*TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread*

[d3fct]

lmao @ does not make me lunch, thats what an old lady's for

 

[BumbleBee]

I think I am going to make a contribution to this thread by picking up a new set of headphones.

JBL Reference 410

Bundle

Phone Adapter
Airline Adapter
Inline Volume Control
Foldable Headband
Travel Pouch

Specs

Drivers 40mm Transducer
Maximum Input Signal 50mW
Sensitivity 125dB SPL/V
110dB SPL/mW
Frequency Response 10Hz - 20kHz (-10dB points)
Input Level/Impedance 32 Ohms
Wire length 1.5m
Noise Canceling

I found a really good deal I can pick these up for $29.99 CDN and they normally retail for $99.99 CDN or $89.99-199.99 USD so look for a review in the next week or so unless someone can convince me to pick up the Sennheiser HD415 or HD437 (uncommon models)

 

[Kursah]

All of them look interesting, if the JBL's were around-ear I'd consider them for sure...the on-ear designs drive me crazy. Very cool man! Looking forward to seeing what you get and how it works out for ya! If you're dissapointed, definately give the JVC harx700's for sure!

 

[BumbleBee]

there are some more pictures and reviews of them at Amazon. some people say they are uncomfortable but I think this is just one deal I can't pass up on. I did have a on the ear headset the Logitech Clear Chat Pro even tho they didn't fully cover they were closed so the center of your ear gets pretty hot and not the lobe but these ones look like they are open.

 

[-1nf1n1ty-]

are we suppose to help on reviews for some Headsets. cause i think I could do about 3 reviews on the razer barracudas, razer piranhas, and the tritton ax pro 5.1

 

[BumbleBee]

you should do a review on the Barracuda and Tritton.

 

[Kursah]

are we suppose to help on reviews for some Headsets. cause i think I could do about 3 reviews on the razer barracudas, razer piranhas, and the tritton ax pro 5.1

Yep, I thought I mentioned that in the OP and a few various posts in this thread that this is for people to add thier experiences with different headphones and headsets to share with others that might be looking to help out in the decision making process. If they've already been reviewed, add another one? hell yeah! Why not, the more the merrier and the more experienced opinions readers can attain from this thread as one set of ears might listen for something different from mine, I may enjoy something about a set you might not, that's the kind of stuff that needs to be out there and easier to find for many, hence why I made this thread.

So in short, yeah that's what this thread is about.

Edit: Due to Infinity's message, I was inspired to add an more clearly defined message about donating to this thread on the OP, hopefully others won't hesitate to submit their experiences, and I had added the -Share Your Experience to my link to this thread in my sig last night. I really hope to see more experiences shared, I have shared all my headphones and headsets I can recall from dirt cheap to $100+, and why not? People will be looking in all of those ranges, there's good and bad in every price range, I'm a sucker for an upgrade so I might as well share what I've learned thus far!

 

[ourfpshero]

i have had both the barracuda and trittons (analog and usb versions)
short answer- avoid both

long answer.
pro :the barracuda has good sense of direction, is comfortable.

con:sounds like hell. what little bass exists is only from the side speakers, when a sound is in front or behind there is no bass at all. the mids and highs are horrible sounding, literally like somebody shoved a bunch of 5 cent speakers from china in a headphone cup
these also have a rep for breaking

tritton 5.1 headsets.
pro: comfy, great mic, decent sense of direction

con: very weak sound, only a hair better than the barracuda. feels loose on your head, it will fall off with any sudden movement

 

[ste2425]

Nice setup ste, definately a tad overkill for the gamer out there .... But that thing does look very sweet, makes me want to start recording lol! Nice find!

What are you using for headphones/headsets being driven by that mixer? Nice source review, I think I'll do one on my X-Fi Xtreme Music and Auzen Forte eventually, nothing too technical, keep it simple similar to your review and the ones I have in the OP.

well hmm theres a reason i didnt mention them. With all the money i have spent on the mixer and varous other recording equipment i was a bit short of cash for gaming headsets.

What i have are Philips SBC HPI95. I no there nothing like all your high end headphones that ive seen on here but these are for the low end user who still wants great buck for bang.

Pro's
Very comfortable (i can wear then for hours and then forget there on)

Foam moulds around your ears which blocks outside noise very well.

Very durable plastic doesnt feel so bendy that it'l flaten if you sit on it, but not so strong they snap with a little too much force. (these things have been used in many gigs ive done sound for and have worked perfectly for a good few years till this day)

The headstrap fits comfortably and does not slide of.

Very cheap to get hold off

And last but not least very very good sound for there price the high's are perfect and whilst the bass isn't as loud as other headsets it stil gives an even mix of hi and low's.

Cons:
No mike

Rather large

Sound quality is superpurb but people ay be expecting better

no volume controll on lead

no interchangable extra like colours

and on final pet hate for me is the jack has a plastic cover. With what i do the jack often gets broken and it is a godsend if the headset has a metal screw cap on the jack. Then you can easily re-solder the broken wires. This however does not so when the jack breaks its game over

Concusion
All in all these a great headphones and i would recomend them to anyone who carn't afford or justify large amounts of money on other headsets.

 

[ourfpshero]

these will get mentioned here and everywhere so i will give a quick overview:

Audio technica art series headphones. these are the open air- ath-ad500/700/900 and the ath-a500/700/900. there are also higher models that are very expensive (and i havent heard them so i wont write about them)

the ad500/700/900 are open air, very light, very large. extremely large soundstage and great directional sound when used with a decent soundcard. the ad500 was one of my 1st 'real' headphones. the 700 is a slight improvement, the 900 a large improvement and a large price jump! all have very nice and airy high notes, very clear sound, not much bass. however they can handle a ton of bass eq'd in and with a little amping.

the a500/700/900 are closed, lightweight-ish, and very large. great soundstage for a closed can. sound is a little more colored than the open air cans, highs and lows are more prominent, mids a little recessed. can pound with bass with a little eq and amping. the a900 in particular reaches very low notes with a very sweet sound. i still have the a900 myself and is one of my fave gaming cans. these have braided lines and the a900 also has metal cups.

ath-ad500 $50-$80
ath-ad700 $80-100
ath-ad900 $180-200

ath-a500 $100 to 120
ath-a700 $100 to 130
ath-a900 $180 -220

pros:
great sound and dynamic range
large soundstage
can handle much eq-ing and amping
decent price when compared to other headphone brands of this caliber

cons
large, not portable in any sense
colored sound- not for mixing or monitoring
the open air magnesium screens dent easy

 

[Kursah]

I might have to consider a set of a900's in the future when funds aren't as tight, I am thinking of selling my DX3's and recouping some cash. But I've checked them out online and those might be a good upgrade for me in the future, though I must admit I love my RX700's a ton still! Thanks to you none-the-less!

 

[ourfpshero]

I might have to consider a set of a900's in the future when funds aren't as tight

keep your ebay eyes open. times are tough and a lot of headphones sell for a song. hence my glut of headphones at the moment

 

[SirJangly]

Anyone have any experience with this? Just looking for a cheap usb headset

ABS AZ1 Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound Light Weight Circumaural USB Gaming Headset

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826279001

 

[BumbleBee]

ABS is a good company they are like OCZ and re-brand but they re-brand good products their cases are Lian Li and A+, Keyboards are Filco, etc. this headset on the other hand I have no idea. I don't think it uses a C-Media Chip because the other model on newegg the FX-7 uses the same controller and the comments say there is no software. if your just looking for a USB headset with a good microphone try Plantronics .Audio 655

 

[ourfpshero]

another popular headphone here:

Beyerdynamic dt770 pro 80 ohm

if you ever inquire about bass monster headphones these will be mentioned. can pound your brain into grey goo with just a little amping. large and heavy. built to last, leather headband, steel yokes, velour pads. highs a little forward and sibilant and not very pleasing to audiophile types. great gaming headphones. can be found for as little as 100$ on ebay refurbished and 150$ new.

pros
bass, bass, bass
great range
built like a tank
comfortable and cushy
old world appeal

cons
bass not as smooth/mellow as higher end headphones
highs too bright for some

there is also a 250 ohm non-pro variation of this that uses more audiophile-centric speakers. this one needs an amp and does not extend the highs and lows like the pro version

 

[Frederik S]

Über short review of: Sennheiser HD595

Pros:
Comfortable
Open back design
Can be driven by all sounds cards
Balanced sound signature
Long quality cable, single entry
Circumaural earcups
Low clamping force
Overall good with positional effects

Cons:
Leak sound a bit
Do not block out environmental noise
No microphone
Lacks a touch of bass for music
Price

Great if you want a set of fairly neutral set of headphones that are comfortable to wear over and extended period of time. Mine have been thrown around a lot at various LAN-parties and still hold up nicely. They are not the most durable headphone on the market but definitely not the least either. Their quite neutral and open sound makes them great for games, but also means they are a bit uninvolving to listen to when it comes to music. For the avid gamer that plays mostly at home these are in my opinion a great buy along with the more cheaper and slightly worse performing HD555 from Sennheiser.

I hope this makes sense just got out of bed still a bit sleepy

 

[Kursah]

Thanks for the additions thus far guys! Some great stuff out there for sure! The crazy thing I was really unaware of until a couple months ago is how many different headphones provide very different sound output, soundtages, etc. I've even noticed this in headsets but to a much lesser extent for the most part, but from my short experience with headphones, knowing what kind of sound you want, and being able to properly describe it definately helps in the great search...which grows the more you research, or at least it did for me!

 

[-1nf1n1ty-]

Razer Barracudas:
Link:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153002&Tpk=razer barracuda
pros: Sound quality is great, comfortable, lights is always fun right? ha, microphone is very sensitive and great quality

cons: made out of literally crap breaks easily if your not cafreful, no bass(I'll get to why I like this but some if not most hate it), very few are actually good enough to last you a long time others will last your a few months. It is also a bit pricy for a pair of headsets that break really easily.

about the bass and why I like it. when I play counter strike with a bassey (I know its spelled wrong ) headset especially if its 5.1 surround sound I've notice that you dont really get the effect of actually being able to hear whos around you and in counter strike source footsteps are important and when theres explosions and gun shots being fired and someone walking up behind you its a good thing in my opinion to have lower bass.

for me this headset gets a 3.75/5- due to me being on my 5th or 6th pair and they're already broken BUT the sound quality is good and the headset is comfy.

NEW REVIEW
TrittonAX51 Pro 5.1 True Surround Sound Headset
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826235007

pros: sound quality is a hell of a lot better than the barracudas, loud, GREAT bass, comfortable comes with changeable pads(leather, and a soft padding) microphone is as good if not better than the barracudas the sound controller is a lot better than most headsets.can be used for xbox360 and Im sure ps3 i think.

Cons: needs a AC adapter to actually work(for the headset to turn on), when using 5.1 you can't tell wtf is happening from any direction(thats also the beauty of the sound controller) with the sound controller you can easily fix it.


I would recommend the Trittons over a LOT of headsets, So I give this headset 4.75/5....lol

 

[Kursah]

Nice infinity! I've said it before, 5.1 headsets are decent, some are better than others in the directional awareness arena...but my 2Ch jvc's using cmms-3d on my x-fi really helped me out in games. I'd always thought true 5.1 headsets were the way go to lol! They're decent, but man if you already have a good sound card you could spend less and get more overall. I considered those tritons a long time ago...but decided on the Turtle Beach HPA2's instead...but always wanted to try them out. Glad they're treating you well!

 

[Kursah]

(in response to a post Infinity deleted)

Man I'll tell ya the HPA2's are still one of the most comfortable headphones/headsets I've ever owned yet...they leaked a lotta sound, but the soft cloth padding is 2nd to none for comfort. My JVC's are pretty comfy with a quick and simple mod to push the pads out a little bit, they were ok stock though, lasted me a good couple of hours which is generally as long as they're on. You might consider going with a headphone next time and strapping a mic to it or getting a zalman cable clip on mic, you'll get more sound for your buck and with your x-fi you could even benefit from what cmms-3d offers for emulation...it really is suprising how well it works and I'm using a closed back heapdhone, open backs like the Audio Technica AD700's really seem to benefit from what I've read.

But as long as you're happy with your investment that's what it's all about, thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts to this thread. If you have any more you want to add even if you disliked them, please feel free to add them. You can see from my OP I went from $20-80 in price range, and a $33 headphone made me happier than all of them! The plantronics though was one of the best cheap ones, just not very comfy.

 

[Kursah]

There are a couple of headphones/headsets I'd like to hear about on here a tad more...I know a few guys here used some Sennheiser HD280's and I know of at least one guy that has the Sennheiser PC-350 headset. I know from ourfpshero's mod on HeadFi that there's a ton that can be extracted from the PC-350 headset and almost considered getting a pair (I still might when I sell my DX3's).

I haven't added my X-Fi comparo's yet...been too busy gaming, but I do gotta say compared to onboard, my JVC's sound golden on a dedicated sound card...but they still sound decent using onboard, just a lot less enjoyable and clear.

Though I do gotta say, I tried playing w/o CMMS-3D...and it was horrid...just L and R...I turn on CMMS-3D and I felt like I was enveloped in the soundstage of the game, I could tell where things are coming from, a very nice difference. Had to try the HPA2's again, and things sound so closed in and muffled in comparison to the JVC's. Which is odd considering the HPA2's are open back and the JVC's are closed back...but again so differently designed. I still might try the PC-350's modded because I've heard they have a larger and more accurate soundstage than the JVC's and when modded sound pretty damn good, plus the mic is supposed to be 2nd to none for a gaming headset mic...though I do love the mic boom I'm using atm too. Decisions...decisions...

 

[BumbleBee]

I agree with Infinity review on the Bass comment and the Barracuda build quality it was the reason I passed on them he is the 4th or 5th person I know that has gone through more than 3 pairs. regarding Tritton I do like their bundles with the carrying bags, multiple head band, cups and adapters. their headsets are flexible as they carry many models for multiple audio sources but alot of people say their controllers are heavy and for some reason detachable microphones have become a "con" maybe it's a quality issue vs hard wired.

by the way I don't think I will be able to get the JBL Reference 410 by Friday, I called the store and they are out not to my surprise, it was only the best headphone deal I have ever seen. so now my choices are limited in headphones the issue is not money but rather selection and the three choices I have in my price range I have no interest in so I am thinking of picking up a pair of High Quality Ear Buds which I have a big selection to choose from JVC, Skull Candy, Phillips, Sennheiser, Sony, Centrios so I think I am going to message Fred and ask his opinion since he is the resident Ear Bud King and Ear Buds are Alien Technology to me...

 

[d3fct]

Cons: needs a AC adapter to actually work(for the headset to turn on), when using 5.1 you can't tell wtf is happening from any direction(thats also the beauty of the sound controller) with the sound controller you can easily fix it.


I would recommend the Trittons over a LOT of headsets, So I give this headset 4.75/5....lol

+1 I agree, but i have no problem with directional sound, in bf2 i can hear the arty firing now, wherever i am in the map. big sound quality differance.

 

[-1nf1n1ty-]

+1 I agree, but i have no problem with directional sound, in bf2 i can hear the arty firing now, wherever i am in the map. big sound quality differance.

I have only tried the headset on, UT3(sounded a lot better),CS:S(Sounded ok), TF2(sounded better than CS:S but that's not saying much), I have come to the conclusion that steam is pretty crappy on sound,lol. WoW sounds really good with the headset. so does bioshock. as well as DVD's and music etc. I can't think of any other games to try unless anyone has a game I should try? I can try crysis but only the demo,lol I dont feel like buying a game that Im probably gonna play for a day

(in response to a post Infinity deleted)

Man I'll tell ya the HPA2's are still one of the most comfortable headphones/headsets I've ever owned yet...they leaked a lotta sound, but the soft cloth padding is 2nd to none for comfort. My JVC's are pretty comfy with a quick and simple mod to push the pads out a little bit, they were ok stock though, lasted me a good couple of hours which is generally as long as they're on. You might consider going with a headphone next time and strapping a mic to it or getting a zalman cable clip on mic, you'll get more sound for your buck and with your x-fi you could even benefit from what cmms-3d offers for emulation...it really is suprising how well it works and I'm using a closed back heapdhone, open backs like the Audio Technica AD700's really seem to benefit from what I've read.

But as long as you're happy with your investment that's what it's all about, thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts to this thread. If you have any more you want to add even if you disliked them, please feel free to add them. You can see from my OP I went from $20-80 in price range, and a $33 headphone made me happier than all of them! The plantronics though was one of the best cheap ones, just not very comfy.

yeah sorry for deleting my comment, I just didnt want to get bashed and people not listen to my review because I only go for those qualities....my bad



EDIT: this is back on topic, I have used the fatal1ty headset.......reason why I am not reviewing it is because it was very bad 1.made out of worst crap than the barracudas and felt TOO flimsy 2. sound quality.......no comment it was basically the real cheap ones you can get at a gas station for like 5 dollars. 3. it was for 40 dollars(i know its not much but the fact that you payed that much for something that really isnt all that great) 5. ITS FROM CREATIVE! wtf creative?!?! come on I expected you of all companies to make a great headset

 

[Kursah]

There's more to headphones than just sound, and what works for you and why is something that should only matter to you. This thread is not for bashing or flaming, if that does happen, it will be reported. This thread is for sharing your opinions and feelings on the varied headphones and headsets you've used for pc/gaming/music purposes. Just because I feel my JVC's using CMMS-3D blows the true 5.1 headsets I've used out of the water doesn't mean the next guy will agree having had the same products to do a similar comparo. What I have now gives me what I want to hear and what I expect to hear, so it works great for me...from what I've read on the internet, some spend $1000's to get to that point, some spend $10...finding that point can be something that is truly a pain depending on how truly picky you are or your ears are.

But when you find something whether bad or good, please feel free to add it and why. Who cares if you hated a headset and I loved it? Maybe I have less experience with better quality, so that one seems better to me than it is for many others? Who cares, it's all good, because as long as you're happy to what you're listening to and feel no need for more, louder, or better, you've found success. That's what this thread is about, helping those in the search for that success and sorting through what we want to hear, weighing in the good and bad, deciding if a more powerful source is needed or if onboard is fine, or if going with usb is the way to go, etc. All we can do is post our opinions and hope they provide a positive solution for someone in the search of what to get in the first place or what to get next, or what else to look at, and so-on.

Thanks for your donations so far and I look forward to reading more in the future!