Recommendations for gaming headphones

[Dawn1113]

Could you guys recommend some good gaming headphones for my desktop? I'd like something sturdy and -- well -- loud.

My neighbours just brought home a cute, bouncing baby boy: their first. His mother had me carrry him for a while and he introduced himself to me with a great gob of drool, which -- strangely enough -- I found adorable.

Anyways, the kid's arrival next door means the end of my days playing games at almost full volume on speakers. My PC is set up in the bedroom, at a spot where I'm sure the noise just goes through the wall as though it weren't there. I don't want to disturb the child's nap time. I don't want to move my PC anywhere else in my cramped apartment, either.

So I'm about to put my speakers away now and I need some good gaming headphones to replace them.

I've taken a look at a few on the internet, but would like some recommendations from TS members.

[FONT=Calibri]Thanks![/FONT]

PS: Not sure this post belongs here. If it doesn't, then I apologize to the board's administrators for the mistake.

 

[TS-56336]

A4Tech cheap ergonomic headphones would by my top choice. I have here on my PC an A4Tech model T-120 and HS-23

T-120

http://a4tech.com/product.asp?m=p5&cid=221&scid=221&id=673


HS-23

http://a4tech.com/product.asp?m=p5&cid=221&scid=221&id=475


Comparing, the loudest would be HS-23 with good measures of bass even on Dolby Surround environment. I think it's enough to give the baby his good night sleep considering you don't even need an expensive one.

Just check the links below the images for more specification.

 

[Dawn1113]

Hey, Joden. Thanks for the reply.

Will take a look at the links you provided.

 

[slh28]

Do you have a decent sound card? This will determine if you want a normal 3.5mm headset or a USB one.

Also how much are you willing to spend?

 

[bluebob951]

If money is not a concern I recommend a real 5.1 surround sound headset:
Cooler Master Sirus
Roccat Kave


If you want to go for a cheaper but still good option there are a lot of virtual 7.1 surround sound headsets available
Corsair Vengeance 1300
Logitech G930 Wireless
Those are just a few, I personally have the Cooler Master Sirus and I think they are great, they should be used with usb though, the controller is a must for this headset.

 

[Marnomancer]

Hmm...my Creative works just fine for me.
No pics, sorry, but I have two handmade Halo decals slapped onto the sides. Well, a bit of fanatic vanity. Look similar to the HS-23 Joden mentioned, but with a broader headband and larger ear-pieces, with a "Pearl" microphone (50 dB). 3.5 mm jack.

Sad part: it's now broken. Cable in pieces (courtesy of Amber). So usually I plug in my Samsung Champ's 3.5, noise-cancelling, silicon-fit earphones. Loud and clear, stereo, 3D depth positioning. Work like a charm. Loudness is a relative term, however. 11% is what I consider loud, and never bother raising it (highest was 45% when playing against Flood in Halo), so no idea how far they can go. Not the pro's choice of hardware, but as I said, "works for me".
=============================================================
It's nice to see your concern for the baby's sleep. Elevates and fills me with hope that humanity still stands a chance. Fulfills Commandment #5 - Though shalt love thy neighbour!
Though in my book, a good neighbour is one who doesn't have a password to their WiFi.

P.s.: Does anyone have a Dark Knight Rises ticket to spare? Pretty please? :wail:

 

[Dawn1113]

Do you have a decent sound card? This will determine if you want a normal 3.5mm headset or a USB one.

Also how much are you willing to spend?

For now, I'm using the onboard soundcard on the Asus P9X79 Pro. I've been meaning to get a decent soundcard, though. But I guess now the headphones will have to take priority, for now.

I don't mind spending a little extra on a good pair of gaming headphones. I'm using earphones right now and they are incredibly crappy. I have a good pair of headphones I use for music, but I'm a bit OC about using them solely for the purpose for which they were purchased.

If money is not a concern I recommend a real 5.1 surround sound headset:
Cooler Master Sirus
Roccat Kave

If you want to go for a cheaper but still good option there are a lot of virtual 7.1 surround sound headsets available
Corsair Vengeance 1300
Logitech G930 Wireless
Those are just a few, I personally have the Cooler Master Sirus and I think they are great, they should be used with usb though, the controller is a must for this headset.

Thanks for the suggestions, bluebob951. Will have a look at these, as well. Thank you.

PS: I dont now why, but the link for the Logitech G930 Wireless brought me to the Corsair Vengeance 1300 page on newegg. Could it be some glitch? I googled the G930, though, and they seem really good.

 

[Dawn1113]

Hmm...my Creative works just fine for me.
No pics, sorry, but I have two handmade Halo decals slapped onto the sides. Well, a bit of fanatic vanity. Look similar to the HS-23 Joden mentioned, but with a broader headband and larger ear-pieces, with a "Pearl" microphone (50 dB). 3.5 mm jack.

Sad part: it's now broken. Cable in pieces (courtesy of Amber). So usually I plug in my Samsung Champ's 3.5, noise-cancelling, silicon-fit earphones. Loud and clear, stereo, 3D depth positioning. Work like a charm. Loudness is a relative term, however. 11% is what I consider loud, and never bother raising it (highest was 45% when playing against Flood in Halo), so no idea how far they can go. Not the pro's choice of hardware, but as I said, "works for me".
=============================================================
It's nice to see your concern for the baby's sleep. Elevates and fills me with hope that humanity still stands a chance. Fulfills Commandment #5 - Though shalt love thy neighbour!
Though in my book, a good neighbour is one who doesn't have a password to their WiFi.

P.s.: Does anyone have a Dark Knight Rises ticket to spare? Pretty please? :wail:

Yes, loudness is relative. To me, loud means my ear is still ringing long after I've quit the game. I grew up listening to loud rock n' roll, so I guess it spilled over.

As for the baby, I simply wouldn't be able to forgive myself having those speakers blaring the way they used to with an infant next door. Babies are very sensitive to noise.

Sounds to me like your Samsung is pretty good.

 

[slh28]

For now, I'm using the onboard soundcard on the Asus P9X79 Pro. I've been meaning to get a decent soundcard, though. But I guess now the headphones will have to take priority, for now.

In that case you might want to consider USB headsets such as the Logitech G35/G930 or Corsair Vengeance 1500, because they have their own sound card which will be superior to your onboard. That way you don't have to spend extra on a dedicated sound card.

I own the G35 and can thoroughly recommend them, the G930 is basically the same headset but wireless. Personally I wouldn't want to deal with the issues that come with wireless headsets (battery life, wireless connection, interference, etc.) and I only ever use them near my computer so wires aren't a problem.

Yes, loudness is relative. To me, loud means my ear is still ringing long after I've quit the game. I grew up listening to loud rock n' roll, so I guess it spilled over.

Seriously, turn your music down. My wife is half-deaf in one ear (although it had nothing to do with loud music) and it's not cool.

 

[Dawn1113]

Hey, thanks, slh28. Your recommendations sound really good. I like that I won't have to spend on a soundcard using them.

Sounds excellent, really. Will make sure to check those out. Thanks.

As for turning the music down, yeah. You're right. I'm already feeling the effects of damaged ear drums now. It'll take some getting used to, though, having to listen to Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with the volume turned down. Heh-heh. Again, thanks.

 

[Dawn1113]

Just an update.

Got the Corsair 1500. It's working great. I had expected a rather steep deterioration in the gaming experience, moving from speakers at almost full volume to a headset. The 1500 works wonderfully with the 1.1 drivers. The headset came with an eye-popping price tag, yes, but it appears to be worth the coin.

Thanks again, guys, for taking the time to help me out.

 

[slh28]

Awesome, enjoy them! Might be expensive but when you think about it a headset lasts for a long time and doesn't depreciate like GPUs, hard drives, etc.

By the way you might want to download SoundSwitch to switch between speakers and headset because the Windows implementation (or lack of it) is horrendous. You can set a hotkey instead of clicking through 10 things in the Control Panel to change devices.