Are Gaming Headsets worth it?

Sony recently introduced the Silver Headset for the PS4 and there is a deal on some turtle beach headsets on Black Friday which got me thinking. Should I buy a headset for my PS4? I've never used a headset before with my consoles. Nor have I ever had surround sound. I just use the regular speakers from my TV. The idea of a headset seems pretty cool and maybe I'd be able to appreciate the sounds in my games more, but I need to ask you duders. Are gaming headsets worth it?

I think so but I only use it when playing against friend or people I know. I rarely use a headset when playing with random people or usually mute the other players if they have their mic on.

Gaming headsets are the same as headphones, they are worth it in the sense they bring you "closer" to some sounds, but your mileage will vary as there's thousands and thousands of different headphones & headsets out there. The simple rule is, unless you really need a microphone, you're always better off getting a good pair of headphones (Typically like...Sennheiser or similar) because they are better quality and value for money than your average Tritton or TurtleBeach set.

I like the immersion headphones bring to games and movies, they just pull you in more than surround sound does, I don't always feel like wearing a pair of headphones so I enjoy being able to just sit in the middle of my surround sound speakers from time to time. Options are always nice, though for games I generally prefer my headphones, I have AKG Q701s which have a very wide soundstage and they are so immersive.

I can't imagine using TV speakers, you are losing out on so much. I would highly recommend getting a decent headset/headphones. The PS4 makes it very easy to plug in headphones because of the controller jack as well.

I've always bought headsets on PC (most recently a Sennheiser one), and always bought them when they were on sale, and I'd say it has added significantly to my experience. There are simply times of day where I would be disturbing other people in the house if I had music and/or games playing over speakers so I need headphones for those times anyway. Headphones make horror games much, much scarier for me, and since I have shitty hearing it helps me actually hear small details in sound design.

The mic part of it is really handy as well because if I want to voice chat over steam or skype, or stream it's only a couple clicks away.

My advice would be to buy a midrange one when on sale. You find a headset normally $70-80 and can get it for $50 or less, go for it.

Gaming headsets are generally overpriced for what you actually get. They are style over quality most of the time.

Likw the other poster mentioned, unless you need or really want a mic, get a set of Sennheiser or similar brand headphones on a Black Friday sale... the sound quality will be much better.

Then again, if you are willing to spend $100 bucks on a set of headphones you aren't too far away from getting a huge upgrade to your TV sound in the way of a soundbar. That would be the most significant improvement close to your price range IMO if you can find a decent one on sale. Just some food for thought.

for me it's a matter of comfort. if you've never really used headphone/headsets before, i'd borrow a headset from someone and try wearing it for long periods of time, just to see if you can get use to it.

The packed in headset on the PS4 is bad and if you want to use voice comms while playing games with friends it's good to have a headset. I have the Gold Wireless ones from Sony and I really like them. I've a pair of SteelSeries something's for my PC and I like those too. Whatever you decide on, make sure it's comfortable and don't pay too much for them. A lot of gaming headsets are overpriced. Get something in the $50-100 range and maybe have a look out with Black Friday coming up. You might get a good deal.

I think that "gaming headsets," are generally a bad deal... at least for PC's. All gaming headsets are: "cheap headphones," "a microphone," "and a sound card," that the companies then markup to insane levels.

Take the Astro A40's for example, the headphones built in are the same quality as my $50 Sony over-the-ear headphones. The mic sounds about equal to a $10 mic I can purchase from Best Buy, and the sound card is worse than a $40 USB external sound card from ASUS. Astro charges $225-$250 for the quality that can be purchased for $100.

If you are gaming on PC a better investment would be to choose a pair of headphones in the $150-$200 range, then pick up a decent mic (like the $70 Blue Snowball, AKA the same mic that Patrick uses) then purchase a DAC (digital to analogue converter) or an external USB sound card.

Edit: Even if your only plan is to use a headset on PS4, ASTRO sells their headset AMP. At $150 (Canadian Money) I think it is an absolute rip-off, but it is compatible with a PS4 and allows you to use a decent set of headphones.

I have a Turtle Beach headset for PS4 (DPX 21) and I'm not a fan of it. The build quality feels like a kid's toy. Howerver, for now sound is better than my TV, and the mic is much better than the one that came with the PS4. On PC I prefer to have a separate mic and headphones. You get better sound quality for your dollar. I personally use a Blue Snowball and Sony MDR-7506. Better sound and mic quality than any headset I've tried, and it was less than $150. No surround sound or anything like that, but your brain does a pretty good job at determining the direction of things.

Most headsets or earphones you get will be an upgrade over TV speakers and will enhance your gameplay experience. If i'm not playing with other people in the room, I always have the headphones on.

I can't speak to the quality of the one you're talking about, but I really enjoy mine (it's a Turtle Beach something something). If you want to listen to games and have a mic for talking, it's probably the easiest way to achieve that.

i've been through the ringer of headphones/headsets. Most of the ones that are sub $100 and are labelled as "gaming headsets" are not great quality units overall but there's good and bad in lots of different cases. if you don't care about talking to people, you can get a good quality set of headphones for about the price of a gaming headset if you do care about having an all in one device turtle beach headsets that are compatible with the PS seem to be the most universally useful across platforms.

Simply put when picking a gaming headset you can have it be affordable, have good quality sound, or have good quality mic. (pick 2)

Generally they aren't worth it at all, the sound quality is usually bad, as is the build quality, but I guess for console if you need to use a mic they're probably the only way?

I really like them. They do help games feel a bit more immersive (for me anyway) and they can give you a slight edge in multiplayer games. Plus, they're nifty to have around if you share a house with others and need to keep the TV volume down at night.

Not sure what people are expecting when they say the audio quality is bad. In my experience the audio sounds really good, and I used some of the cheaper ones available. ($60) The build quality is trash though.

Versus non-gaming headsets, I feel gaming headsets are usually more comfortable for extended use. I don't see considerations of sound quality to be terribly relevant in this dicsussion. If what you're doing requires a mic, the immersiveness of high sound quality is basically irrelevant.

@turtlebird95: When I mention that a "gaming headset," sounds bad, I am comparing a $250 (Astro A40's... AKA the pair that I purchased with a gift receipt to Best Buy last year) pair of gaming headphones that have trouble reproducing the same sound as $50 pair of regular-ass headphones (Sony MDR7502 AKA the cheap headphones I purchased while on vacation because I forgot my regular set).

So why the markup? The only reason I can think of is that a company like Astro is pricing their headphones that way because their headphones sound better than the $200 set of Sennheiser Gaming headsets (the original headset I purchased, then returned because I hated the SQ), which sound better than the $100-$150 Logitech headsets (which I was gifted by a friend one Christmas), which sound better than the $60-$100 Turtle Beach headsets (that my roommate owns). Never mind that my roomates $100 turtle beach headsets sound marginally better than stock iPhone earbuds (same basic sound only the bass is jacked up to insane levels [side note - why the fuck do so many headsets jack up the base till it just barely stops clipping)...which also work when plugged into a DS4.

Then again, sound preference is relative and once you get used to nice sounding headphones you can hear when a set of headphones has been tweaked to cover up shitty sound. For example, the ASTRO's have an extremely muddy mid-range and ASTRO has tweaked the bass response to such extreme levels that it actually prevents you from hearing certain tones. Someone like me, who has a set of HIFIMAN-HE500's (crazy decent headphones) can tell the difference immediately. This makes the headphones useless for anything but certain games (Battlefield 4 sounds great with the Astros, but GTA turns into a mess whenever you step into a car and the radio starts up).

So my stance is that if you are going to spend the money on a set of Astro's, why not just spend the money and get a nice set of real headphones where you are more likely to save money AND get better sound quality. This is especially true now that almost all headphones come with a mic installed in the headphone cord, making the need for a separate headset unnecessary.

I think there is a big difference between surround sound gaming headsets and stereo gaming headsets.

Surround sound headsets sound tinny, due to having 4-5 very small speakers in each ear cup. While they sound tinny, the positional audio is pretty accurate. You can hear people behind you at 8 o'cock, and then turn around and shot them in the face. If you are into competitive FPS multiplayer, you may want a surround sound headset.

A non-surround sound headset will have better base sound, but they lack the positional audio. Good for apartments, and gaming when your wife/GF/family is sleeping, though.

When I got my first surround sound headset I never looked back. I would highly recommend getting a surround sound headset. You can always return it within 7days even if it's opened and used, at least that's game stops policy. I returned 2headsets before I found one that was comfortable and even when I didn't know the folks at gamestop they had no problem with me returning it for cash back just because I didn't like it

I frequently find myself looking at headsets in stores, then I remember that outside of certain types of single player games I almost always have something else like a tv show or a podcast on when I game, even for games like Call of Duty, which some people seem to think sound makes a huge difference for.

If you are just looking for headphones Sennheiser HD 202 are freaking great. Vinny mentioned them once and I decided to check them out. Was blown away. I can wear them all day and they don't hurt your ears from compression nor have my ears ever got hot. Had 2 separate Turtle Beach ones they were okay but hurt my ears after extended use. Also turtle beach are $70+, HD 202 are $35. Only thing I would want is a braided cord instead of plastic.

I would recommend this one today, it's close to 50% off and I have tremendous luck with TB headsets, I don't know how long it will be on sale, with the proper adapter and components this headset seems to be compatible with almost all platforms, 360, ps3/4 and One. I just ordered one today but had fantastic experiences with the now obsolete Earforce x41 headset from TB.

You can buy compact headphones from the likes of AKG that actually have an in-line mic and they function for voice chat on the PS4. Surprisingly.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-451-High-Performance-Foldable-Headset/dp/B005LBQ7BY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415758126&sr=8-1&keywords=akg+portable

OP you should get these, they have a mic that works on the PS4 and are an exceptional pair of headphones for all kinds of media. It's hard to go wrong with that brand.

You don't need 5 speakers for surround sound in a pair of headphones, by using stereo with 5.1 or 7.1 positional audio tracks, you get better quality and better directional sound. I can distinguish between left, right, center, back left, back right, side left and side right using my stereo headphones.

Positional audio is very much a thing for stereo (this is just binaural, not Dolby Headphone), the actual 'surround sound' 5 speaker headphones have died out because they were just a marketing fad. Nowadays all surround sound headsets are generally stereo with Dolby Headphone support via a USB dac. (most soundcards also support DH or similar technology)

Razer provide a free application for 5.1/7.1 surround sound over stereo headsets which is very good. You simply enable 5.1 or 7.1 for your game/dvd/tv show and then enable Dolby/Razer's sound magic.

Definitely not true, cheap headsets or headphones are often uncomfortable but I find expensive products to always be on the side of comfort, regardless of what crowd they are trying to appeal to.

Convinient? Yeah sure, but actual quality if the headphones is usually poor. If you want a wide sound stage get a pair of open back headphones from AKG, Senheiser or Shure and if you want more impactful bass then go for closed back designs from Senheiser or Shure (I find that AKGs are usually too neutral for strong bass, depending on the model of course) if you do but a good pair of headphones make sure you get a decent external dac/headphone amp so they can be driven properly.

Currently use Shure SRH 1540 paired with a Chord Mojo and the level of immersion they provide paired together is intense, though it's not a remotely cheap option (I always look at myself with an air of disgust when I glance at myself in the mirror!) I say go for a pair senheiser momentums, they're pretty excellent, comfortable, stylish and easy to drive. Then buy a decent mic, don't plug the headphones into the controller though for Christ sake as that headphone out doesn't have much power.

Actually I believe the momentums come with 2 cables (1 with in line mic, which might work with ps4 if plugged directly into controller)