Looking for headphones

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unitedstomper

unitedstomper

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unitedstomper
Hi everyone I'm on the hunt for some headphones so I can play gran turismo and other things with the sound coming from them and not the tv as the other half keeps moaning I have it too loud lol any recommendations and what to avoid any input would be greatly appreciated
Cheers ste

I also want some what are going to have good sound as my tv is abit tinny if you know what I mean
 
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Well Pulse Elite's are definitely a good pair. 7.1 audio, specific audio modes for different games(has a driving one), official PS3 headset, confirmed to work on PS4 in an upcoming patch. Downsides are it has a known manufacturing defect where the band is weak and snaps in many case(still usable afterwards though) and you can use them on any device but will only get 7.1 surround on PlayStation.
 
I find that headset heavy after playing for a while. The vibration feature is cool but is very gimicky in most cases.
 
You really need to give some sort of budget. If I were to recommend the best, you would be looking at nearly $4000 for a Smyth Realiser A8 package.

An Astro mixamp is a great platform to get to high quality virtual surround, and can be used with any headphones. Around $100 will get you one of those, but there's plenty to consider when getting to the headphones themselves.
 
Just for the record do you need headphones (no mic) or a headset (with mic)?

Personally I have yet to buy and hear anything better than Sennheiser equipment. Though I have not tried any other audiophile brand as the local stores don't sell them/have them on display.
I tried gaming headsets from Logitech, Creative, Turtle Beach, Steelseries, Tritton. Though that's just garbage to my ears, but your mileage may very as of course my ears are not yours and ears do greatly differ from person to person.

In any case I use my headset (Sennheiser PC-360 (has 2 normal 3.5mm audio jacks) via my AV-receiver's headphone jack and with the mic end plugged into a Creative Play! usb soundcard, and that usb stick than into the PS3.
Great sounding stereo headset for all kinds of stuff... gaming, music, video, skype... etc. Plus its comfortable to wear, with removable earpads so you can handwash them with a damp cloth.
Haven't had any regret of the purchase since. But again what sounds good for my ears doesn't mean it will sound good for yours.
 
Following on from Logiforce: If you want a ready-made headset, the PC-360 option is probably a very good one. May be just over the hundred pounds though. One issue will be that it won't give you surround decoding, which is a huge factor in my opinion. This is the territory that the aforementioned mixamp would cover.

So, questions to ask yourself:
- Do you want a headset, or headphones?
- Do you want to completely cut out the sounds from outside? Open back headphones tend to sound better, but let some environmental sound in. Those Sennheisers appear to be open back.
- If sticking to your budget (or thereabouts), would you prioritise having surround decoding (with cheaper headphones), or better headphones (with only stereo sound)?
 
LeMansAid
Following on from Logiforce: If you want a ready-made headset, the PC-360 option is probably a very good one. May be just over the hundred pounds though. One issue will be that it won't give you surround decoding, which is a huge factor in my opinion. This is the territory that the aforementioned mixamp would cover.

So, questions to ask yourself:
- Do you want a headset, or headphones?
- Do you want to completely cut out the sounds from outside? Open back headphones tend to sound better, but let some environmental sound in. Those Sennheisers appear to be open back.
- If sticking to your budget (or thereabouts), would you prioritise having surround decoding (with cheaper headphones), or better headphones (with only stereo sound)?
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I have 5.1 surround sound setup, and am thinking of headphones for night driving. What's the difference between a headset and a headphone? And how do you hook it up to the ps3? If you sit 5m or so from the TV, how would that work?
 
oohhh yeah
I have 5.1 surround sound setup, and am thinking of headphones for night driving. What's the difference between a headset and a headphone? And how do you hook it up to the ps3? If you sit 5m or so from the TV, how would that work?
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A headset includes a mic for chat. Standalone mics are available and can be used with headphones, but it's not quite as convenient. The big upside with headphones is that the quality available is vastly different to the limits of the gaming headsets.

As recommended earlier, an Astro mixamp will give close to the best surround decoding available, and for around $100. From there, any headphones (with or without added mic) or headset should work to give the complete package. Best way to run it from PS3 is via an optical cable. A splitter cable for the mic and headphones would be required as well, like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/StarTech-co...=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4d15ed3c3e

A headphone extension cable can easily be purchased, and they cost next to nothing, if length is an issue.

I tend to go for quality over convenience, so I use separate mic and headphones, with all wired connections. The most convenient would be a ready-made wireless gaming headset, and there are options in between to balance convenience and quality. Astro also do a wireless mixamp.
 
I've used Turtle Beach, Triton, Sony and Astro headsets and my favorite by a mile have been the Astros. I have a set of A40's (MGS4 Edition) and A50's and I can't imagine gaming without them anymore.

http://www.astrogaming.com/
 
LeMansAid
A headset includes a mic for chat. Standalone mics are available and can be used with headphones, but it's not quite as convenient. The big upside with headphones is that the quality available is vastly different to the limits of the gaming headsets.

As recommended earlier, an Astro mixamp will give close to the best surround decoding available, and for around $100. From there, any headphones (with or without added mic) or headset should work to give the complete package. Best way to run it from PS3 is via an optical cable. A splitter cable for the mic and headphones would be required as well, like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/StarTech-co...=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4d15ed3c3e

A headphone extension cable can easily be purchased, and they cost next to nothing, if length is an issue.

I tend to go for quality over convenience, so I use separate mic and headphones, with all wired connections. The most convenient would be a ready-made wireless gaming headset, and there are options in between to balance convenience and quality. Astro also do a wireless mixamp.
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So by going with the headset route, you are giving up surround decoding because you can't use a mixamp? Or can you use a mixamp for the surround decoding, and still use a headset?
 
oohhh yeah
So by going with the headset route, you are giving up surround decoding because you can't use a mixamp? Or can you use a mixamp for the surround decoding, and still use a headset?
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Basically there's three components in play:
- Headphones
- Mic
- Decoding

The typical virtual surround gaming headset (Turtle Beach etc.) I assume has all of these in one neat package. Another option is to get separate decoding (mixamp), plus a headset (headphones and mic in one). Final option would be to get each component separately (mixamp, headphones, mic).

I suppose the beauty of going with an Astro package (mixamp and headset) would be that the option is there to use other headphones or headsets at a later date.
 
Yes, depending on what I'm doing, I use the Astro A40 headset but sometimes switch to my high end Grado's. Very flexible system.
 
I use this Sony Pulse wireless headset
sony-pulse-wireless-stereo-elite.jpg

All in one wireless pakage, you can adjust volume, chat/game volume, bass volume, surround on/off, mic mute, and five sound settings.
 
LeMansAid
Basically there's three components in play:
- Headphones
- Mic
- Decoding

The typical virtual surround gaming headset (Turtle Beach etc.) I assume has all of these in one neat package. Another option is to get separate decoding (mixamp), plus a headset (headphones and mic in one). Final option would be to get each component separately (mixamp, headphones, mic).

I suppose the beauty of going with an Astro package (mixamp and headset) would be that the option is there to use other headphones or headsets at a later date.
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How would it work if you got separate decoding (mixamp) and used it with a headset system like Turtle Beach that has its own decoding system? Would the Turtle Beach decoding system automatically turn off and use the separate decoding mixamp?
 
oohhh yeah
How would it work if you got separate decoding (mixamp) and used it with a headset system like Turtle Beach that has its own decoding system? Would the Turtle Beach decoding system automatically turn off and use the separate decoding mixamp?
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I know a fair bit, pretend to know a bit more, but will concede that I don't know on this one. Though it looks like they may come as separate items, just not sold separately, which would suggest that you'd just leave the Turtle Beach decoding box out of the chain. To be honest though, pairing a TB headset with the Astro mixamp would not make a lot of sense unless you already had the TB headset. I'm quite sure that a vastly superior headset could be had for a similar price to a TB package. Usually gear not targeting console users is cheaper, and there are plenty of pc headset options, and all should work fine with the Astro.
 
I've got Bose QuietComfort 3's and they're fantastic although not a gaming headset. Best earphones I've ever owned and make my old Beats Pro's seem like a cheap set of in-ears. I've used them on flights constantly including sever trips to Afghan in C-17 and C-130 aircraft. If you've never been in them they are noisy as hell, with the Bose QC3's I could listen to my MP3 player on half volume and not hear anything from outside.

Great buy, even if they are expensive!
 
I got some cheap Creative Fatal1ty's, they work fine, but I'd like something nicer... any good "bang for your buck" suggestions?
 
SciroccoRich
I've got Bose QuietComfort 3's and they're fantastic although not a gaming headset. Best earphones I've ever owned and make my old Beats Pro's seem like a cheap set of in-ears. I've used them on flights constantly including sever trips to Afghan in C-17 and C-130 aircraft. If you've never been in them they are noisy as hell, with the Bose QC3's I could listen to my MP3 player on half volume and not hear anything from outside.

Great buy, even if they are expensive!
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With what mixamp?
 
oohhh yeah
With what mixamp?
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No idea what a mixamp is or how to use them. I'm just recommending some decent headphones I've got that I use to listen to music and play games with so I don't p**$ the missus off with tyre squeal, engine noise and gunfire; and so that she doesn't p**$ me off when I'm trying to play games and all she wants to talk about is who kissed who on this weeks sodding Emmerdale. Noise cancelling works quite well on her too. :)
 
SciroccoRich
No idea what a mixamp is or how to use them. I'm just recommending some decent headphones I've got that I use to listen to music and play games with so I don't p**$ the missus off with tyre squeal, engine noise and gunfire; and so that she doesn't p**$ me off when I'm trying to play games and all she wants to talk about is who kissed who on this weeks sodding Emmerdale. Noise cancelling works quite well on her too. :)
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I mean...how do you have the headphones connected? Does it go though anything?
 
No mate, just got a standard 3.5mil headphone jack, stick it into the slot on the computer. You can get other connectors that go into your TV etc. Is that what you mean?
 
My brother got me a pair of Denon AH-D1100s for Christmas, they're supposedly quite fragile but they do sound amazing and cost around £50 from Amazon.
 
A mixamp is a device that goes between the gaming device and your headphones. It separates channels like mic and game sounds, and provides the dolby decoding for 5.1, 7.1 and virtual dolby for compatible headsets.
I run tritton 720°s and love them. They have a slight hiss in dead silence though, but I've only noticed it in gt6. The sound is great though, the base is deep adhd the terrible isn't scratchy or crackly. I have a large, sensitive head, prone to aching when even a beanie is a little tight, I can wear them fire hours with no issue, though I've heard a person or two saying the opposite. Not mt issue though, thankfully. I prefer corded over cordless, better sound fidelity ads no issues over crowding the bluetooth/2.4Ghz channel, which is a concern since the bandwidth is fairly easy to crowd and more devices and wireless networks are moving into the spectrum. (google ieee for more info there.)

Also, I'll vouch for the Astra A40s, they are a good quality set, but the base is a bit weaker in them. Higher frequencies do sound good though.
 
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