Surroundsound Headsets: What do you like?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Raoul Duke
  • 26 comments
  • 2,230 views
Raoul Duke

Raoul Duke

Messages
64
United States
Forest along border
Messages
MoreNorthThanYou
I am shopping for a gaming headset for my PS3 and there seems to be a lot of choices. What do you like/dislike about you headset? What would you suggest? I have read about issues with wireless headsets receiving interference from wireless routers, and some headsets lacking independent volume controls for communications, game sound effects, etc.

I have searched the forum for a useful thread and did not find one. Please redirect if this is not the case.

Thanks!!
 
My favorite headset is my Astro A50s. They are by far and away the highest quality headset I've used both in terms of sound and construction. I also have a set of A40s that I adore but they're wired so they don't get as much use. Unfortunately Astro headsets are a bit expensive so that can put a lot of people off at first. You can learn more about Astro headsets at their website.

http://www.astrogaming.com/

The best cheap (money wise, not quality wise) headset I've used is the PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset. They are $99 but I think they punch far above their price class and sound better than many Turtle Beach and Tritton sets that I have owned/tried. They work with PS3, PS4 and PC so if you ever decide to upgrade to a PS4 or become a PC gamer, these will work just as well with those systems too. If you are on a budget, this is the first headset I'd look into.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVBPRUO/?tag=gtplanet-20
 
@peobryant : The A50 looks amazing, and there is not much that compares to the preamp! I am leaning towards the Sony gold, only because this will be my first headset and I am setting my budget under $100. Although if the right sale were to happen... :D

Thanks for the information!
 
The Sony headset would give you good results with a minimum of fuss. If the A50 is out of your price range you could always get the amp now with a cheap headset, with a view to getting a top notch headset later. The premium, and more involved process would be to get the amp and some cheapies now, then later go for headphones, and a standalone mic. Headsets have a fairly restricted quality ceiling.

A significantly cheaper but still quite good alternative to the Astro amp would be the Turtle Beach surround decoder. In fact, if you could find a great deal on a Turtle Beach setup, you could use that headset now, with the ability to hold on to the decoder and upgrade the headset later. As from what I understand, it's the quality of the headset rather than the decoding that lets them down.

Note - I'm not sure about the compatability all things wireless. I always go wired.
 
I have the Sony Gold headset and I must say they perform amazing for that price. It is not right to compare them with wired headsets in terms of sound quality, but I must say they are on par with wired ones in the same price range. The freedom from the lack of cable is such a big advantage for me that I’m ready to make a compromise with the sound quality, but in this case it is a really small compromise.
They are 100% hassle free – just plug the transmitter in our PS3/4 or PC and you are good to go. Also you can use them with mobile devices with a 3.5 stereo cable. They lack bluetooth support for use with mobiles, but I find them to be too big to carry around outside, so for me is not a problem. Also they are the most comfortable headset to wear for hours that I had the pressure of using. The battery lasts about 6-7h with the preset ON and can get to the advertised 8h without the preset. The said preset is another cool feature. You can upload your custom equalizer preset or use the ones provided with the app. It is quite cool to have a preset made by the devs for a specific game that you enjoy. The surround is a feature I don’t personally like. It just sounds too hollow with too much high tones and not enough low ones. Haven’t tried to correct it with a custom preset yet, you may be able to adjust it to your liking, or you make like it as it is. It is a matter of personal preference.
Also you have the buttons for the voice chat. One button to mute/unmute the microphone, but when you hold it you can use a function that enables you the hear yourself though the mic, so you don’t raise your voice. The other button is to balance the voice chat and the in-game volume – very handy indeed. Hidden mic is also a plus.
Some of the functions are only available when used with a PS3/PS4 and not the PC. Like the surround and of course the chat/game balance button. You can use the preset, unlike some reviews say, but you can only upload ones from a PS system.
Hope this helps. As you can see, at least I, find them to have much more pros than cons.
 
Man, if you are setting your budget to under 100, then this is a dumb question. This is an area, like most really, that you get what you pay for. I run the Triton 720, my bro in law has the astro a50. I've compared them both back to back in iRacing, Minecraft and Bad Company 2. The Triton had a better low range, the a50 had better highs. The a50s actually felt a little loose for my taste, though. If your have a wide head that might be for the better. I also thought the a50's helped zero in on sounds better. For racing, the better lows of the Triton's made it stand out over the a50. I don't think one is really better than the other. Though, I personally would be more incline to get the Triton pro.
Do not, however, waste your money on turtle bay. Nearly everyone I know that had a pair, wired or not, has had all sorts of issues.
 
Rallywagon
Man, if you are setting your budget to under 100, then this is a dumb question.
Click to expand...

No it's not. Get over yourself.

Best vs worst bang for buck will be vastly different at most price points including at say a $70-100 price range.

Rallywagon
The Triton had a better low range, the a50 had better highs.
Click to expand...

Better, or more? The Trittons are closed back, while the Astros are considered semi-open. Bass often borders on rampant with closed backs, and it's quite difficult to achieve quality. What you're pointing out may be largely due to the difference in architecture. I use Audio Technica AD900X (fully open back) headphones with an Astro mixamp and reckon it's very good bang for buck at a bit over $200 all up. Still, there will be plenty of people who would call that setup junk, and certainly plenty who would call your Trittons junk. They might think that asking about what's good at around $200 would be a dumb question. Personally, I think that'd be more of a dumb response to a valid question.
 
I say that, because, with the exception of maybe one actual headset, 100 and below, they are all pretty much the same. It isn't until you get to 150 and above that you will start to see real variations in performance. I certainly won't argue that my Triton's are top of the line, but when you are shooting at getting something from the bottom of the barrel, then I think one should understand that there is more crude than good.
As for the second bit, yes, better low range. My headset is my only speaker system for my PC and ps3. For music and gaming I found the lows are more robust, without distortion or muddling. That is of course compared to the a50. There are other brands and I don't have any experience with them.
 
Surround sound headphones are an oxymoron. Gaming headphones are also a gimmick and a ripoff. Unless you absolutely need a headset (headphones w/ attached microphone), just get the best quality audiophile headphones within your budget.

You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for crap headphones that offer simulated soundstage. You can set that yourself for free. I do it with my HD650s. Astro claiming their headphones have Dolby 7.1 surround sound is an absolute laugh. They, along with Turtle Beach and all the other "gaming" brands are junk. They have to make their money somewhere, so they make you pay out the ass for junk just because it has their "proprietary" technology.
 
I was lucky enough to get a SteelSeries Siberia Elite from a friend for $100, and they're pretty good. I can't comment on the surround sound because that only works on PC, but they sound good to me. They don't work out of the box for the PS3, but they can be made to work with a few adaptors. They're really comfortable and look great, too. I tried on another friend's P11's and they felt cheap.
 
Omnis
Surround sound headphones are an oxymoron. Gaming headphones are also a gimmick and a ripoff. Unless you absolutely need a headset (headphones w/ attached microphone), just get the best quality audiophile headphones within your budget.

You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for crap headphones that offer simulated soundstage. You can set that yourself for free. I do it with my HD650s. Astro claiming their headphones have Dolby 7.1 surround sound is an absolute laugh. They, along with Turtle Beach and all the other "gaming" brands are junk. They have to make their money somewhere, so they make you pay out the ass for junk just because it has their "proprietary" technology.
Click to expand...

I agree with a lot of what was said here. Most gaming headsets I've heard sound pretty mediocre. When it comes to surround sound in headphones I've not liked any headsets that use multiple drivers. Astro and Turtle Beach (on many of their products) simulate surround sound using conventional headphones using Dolby Headphone processing. The processing works well for the average ear shape, but your mileage may vary. On my PC I have a Sound Blaster Titanium HD and the CMSS-3D surround sound headphone processing is the best I've heard (more nuanced than Dolby Headphone and even simulates height positioning).

I'm really unimpressed with Astro headphones but I have a Mixamp and like it a lot. The Dolby Headphone processing works for me and I like the flexibility it offers to connect to various consoles. It also allows me to quickly and easily adjust the voice to game audio mix. I use it with my own headphones, a V-Moda M-80 with their BoomPro cable if I need a microphone, or my Denon AH-D5000 when I don't. The BoomPro should work with any headphones that have a standard 3.5mm stereo input jack. The Noontec Zoro HD headphone sounds quite nice and has a 3.5mm input jack and would work with the BoomPro (or other cables with inline microphones). The Zoro HD also goes on sale often and you should be able to find it for $60 or less pretty easily.
 
I see that this thread brought out a lot of the sim-racers with good headphones. I use an Astro Mixamp and a pair of Audio Technica AD700. Whenever I need a mic I add on the Antlion Modmic which attaches to any pair of heaphones. The AD700 isn't for everyone, but I have found it to be excellent for all forms of gaming. I picked up a used mixamp and AD700 for less than the price of the mixamp new. I also tried my AD2000 with the mixamp, but they sounded less airy and seemed to give less of a sense of space in games. They are much better for music, so my AD700 is used exclusively for gaming.

The Dolby Headphones surround sound processing of the Astro Mixamp is really the best way to get "surround" sound on headphones. Just connect the mixamp via optical to the PS# and set the sound output to optical 5.1 surround. Turn on the Dolby Headphone processing on the mixamp and enjoy some pretty decent positional audio from your favorite headphones. I prefer using the SBX effect on the Soundblaster Z on my PC though. It sounds a little cleaner to me, but this is just my opinion on it and nothing more.
 
Last edited:
Omnis
Surround sound headphones are an oxymoron. Gaming headphones are also a gimmick and a ripoff. Unless you absolutely need a headset (headphones w/ attached microphone), just get the best quality audiophile headphones within your budget.

You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for crap headphones that offer simulated soundstage. You can set that yourself for free. I do it with my HD650s. Astro claiming their headphones have Dolby 7.1 surround sound is an absolute laugh. They, along with Turtle Beach and all the other "gaming" brands are junk. They have to make their money somewhere, so they make you pay out the ass for junk just because it has their "proprietary" technology.
Click to expand...

You don't know what you're talking about and obviously don't own any Astros. I've owned almost every surround headset out there. Some are better than other in sound and quality of materials. Most people that say this haven't even tried a decent pair of "gaming" headphones and go by garbage like skullcandy. Get educated before making absolute statements, its unfair to the rest of the people here.
 
Mayaman
You don't know what you're talking about and obviously don't own any Astros. I've owned almost every surround headset out there. Some are better than other in sound and quality of materials. Most people that say this haven't even tried a decent pair of "gaming" headphones and go by garbage like skullcandy. Get educated before making absolute statements, its unfair to the rest of the people here.
Click to expand...

In general I have found headphones marketed at gamers to be pretty bad on all levels in comparison to audiophile headphones. I have tried a lot of gaming headsets, including the A50, and I have only found the ones by Beyerdynamic and Audio Technica to be any good at all. The general consensus in the gaming sub-forums of headphone communities is to get a nice pair of headphones, an amp if required, and feed them with the surround processed sound (Dolby Headphones, SBX, CMSS-3D, whatever) when you play games or watch movies.

Also, audiophile headphones don't include beats/skullcandy. Those are just cheap drivers in shiny frames. They do include the HD-650 (a massively popular former audiophile flagship) that a guy above me was told to "get educated" about though.

I can understand thinking that what you have is good and if it has the highest model number in the range, thinking that it is best. No need to attack others to justify it, but give some higher end gear a try and you probably won't look back. When it comes to audio, there is only opinions after a certain point (ie LCD-X vs HD-800, which $1500 headphone is best???), and this is just mine.
 
It's a shame the Astro A40 don't sound better. I like the comfort and the look and they feel relatively well made. I also think the microphone works well. There's just something slightly hollow to the sound. The Mixamp however is a winner. I have the Wireless Mixamp 5.8 and bought a spare since they're discontinued. In addition to being convenient for gaming I use the wireless module when I'm watching the HTPC and using the treadmill. The optical passthrough makes it really effortless to switch between speakers or virtual surround sound on my headphones.

Don't rule out Beats and Skullcandy though. The Beats Solo2 sounds quite nice, and I was also pleasantly surprised by the Skullcandy Aviators. I originally thought V-Moda were all show and no go until I tried the M-80.
 
In all this talk of what high end is, no-one has yet observed what high end is generally tailored to. To a large extent, it's to make things sound worse. Yep, and that's because they're commonly used to interrogate audio, and find any deficiencies or impurities. Some may aim to show off their "audiophile" selves with their $2000 head gear, but much of what they are experiencing in reality is the exposure to poor source material. For enjoyment rather than scrutiny, a balance between quality and "fudge factor" is required, and depending on the brand, the sweet spot can be at quite a low price point. @Mayaman may find that his Grados are just too good for some content for example. Then it's a matter of how far to drop down the ladder to achieve the balance.

I don't dismiss surround decoding as a gimmick, and recognise that what the masses have is a poor representation of it. The Smyth Realiser exists as an example of what is possible, and it wouldn't be the first time that something incredibly expensive was later implemented in very affordable and still effective form, if that were to happen.

So I mock you in both directions, you cheap and nasty delusionals, and wallet-burned emperors with no clothes.
 
Mayaman
You don't know what you're talking about and obviously don't own any Astros. I've owned almost every surround headset out there. Some are better than other in sound and quality of materials. Most people that say this haven't even tried a decent pair of "gaming" headphones and go by garbage like skullcandy. Get educated before making absolute statements, its unfair to the rest of the people here.
Click to expand...

m3pdoYJ.gif
 
Mayaman
You don't know what you're talking about and obviously don't own any Astros. I've owned almost every surround headset out there. Some are better than other in sound and quality of materials. Most people that say this haven't even tried a decent pair of "gaming" headphones and go by garbage like skullcandy. Get educated before making absolute statements, its unfair to the rest of the people here.
Click to expand...
Isn't 7.1 surround sound, like, 8 speakers/subwoofer? I don't think any headset has 8 speakers....
Omnis
oxymoron
Click to expand...
Ahh...this is the word ^
 
EF12345678
Isn't 7.1 surround sound, like, 8 speakers/subwoofer? I don't think any headset has 8 speakers....
Click to expand...

Some have tried using many tiny speakers, but more common is the simulated version. People will decide whether or not they like it, but it's quite a remarkable trick regardless. Best way to test is to do the set up on a Pixar movie where white noise is played sequentially for the individual channels. I'm always amazed at how positional rear left and right sound.
 
EF12345678
Isn't 7.1 surround sound, like, 8 speakers/subwoofer? I don't think any headset has 8 speakers....
Click to expand...

But you only have two ears. The timing and diffraction of sound waves as they enter the ears (and the differences between what your left and right ears ultimately receive) is what allows your brain to localize where the sound is coming from. Technologies like Dolby Headphone, CMSS-3D and others process audio and bake these differences into a stereo signal. Those technologies also are are a One Size Fits Most solution based on averages. LeMans mentioned the Smyth Realiser, which is supposed to be the cream of the crop when it comes to positional audio processing. It includes in-ear microphones to calibrate it to the user's ears. And Beyerdynamic even offers a virtual surround technology combined with head tracking, so when you move your head, the audio image still stays anchored in front of you. It's pretty cool stuff.

My explanation really oversimplifies a lot of this. To Wikipedia!: Head-related Transfer Function
 
LOL at people still not understanding how simulated Dolby headphone surround works. Its been around for years and definitely makes a difference in your gaming, especially in FPS and Racing games. There are several headsets out, all of varrying qualities, but the Astro's are basically the Apple of "Gaming" headphones. From their comfort, design, packaging, its a great package.

Don't believe me, then by all means keep living in the mono/stereo world.

As far as audiophile grade equipment, thats an entirely different ballgame. I have that a well but don't compare it to gaming equipment costing hundreds of dollars less.

Again, you can be a skeptic, fence sitter, whatever. But the people who actually spend the money and compare based on actually owning the equipment and not regurgitating reviews are the ones I would listen too.
 
Last edited:
LeMansAid
The Sony headset would give you good results with a minimum of fuss. If the A50 is out of your price range you could always get the amp now with a cheap headset, with a view to getting a top notch headset later. The premium, and more involved process would be to get the amp and some cheapies now, then later go for headphones, and a standalone mic. Headsets have a fairly restricted quality ceiling.

A significantly cheaper but still quite good alternative to the Astro amp would be the Turtle Beach surround decoder. In fact, if you could find a great deal on a Turtle Beach setup, you could use that headset now, with the ability to hold on to the decoder and upgrade the headset later. As from what I understand, it's the quality of the headset rather than the decoding that lets them down.

Note - I'm not sure about the compatability all things wireless. I always go wired.
Click to expand...
I'm late to the party but this is sound advice (pun intended).
I bought the mixamp after reading post by LeMans and others and it sounds fantastic with my shure 940. It also works with ps3/4 Xbox and pc
 
After having tried several different headphones from gaming to just regular headphones I have finally found what I feel are the best sounding headphones I have tried. The Audio Technica ATH M50X headphones are my choice. I have had them about a month now and by far blow everything else out of the water. There not the most stylish and are made of plastic, but they are built like tanks and sound terrific. To me if the headphones don't sound good playing music than they don't sound good period. Im not sure where this, they sound good for gaming but not music comes from, but to me either they sound good or they don't and these sound good no matter what your listening too. :cheers:
 

Latest Posts

Back