Another Gaming Headset Topic

I know this has been discussed before and I have even commented on a lot of the topics, but I have always recommended the Logitech G35 because I absolutely love that headset. However, today they broke.

I went to go and take them off from being around my neck and the plastic rotater on the speaker snapped. This is the only piece that actually connects the speaker to the headset. Currently I have some J-B Weld drying on it to try and get them back into working order. It just won't be able to rotate once it dries. Unfortunately, I am doubtful that these are going to be stable and will always be fearful of it just snapping again so I am willing to just buy another headset and consider this a loss. The headset gave 3 years of great service which is pretty darn good since they were used for an avg 8-10 hours a day for the 3 years I had them.

Here's my problem though, I am not sure if I want to get another pair or if there have been some recent releases that should be looked at. I am looking at spending around $150. I can currently get the G35 from Newegg for about $90, but would probably just end up going to Best Buy tonight after work to get another pair. $40 loss, but I get them now and don't have to worry about the package not being delivered on Friday which would cause me to not have them the 2 days I actually get to play games. Also, I enjoy them for movies/TV while I work.

Now, I have a Turtle Beach headset that I paid quite a bit of money for so I could have surround sound while I play console games. Those are a piece of shit and I never want to buy another Turtle Beach product again. I have tried several Tritton headsets before and those are just shitty. I have returned every pair I tried. Other than those the only other option I know of are the Astro A30s in my price range. However, it looks like I may need the MixAmp which bumps the price from $130 to $200. The joy of the G35 was that I no longer needed to worry about SoundCards and I was perfectly happy with the sound.

If I go with the A30s, I am not sure what the quality will be like using the on-board optical port. Choosing the A30s, will I be required to get a sound card and/or the MixAmp? Are there any other alternatives?

Thanks in advance for any helpful posts.

I have, and always will recommend get a pair of headphones not "dedicated" to gaming, buy either a table or clip-on mic and never look back. You'll find you'll end up with much better audio quality at a cheaper/equal price to others. I started with moving onto a $150 pair of M-audio Q40's which have a great kick, to what I use today, a $1,200 pair of LCD-2's, will never look back at gaming headphones. The only way I would is if you're looking for something with mic compatibility with consoles.

Also remember, an Amp will only make a bad quality set sound worst, not better, and thankfully On-board is actually not too terrible anymore and you really only need one once you start throwing either pricier 'phones at it or sets with a higher .hz.

@llamaegg: The thing is though is that I am looking for virtual surround sound or real surround sound headphones because of gaming. I am not really looking for any compatibility with consoles which is why I am leaning towards grabbing another G35 set. I have nice headphones already for music so I don't really need to worry about that.

@TyCobb Have you ever tried without? I personally found that surround sound, either virtual or "actual" has never helped, and that I've never had trouble pointing out direction from just two channels.

@llamaegg: I have. As I get older, it has gotten harder to actually tell the difference between the sounds when someone is walking in front or behind so I kind of need the directional difference. I used to be able to play CS and know exactly where anyone was just using stereo headphones. That is just no longer possible for me. I really wished it was though! =)

@TyCobb said:

@llamaegg: I have. As I get older, it has gotten harder to actually tell the difference between the sounds when someone is walking in front or behind so I kind of need the directional difference. I used to be able to play CS and know exactly where anyone was just using stereo headphones. That is just no longer possible for me. I really wished it was though! =)

I used to be able to do that in cs too! Damn man we much be getting old... My G35 headset sucks though. The fabric on the ear pads started falling off even though I barely used them. I'd thought I'd tell you this even though you had a good experience with your. Just so you know that a new pair might do that too.

Other than that, I don't know of any good headsets. I've always been a speaker guy and I hate talking to people so I never use a microphone. From my experience Sennheiser headphones are really good. I bought a $20 HD201 pair and an around $200 HD555 set. Both are really good, though one is closed back and the other is open so there is a difference in bass. The HD555's have the most comfortable ear cushions I have ever experienced.

So yeah, maybe Sennheiser brand might be something you're interested in like the PC 350

@Jams: If you're talking about the black thin vinyl cover then yes, those peeled off a long time ago. Not sure why they even bothered putting it on because the cushion itself is colored and doesn't look out of place.

Thanks for the suggestion on the PC 360s. They say "gaming", but are just a couple of stereo headphones and a mic which I am guessing the fact that they say "G4ME" means they tacked on $60+ to the normal price. If I went with stereo headphones, I would probably just get ones that don't mention gaming. I also have a hard time now looking at Sennheiser because of the hack a year or so ago. You have those headphones, any chance you tried it?

What was wrong with the Turtlebeach's? I just got a pair of X12's for my 360 and PC and am happy with them. They sound pretty clear and crisp and all that stuff, at least when playing games. For music... you could do better but they're fine for me.

But then, they were also $35 on Amazon, whereas you're looking to spend a lot more than that. I'm just wondering what kind of Turtlebeach's you had and what was wrong with them.

Why A30's? Go for the full-ear A40 model.

Can't justify blowing 250 bucks on a headset, but one day...

@believer258: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_Force_X41

That's what I currently have. Sounds like ass. Way too much treble and the audio presets sucked. Perhaps if I was able to actually control bass/treble, they would have been okay. Also when the battery starts to get low (half life left), LOTS of cutout and then high-pitched, extremely loud, clicks occur randomly. Damn... just thinking about those clicks pisses me off. Fuck those headsets. lol

@TyCobb said:

@believer258: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear_Force_X41

That's what I currently have. Sounds like ass. Way too much treble and the audio presets sucked. Perhaps if I was able to actually control bass/treble, they would have been okay. Also when the battery starts to get low (half life left), LOTS of cutout and then high-pitched, extremely loud, clicks occur randomly. Damn... just thinking about those clicks pisses me off. Fuck those headsets. lol

Oh. OK, mine have a slider for bass and are wired so I haven't gotten any of that at all. However, remember that my standards amount to "Skullcandy is all right", so I'm not a good judge of these things.

@TyCobb said:

@Jams: If you're talking about the black thin vinyl cover then yes, those peeled off a long time ago. Not sure why they even bothered putting it on because the cushion itself is colored and doesn't look out of place.

Thanks for the suggestion on the PC 360s. They say "gaming", but are just a couple of stereo headphones and a mic which I am guessing the fact that they say "G4ME" means they tacked on $60+ to the normal price. If I went with stereo headphones, I would probably just get ones that don't mention gaming. I also have a hard time now looking at Sennheiser because of the hack a year or so ago. You have those headphones, any chance you tried it?

uuggghhhhh I hate when things like this happen. Luckily I have the 555's so I actually benefit from that link (thanks by the way I think I'm going to remove that foam piece). You can't trust any business these days can you? UGHHH I feel so dirty.

god damn it... I took one side apart and seen no foam piece. At first I was confused, but then I looked at the side of the headphones and apparently I am a dumb ass and bought the 595's.

@Jams: Ah that sucks. Wished I didn't bring it up =/

Headset Update: I went to BestBuy last night to just go and grab another G35 and there I saw a Plantronics 780 headset for $80. Looked at the reviews on Amazon and decided to go with those since they were a cheaper and all of the reviews liked the sound. Figured it was wiser to just grab them since I already know what the G35 sounds like and can easily return it if I didn't like it. So far the sound is better than the G35. Software is not near as robust, but that is okay. The bass seems to be a little on the low side, but I'll continue to test them out during lunch. Bass may be lower, but I am glad it doesn't distort like the G35 did.

It's pretty easy to tell the difference in cost between the 780 and G35. G35 cost went into software and hardware itself (not talking about sound). The G35 was a very bulky headset albeit very durable. The chord was 9' long while being wrapped in thick fabric. Plantronics' 780 is very cheap feeling; super light, plastic shell. At least the ear cushions are wrapped in cloth and not that weird vinyl material and starts breaking apart after a few months. The chord is only 6.5' and thin, but it should be fine since the shorter length keeps it from hanging on the floor next to chair. I am fine with the cheaper feel because well, it was cheaper and does sound better. The software very basic; enable Dolby, choose music or game mode. I wished they would have introduced an equalizer like Logitech did for the G35, but oh well.

I figure I will be able to make a final decision this weekend with them and determine what I want to do. Since I have these for the weekend, I can still order whatever I want online and just return this to the store once the other one arrives.

@TyCobb said:

@Jams: Ah that sucks. Wished I didn't bring it up =/

It's all good in the end cause they still sound amazing to my ears and if I don't buy any better than I'll never know the difference! Do the G35's feel like they're smashing against your head? My head is rather large and the 35's wouldn't really extend far enough and felt like they really smashed against my head. I would occasionally get headache's from them too.

Maybe I just have a massive head, but I find the band on the G35s just a little bit too small.

@Jams: They did the first couple of months. Once they loosened up there were no problems. I would end up wearing them throughout the day without issues. I remember those headaches though. Made me hate the G35 at first. I also slightly remember bowing them outward to try and correct it. I think it just has to do with the big metal arms.

I've been using Steel series Siberia's for a few years now and I've no complaints. Generally I was finding I was going through a headset every 6 or so months with Creatives or Sennheisers, but the Siberias are pretty robust and comfortable to wear at length I find.