Good gaming heaset with positional audio

Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Hi,

I need a good gaming headset for my new laptop due in another 10 more days.

Budget : below USD 100, as low as i can get (have a lot to buy in limited budget :()

Type : Full headset (over the ear), but shouldnt be tight or very heavy. Need to use it continuously while at home.

Use : Primarily gaming. But basically anything and everything, as i cant use speakers at all. No one near me can tolerate any kind of song i listen to or anything related to gaming :p.

Features required : Surround sound. Not just stereo. As mentioned precise positional audio is what i want. But general sound quality should be above average too. Should have decent microphones for multiplayer sessions(Dota/CS/have plans for entering MMO territory when i get time :p) and occasional skype.

Addition notes:
1) I currenty have a Zebronics headset (Zeb HMV 3100 - Ozone attack riff off). They have 40mm drivers, and even though very cheap build quality and wires(The stress relief part having loose-connection as expected on cheap headsets. But it did have very clean audio quality(though very flat and uninteresting) and was very light and comfortable.) Without doubt I am expecting new head phones to be better than that. :p

2) My new laptop will be having a 5.1 channel Creative Sound Blaster Recon 3Di sound card. So, analogue connectors are welcome, but if usb provides better audio, its fine with me. Its not that i paid anything extra for the sound card :p.

Headsets considered so far : Very much leaning towards Plantronics Gamecom 780 (seems best value to me), Corsair Vengeance 1500 (50nm drivers), Cooler Master Storm Sirius (true 5.1 channel audio), Creative Tactic3D SB Sigma (should match with soundcard + 3D audio)

Help is much apreciated :)

If possible can someone explain to me the difference between 3D audio and 5.1/7.1 surround sound. Also, if anyone is experienced with true 5.1 and virtual 7.1 sounds, how much of a difference does it make in real time gaming?

Judging by the ebay price of the earphones i've shortlsted so far, the headsets am looking for would be costing around 6K-10K in INR i guess. (That sounds very high, atleast to me for a headset, but its apparantly a lot cheaper in US)
So, thats my budget in INR :).
 
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rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
Also look at Roccat Kave. Haven't used it myself but I know a few people who are using it and they are completely satisfied.

ROCCAT Kave 5.1 Gaming Headset Review | techPowerUp
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Thanks for the suggestion rohit. hey do look pretty nice headphones. Unfortunately they are just above my budget. Its 134usd as per amazon.com :(
Looking for something below 100USD.
Done some more searching and i think in my budget best headphones to get are the Gamecom780 or the Vengeance1500. Though i couldnt really get any direct comparison between them.
I am not sure if i have a big head, but being an average Indian, i am pretty sure i cant qualify for having a big head in international standards :p The Vengeance's negative point (from my requirement) seemed the tight grip for large headed ppl. :)
There is around USD22 difference between them. Both use same audio chipsets, and lack in pumpy bass. But they give more than decent quality accurate positional audio and are comfortable. The Vengeance being slightly better with the bigger drivers.Vengeance's surround works with OpenAl sound games (not sure which all but its used by some Unreal engine games like Quake 4), while te Gamecom works only in stereo mode in those games. For both, the switch between different audio varieties has to be handled manually as per the source. There is no auto switch like the Logitech G35 has.

Please help me decide which one to buy? :(
 
rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
Have a look at this. Subjective Testing And Conclusion : Eight 5.1- And 7.1-Channel Gaming Headsets, Reviewed .

Your choice of Corsair vengeance 1500 is recommended by tomshardware as well :). But from what i could understand from the comments and conclusion itself these headphones have virtual surround sound and not real 5.1 sound. But if these are able to produce precise positional audio with virtual surround then I wouldn't bother about true surround sound anyway.
 
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OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Thanks, thats good comparison.
Ya.. am not too keen on getting true 5.1 audio as they usually have smaller drivers to fit in multiple ones, and tend to become heavy. I did have the CM Storm Sirius in mind as it falls inside my budget, but OMG! 4 audio jacks plus an usb conntor, or 2 usb connectors gone just for the headset? My laptop only has 4, so using gamepad, mouse and audio pretty much will use them up. Those connectors are quire a turn off for me. These virtual surround ones also seem to produce good positional audio, plus larger drivers make them better for stereo as well. And best, simple 1 usb connector. :)
Among these 2, customer reviews at Amazon has more positives for Gamecom780 than Vengeance1500, while website reviews put both at very high standards, and as per everything usb review Vengeance is better. I guess there is no direct comparision as they are at two different price points and have differing competition.
I am just worried if the Vengeance's advantage in quality will be worth the extra bucks for me. If i get the Gamecom780, i can slip in the Razer Nostromo in this month's budget as well... ;)
 
rohit32407

rohit32407

Ambassador of Buzz
No idea about gamecom. Never used it nor do i know anyone who has used it. But i trust tomshardware's reviews so according to me vengeance1500 would be a safe choice. As far as virtual surround is concerned, I play alot of CS 1.6 or atleast i used to and with my headphones, which are also virtual surround, most of the time I can pin point the position of my enemy. So I never felt the need to go for a real surround sound headset.
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Hey thats good to hear. :) If virtual surround can help in pin point accuracy, its enough.
Anyways... after a lot of debate with my room mates here i ordered the Gamecom780. Main factor in decing was not the price, but the fact that i can live with a little lower sound quality, but if the headsets are uncomfortable, i cant live with it. Specially when i have to keep them on all the time. Vengeance having some complaints of being uncomfortable after lengthy usage by quite a few ppl who bought from amazon, i decided to go against it. Plantronics 777 was a pretty famous headset, so i expect the 780 to be atleast on par with the 777.
I will be recieving the headset by end of this week, and my new laptop too by next Monday, so i will let u know my views regarding the same. :) For testing i only have NFS Hot Pursuit as of now, but am hoping to recieve Run, Shift 2, Dues Ex HR and Metro 2033 to arrive for the testing purpose too :p. Dont expect isometric RPGs to have any surround effect so not counting them. I can also borrow CS 1.6 from my room mate to test out the surround.

Tom's Hardware probably didnt include the 780 in their review cause it came out after the review was made.
I also found another thread in Headfi which dealt with best gaing headset thing. Most guys suggested high end audiophile headphones with separate mic modules. (Something for me to ignore in my budget :p ). But one guy owned a lot of these 'gaming' products. His recommendation was Vengeance 1500, and he asked to stay away from everything other than Corsair and Plantronics(from pure sound quality perspective). Among them, Vengeance was better in sound, build and surround sound quality. Still that comfort factor hindered me from buying it. Hope i didnt make a bad decision. :(
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Just received the headsets!!! :)

Here are the link to the pics - *www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152194021895005.912468.623935004&type=1

I am very glad that i didnt order the Vengeance. Man even these are feeling seriously tight. I cant instal any software as of now, so was just able to use them in plug and play mode.
The things i notices so far are -
Build - Pretty plasticy and doesnt inspire a lot of faith. But there were no squeaks or loose parts. It definitely feels quite sturdy in hand. Button positioning is not the best as they are easily touched while setting or handling the headset over the ear. I have changed the volume accidentally many times already.
Comfort - The clamp grasp is pretty tight for my head. The cloth padding is seriously comfortable. Been using for 2 hours continuously now, and i feel i can still go on for atleast a few more hrs without removing it completely. I do still have to take it out and put it back on again just to let my ears breathe. I guess its because its new. Once the headband expansion gets used to the size my head, it shouldnt be much of a problem.
Sound Quality - I cant comment on this now accurately. I am running Win XP and cant instal any new software on this. So, this is running on pure plug and play. And only youtube songs to test. Neither surround nor Dolby button is working. Its just low quality stereo. Under this rubbish condition... its nothing much to write home about. Its clean and crisp. Bass is definitely lacking significantly. In other words, lows are not very prominent. Mids are the most prominent. Highs also have a pleasant presence.
I will update again when i receive my new laptop and install the drivers for this headphone on it, and test it against some surround sound source.
 
M

Minion

Conversation Architect
Soumik said:
Just received the headsets!!! :)

Here are the link to the pics - *www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152194021895005.912468.623935004&type=1

I am very glad that i didnt order the Vengeance. Man even these are feeling seriously tight. I cant instal any software as of now, so was just able to use them in plug and play mode.
The things i notices so far are -
Build - Pretty plasticy and doesnt inspire a lot of faith. But there were no squeaks or loose parts. It definitely feels quite sturdy in hand. Button positioning is not the best as they are easily touched while setting or handling the headset over the ear. I have changed the volume accidentally many times already.
Comfort - The clamp grasp is pretty tight for my head. The cloth padding is seriously comfortable. Been using for 2 hours continuously now, and i feel i can still go on for atleast a few more hrs without removing it completely. I do still have to take it out and put it back on again just to let my ears breathe. I guess its because its new. Once the headband expansion gets used to the size my head, it shouldnt be much of a problem.
Sound Quality - I cant comment on this now accurately. I am running Win XP and cant instal any new software on this. So, this is running on pure plug and play. And only youtube songs to test. Neither surround nor Dolby button is working. Its just low quality stereo. Under this rubbish condition... its nothing much to write home about. Its clean and crisp. Bass is definitely lacking significantly. In other words, lows are not very prominent. Mids are the most prominent. Highs also have a pleasant presence.
I will update again when i receive my new laptop and install the drivers for this headphone on it, and test it against some surround sound source.
Click to expand...

Soumik, most of laptop comes with crappy realtek sound card it can't simply drive your headphone If you have desktop try buying Xonar DG sound card for 1.7k and you will enjoy your new headphone.
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Thanks Minion. The laptop am using it on is an elitebook. So, obviously its lacking in the sound department. But this is an USB headset, not fully sure, but i dont think it will utilize the sound card at all.
Anyways, i dont have a desktop at my current place, but i will be recieving an Alienware with Creative Recon3Di sound card. I will able to tell if the sound card makes any difference at all. Also, i didnt instal the headset drivers yet. Once i instal them on new laptop, am sure the sound quality is going to increase a lot. :) I am still worried abt the bass a bit though. I played a lot of different varieties of sound yesterday, and the ones with less bass.. eg: Mark Antony's When i dream at night, sounded amazing! While bass centric songs like POD's Youth of the Nation, sounded very disbalanced to me. Instead of a boom, the bass was like low muffled sounds. :(
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Hey guys, just got my laptop and installed the software for the headphones. The sound quality lifted many times over. Definitely not to be played without the correct drivers. Bass is booming enough. Very balanced sound now. And 7.1 surround working!! :D
Sound quality is best when both dolby and 7.1 is enabled. Though stereo is also good enough for normal songs.
The sound is isolating enough to stop the alienware fans from reaching my ears while gaming. Though when the sound is off, you can hear everything outside. Loving the headphones right now :)
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Thank you very much :D.
One small complain is there from me.. though dont think its a common one.. I still feel its a bit too tight on my ears. Hope this goes down with a few weeks of regular usage. Some users said the cups become hot, but for me, as of now, i havnt seen it happening, but because of the tight fit, my ears feel a little crampy and need me to just lift the cups for a few seconds every now and then. This may not be the same for all people though. I (think) i have a regular head with big ears or something.. :p
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Hey gameranand, compared to my headphones both are better, and am pretty satisfied with mine alone. Am sure both of them are amazing. Just take your pick between virtual surround and real surround. :)
 
gameranand

gameranand

Living to Play
Well lets see. I have a smaller head than yours so I guess Vengeance won't trouble me much.:D As for Sirus, its kinda costly and don't have VFM much so I would most probably go for Vngeance. I would have liked to go for Roccat Kave but unfortunately ts not available anywhere at all, not in online stores and neither in local stores so far. :(
 
OP
Soumik

Soumik

Padawan
Yeah. Roccat Kave is pretty hard to find. As for Sirius, its the cheapest true 5.1 headset i think. true vs Virtual surround is an ongoing debate.. so many ppl buying just for gaming would prefer the true srround over virtual. As for me.. virtual is good enough. I tested through different audio samples. I can say that in an horizontal plane of field, my 780s can pin point the position very well. For top and back, the movement is prominent, but to understand if its directly above or directly below, it get a little difficult to judge by sound. But am pretty sure, even true surround cant get that properly, as there really isnt any speaker above or below ur head :p.
Pure sound quality wise .. as you have read in reviews.. Vengeance is a lot better. :) Chking prices here, i just found that Vengeance just had a temporary price drop and is selling almost at the same price as Gamecom780. So, u might see a price drop too very soon.. if ur lucky :)
Personally, am not an audiophile.. so i might have picked up Sirius if choosing between these two. Am a sucker for cool leds :p.
 
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