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Headphones, Mics & Headsets

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Headphones, Mics & Headsets

Unread postby icycalm » 15 Feb 2010 13:07

http://www.digitaltrends.com/buying-gui ... s-of-2010/

hd8001.jpg
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http://www.digitaltrends.com/product-re ... 00-review/

$1400, lol

There are much cheaper choices too in the first link though. I'll check it more thoroughly later, because there's no way I am paying that much for headphones.
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Unread postby icycalm » 15 Feb 2010 13:09

Note how stupid their rating system is -- just as stupid as those employed by game reviewers. They say that:

"Without a doubt, the best sounding headphones we’ve tested yet."

"Large as they may be, we learn in our review that Sennheiser's top-of-the-line HD800 headphones embody AUDIO PERFECTION."

And still give them only 9/10 lol.

Retards.
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Unread postby another Riposte » 15 Feb 2010 18:25

I've been told this is one of the best sites for headphones: http://www.headphone.com/

I was going to buy a really high quality pair, but then I got distracted and forgot. I should remedy that. Hope this helps.
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Unread postby austere » 15 Feb 2010 21:06

Nice link, another Riposte. I'm impressed that they have the frequency response and harmonic distortion plots of that many headphone in an easy to access format! It really helps when you can't decide which one you want to buy -- or perhaps, it will only make things worse, lol.

The performance of the Sennheiser HD 800 is superb, but to achieve it the equipment all the way to the headphone has to at least match that performance. There is the noise and harmonic distortion from the computer's audio output and of course the frequency response of your ears. Hell, unless the volume in on these headphones are at a dangerous level, you'll probably hear your computer's fans over any harmonic distortions. Unfortunately, the damn thing needs an amplifier for maximum performance, which will contribute to the noise as well.

While I was reading up on the HD 800, I found a loltastic review. Here's just one dumb quote:

Consider this headphone if: you like a smooth, neutral sound that is clear but not aggressive. These will be a good choice if you have previously owned high-end Sennheiser’s and like them but wish for more extension at the frequency extremes.

Look elsewhere if: you prefer a vivid sound with either rich bass or the ultimate in transparency.


Why do they need to use nonsensical constructs like "clear but not aggressive" and "ultimate in transparency" when a simple plot would tell most of the story? Later in their review, they gave this headphone a 8/10 for value in comparison to similarly priced ones. The closest headphones in price at that headphone.com website are the Grado PS1000 (~$1700) and the Denon AH-D7000 (~$1000).

Frequency Response:
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompar ... =0&graphID[]=863&graphID[]=1013&graphID[]=283

Harmonic distortion at 500Hz:
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompar ... =1&graphID[]=863&graphID[]=1013&graphID[]=283

Now the only thing the Denon beat the HD 800 at is the lower level of the 3rd harmonic, but they're both so low (below -80dBr) that it almost doesn't matter. Also, its 2nd harmonic isn't as good. Oh, and the PS1000 sucks for the price -- relatively bad harmonic distortion, poor low frequency response and lots of ripple in its mid-frequency response. Maybe they know of a better, but similarly priced headphone? Either way, they should have justified their score by mentioning what they considered has more "value" at a similar price.

By the way, there's a crude test here which will show you the limit of your own hearing. Of course, it will convolve it with the response of whichever headphones you're using, so the flatter the headphone's response the more accurate the test will be.
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Unread postby faceplant » 16 Feb 2010 17:20

Unfortunately, audio reviews tend to be buried in nonsense like the above examples. ("clear but not aggressive", "ultimate in transparency", etc.)

As for my own recommendations, I'd suggest getting Sennheiser HD 600's.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sen ... hd-600.php

If you're really serious about headphone sound, you'll want to pick up a good headphone amp as well.

http://www.onheadphones.com/product-rev ... eyond.html

I own both of these, and I can definitely vouch for them.
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Unread postby icycalm » 24 Sep 2013 05:54

A heads-up to those looking for a smashing deal on what is widely considered the best PC headset, the Beyerdynamic MMX 300: http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/mmx-300.html

81DmFHp4u8L._SL1500_.jpg


This is normally a $399 headset, but Amazon occasionally discounts it, sometimes for as little as a couple of hours. I've been checking its price for weeks now, wondering on whether it's worth pulling the trigger on it, but the lowest I'd seen it until recently was $320. So last week I ordered it at that price, and then the next day it was down to $293 -- first time I'd seen it so low in all the time I'd been watching! So I cancelled the order (it hadn't shipped yet), got a refund, and placed a new one for $293, and it finally arrived yesterday. And now the price is $280 lol.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BY ... 07_s00_i00

Note that everyone else is still selling it for $399, and Amazon's price fluctuates more wildly than the stockmarket. It could be back up to $340 or $380 within hours, and then back down again for 20 minutes, before it goes up again -- I've seen it all in the time I've been watching the damn page. Do they actually have some dude who sits at the computer all day changing the price of this one piece of merchandise?

Anyway, the actual price right this moment is $281.82 (Sold by Web Offers and Fulfilled by Amazon), or if you want it from Amazon itself (which is how I got it) it's a few bucks more at $287.72. All other top headsets that I've done research on: the Astro, Turtle Beach, Razer, SteelSeries, etc., suck ass compared to this (and some of them are widely reported to have serious reliability issues), and the only one that comes close is the Sennheiser PC363D (with, interestingly enough, both companies being German...):

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/pc-363d-sur ... ng-headset

square_stage_PC363D.jpg
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Here's a comparison:

http://versus.com/en/sennheiser-pc-363d ... mic-715565

The Sennheiser wins out on such bullshit features as "Control panel placed on a device", "longer cable", and "lighter", while the Beyerdynamic wins out on almost all the acoustical aspects. The only thing that could potentially tilt the scales in the Sennheiser's favor is that it is an open backed design, while the Beyerdynamic is closed back. Here are some people's explanations of the difference:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/587085/closed- ... st_8000888

elemein wrote:In layman's terms:

Open: Higher fidelity and sound quality since the waves produced from closed headphones have nowhere to go after they have been used, so you get a more crystal clear and more quality sound from open headphones. Though they usually leak BADLY, have POOR isolation, and they're usually more expensive (the good ones at least), also, most people find them less comfortable than closed headphones, and lacking in bass as they have less potential to seal.

Closed: Lower sound quality as you have a seal between you ears and the drivers, and lots of isolation, so while sound wont get out and in as easily, the sound quality will suffer (now, the sound quality isnt BAD in comparison to open, there are VERY VERY good sounding closed headphones, its just that there are better open ones). Also, they usually have better bass as the seal between your ears and the driver is good for the bass, and they're usually more comfortable and circumaural.

One isnt better than the other, they both have their cons and pros and suit different people with different needs. I personally have closed ones and love em.


UCLA 15 wrote:I'll give you a generic answer since I'm new to headphones and can't give the proper answer others can:

Open back headphones generally deliver more impressive sound and have a better "soundstage" as a lot of people like to say. Being open, they don't really isolate outside noise and they also leak whatever you are listening to into the environment around you. Closed back headphones generally deliver less impressive sound, but the bass can sometimes hit harder than open backs, and of course closed backs isolate and don't leak as much.

Deciding between the two typically comes down to whether or not it is OK for what you are listening to to be leaked. Primarily used in a quiet setting, without having to worry about others around you? Probably open. Primarily used in public, at work, etc.? Probably closed.


jupitreas wrote:
elemein wrote:also, most people find them less comfortable than closed headphones


This is a broad generalization. A lot of people find open headphones more comfortable because their open nature allows for the ears to breathe more. People with ears that are prone to sweating can find closed headphones very uncomfortable indeed. Besides, I'd hardly call the likes of a Beyerdynamic DT880 or Sennheiser HD650 uncomfortable - they are consistently mentioned as amongst the most comfortable cans one can own...


Personally, my ears get tired relatively quickly from headphones, plus I always play in a deadly-quiet apartment when alone, so isolation and sound leakage mean nothing to me, so overall I think I would have preferred an open back headset. However, I am not willing to forgo the Beyerdynamic's clearly superior specifications for those small advantages, so I went with that. Plus, though my apartment IS deadly quiet at night, when I usually do all my gaming, there IS the occasional car going by, even at 5AM lol, so if these can be paired with the Oculus, I think the total sensory isolation that would result from the combination would more than overcome the ear fatigue that I am expecting to experience from them.

As far as reviews go, it doesn't look like anyone consistently puts out in-depth reviews of gaming headsets, so I had to make do with Amazon's reviews, and the Beyerdynamic is the only headset with universally glowing ones. All the other top-end headsets are plagued with complaints of units breaking down randomly and inferior sound quality, so considering also that I will be using the unit outside the states, I steered clear of them.

And, on top of everything, the Sennheiser is ugly...

There is of course also the option of going for audiophile-grade headphones and adding your own mic, but I am not sure how the whole thing would hang together, nor am I willing to fork out several more hundred bucks for such a setup. If anyone has done this, however, or knows the market for this sort of thing, I'd be interested to know details, and you can post them in this thread.
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Unread postby icycalm » 24 Sep 2013 20:57

One other point I failed to mention was that the Sennheiser features 7.1 "Virtual" Surround. Virtual means that there are only two drivers and the surround effect is simulated, whereas something like the Razer Tiamat 7.1 has "10 individual drivers built-in to deliver the ultimate 7.1 Surround Sound experience" and is called a "Discreet" Surround headphone:

http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/d ... ound-range
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-tiamat-71/

razer-tiamat71-gallery-3.png


I haven't looked too much into this feature, but I am sceptical if 7.1 headphones, whether virtual or discreet, are much more than a gimmick. The Tiamat seems to have got some good reviews from big sites though, so if I ever wanted to try the feature I'd go for that and the discreet solution over the Sennheiser's virtual one. One of the things that kept me back from looking too much into the Tiamat was the low price, believe it or not. It goes for around $170 to $200, and it's pretty obvious that if the sound quality came anywhere near the Sennheiser's or Beyerdynmic's they would be charging a lot more for it. And then on top of this:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1D25EQ8GE ... r_dp_title

Manloi wrote:The "7.1 analog surround sound" does work exceptionally but it has its disadvantage in many factors. Many games and movies in today's market "DOES NOT" have native 7.1 soundtrack. So problems occurred, you have to downgrade this headset software setup to 5.1.

I have a great HTOMEGA Claro plus sound card that recommended by Razer. I played Max Payne 3, Battlefield 3, Mass effect 3 and Diablo 3, etc with this headset. After hours of tweaking in both hardware and software sides, I realized these games does not support native 7.1 soundtrack but 5.1. If I set my system input and output as 8 channels (7.1) , the in-game sound will be faulty. You can hear 2 extra channels of echos of native 5.1 soundtrack. It results in-game sound will not be as solid as it should be but fuzzy and weird.

However, once you setup the system input and output as 5.1, everything shines. It sounds the way the game should be. Solid in-game sound effect and clear directional sound.


But the Beyerdynamic also does 5.1 (though virtually, I suppose...), and with superior sound quality, so for the majority of games it is the best option. Nevertheless, I might snag a Tiamat as well at some point, if I can find some good games that support 7.1 sound. I mean it's pretty cheap, so why not. But it's certainly not a contender for top gaming headset. Here's the rest of that Amazon user review that corroborates my conclusion:

Manloi wrote:Secondly, packing too much speakers/ drivers in the headphones really hurt the overall sound quality. If you read the technical specification, you notices the Rear and side speakers are 20mms which results in-balance sound quality. You can hear the "clear" sound in the fronts, left and right channels (30mm drivers) while the rear and sides are fuzzy or muffle. Yet, these front channels also have their disadvantages too. The high frequency are too thin. Whenever you hear high pitch gun shots, explosions, music, and conversations, it might pierce your ear a little if you like to turn up the volume and be immerse with the game. It does not sound rich and warm enough. But it's certainly sound crisp, clear and treble.

Music Exmaple: When I was playing the music, "Wallflower" by Divalola, the girl sang the note too high. It really hurts my ears.

I have been waiting for these headphones for a very long time. With the price tag of $179.99, you can certainly buy a better audio quality headset than these. But it will not be true 5.1 or 7.1 gaming purpose headset. So it's like a trade off.

It also made me realized that why these gaming headset companies have a hard time to create something alike. The sound quality is simply not there by packing too drivers in it. Before I buy this headset, I thought that gun sounds, effect sounds does not need to sound as great as audiophile level. But it's not entirely true.

For me, Too Crisp and too treble is bad too. At the end, the taste of the sound quality is a personal taste. This headset might not be my cup of tea. But it certainly serve its purpose.

In additions, Tiamat 7.1 does have other great features, like the simple volume control unit that allows you to tweak the sound as you like. The Braided cable and the sturdy construct feels and looks great yet strong. By Razer tradition, the LED light is simply amazing.

Verdict: It is not my cup of tea. But with many unique and great features builds upon it, it is very hard to pass up. Before you purchase this headset, I suggest you to test it before you buy. And ask yourself these 2 questions, Are you are a hardcore internet competitive gamers (which means you really need the pin-point directional sound to help you win)? or, Are you a kind of gamers that enjoy overall quality of in-game music soundtrack, effects, and music (which means you need a better audio quality headset)?
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Unread postby icycalm » 01 Oct 2013 06:39

Down to $273:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BY ... 02_s00_i00?

They are practically giving them away. I would have been really pissed if I'd bought one a couple months ago at $399.
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Unread postby infernovia » 17 Jun 2014 05:07

I am looking into buying a high quality headphone/headset. The audiophile community recommends using an audiophile grade headphone with a modmic like AntLion:

http://www.modmic.com/collections/front ... modmic-4-0

This is the most comprehensive guide for gaming headphones/headsets I found:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lus ... dded-edits

After reading through this guide, I am interested in getting the AKG K712 Pro:

The K712 Pro, is among my very favorite headphones I have ever heard, and currently my favorite open dynamic for all around use, even over the Philips Fidelio X1. If you're looking for the best all-rounder under $400, the K712 is one my absolute top recommendations. While I prefer the original Annie (flatter pads) for certain things (the mids and intimacy for music), the K712 has a better sound signature due to a clearer upper range and better sense of space which will benefit a larger amount of media, including gaming.


The only downside is that I would need to invest in an amp as well, pushing a $360 headphones up by another $120. The Philips Fidelio X1 doesn't require one, so it would come at a much cheaper $230.
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Unread postby El Chaos » 24 Jan 2017 16:18

PlayStation Platinum Wireless Headset review: a new dimension in audio? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHh-DiPQ2bE

Official page: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explo ... s-headset/

platinum-wireless-headset-product-shot-02-us-07sep16.jpg
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Unread postby icycalm » 02 Mar 2017 22:06

PS4 owners, is the little mono chat earbud that comes with the console any good? I would imagine you'd get a lot of feedback with it since you'd need to keep using your TV speakers for game music and sound.

tumblr_moezjrc5EZ1s63ovdo1_1280.jpg
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If you recommend getting a proper headset, can you give me some options that do a good job for as little money as possible? I already have a $300 PC headset, I can't afford to spend that much on another one for a single console right now.

Also, if you give me options, note that I don't want wireless stuff. I never use anything wireless for gaming, I'll take my wires to the grave. I guess the only wireless thing I'd use would be a VR headset, and even then I'd probably still try a wire to see if I can tell the difference.
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Unread postby immersedreality » 02 Mar 2017 23:08

The earbud packed with the console is essentially useless. I've heard the Playstation Silver Headsets are pretty decent and you can find them on Amazon for $30 or so. I use the Golds and really like them.
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Unread postby strangemoe » 03 Mar 2017 01:40

I don't like the earbud either. I'd rather use my AKG headphones paired with a separate mic, plugging both into the DS4 an adapter like this: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-hea ... B004SP0WAQ

The earbud's mic should work. There's a menu option to play all the game audio through your DS4 jack too.
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Unread postby icycalm » 05 Mar 2017 03:02

Ordered the PS4 Silver headset. Apparently, it's not officially available in Europe, so I got a US import from Amazon.es for 49,99 euros, plus 11,98 for the fastest shipping they offered, which will still take ages (delivery between 9-15 March, they say), plus 14,92 they put on hold in case I get charged customs duties because the Canary islands are a separate entity from the rest of Spain and the EU as regards customs lol. So the 30 dollar headset could cost me up to 68 euros, depending on what kind of mood the customs inspectors are in when the package arrives on the island. I could have walked into a game store here and got the Gold wireless headset for that much, but I still prefer the wired version.

https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B00NE5D4SS/

71O9vAq6d1L._SL1500_.jpg


And by the way, when they say "free delivery" on that page they mean to mainland Spain. The Canaries are a bit like Hawaii is for the US. Everything is more expensive to send here.

I don't like that it's 7.1 headset. I haven't heard good things about it, and the fact that it's so cheap guarantees that the feature will be botched. I hope it's not mandatory and that the device can work in stereo too.
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Unread postby ExiledOne » 20 Jun 2017 00:40

Been looking into a better headset solution for myself, and I've found a couple interesting things for anyone in the same position.

This guy on YouTube does reviews of headphones of all different price ranges and seems to know what he's talking about:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeosReviews

What makes Good Gaming Headphones? (Z Review): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63BxrNuXnYg

He also posts good stuff on his reddit page: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/

These are some of his recommendations specifically for gaming:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/comments/ ... es_gaming/

Earlier in the thread the Antlion Modmic was mentioned. A similar product is currently on Massdrop for around half the price of the latest Antlion ModMic (5.0 I believe):

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/40042

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the Antlion 4.0 / 5.0 Modmics do. But at least in this video, it seems decent enough:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c-MMlyz18Y

I feel like they almost sound better but I think that's because that guy probably has the mic too close to his mouth. From other videos I've seen on it, the Antlion (4.0, not sure if they addressed that with the 5.0 model) seems to peak significantly when positioned too close to your mouth.
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Unread postby shubn » 17 May 2022 20:35

Regarding microphones, I used to use the HyperX QuadCast. It's pretty good as far as USB mics go. The gain can be adjusted and is quite powerful. The integrated audio interface provides monitoring, so it can mix your desktop audio with your voice and send it to a 3.5 mm audio output (voice monitoring volume can be adjusted in the Windows settings). The mute button is a neat feature. It comes with a stand, but can be mounted on a boom arm as well. One of the reasons I'm not using it anymore, other than wanting to upgrade to an XLR setup, is that I want the monitoring, but the integrated audio interface is not powerful enough to properly drive my 80 ohm headphones (DT 770). I used a FiiO A3 amp to boost the output volume, but that's a battery-powered amp that needs to be charged every so often, which is a pain in the ass.

I'm looking at other USB microphones for the purpose of this post, and the Rode NT-USB is looking pretty good. Maybe something to look at if you're thinking of upgrading.

My current setup is Shure SM7B, Yamaha AG06, Thomann FetAmp (same thing as a FetHead). If you want to go XLR but not spend that much, you could go for an Audio-Technica AT2020 or Rode PodMic for instance, AG03 for the audio interface (or something similar from Focusrite, Steinberg, Behringer, etc.), and if you need a preamp, FetAmp or FetHead.

Regarding boom arms, I tried the Tonor T20 and Rode PSA1. They're both good. The PSA1 is more expensive, but a bit longer and sleeker, and the springs are internal, whereas the T20's are external.
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