Support NeoGAF

[Stamps1646]

I've owned these for 3-4 years now and they are perfect. Hyper X Cloud II

Good enough quality mic, extremely comfortable for long sessions, and sub $100.

Build quality is decent too, I owned two pairs of Steelseries syberia's and my cats chewed through the cables within weeks of each other, these bad boys are thick and cat teeth proof.

I have the same ones.

I love the mic and sound quality.
I even talked my friends into picking them up and they love it as well.

 

[Tams]

If you want an attached boom mic, get a V-moda BoomPro.

It's easily the best mic quality of the attached boom mics, can be switched, and is dirt cheap. Sure, the cabling in the control unit can get a little loose if you're rough with it, but it's dirt cheap.

Of course, if wireless is your thing, all the power to you. Especially when you need to recharge the damn thing.

And I'm surprised so many of you are happy talking to your friends when they sound like they're underwater. There's accepting mediocre sound quality, and then there's almost every attached boom mic.

 

[Digfox]

Convenience, price, working out of the box, wireless - all spring to mind in terms of the OPs question as per some of the responses here.

For PC think it makes sense to buy a nice pair of headphones, DAC/AMP (or soundcard) and external mic. But with consoles I can see why a headset can be more appealing given the lack of open standards.

As someone who has used headphones and headsets for many, many years I do think some modern headsets have got better though. Stuff like the Coolmaster MH751, Fnatic React are rebranded Chinese OEM sets. And I'm sure there are others. I had the CM MH751 (a rebranded Takstar Pro 82) and it's probably one of the most comfortable headphones or headsets I've ever worn. The Mic was really pretty good as well. Certainly not all headsets are equal.

 

[Zug]

"Gaming" anything is just mediocre/unreliable products painted with black+red/blue/green gaudy patterns and sold for a higher price : "gaming" chairs, "gaming" ram/motherboard, "gaming" headsets.
It's just like car tuning for modern peasants.

 

[Chronicle]

So you can play / watch Netflix etc / listen to music when others are asleep

Thread closed. Came to say this. The fact the TS can't figure this out on their own.... well....yeah (I'll leave it there).

 

[-MD-]

Buy a good pair of headphones + a mod mic

 

[BossLackey]

Beyerdynamic DT 770s + ModMic Uni

Really can't beat the price to quality. An AMP/DAC stack on top of that really puts it over the edge.

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

headset = convenience.
headphones = quality.

amazing that people keep saying they buy headsets so they can "game or watch movies at night", as if regular headphones can't do that.
that's a new level of retardation.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Yeah amazing.

/s

Honestly the Antlion mic quality is amazing, vastly superior than some gaming headsets out there.

 

[Kumomeme]

not all audiophile headphone need DAC. some of it come with with lower ohm which is pretty easy to drive. just choose wisely. but having DAC will be great. it depend on your hardware too, for example some of motherboard already has good build in audio chip. depend on model.

 

[Borowski_1]

My 560s and my K702 shit all over any gaming headset

 

[Borowski_1]

I bought that PS5 headset and it was the biggest mistake in my life. What a piece of shit. Terrible form factor, remarkably uncomfortable to wear with pretty much zero options for adjusting, and mediocre audio output to boot.

Went back to my Sennheisers within a day.

Good Sir

 

[teezzy]

Aren't headsets mixed for gaming?

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Audiophile headphones always over any gaming headset BUT i do like my online gaming so its good to have one with a mic.

 

[crazepharmacist]

The Drop Sennheiser PC38X are probably the best gaming headphones on the market right now. Don’t sound as good with music as my HD600 but the soundstage is definitely larger, plus they are incredibly easy to drive

 

[DaleinCalgary]

COD footsteps only time I use them.

 

[coffinbirth]

So you're not that asshole that sounds like they're in a tornado in game chat.
I insta-hop right out of those lobbies.

 

[nikos]

The closest I've come to using a gaming headset in recent years is the Sennheiser PC37X, which sound really good for the money. I also have a pair of Sennheiser 6XX, Sennheiser HD25-1 II and Sennheiser GSP600. They all have their applications.

I've used a studio mic with proper vocal processing but nobody I play with complained (or probably even realized) when I went back to the mic on my Sennheiser PC37X so I stopped putting effort into that.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

honestly comfort is the most important factor for me and after owning ~10 various headsets, SteelSeries is by far the most comfortable

I don’t even notice them on my head even while spending 8 hours gaming

 

[Black_Stride]

None. That’s why I have two

So none of the so called flexibility?
Hahaha.

We good, we good.

Im surprised no one has posted they buy gaming headsets because they are pretty conveniently good/bad, reviews are easy to understand.
Even when I was getting my DT770s and DT990s I read 1000 pages worth of reviews going back and forth with why each are NOT good and still couldnt make a decision and ended up getting both DT770s and DT990s.

With gaming headsets theres almost always a general consensus thats pretty easy to get to.

 

[Calverz]

So none of the so called flexibility?
Hahaha.

We good, we good.

Im surprised no one has posted they buy gaming headsets because they are pretty conveniently good/bad, reviews are easy to understand.
Even when I was getting my DT770s and DT990s I read 1000 pages worth of reviews going back and forth with why each are NOT good and still couldnt make a decision and ended up getting both DT770s and DT990s.

With gaming headsets theres almost always a general consensus thats pretty easy to get to.

Lol my setup is sort of split between the living room downstairs and a small office upstairs. It would take a while to explain it all but honestly this offers convenience to me.

Does anyone know if the H9 supports usb c to 3.5mm jack? So it could be used on Xbox wired?

 

[Boneless]

Sennheiser PC38X, audiophile + gaming headset.

 

[Digfox]

Even when I was getting my DT770s and DT990s I read 1000 pages worth of reviews going back and forth with why each are NOT good and still couldnt make a decision and ended up getting both DT770s and DT990s.

Bit of an aside but I've ended up owning a few different headphones and have become bit of a Beyer fan boy in the last few years. Started with the DT 990 Pro (250 Ohm) and then last year got the DT 770 Pro (250 Ohm) because sometimes it's nice to have a close-back set when I need to block out noise. Then recently got the TYGR 300 R for the consoles as they are so easy to drive. And they are excellent - really impressed. So even though I don't need them or can't use them all at the same time, it is nice to have them around.

Also recently replaced the pads on the DT 990s and love the fact everything is so easily replaceable.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I'm a dummie when it comes to this. Ended up buying thise green Razer ones (kraken or something) but kinda regret it since the sound quality isn't anything crazy and they aren't very comfortable to use for long gaming sessions.

Can someone recommend me something smaller and more comfortable that has good sound quality?

 

[nemiroff]

I'm a dummie when it comes to this. Ended up buying thise green Razer ones (kraken or something) but kinda regret it since the sound quality isn't anything crazy and they aren't very comfortable to use for long gaming sessions.

Can someone recommend me something smaller and more comfortable that has good sound quality?

I've had MANY gaming headsets (before going with Phillips Fidelio X3 headphones) and the Steelseries Arctis is in my experience one of the most comfortable ones out there, I remember doing 5 hour sessions without much problem. The Xbox wireless is also surprisingly comfortable - to me. Also the HyperX Cloud Alpha is good. Yes; the Razer Kraken is kinda torture.. Always had a lot of pain after using them.

//Disclaimer: Keep in mind though that anatomy (and especially like if you use glasses) and use case differ and thus you shouldn't trust my endorsements fully.

 

[Tams]

So you're not that asshole that sounds like they're in a tornado in game chat.
I insta-hop right out of those lobbies.

pwhahaahahakuuurrrshhhhshsffff uck ssshhhffffffffkuuuuuurhh other fffhhgggsshhhhhhsssssss er sssshhhhhggguurrrrrfffff

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

I've owned these for 3-4 years now and they are perfect. Hyper X Cloud II

Good enough quality mic, extremely comfortable for long sessions, and sub $100.

Build quality is decent too, I owned two pairs of Steelseries syberia's and my cats chewed through the cables within weeks of each other, these bad boys are thick and cat teeth proof.

Same here, I have mine for about 3 years now and still rock solid, I don't use the Mic though, I have a condenser mic on my desk.

 

[Tams]

I'm a dummie when it comes to this. Ended up buying thise green Razer ones (kraken or something) but kinda regret it since the sound quality isn't anything crazy and they aren't very comfortable to use for long gaming sessions.

Can someone recommend me something smaller and more comfortable that has good sound quality?

Pretty much any headphones with a 3.5mm socket and a V-moda BoomPro mic.

They aren't small but the Philips Fidelio X3 (or X2) are great, or the SHP9500 if you want cheaper and don't mind a bit of extra bass. Both are openback, so sound gets in and comes out.

On the cheaper end still you have Superlux and the like. I found them physically uncomfortable wearing them for long periods of time though.

 

[rofif]

headset = convenience.
headphones = quality.

amazing that people keep saying they buy headsets so they can "game or watch movies at night", as if regular headphones can't do that.
that's a new level of retardation.

You are wrong and have old antiquated view at headsets.
Headsets are headphones with additional features. That started years and years ago with hyperx using real takstar headphones inside.
There is no reason why headsets should sound worse when using the same gear inside

 

[Thabass]

I usually just buy the brands that I know are good. I'm not a stickler for audio quality, so I buy the brands I'm experienced with. I also have a weird issue with my right year when audio is dominant in that year, it tickles my sends like an electrical shock (it feels like someone is tickling me) down my body, so a way to mix the audio is important to me.

I just picked up the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and I love them. Great audio quality and it has a ton of features. That's more than enough for me.

 

[64bitmodels]

Thread closed. Came to say this. The fact the TS can't figure this out on their own.... well....yeah (I'll leave it there).

amazing that people keep saying they buy headsets so they can "game or watch movies at night", as if regular headphones can't do that.
that's a new level of retardation.

Do people even read the first post or do they just see the title and spew whatever immediately comes to their head? It's not even like 10 paragraphs it's literally 7 sentences a 5th grader could decipher.

 

[64bitmodels]

as for the people who perfer earbuds, you do you... I personally find headphones to be much more snug and comfortable, & they're easier to put on and take off too.

 

[DonF]

SHP9500 + a cheap y cable and clip on mic IF I want to talk to anybody (dualsense have microphones built in, but I'm not sure about the quality, never used it for that)

I have the same headphones...and physique lol.
I also own a pair of 1000xm3 and the dualsense powers them nicely. Best setup considering the dualsense has a mic and I haven't heard any complains for my voice comms.

 

[chilleverest]

For my Series X I guess I have the best of both worlds. I use the Bang&Olefsun Portals. Expensive, “audiophile”, but I would have never got them if they weren’t specifically designed to work with my Series X. They are great. Super lightweight and comfortable. Totally wireless with a really long battery life, noise cancelling, great sound. Again, they were really expensive BUT, I only purchased them because they are designed to work with my Xbox.

They cant sound better than penrose, can they ?

 

[Topher]

They cant sound better than penrose, can they ?

I had some Beoplay but they were defective so I sent them back. Can't speak to the sound, but they were much more comfortable than the Penrose to me. I sent the Penrose back for lack of comfort. Hated it to because Penrose sounded amazing.

 

[Putonahappyface]

I tend to only wear a gaming headset when I'm playing multiplayer games with friend's, otherwise I stick to a soundbar and subwoofer.

I love my Steelseries headset.

 

[sainraja]

headset = convenience.
headphones = quality.

amazing that people keep saying they buy headsets so they can "game or watch movies at night", as if regular headphones can't do that.
that's a new level of retardation.

Since you are so smart, you should have considered that they might have also gone with headsets for the few occasions they might hop online and chat with others playing.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

They cant sound better than penrose, can they ?

The sound quality has been the best I’ve experienced over many years of gaming. Not only the incredible sound, but literally everything else about them. The lightweight super comfortable design, the battery life is ridiculous. Noise cancelling, slight double tap on the right ear cuff mutes the mic, and lastly you can be using them on your Xbox, and also have them stayed connected to your phone via Bluetooth.

All of the above said, for me, they were worth the price of admission.

 

[names are for friends]

I wish more headphones didn't restrict their microphone's functionality to bluetooth since obviously we the gamers require a wired connection

Personally I have some Sony WH1000-XM3 headphones and a Cyrus Soundkey. Both good buys. Also have some Grado SR60s, I prefer the audio through those and open back headphones do have a much better soundstage but it's too noisy here to wear em except late at night.

Anyway, if I needed a mic I'd just set one up, but I don't like people enough to want to talk to them or play games with them.

as for the people who perfer earbuds, you do you... I personally find headphones to be much more snug and comfortable, & they're easier to put on and take off too.

I used to wear in-ears. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was worried headphones would leak too much shit Japanese music on the bus but it isn't a problem

 

[64bitmodels]

I used to wear in-ears.

I still do. Not because i want to neceessarily but because i have 2 other pairs that broke on me. One were grados where the right ear cut off all of a sudden, and the other was just me being an idiot and breaking my headphone jack (they didn't sound that good to begin with so eh.
Next time im getting some HD6xxs.

 

[kiphalfton]

Well if you live in a sardine can (read "apartment complex") with paper thin walls, and have a hypocritical neighbor who bitches about you playing a game ONE fucking evening at a slightly louder volume than normal (despite me hardly ever playing anything above "low" volume), it starts to look like a viable option.

 

[64bitmodels]

Well if you live in a sardine can (read "apartment complex") with paper thin walls, and have a hypocritical neighbor who bitches about you playing a game ONE fucking evening at a slightly louder volume than normal (despite me hardly ever playing anything above "low" volume), it starts to look like a viable option.

yes. headphones also exist. they're like headsets, but with far better sound quality.

 

[kiphalfton]

yes. headphones also exist. they're like headsets, but with far better sound quality.

I also do a bunch of teams meetings as well for work. If I still lived in the same place as I mentioned above, I'd probably buy a really good headset.

But yeah, if not for that I'd just get some headphones.

 

[chilleverest]

The sound quality has been the best I’ve experienced over many years of gaming. Not only the incredible sound, but literally everything else about them. The lightweight super comfortable design, the battery life is ridiculous. Noise cancelling, slight double tap on the right ear cuff mutes the mic, and lastly you can be using them on your Xbox, and also have them stayed connected to your phone via Bluetooth.

All of the above said, for me, they were worth the price of admission.

I like the way you stated above with confidence and i want to agree with you as i just ordered BnO, but i doubt on the sound front (because you never stated you tired penrose).

I say this after using penrose for just under a year. There is nothing like it on the sound front, the sound is the best you can buy on the market, everything else is just terrible. The battery life is annoyingly low, the clamps where hard as hell, and the build quality is terrible. No matter how savvy you are with you tech, they just break. I read it everywhere about the hinge giving up and i thought they were just careless people manhandling their techs and thought it'd happen to me and yet here i am, giving it up for BnO.

Like i said, i would like to trust you on the sound front but after trying penrose, anything even close to it is a win.

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

Quality of "gaming gear" is poor, usually anyway. I just use my Sony WH-1000XM3 with noise cancelling, never even tried the microphone to be honest since I rarely play online.
You can plug it into the Xbox controller and turn it on, then use all the good features. Or just wireless trough Bluetooth on the Switch.

That's the thing, most "good headsets" aimed for voice communication via Teams etc does not allow proper transfer of gaming audio and voice at the same time while gaming.

 

[Chronicle]

Do people even read the first post or do they just see the title and spew whatever immediately comes to their head? It's not even like 10 paragraphs it's literally 7 sentences a 5th grader could decipher.

You tell me what I misread then. TS asks: why use headphones? Then goes on to say audiophiles should listen to their speakers cause nothing in the headphone department can compete with that. And while that 'may' be true it still does nothing to answer the question. So the other poster and I answered it for him and I'll do it for you cause you dont seem to be able ro figure it out either.

It's cause some people may have to use headphones! And if you're an audiophile, and the kids are in bed, or for whatever other billion reasons there are, some of us need to use headphones.

Next time try a title like (and it's simple high school English):

I prefer to not use a headset for these reasons.

Got it? I can read. Can you?

 

[64bitmodels]

Then goes on to say audiophiles should listen to their speakers

when in the actual fuck did i say SPEAKERS???

Audiophile stuff has better sound in every way and better 3d sound thanks to most of the best headphones being open backs & having amazing soundstage. (Sennheiser HD600, Hifiman Sundara, AKG K240)

All of the shit i listed in parentheses are HEADPHONES.

 

[Quasicat]

I stopped buying headsets after I lost a majority of the hair on my head. It’s really annoying and I don’t like the way they feel. I have a pair of Airpods connected to my PS5 using a Bluetooth to USB plug. I prefer those because they last several hours on a charge and I can use them on my phone and Switch. I only wish the Xbox Series systems did Bluetooth audio or at least USB audio.

 

[Digfox]

I stopped buying headsets after I lost a majority of the hair on my head. It’s really annoying and I don’t like the way they feel. I have a pair of Airpods connected to my PS5 using a Bluetooth to USB plug. I prefer those because they last several hours on a charge and I can use them on my phone and Switch. I only wish the Xbox Series systems did Bluetooth audio or at least USB audio.

I did bump into this other day on my internet travels: AudioBox: Bluetooth 5.0 Audio Adapter for Xbox (XB1/XSX/XSS/Elite 2) Controllers | Skull & Co.

Not ideal and I think it only allows use of the integrated mic, but for single player games might be fine. Reviews seem OK minus the mic bit.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

I like the way you stated above with confidence and i want to agree with you as i just ordered BnO, but i doubt on the sound front (because you never stated you tired penrose).

I say this after using penrose for just under a year. There is nothing like it on the sound front, the sound is the best you can buy on the market, everything else is just terrible. The battery life is annoyingly low, the clamps where hard as hell, and the build quality is terrible. No matter how savvy you are with you tech, they just break. I read it everywhere about the hinge giving up and i thought they were just careless people manhandling their techs and thought it'd happen to me and yet here i am, giving it up for BnO.

Like i said, i would like to trust you on the sound front but after trying penrose, anything even close to it is a win.

I did a lot of research before my B&O purchase. The sound quality is incredible. All the other things/issues you listed don’t exist with the Beoplays. Battery life, build quality. You can use it in both Bluetooth and gaming modes meaning you can answer you cell phone while playing, noise cancelling, I mean it has it all. It’s the best glitches I’ve made in years