New headset
 

I'm asking a suggestion for a new headset, also for the incoming SOW that with the binaural sound I'm sure will ROCK!! I have seen those http://www.roccat.org/Products/Gamin...d/ROCCAT-Kave/ i don't have any experience with headsets cause i always enjoyed my 5.1 speakers, but can't flight in the evening because it's too loud :-). please guys give me your suggestion.... thanks.

Alberto

I strongly recommend that you read this guide if you're looking into getting the best audio quality from your cans:

http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards...-headsets.html


In short:

• avoid USB headsets
• avoid 5.1 headsets
• avoid anything with mic attached

i already considered not buying a USB, so people here use a stereo headset or not at all? I thought a 5.1 was good for a full immersion...:confused:

5.1 is on occasions better for positional sound, like when you play FPS games but nothing else. I bet most people don't even know what they are missing with headsets, when compared to a decent set of headphones. ;)

The only headset I can recommend is MEDUSA NX 5.1, or if you have money to throw around and you don't need 5.1 go with the overpriced Sennheiser PC 360.

Since Oleg showed us how SoW will feature binaural sound, I would go with the stereo headset.

I have just bought a Logitech G930 headset.
Truth is:it's wireless,Wi-fi,5.1,has a mic built-in,(noise-cancelling),and it's sound really great.
Just google it, you will see that what people are saying in this article about headset it's not true everytime.
What truly makes difference it's engineering quality ,that's all.

Philips Cordless...

S!

Using Creative Fatal1ty headset, the jacked version not USB. Quite nicely fills my gaming needs. Sure could buy a better one, but far more important is to upgrade joystick.

I've been using a Medusa 5.1 headset for about 3 years now.

I prefer my 5.1 speakers usually but you have to consider the neighbours at times, and I have found this headset to be a good alternative.
The only thing with the Medusa is that it comes with its own amplifier, so that's another power supply you need a socket for.

Having seen, or should I say heard about the binaurel sound in the latest update I may well be using the headset a lot more when SOW is released.:grin:
Probably would please the neighbours as well.;)

I'm on my 3rd set of Medusa's over 5 a year period.

Seems like the amplifiers are a bit weak they get "scratchy" sounding.

Mind you they are on approx 12 hours a day !!!!

I'd suggest getting a good pair of open-backed stereo headphones and a separate clip-on microphone.

For example, for about the same price as the Roccat headset you could get a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-AD400 or ATH-AD700 headphones and a Zalman ZM-MIC1 clip-on microphone.

You don't need a 5.1 headset to experience binaural sound. And really, no offense, but in my opinon the whole 'let's pack three speakers in each ear-cup and call it surround-sound' approach is a bit of a gimmick, even though it does sort of work.

I used to use a pair of AKG K141 headphones, which I liked but wouldn't recommend in this instance. I then tried the Medusa 5.1 headphones but stopped using them after a while (several years:oops:). Their overall sound quality wasn't that great and they used different sounding types of speakers for the front and back, which I found annoying. They were a bit heavy too and didn't really fit my (smaller than normal I guess) head, making them too loose and uncomfortable for me. I found the volume control on their cable a bit awkwardly placed too. They did give a nice rumbling vibration when listening to really bassy sounds though, that's the only positive I can think of. All in all, I'd never use a 5.1 headset again.

I replaced the Medusa's with a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD900's which are much lighter and more comfortable, and the sound quality is better too. I can wear those for several hours before their contact points on a particular part of my (oddly shaped?) ears starts to get uncomfortable.

Some things to look out for in headphones-

Faux leather (leatherette?) ear pads. This stuff tends to get sweaty and break up and flake off, even on really expensive headphones. A soft velour-like fabric is better.

The impedance values on more higher-end audiophile-oriented headphones. Some headphones require more amplification than most computer sound-cards and portable devices can provide, and if they're under-driven they don't sound so good.

Open-backed or closed-backed headphones. Open-backed headphones have a more natural sound and can be more comfortable to wear, but let more of that sound out through the open backs of the ear-cups, and let more surrounding sound in. Closed-backed headphones don't let so much sound out and can in fact work like ear-muffs to block out external sound, but they are containing your ears in cups which can be uncomfortable and less natural sounding.

Comfort. I put comfort and sound quality on an equal footing. The best sounding headphones in the world will sound like nothing at all if I have to take them off because they're too uncomfortable. On the other hand, if they're so light and flimsy I can wear them all day without noticing them, they probably don't sound too good.

Headphones are one of those things where, if you can, you should try before you buy as there's just no way of knowing exactly what they're like otherwise.

At the end of the day though, if you can afford the Roccat's then you're out of the cheapest-nastiest-crap price range, so whatever you get will probably be fine. (Don't get the Roccat's though!!!! lol :grin:)

Edit- Just had a look at the first page of the thread T.}{.O.R. linked to here - http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards...-headsets.html and it seems we've come to some similar conclusions. Definitely worth a look.

Hi Les,

Will A TrackIR clip fit on either of the Audio Technica headsets you mention?

RedToo.

If this is the kind of clip you're referring to - http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/...kClip-PRO.html

Then it'll have to clip onto the two bands you see in the picture here - http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/he...56f/index.html

Going by the measurements given on the Naturalpoint site and the ones I've made on my headphones, which have the same design as the ATH-AD700's as far as I can tell, the clip will fit if the bands on the headphones are pinched together a bit, which is easy to do starting about one inch up along the bands from the earcups.

So, the answer is, I don't know, but I can't see any reason why not.

I think I'll buy a Medusa NX 5.1, I found many positive reviews, and at 50€ shipped I think it's a good price. I don't need it to listen music, just a comfortable headset, to play and enjoy the 5.1.

Alberto

NATURAL POINT SIMULATE head movement but no t simulate body movement.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthr...=body+movement

Thanks very much for your reply Les. I may shortly be investing in some new headphones :)

RedToo.

I was too lazy to write all this down, seems that people don't have the time or will to read through the whole thread I linked. Glad you did it. :)

I am currently considering pairing up HD 595's with Zalman's clip on mic. The new HD 598's are way overpriced IMO, and the technical details are exactly the same as HD 595's. Plus, 595's come with a headphone holder.


What does this have to do with a headphone thread??

changed again my mind :) after listened this with my sh@t headset http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA&fmt=18

I want a good pair of STEREO headset :D

P.S.
Listen it with your headset and you'll see...

Here's a very short but sweet description of the HD 595's from a site and forums that have a wealth of knowledge on the subject, take it as you will -

http://headphones.com.au/psingle?productID=81

I personally wouldn't go with the Sennheisers, for various reasons of my own, but that's just me. I suspect the HD555 would actually be better in terms of price for performance, but I wouldn't get those either. The Zalman ZM-MIC1 seems alright though. I haven't really had any use for mine yet (waiting for BOB and RO2), but it sounded okay when I first tested it out.

Thanks for that. Some people dislike how Sennheisers sound, but I don't. Few reviews (like the one you linked) stated the 'lack' of bass. Well, I have had the chance to try many headphones and currently I am using AKG K 240's (600 Ohms), semi open design. Although they do sound great, I still prefer the Sennheiser sound. Highs and mids are more important to me than the bass. What I have found out and you probably know as well - if the recording of high quality then you won't miss any bass in reproduction. This is true for both headphones and speakers.

I could mod 555's to get them close to 595's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ8PzBrHXE

but 595's come with the headphone holder and better designed grill. And if the drivers really are the same, then 595's definitely passed tighter tolerances.

Before I decide on purchasing them 100% I will definitely try them out. There are stores that have them on display so you can listen before you buy.


HD 598's are currently priced too high and sound (from what I was able to read) very similar to the 595's. IMO this makes 595's a better value for the money, IIRC they were priced almost the same when they first came out.

No worries mate, just trying to help. It's not an easy subject though, headphones. They range from being practically disposable and costing next to nothing, to being practical works of art costing thousands of dollars. And within any price range there are various acoustic and ergonomic characteristics battling it out for peoples subjective preferences.

I'm not an audiophile, but based on research and experience I've found what I prefer, in the particular range I can afford and am interested in, and that's all I can share here. As it happens though, I do share these preferences with others who have done the same or often more research themselves.

Ideally what I look for in headphones are affordability, comfort, and natural sound reproduction. And no headphone is perfect, or really can be, in these last two categories.

My bottom line though is, no hiss, no bass or treble distortion or elimination, or excessive colouring or clinical bleaching/cleaning of the sound.

At the moment, based on my limited experience, the Audio Technica ATH-AD900's are the best compromise I know of. And if I wanted to spend a bit less, I'd go with the ATH-AD700's, though I've never tried them. I say this though while really enjoying listening to some music through an old beat up modified pair of AKG K141 headphones.

I think what I'm trying to say, while not back-pedalling at all, is, if you do get the AD700's, don't blame me if you don't like them!!! You might prefer something with more or less bass, with a wider or narrower soundstage, or with some other variation of all the elements involved.

If you have 5.1 headphones already you can test them with this wma file.

http://www.lynnepublishing.com/surro...round_test.wma

And of course the statutory YT clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUrk2W_r5fc

Thanks for the video, good to know the 555's can be modified so easily, but it does annoy me when companies do stuff like that to differentiate between their upper and lower end products. The headphones should be the same price if those pieces of foam are the main point of difference between the models. IMO they shouldn't be charging more or less for different sounding headphones when their basic structure is so similar.

Just had a look at the 598's, and yeah, more of the same, hard to justify the expense.

I can't really comment on the sound quality of the Sennheiser HD5** series. I tried a pair of high end Sennheisers when I bought the AKG's more than ten years ago and the Sennheisers just sounded tinny to me. But then the AKG's I was comparing them to are known to be very dark sounding and more suited to studio vocal monitoring, so...

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro's that I use for field-recording (listening to some music with them now as I write this) and they sound fine, albeit a bit flat and neutral (as they should be when using them for their intended purpose), but they're not that comfortable and they're a closed back design so I wouldn't use them for general listening.

As you say, I don't find any of these headphones mentioned lacking in bass, but I know there are models that do emphasize the bass above all other considerations.

I have the Logitech PC Headset 120.. the best headset ive ever had... i tried a usb fatality headset lately but gave that away.. crappiest thing ive ever had on my head.

ive tried a few headsets in the 50-100 euro range, but i think they contain too much crap software and too many useless settings wich only makes things too complicated for me to bother with...

the one i use now cost around 15 euro

Thanks for that. Even if you have stereo headphones there's quite a bit of spatial separation to be had there. Someone should do a binaural version of that to push the sounds even further out.

Trust me, many many companies do this kind of stuff. Basically wrap the same product in a fancier design to sell them to 'professionals'. ;) The more high end product you get, there is less and less difference or should I say money value for the higher price included.

But, instead of buying 555's I intend to go with 595's because they include headphone holder and - maybe the same driver, but this driver definitely passed higher tests to qualify for high end 5** series model. Also, when people say 555's are very similar to 595's, I take that with a grain of salt. As it all depends on what equipment you're using them with and what you are listening. Fortunately I have a more or less trained ear and decent audiophile system nearby.

I would like to see someone test the 555's drivers weather they can reach 595's frequencies.

The main point of interest in HD 595's for me is the extreme wearing comfort. I have found people 'complaining' about various stuff (how the sound is neutral etc.) but no one ever said anything against their comfort. Almost everyone says you can forget that you have them on your head. Open design is a must for long periods of listening, but does leak a lot of sound out of the cans. This isn't a problem for me, on the contrary.

The purpose I intend to use them for is also important. And this translates to mostly music playback and gaming - albeit only simulators and maybe occasional FPS like Arma 2 or America's Army 3.0. Thus their 'neutral' sounding is just what I need here.

With the new model around the corner, their price range is just perfect for me for what they offer. If I wanted to spend money on HD 598's price range, I would go with series 6** models.

I just sold my Sharkoon X-Tatic True 5.1, so I can't test this with a 5.1 headset. They were more or less ok for gaming but terrible at music reproduction.

Even still, as you say - there is quite enough spatial separation. I was pleasantly surprised when Oleg said SoW will support binaural audio. :)

Regarding comfort

The Medusa 5.1's I use for gaming have fine mesh ear shells to keep your ears cool and nice velvet ear cushions for a really comfy feel.

Don't get the usb version of these though

These are the ones you want :)
There's a load of rear connections too so you can through put your regular desk top speakers
http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pub...Qldtqlj6AWQgzd

So I have heard - and this is why I did recommend them as the alternative in the first page of this thread. Although I will never recommend them over a decent stereo headphones. ;)

As far as the comfort goes, I have had my share of comfortable headphones and again not so comfortable ones. A few of them were from Sennheiser as well.

One of the earlier models from Sharkoon I owned, Cosmic 5.1 had great wearing comfort. Since I see that Medusa 5.1 is using the more or less the same principle, I can imagine how nice they do sit on ones head.

I have decent stereo head phones and a decent sound card.

The 5.1's are better for gaming that supports surround sound/5.1 they have a good quality mic also, but are not audiophile quality that's why they are so cheap.

:)

I consider myself fairly fluent in English, but I don't think I did. There are headphones and headsets for different kind of people and not everyone appreciate and need to (and can) hear the difference. And there are different purposes for purchasing them.

albx was looking for a headset, I recommended that he studies the article if he is into the best sound quality for the money - which he can't get with a headset. So, if he really must have a headset - I recommended Medusas or the overpriced Senn's PC 360's.

Maybe I should have written 'if you really must have a headset' but I though it was obvious from the context.

I also said, that you may get better positional audio from 5.1 headsets, but that is the only advantage if we are talking about sound quality. On the other hand, if we are talking about overall pros and cons, than having attacked mic on the headset is an advantage. However, those microphones are in many cases can't be compared (quality wise) to the clip-on mics. Thus I will also recommend a clip-on microphone, much like ZM-MIC1 clip-on microphone Les already mentioned.

EDIT: I see that you have edited your post. Let me know if you want me to delete the above.

True, as I said - in FPS games 5.1 headset can be an advantage. But that is about it. Many, or should I say almost every sound card today can produce virtual 3D environment (like CMSS-3D option in CL cards) that very closely resembles what 5.1 gives you. And since 99.999% of the music is recorded in stereo - the benefits of higher audio quality in headphones out-way the pros in 5.1 headsets. For the same price - you will get much higher sound quality from a headphones than you get out of the headset, every time. Headphones have only 2 drivers, one in each ear cup. While on the other hand - 5.1 headset must squeeze in up to 3 or 4 much smaller drivers into each cup.

In the end it comes down to - what you need the headphones or the headset for, and how much you're willing to spend. ;)

I must have a smaller and more sensitive head than 'normal'. I had to put a half to one inch strip of foam on the inside of the Medusa's headband to get them to fit alright. Even then, because of their resultant angle all the ear-cups pressure was placed just below my ears and not flat around them. The velvet cushions were comfortable though.

What I like about the Audo-Technica's is that they do away with the band altogether and just have two pads to come in contact with the top of my head, and even that with not much pressure. They're so comfortable I often find myself leaving them on even when I've finished listening to stuff. If I use headphones that have a solid band across the top though, I have to slide the band towards the rear top of my head as the spot where headphones usually sit starts to hurt fairly quickly otherwise. This makes the headphones sit at a precarious and awkward angle.

The only downside I've found with the Audio-Technica's (and the AKG's, only more so) is their ear-pads are a little too shallow for the shape of my ears, which touch the thin inside padding of the ear-cups. After several hours, not just a couple, this can start to hurt enough to be noticeable. I think my ears protrude in the middle more than most peoples though, so I don't think it would be something a lot of people would experience. And looking at other brands and models including the Sennheiser HD5**'s, which do look comfortable otherwise, I can't see that they'd be any better in that regard.

These are the sort of things that make trying before you buy so important (not that I always do), as everyones head and ears are different and there's just no way of knowing otherwise.

LOL

Thor you were posting at the same time I was editing

Sorry about that.

Nah leave it there its no problem.

Lez

Headphones and ears are personal items as we all have different shaped heads and ears :)

So its really down to personal choice.

In this picture its the complete reverse when it comes to audio :)

http://strengtheningmarriage.com/blo...man-300pix.JPG

No problem mate. :)

Priceless... :D

lol.

Just to let you know that I listened to the same thing with my Medusa 5.1 headset and still got the binaural effect.:cool:
I've got to admit I was totally blown away by the experience :eek:, and that's why I said I would probably be using the headset a LOT more when SOW is released.

So if you got a 5.1 set it should still work with binaural sound, but you would also have the benefit of 5.1 for other games or films. The best of both worlds.
Something for you to consider ?

Let me put it this way. If the game supports binaural audio reproduction then there is no need for 5.1 headsets. ;) But if SoW isn't the only thing that you play and positional audio is more important to you... as we all stated here - it comes down to personal preference and requirements. For general ease of use (having a mic attached) and not bothering to get the best audio quality, then go with a headset (analog, not USB). If you want the best audio reproduction and recording quality, I suggest that you read what we wrote here.

With todays soundcards that can simulate virtual 3D sound, the small 'benefits' of 5.1 headset over stereo headphones are almost non existent.

I already have a 5.1 system on my pc, so i thought to spend money for a better stereo headset, enjoy the music and everything else, and when i really need a 5.1 just unplug it and use my speakers.

When in doubt go for something a bit Steampunk ...

http://cdn.skullcandy.com/shop/media...s-glamor_1.jpg

http://cdn.skullcandy.com/shop/media...s-glamor_1.jpg

Which is exactly what I do.

:grin:

Medusa 5.1 all the way, I've had the v2 for about 4 years now with no problems with the sound quality. The vinyl around the ear cups is only now breaking up and pealing so I think I'm due for a new pair, but I will be buying Medusa again (non USB)

If you have an X-Fi with a CMSS-3D ship you can experience binaural sound.

My eyes (and ears) hurt after looking at those pictures... :D

I have a Plantronics Gamecom headset, that cost about $40 iirc, and an ancient audigy soundcard, and the Dolby test above sounded pretty good through them, although I'll admit that their Bass response is pretty crap. They however sounded great with the binaural and holophonic demo's in the update thread, to the point where I swatted them off my head during the bee section of (I think) the last one.

I'm not a serious audiophile (I'm happy with the earbuds that came with my Sansa), so I guess I'm easy to please, but I do like nice sound, and the plantronics set is good enough for me, especially for gaming.

I'm just not sure how much 5.1 has to offer in a headset, as I hear perfect positional sound in all the shooters that I've tried so far with a standard one.

Recently I'm thinking of buying a good headset. Then I decided to buy ComTac II tactical headset designed for airsoft :). if it possible to use it with ma pc then I can use the PTT when I interact with other players just like in IL2.
Any experience on this beauty :). or is it possible to use it like normal headset. I'm not sure at the moment. if it possible then it would be like two rabbit with one bullet :):):)

well, I looked around and from reviews the best with mic seems to be the Steelseries Siberia V2, i hope i'll not hurt Thor's ears with my affermation :D

Hehe, we shall see... :)

For all headphone reviews go to the Head-fi.org. They don't have a review on them yet (or they never will), but there are several forum discussions to be found on this link.

I can't comment on SS V2 as I never heard them for myself. But they do feature an open design and are supposed to be very comfortable. If you can try them out in a store before purchasing, do so.

Yes, I heard comfort is very good, and also they sound very well. I don't have a shop close to me where I can try them before I buy, but I'll thrust the many good reviews... hope I'll not be disappointed :)

I only know about them what I've been able to gather from looking at their website just now, which isn't much. There isn't enough info there to be able to tell for sure whether they'd be any good for pc use or not. You'd have to ask them if there's any cabling arrangement that can allow the headsets to receive a stereo signal from a computer soundcard (with its 3.5mm in/outs) while also outputting the headset microphone's signal to the microphone input of the soundcard. It looks like the headphones and microphones themselves are capable of sending and receiving the signals, but there aren't enough tech specs to be certain of that either.

In terms of connectivity, it looks like it can be done, without the PTT unit, using dual downlead cables, if they can be made to both end with 3.5mm plugs (and can be extended, as they look a bit short). You might be able to use the PTT unit with the dual downlead setup too, if there's an adaptor to make the cable that would lead to your radio from the PTT unit end with a 3.5mm plug that can plug into your computer's microphone input instead. Looks too like it might be able to be done using one downlead cable (with an adaptor/splitter plugged on the end) if the signal coming from the game is mono not stereo and it shares the stereo downlead cable with the headset's microphone output (game in on one channel, then spread over two headphone speakers ?, microphone output on the other channel). Pricey setup though, when you add it all up, headset (w/gel earseals & cotton covers), PTT unit, radio. Could be 1k.

New Headphones.
 

Well I purchased some new headphones - went for the Audio Technica ATH-AD700's. The colour was abit of a surprise, a bit of a pink hue to the outside of the earpieces (!) But they sound excellent, the price was good, they are very comfortable to wear over my glasses, and my TrackClip Pro fits on perfectly. A great upgrade from my cheapie headphones.

RedToo.

Medusa here, for a few years now. Comfy but a little heavy for some. It's an older version with the separate amplifier.

The only problem I have is in the cockpit when I look down from forward to my lap. There is a passing point at which the sound becomes much louder.

However having listened to various demos where I don't get that I suppose it's something to do with the game sound or perhaps my PC audio (Realtek AC97 on my Asus mobo)

Glad to hear it. I didn't know about the ppp...pale red (or should I say purple), tint though. Now that I look at it, it's there in the photo's, but I must have dismissed it as a magenta hue in the photograph itself. I doubt it'd bother me, but if it did, I'd probably attack them with a marker pen or something. Anyway, not to worry. As they say, some people are born to stylishness, while others have it thrust upon them.

Good to know the Track-IR clip fits too, I'll probably be upgrading to one of those myself at some point.

It's mostly an in-game thing I think. When your viewpoint changes in cockpit and your plane's engine sound gets moved around, it can have some unwelcome effects.

You still get it with stereo headphones, but it can get amplified by the different speakers in a 5.1 setup. In fact I can remember being annoyed by the different sound levels with my Medusa's as the engine sound moved between speakers.

In your case all I can suggest is checking the levels between your front and rear speakers, maybe adjusting them in an otherwise un-natural balance to counter the effect, but I'm only guessing.

At the moment, with stereo headphones, I'm getting this odd thing where if I look up, the sound gets louder than when I'm looking straight ahead or down (with no difference between straight ahead and down). Which is the exact reverse of what you're describing. It's not a problem, but I don't see the point of it.

If the sound changes are supposed to be because of my virtual ears proximity to the engine, I'd expect the sounds to get louder if anything when looking straight ahead, or when looking left or right and pointing one ear directly at the engine, rather than when looking up.

Despite the novelty of it, I'm not sure how realistic it is to have the engine sitting right in front of you be all that directional anyway. I imagine it'd be more of an all-encompassing, almost deafening noise, only interrupted by impacts to your plane or nearby explosions. But it's not something I've really looked into or experienced in real-life myself, so I can't really say.

if money isn't a problem i'd pick up the logitech 7.1 surround headset g35. it's the best headset i've ever owned and it has amazing surround sound and bass. it's pretty expensive though, the only reason i got one was because i got a $200 gift card from charter communications. i still can't figure that out. anyway, hope this helps.

I don't want to burst your bubble, but that is just the type of headset we told people here to avoid. Read the rest of the thread and what we posted. ;)

I got myself a Sennheiser PC 360 headset and I am thinking of getting a Sennheiser 180 wireless headphone just for offline flying and watching movies. X-Mas is coming, isn't it? ;)

Due to my last headset failing because of a broken plug connector lead I picked-up a pair of Sennheiser PC 31s as they are relatively cheap and the name usually is connected with quality. So far, I do not regret that decision, especially because I do not have superior aural abilities to tell apart very good from brilliant sound ;)

Using the Sony MDR-7506s here, which are considered to be an industry standard. Great sound, and my TrackClip attaches to it just fine. When I need a mic, my plain old Logitech desktop mic works without any issues.

well... i'm still waiting for my steelseries siberia v2, bought on ebay at a good price, from what i have read are very comfortable, hope will sound also good :)

i read the thread and i don't know why you would avoid it other than the fact that it's not analog. maybe i have a better sound card than you, i dunno. mine works perfectly so far with il-2 and i can always tell where planes are so i guess that's all that matters for me. plus, it was free! . :grin: i also play a lot of other FPS games like black ops, medal of honor, bad company 2, left for dead 2, cyrsis.... well u get the idea, so it helps to have that 7.1 option.

my only beef with it is the cord gets all tangled and twisted. it's cool that the cord is covered with fiber, but it gets annoying sometimes. :-x

Goldring DR 150 or the Superlux HD 681 will do you well.

The superlux is an AKG rip off, although they out perform real AKGs at 1/4 of the price.

Again the Goldrings match/out perform more expensive headphones.

It would be a safe bet to assume either will outperform any gaming headset.

5.1/7.1 is pretty pointless compared to binaural sound (when talking about headphones anyway), its far more realistic and only requires two (headphone) speakers.


http://www.simplyelectricals.co.uk/m...dr150.jpg.jpeg
http://www.rainbowguitars.com/images...VXHD681-xl.jpg

That is probably the most overpriced headset ever made. I should know, I was looking into buying one myself. :) PC 360 has the same drivers as HD 555 series, and costs almost twice as much. Even the sound quality isn't on the same level.

My current choice (haven't made a purchase yet) is HD 595's. 555's can easily be modded into "595's", but until someone provides accurate tests on what kind of frequencies modded 555's can reach I'll stick with the 595's. Besides, 595's have a better designed grill which helps with moving more air in and out.

Audio Technica ATH-AD700's were my second choice but I just can't stand the color of the thing... :o

Zalman's clip on mic is on the way as I type.


Your statement shows that you didn't read a thing mate. :) All USB headsets have their own integrated sound cards, which are nowhere near the quality of the PCI / PCIe sound cards.

I have no doubt that your headset serves your purposes, but that it is better (or even equal) that the headphones in the same price range - not even remotely. But hey, not everyone is a nit picky audiophile. ;)

It's pricey, I know, but I do absolutely detest a separate mic so I went ahead and bought a PC 360. ;)

sorry, i didn't have time to read word for word a six page thread about headphones, i merely skimmed through it. however, i didn't know that it had it's own integrated sound card. thanks for that little piece of information even though it made me look like an idiot. :lol: i have an autzentech x fi card. i guess i'll just ebay this bad boy and buy what you suggested. :grin:

That is a good sound card you have there. Don't rush, do a research before you buy your next headphones or a headset, as some people dislike how Sennheisers sound. Audio Technica ATH-AD700's might be your best bet if you can live with their purple color. :D

And there are other headphones as well. Be sure to read the link I posted in the first page here, and what others are recommending.

Being partially deaf, all I require is loud lol (actually, that's part o the reason for being partially deaf).

Are you all really getting an advantage out of these expensive headphones? I have eschewed headphones trying to preserve what hearing I have left but if it makes that much difference.....

Splitter

I am a perfectionist by nature (yeah, its PITA) and I can hear the difference. Some, or I could even say most people - can't. To get the most out of your headphones you need a proper gear to drive them - or in other words, an amplifier. Especially for those headphones that come with high impedance. Some sound cards like Xonas Essence ST / STX have a built in amp for those lacking one.

Also - most if not all audiophiles will tell you that high quality headphones are the easiest way to get the best sound. You could spend 10x more on the speakers and various amps to get the same result. ;)

Yup totally agree.
The clarity of the sound of a good headphone setup also keeps me from turning up the sound to identify softer sounds. (If that makes sense)

There's less clutter so you hear more.


@jRock, perhaps you could audition a verry good set of headphones to gauge the quality of your soundcard.
( Although that set me on my way upgrading and upgrading, ...and upgrading.)

Pics of TrackClip Pro on ATH AD700 headphones.
 

Hi all,

Just a couple of pics of how the TrackClip Pro fastens onto my new headphones. Thought you might be interested.

RedToo.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/RedToo/Front.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ee-quarter.jpg

So you're not considering the ATH-AD900's?

To be honest, I would not recommend using headphones if protecting your hearing is an issue. Especially when using them for gaming as there can be some really extreme variations in sound levels, ie. when gunfire and explosions start up. People dealing with those things in real-life can get their hearing damaged as part and parcel of being involved in that, but to do the same thing for what just adds up to entertainment's sake isn't worth it IMO.

If you can predict what the loudest noise you're going to hear is, and set the volume for that, even if it means missing out on some of the quieter sounds, then it shouldn't be a problem. But that's not always easy to do, even with music, let alone computer use, and it's easier to avoid those excessive noise levels using external speakers.

In terms of whether or not different quality headphones provide different listening experiences, yes they do. But once you reach a certain point of clarity in the sound, you start to get into the sort of differences that are akin to wine-tasting or colour-grading etc. At that point you're dealing with sensations that are subtle enough to be influenced by your own moods and feelings and impressions as much as anything that can be pinned down by numbers or words. I've only dabbled with that aspect of it a little bit, due to lack of time and money and other interests, but yeah, it's there.

Looks like it fits well. I see now what you mean about the colour too, they sure do play it down in their promo pictures. As I said, it wouldn't bother me personally, but I wouldn't hesitate to colour it in with a black marker pen either if it did.

Listening to rock music (the real stuff from the 70's and early 80's) through head phones is one of the things that damaged my hearing I am told :). Hanging out around prop planes without protection probably did not help either. "Can you turn that down?!" is my wife's favorite sentence...I think women have super sensitive hearing though ;).

I REALLY try to avoid headphones now. I lose a lot by playing with speakers I know and earphones sound infinitely better to me, but I really am cautious when it comes to further hearing loss.

BUT! If I could find ear phones that regulated loud sounds I would be heaven. Sort of bringing everything to a common level of amplification. I use electronic earphones at the range which go quiet on the gun shot but allow speech to be heard clearly (close to clearly for me). If I could find head phones that modulated loud sounds down to an appropriate level and still made normal sounds audible....well, I would be appreciative.

Splitter

Steelseries sibiria vs 2 user here....only vurtual sorround sound, but its working and have taken a beating over the years...


steel series gets a thumps up from me :)

so do you confirm it's not so bad at all? :-)

ya its pretty ok, its not true virtual, but its pretty darn close.....its using its USB sound card and its easy to set up with the software (you might have to download the drivers/software) but im happy....

And the best part is the price...you can find them werry cheap...go after 2.5 version.....

Haven't completely dismissed them. I owned a couple Sennheisers in the past and I love how they sounded - some people don't. However, I will try to listen to both before final purchase. Although I am willing to bet I will go with Senns. :)


Have you had a chance to listen to the analog ones? :)


@ RedToo: thanks for posting pictures, I am sure many people will find this useful.

I don't know of any headphones that do that. But your question got me thinking I'd like to find something like that for myself, so I went searching and to cut a very long story short I ended up finding this -

http://store.claessonedwards.com/product_p/bap-002.htm

It's a computer program that can pretty much do what you were asking for.

I downloaded the demo and tested it out briefly in IL-2 and on some music. To test the program to an extreme though, I loaded up Crysis to try and bring gunfire and jungle sounds onto the same level, and it pretty much does what it claims to do. In fact it was actually jaw-dropping when I first heard what it could really do.

With some extreme adjustments, basically all the quiet background sounds that sometimes you don't hear at all, can be made as loud as the closest, loudest sounds. You can then turn down the overall sound and not miss a thing. Even in the Crysis menu's I was hearing stuff I never even knew was there.

In IL-2 it was still bringing all the sounds together into a narrow range, but there aren't any great extremes to cover anyway. Planes flying by, ground guns, radio-chatter, hits to the plane, were all brought into roughly the same volume range as the engine, or closer than they were before anyway.

I can see why people would love (or hate) using such a program to alter music too, but I'm not going there.

I found the most extreme settings for bringing all the sound levels into line included using one slider that degraded the overall sound a bit, but that particular one isn't essential and it's not like it totally ruins everything. (It's described in the program itself as making things sound overall 'not unlike FM radio').

Oh, and what it can do for the bass is just BS.

Anyway, just sharing the info. I don't even know if I'd use it myself, but my first impressions are it's a top quality bit of software. From what I could see it's the best software of it's kind for it's price (at about thirty dollars).

Awesome find! Thank you!

Splitter

No worries. If you want to know the settings I found most effective, rather than tweaking and experimenting with your own ears, just let me know and I'll post them here, as it's not the most straightforward of procedures.

Would be good too if some of the other forum members here could confirm the software is as effective as I found it.

And without wanting to sound melodramatic or patronizing, I hope you understand and won't be offended, but I must state I'm not in any way qualified to make recommendations or give advice that even borders on the medical. I'm not encouraging you to do anything but take care. Even with this software, and with the overall volume at a low level, using headphones could still be detrimental to your hearing for all I know.

Actually that goes for everyone reading this now or in the future. Be careful with headphones! Pleasuring your ears can easily be overdone, resulting in permanent damage that isn't always readily apparent.

Okay, end of public service announcement, back to your regular programming...

Where were you when I was 18?! lol. Yeah, I will say that people should invest in hearing aid companies. All of the ear buds I see (and hear) every day....there's a lot of hearing loss in the future of our modern societies. I know, I know, it won't happen to you :). But one rock concert or one range session, or one flight without hearing protection can do permanent damage or leave you with tinitis.

Tell you what, PM me the settings you tried. I downloaded the demo and might try it tomorrow.

Splitter

In general it comes down to volume. Only place i "rock" is listening to manowar driving. Playing games with headphones is not where i "blow" the drums....I have kids, se need to be able to hear them when they start fighting lmao.....

and to the qustion. No not tryed out the analog steelseries, but i can set the 2.5`s to analog and they sound pretty ok. I used to play alot of ww2 online and there the surround part was a life saver, the added bonus is that i can hear the planes if they sneak up on me......

:)

Ltbear

sorry, but what is 2.5? i know v2 but not a 2.5 :-)

woops my bad lol....2.0 geeez...need coffee

Sennheiser PC350's here and after using at least 5 different headsets over the last 10 years, I can say these are easily the best. High material quality, high sound quality, high mic quality, comfortable and extremely durable.

I will also agree with the recommendations to stay away from USB headsets. The two I've had were quirky and both had issues of some sort.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...lt56/pc350.jpg

Got my steelseries siberia v2, no usb soundboard, very comfortable, and sounds very good (for what i can understand as i'm not an audiophile :-) )... you can forget you have it on your head after a while... i'm very satisfied....

Except they cost twice more as HD 555's which feature the same drivers and even sound better.

But hey, if you can afford them they are probably the best compromise. :)

EDIT: I sound like a broken record lol :D


Glad to hear you're happy with your purchase mate.

Got a pair of Sennheiser RS-180 last Christmas by my dear wife. I can really recommend them! Awsome with wireless and without losing quality... Feels really good using wireless with trackir...

Yeah, there's definitely going to be a lot of that happening.

No need for PM's, the settings are really basic, it's just the technology involved and the way the whole program works that can be complicated, but I don't need to explain any of that, beyond saying, basically what the 'Breakaway' program does is sit inbetween whatever application you're using and your sound-card, filtering and adjusting in real-time whatever sound the application (game, media-player etc.) feeds it, before passing it on to your sound-card which works as normal sending the signal to your speakers.

So.

***Once the program is running, all you need to adjust are the 'Range', 'Power' and 'Speed' sliders, by moving them all to the right so they're fully green.***

As simple as that.

That should bring all available sounds into the narrowest range possible, then you adjust the overall volume to a safe level.

Some other points though -

Maxing out the 'Speed' slider might degrade the sound a bit and can be adjusted to suit, it's mainly the 'Range' and 'Power' sliders that are adjusting the effect you're after.

There's a 'Bypass' button up the top that switches off the programs effect and allows you to hear the sound as it usually is. Be careful with that as there can be extreme changes in overall volume level when it's switched on or off.

The 'Breakaway' program, processing sound in the background, is using CPU resources, but I didn't notice any performance differences because of it. I might have heard some glitches in the sound when I was checking out IL-2, but I can't be sure. If you notice the sound distorting or dropping out, you can try going back to the 'Breakaway' install setup and choosing a 'slower' setting, at the risk of introducing latency or lag into the mix.

You might not be able to use the default Windows volume control, even when the 'Breakaway' program is being by-passed, as the 'Breakaway' program becomes your default volume controller. In my case for example, I can adjust the overall volume level by using the 'Breakaway' program itself, or by using my sound-card's control center, or by using the volume button on my keyboard, but not by adjusting the slider of the little speaker icon in the Windows taskbar on my desktop.

Anyway, I think that's about it.

What makes you say that?

Search through this thread. ;)

Basically, 5.1 or 7.1 in a headset is just a gimmic. Features nothing that a proper stereo headphones can't reproduce with a good sound card. Besides - for a set of 8 smaller drivers, a stereo headset has only two - of much higher quality.

Well just spent the good part of an hour at JB-HiFi testing the Sennheiser 555, 515 and 215s on their iPad display, listening to the virtual barber shop on YouTube and also listening to Music. Yes I can hear the difference in quality from my Medusa 5.1s, Music is much better on the stereo headsets. But in terms of positional audio my Medusa is much better. I've just been listening to the virtual barber shop again at home with my 5.1 headset and there's no comparison. Music quality is better with stereo but in all honesty, nothing that I would would notice or even care about.

My view is if you want quality sounds and listen to other things than games with your headset then go for stereo, but for gaming and picking up positional audio 5.1 headsets, even with poorer sound quality are way better.

Sorry to quote myself.

Just opened the Medusa amp up and run the soldering iron over every joint I could get to on the 3 circuit boards.

This fixed the mains hum and crackling sound after 3-4 hours use, looks like the solder joints get a bit dry after extensive use.

For budget comfortable headphone mic combo they rate well with me.





.

That is precisely what we're talking about here. :)

5.1/7.1 headsets are good only for gaming, while stereo headphones beat them with sound quality on all levels, every time. And with good sound cards you can get 3D sound emulation which will match the best what 5.1/7.1 headsets can offer. It all comes down what you're using them for.

It all comes down to what are you using them for and what is you personal preference.

I'm no audiophile, but have bought quite a few high priced headphones for IL-2 the past 10 years. The Medusa 5.1 were by far the most immersive for IL-2 in my experience.

I don't doubt you heard what you heard and, based on what you experienced, I'd tend to agree with your conclusions. There's a bit more to it than that though when you look at all the possible variations and options there are available more generally.

For example, different stereo headphones give a different sense of three-dimensional 'spaciousness' to the sound you play through them. The ones you listened to in-store aren't the best choice for positional audio. Also, I'm not sure how the iPad's audio was set up internally either, or how it would compare to the setup you use your Medusa's on, but that could easily influence impressions too. And speaking purely in terms of positional audio, ie. being able to hear and locate sounds in a game, there are actually several variable factors involved with that as well which can make a blanket recommendation of 5.1 headsets a bit deceptive.

Anyway, I'll leave it at that, people can research things for themselves depending on their level of interest. I've been finding out quite a bit about all this myself lately, about the products and the science and technology involved, but I don't want to use this thread as a 'hey, guess what I found out today' clearing-house for that, soo...

And that is the exact reason why I went to try them out, because I'm sceptical that 5.1 or 7.1 headphones should be passed off as mere gimmicks.

I used the iPads to playback the youtube track because they were right next to the demo stand but I also realised that when listening to binaural sounds to decide on a stereo headphone purchase it should be done with no assistance from hardware i.e. sound card.

I've just been doing some further testing using my Medusa's coupled with my X-Fi card, setting the speakers to "headphones" , "2.1" and "5.1" while disabling CMSS-3D chip and listening to these samples:

http://www.qsound.com/demos/binaural-audio.htm
(the guys that made the virtual barber shop recording)

Setting the X-Fi speakers to "headphone" and "2.1" the sounds were muffled and tended merge over one another but they were still good and I got the binaural experience. Turing on the 3D chip also improved things further but not by much. Setting the speakers to "5.1" was the game changer, it made the world of difference, but then again they are 5.1 headphones.

Getting back to albx's original question. Based on which headphones would be best for SoW and binaural sounds? Well I think the answer IS more complex than simply saying 5.1 are gimmicks or stereos are only good for music and at the end of the day everyone has to make their own mind up, of which I'm still undecided. But I'm sticking with the 5.1s

Ultimately I think its best if people wait for SoW to be released before making any purchase as that's only when you can put things to the test.

On a side note: If there is one thing I have take from this thread/two day research so far is that Stereo phones are great for Music, but 5.1s are better for gaming and that I prefer closed headphones to open. :cool:

Problem is people will always be convinced by what the price is and or specifications tell them, thinking the expensive ones are the best and not what they are actually hearing.

I have done this many times with mic/headphones (not headsets), putting them on customers and asking them to tell the difference without looking at the product first, 75% choose the cheaper ones the 20% cant tell the difference 5% can tell definitely what they are listening to.

With a price difference of £100-$150 they are bemused they hear no difference, this is because some people don't really care what they are actually hearing or don't understand and don't need to, so long as it sounds nice.

Now these customers are PC gamers or general PC users, and not esoteric audiophiles looking for something to compliment their B&O system, so generally speaking cheaper 5.1 headsets are better for PC's with PCI audio cards.

I will use my old Koss or Sennheiser's to listen to my audio system.

I'm finding there are too many variables involved to be able to make blanket generalizations about what's 'best'. And that's just because of all the variables related to the hardware and software products themselves (the technology involved), let alone all the variables related to people's subjective impressions of them (human nature).

I guess that's what makes it such a fertile market. There's always some other feature or aspect that can be emphasized as a point of influence or attraction, as being better or worse, more or less suitable. Even the stuff that can be objectively measured still has to be put in the context of the end users subjective experience (which is influenced by their current and past and possible future circumstances) in order to assess it's actual 'value'.

It's just like every other consumer purchase in that regard, more or less. Prone to hype and exploitation, misinformation, disinformation and other unethical practices, deliberate or not. But that's just the way it is. As soon as you decide you want something, you open yourself up to all the xxxx that goes along with wanting that thing.

The best you can hope for is to find something that provides more good times than bad, that gives more than it takes and doesn't always leave you wanting more from it or wishing it were something else. If you've got that, no matter what it is, congratulations. Personal satisfaction doesn't run on an objective scale. If you're happy with an item, then you're happy, and if someone else is happy with a different item, then they're happy too, it's just different ways to the same end, and it's not for anyone else but you to decide how you get there.

I know that's all been said before, but I'd rather say it again than get into explaining my own personal preferences, as I was tempted to do.

About the use of binaural sound in BOB, I'm curious as to how they're going to do that. As far as I know binaural sound hasn't been done before in a game. And again, as far as I know, all the binaural recordings I've heard have been done as live recordings. So I'm guessing there will have to be some kind of binaural emulation going on, as they've already stated they'll be using synthetic sounds not live recordings. Hmmmm, unless they do live recordings of their synthetic sounds...nah...

Also, binaural sound works by recording sound as it would be heard by ears on the human head. This means it should be heard through headphones that don't re-introduce the shape of your own head and ears (and the room sound in which the listeners external speakers would be placed) into the mix. So does that mean the binaural sound would have to be a switchable headphone-only feature in-game, as it wouldn't be appropriate to listen to it through external speakers? And if it is switchable like that, would they differentiate between 5.1 headphones and 5.1 external speakers settings, or would the 5.1 headphones have to use the stereo headphones setting?

Questions, questions...

LOL

I agree.

Would be interesting to do an equipment blind test and add a price tag to what you think they are worth and compare the results afterwards.

Of course as mentioned its impossible to have exactly the same hearing as the the next human being, so everyone hears slightly differently, so long as they are happy with what they are hearing and paying :)

Just got the Steelseries Siberia V2 I must say that I'll wait for break-in period (Yeah electronics also need one ) before recommending it. Anyway I already got Sennheiser HD-600 that I use with my high-end stuff and a HD-438 I use with the computer for music. For gaming the Steelseries will do the job it comes will a virtual 7.1 usb card that I can use or use the mini-jacks and connect it to my Audigy 4 sound card.. For now the sound quality is acceptable.