FPS Surround gaming headset pointers

bradUK

bradUK

bradUK

Associate
Joined
14 Jul 2013
Posts
884
Evening all,

I'm looking to get a new gaming headset for Christmas and have a budget of circa £250. I've done my homework and I'm now more baffled than ever!

I was initially steered toward Tritton Pro+'s by a friend of mine but the more I look online and read reviews I've come to realise they are a budget option with a premium price tag.

My googling has lead me to look at Senheissers, 2013 Astro A40's, TB X7's and all manor of sexy audiophile grade cans, none of which I can differentiate between!

Ideally I would like closed can for late night gaming sessions and superb surround sound positioning, I've been using Plantronics Gamecon 7.1's thus far and would like to be blown away by my new set.

My Mobo is 7.1 compiant and I have no seperate sound card at present which is why I was looking at a set with a Mix Amp included.

Basically, any pointers, help or recommendations would be gratefully recieved!
 
This what I using Roccat Kave True 5.1 Headset. Not like all the USB ones witch are in fact 2.0 headsets with Virtual 5.1/7.1
£64.99 inc VAT
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-000-RC

I also have this Sound card
£83.99 inc VAT
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-001-AS

This Combo is Superb, the best I have had so far.

Sound card
Pro's Everything :D

One Con Asus Drivers, but not a issue because you can get better driver from
here - http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/

Headset
Pro's
Superb 5.1 surround sound - Battlefield 4 sound unreal, the positional audio is really stunning.
Bass - the Bass in this headset is very good, plus it has a Rumble pack inside bit like a PS3 pad. So when you fire your gun or a explosion happens the headset rumbles its not to much to put you off either its a very nice touch.
Build Quality - the Build on this headset is faultless.
Controller - inbetween the Headset and Jacks in a controller lets you switch between Movie or game mode. You can also change the Front, Surround, Side and sub Levels. With volume and Mic mute.

Con's
The Jacks have colour coding wrong to what most Sound cards or onboard audio have. example mic is normally pink, it's not on this so you need to look up the Manually to make sure you connecting it into the correct ports.
Weight - the headset is abit heavy, am used to it now and it dont bother me at all but I can see it being a problem for others.

:D

Any Questions do ask.
 
Thanks for the reply mate, very detailed and just what I was looking for!

I think I'm sold. I've had a look around and both card and headset seem to score rave reviews, I can't wait to receive them! I'll let you know how I get on and maybe tap you up again in a few weeks for some driver/setup advice.

Thanks again mate.
 
The Kaves great for what they are, but if I wanted to be blown away by sound in games I would buy the Creative Z and get a pair of headphones. The new CALs get great recommendations, Papalazaru has a review on them. There are others and I personally think they would be much better than the Kaves.

Any of the following would blow you away with the sound quality and positional audio.

CAL,
CAL2,
Audio Technica ATH 700x (closed back)
Philips Fidelio X1
Ultrasone 550

These all need a clip on mic though.

If you must have a microphone attached, then consider the

Sennheiser PC350 SE


Any of these options will sound better than the Kaves, especially considering your budget.


Have a read of the following thread, will only take about 10 minutes and should help you.
http://www.overclock.net/t/368653/ocnhc-guide-to-gaming-headphones-headsets
 
bradUK said:
Thanks for the reply mate, very detailed and just what I was looking for!

I think I'm sold. I've had a look around and both card and headset seem to score rave reviews, I can't wait to receive them! I'll let you know how I get on and maybe tap you up again in a few weeks for some driver/setup advice.

Thanks again mate.
Click to expand...

No problem Enjoy them there Superb, Not a single Better Surround Headset out there than them.
 
shankly1985 said:
Never a fan of Wireless Headset's. Also they might list 7.1 surround but the not really there 2.0 with virtual surround, not has good as having the real deal :D
Plus that Price tag :eek:
Click to expand...

I know :) But they contain headphone x and from what little I heard they sound amazing, at least to me sort of Azur 651 standard.
 
So my Kave's arrived today and as I suspected they are pretty damn good!

Build quality seems good, they are plastic but don't feel "plasticy" if you know what I mean? Very solid and chunky.

I read a lot of reviews complaining they feel heavy to wear and the design of the pressure pads on the headband causes discomfort. I've not noticed either to be honest, they fit snuggly and are pretty comfy so far. The earcups fit my whole ear inside which I like and the noise cancellation is pretty good too.

Mic quality is good to the point where I was asked why my voice sounds so much clearer whilst playing BF3 earlier lol

5.1 is quality and I do mean quality. The benefit of having seperate drivers in the earcup as opposed to virtual 5.1/7.1 is unreal. The 3D positioning is incredible and the fact you can turn each individual chanel up and down independently on the control module makes it a doddle to fine tune on the fly. Bear in mind I'm only driving these with my Mobo onboard 7.1 and control panel speaker positioning at the moment, they still kick ass!

Cheers for the recommend Shankly, cant wait to go sound card shopping tomorrow! Is there any point going for the 7.1 D2X when the set will only reproduce 5.1 or am I missing something?

**EDIT**

Forgot to say, once again fantastic service from Overclockers. Several Email reminders of delivery and text messages to ensure I was home during my one hour delivery window to avoid dissapointment. I was reading a thread a few days back that someone was whinging about OC being slightly more expensive than another Web based shop. Who really cares when the service, returns policy and all the other little things you get from them are so good?

Thanks for the Harribo too :-)
 
Last edited:
bradUK said:
So my Kave's arrived today and as I suspected they are pretty damn good!

Build quality seems good, they are plastic but don't feel "plasticy" if you know what I mean? Very solid and chunky.

I read a lot of reviews complaining they feel heavy to wear and the design of the pressure pads on the headband causes discomfort. I've not noticed either to be honest, they fit snuggly and are pretty comfy so far. The earcups fit my whole ear inside which I like and the noise cancellation is pretty good too.

Mic quality is good to the point where I was asked why my voice sounds so much clearer whilst playing BF3 earlier lol

5.1 is quality and I do mean quality. The benefit of having seperate drivers in the earcup as opposed to virtual 5.1/7.1 is unreal. The 3D positioning is incredible and the fact you can turn each individual chanel up and down independently on the control module makes it a doddle to fine tune on the fly. Bear in mind I'm only driving these with my Mobo onboard 7.1 and control panel speaker positioning at the moment, they still kick ass!

Cheers for the recommend Shankly, cant wait to go sound card shopping tomorrow! Is there any point going for the 7.1 D2X when the set will only reproduce 5.1 or am I missing something?

**EDIT**

Forgot to say, once again fantastic service from Overclockers. Several Email reminders of delivery and text messages to ensure I was home during my one hour delivery window to avoid dissapointment. I was reading a thread a few days back that someone was whinging about OC being slightly more expensive than another Web based shop. Who really cares when the service, returns policy and all the other little things you get from them are so good?

Thanks for the Harribo too :-)
Click to expand...

Very happy you enjoying it :D a lot of people will turn away from this type of headset becuase they think its a gimmick.
The Build of the device is really superb, the head band is in fact made of very thick solid metal.
The D2X does indeed support 7.1 but its not really a problem it will also support 5.1
The D2X I went with because it support's DTS Connect and Dolby Live for my Sound system, if none of theses interest you it might be better to drop down to the Xonar DG or something.

What you think of the base? and vibration?
 
The vibration function is a nifty trick lol Squeezing off rounds in Arma 3 and feeling it actually "kick" is pretty cool! Bass is deep and boomy too, really chuffed with them.
2
Went into town earlier to try and get the SC as I'm impatient, they had no Xonars at all. Nearly came home with a Creative Z. Any idea how they stack up?
 
bradUK said:
The vibration function is a nifty trick lol Squeezing off rounds in Arma 3 and feeling it actually "kick" is pretty cool! Bass is deep and boomy too, really chuffed with them.
2
Went into town earlier to try and get the SC as I'm impatient, they had no Xonars at all. Nearly came home with a Creative Z. Any idea how they stack up?
Click to expand...


iv got kaves myself.... about 2 years now.. and with a sound card (Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatality) old card... they where awesome... but i sold the card when i upgraded my pc.. nearly a year since i have a sound card, got a creative z on the way... seem everyone is saying its great....if its mainly gamen you do id say its perfect!
 
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