New headset

[KG26_Alpha]

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

[T}{OR]

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.

[KG26_Alpha]

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.

[T}{OR]

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

On the first page you contradict yourself to many times.

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.

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

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.

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.

[Les]

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.

[KG26_Alpha]

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

[T}{OR]

No problem mate.

Originally Posted by KG26_Alpha

Priceless...

[Les]

lol.

[Thunderbolt56]

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.

[albx]

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....