in analog signals, not digital. Since you're using a laptop, I'm even less sure.

- It's not going to sound worse than a $30 headset, but is the sound quality worth $200? No. Do the looks and lights of the headset make it worth an extra $170 to you? That's not for me to judge.

- I cannot tell you it's going to be better, I cannot tell you it's going to be worse. The human brain's perception of audio is so subjective, that headphones that sound great to me sound like absolute garbage to someone else, even if it's my mom or dad. Your best bet is to choose a song, preferably something with an acoustic instrument, a wide frequency range, and a wide soundstage (recordings of Beethoven's 5th symphony, Bach's organ suites, that recording of some hymn from the beginning of Bioshock Infinite, etc.), wear all the headphones and headsets in question, and try them, listening to the same song.

My personal audio set up is:
- Audio Technica ATH-M30 (Discontinued): US$65
- Zalman ZM-1 microphone: $7
- SYBA USB audio adapter: $5

Still less than $100, sounds better than $200 headsets for both the microphone and the headphone. You might be able to score the ATH-M30X for cheap. Although not as good as the original M30, it's still better than a lot of headphones that cost twice as much. In the states, the M30x is still about US$65, $56 on sale. No idea about pricing and inflation in Lebanon.

 

[Khaled_7]

I was pretty sure I covered all the questions, whether directly or indirectly, so I guess I'll start from the top and answer them one by one.

- No experience with the Razer Kraken V2. Only worked with the original Kraken, which was not very good, but that was like 3-4 years ago. It didn't sound good, fell apart pretty quickly, and the ear cup material was uncomfortable to wear.

- All headsets except the ones with a USB Type-C connector will work in just about any computer from the last 10 years. Except Apple laptops, because Apple. The thing is USB Type-A. Why wouldn't it work?

- You may or may not need an amp. Usually, USB-powered audio has already been pre-amped by the USB port. Otherwise, that's easily US$100+ in additional purchases. Again, no experience with the newer Razer Kraken. The old one had no such volume issues. I also haven't found any amps with a USB audio output, since amplifiers, by nature, output in analog signals, not digital. Since you're using a laptop, I'm even less sure.

- It's not going to sound worse than a $30 headset, but is the sound quality worth $200? No. Do the looks and lights of the headset make it worth an extra $170 to you? That's not for me to judge.

- I cannot tell you it's going to be better, I cannot tell you it's going to be worse. The human brain's perception of audio is so subjective, that headphones that sound great to me sound like absolute garbage to someone else, even if it's my mom or dad. Your best bet is to choose a song, preferably something with an acoustic instrument, a wide frequency range, and a wide soundstage (recordings of Beethoven's 5th symphony, Bach's organ suites, that recording of some hymn from the beginning of Bioshock Infinite, etc.), wear all the headphones and headsets in question, and try them, listening to the same song.

My personal audio set up is:
- Audio Technica ATH-M30 (Discontinued): US$65
- Zalman ZM-1 microphone: $7
- SYBA USB audio adapter: $5

Still less than $100, sounds better than $200 headsets for both the microphone and the headphone. You might be able to score the ATH-M30X for cheap. Although not as good as the original M30, it's still better than a lot of headphones that cost twice as much. In the states, the M30x is still about US$65, $56 on sale. No idea about pricing and inflation in Lebanon.

Thank you very much. Really appreciate the clearing up of the many questions. Ill wait on the reviews of this kraken v2 chroma and catch up later to see if its worth the money or not. best regards

 

[yique1]

Razer and audio quality are two things that don't really go well together.

Look into buying proper headphones and a separate microphone. Headsets usually cost so much more because of the convenience of having the microphone already attached to the headphones. You're paying a premium for the easy way out and second rate audio quality.

I doubt you can afford any of the super nice, super amazing open-back designs, but there are really good closed-back headphones and studio monitors under US$100. A microphone like the Zalman ZM-1 cost me a hair over US$7, and surprisingly, sounds really good. I have no idea what the pricing is in Lebanon, so I wish you luck in your endeavors.

HI, DO ANY MUSIC HEADPHONES HAVE A SURROUND LFE CHANNEL LIKE SOME PRO G HEADSETS ?

 

[yique1]

HI, DO ANY MUSIC HEADPHONES HAVE A SURROUND LFE CHANNEL LIKE SOME PRO G HEADSETS ?