Should I replace my headset?

So, I've been using the same headset for about what, like 6 years now? Maybe slightly more. Not that it's the same pair, I've gone through maybe 4 or 5 of them over the years. I keep purchasing the same set when they give out (usually after a year or so the wire will snap and the audio will lose quality or the mic will get extremely distorted) as whenever I've looked for something else nothing has really stood out for around the same price.

The headset I'm talking about is the Creative Fatal1ty headset (https://www.overclockers.co.uk/creative-fatal1ty-hs-800-gaming-headset-sp-091-cl.html) and the reasons I like it are;

- Cheap
- Decent audio quality (at least to me, I've not tried many others)
- Good mic quality
- Very comfortable even after long periods of use

The bad things, however;

- Breaks in one way or another after around a year of careful useage
- Noise quite easily escapes the headset, so when using voice comms I can't have any other source of sound on such as spotify music unless I want the people I'm talking with to hear it

The good points of this headset are all things that are important to me.

Firstly I'd be be looking to spend around the same amount, such as the HyperX Cloud Stinger has caught my attention currently being on sale discounted in various places at around the same price my current headset.

Audio quality is obviously a given, and I'd want the microphone to be at least as good as mine is currently, as I'm usually on voice comms when playing games and I do the occasional youtube/twitch stuffs.

Comfort is a very big one. I wear glasses, and prior to deciding on my current ones I found quite a few would cause discomfort as a result. I also experienced quite a few that would cause my ears to hurt after prolonged used. It's not rare that I end up using my headset for 12 hours straight, so this is a very important factor for me, and it's the main selling point on my current headset and the main reason I re-purchase it without much hesitation.

So that about clears it up, with my current headset being ~9 years old at this point, I suppose my questions are;

Will I notice much of an audio improvement from a more modern headset like the Cloud Stinger? Can I expect the microphone to be at least as good as my current? Can anyone speak to the longevity of comfort with the Cloud Stinger's or other headphones in that price range (more credit to this if you too wear glasses) and lastly, do more modern headsets tend to be more durable?

Thank ye~

I use the razer kraken headset and they are awesome imo. Sound good, good mic quality and very comfortable. Not had long enough to test durability, but so far so good.



RTJ

35 x 4 = £140 minimum you have spent, so not all that good value in the end.

You get what you pay for in most cases and the more you spend the better quality build you get.

Buy the HyperX Cloud for around £50, not the Stinger but the original Cloud.

Very good audio, good mic and well built (more metal less plastic).

Thank me later.

PapaLazaru said:

35 x 4 = £140 minimum you have spent, so not all that good value in the end.

You get what you pay for in most cases and the more you spend the better quality build you get.

Buy the HyperX Cloud for around £50, not the Stinger but the original Cloud.

Very good audio, good mic and well built (more metal less plastic).

Thank me later.

Click to expand...

It's probably closer to 6 pairs over 6-7 years so around £210, would a £210 pair of remained in full working order for that long? I dunno

Regarding the HyperX headsets, why the original Cloud over the Stinger? Where I'm looking they're practically the same price, but the Stinger is currently on sale for £30 down from the usual £50 where the Cloud would be closer to £60 at the moment. Curious what the differences are to warrant twice the price.

Also, the Cloud II can be found for close to the same price, is that not just an upgraded version of the original? I know that's certainly not always the case when it comes to follow up versions of products but a quick google seems to suggest that.

Cloud Stinger is likely a different headset entirely. Original Cloud is basically rebranded Takstar 2050 headphones with a microphone attached. They were good well made budget headphones, with metal extenders, unlike many gaming headsets which are predominantly plastic.

The Cloud Stinger's have a look which says to me, 'let's see how long they last before the plastic breaks'. In fact just looking at a review of them, one of the cons is, 'so so build quality'.

As for the Cloud II. Same headset as the Cloud, but comes with a USB sound device adaptor. In theory, probably the better choice for those without a sound card, although being USB the volume is likely limited to what the adaptor is capable of. There have been a few threads created by some users on he forums that feel at max volume, they are not loud enough.

For someone dumping the USB part due to a lack of volume, then there's no point buying the USB variant.

That makes sense. The normal Cloud does look a lot better quality in terms of how it's made. I've found a lot of reports about the limited volume options when using the USB connection on the Cloud II, so I do indeed think I'd be better off with the original, especially since I don't care for the simulated 7.1 surround sound.

I might be better off making a new thread discussing these specific headphones at this point but I'm left with two questions if it's possible to get an answer here without doing that.

1) How likely is it that I'll notice better audio from the Cloud over my current headphones and how will the mic compare?

2) Is the Cloud comfortable to wear for prolonged hours of use? Say 8-12?

For sound quality, I'd be very surprised if you don't find the Cloud's better than the Fatal1ty's. No idea on the microphone, but I would expect it at least to be as good as if not better. Probably not up to Sennheiser quality though, as they probably produce the best microphones.

After a search, I found this post from another member who bought the Cloud II's for his son, to replace the Fatal1ty's he already had.

I upgraded from Fatality to the HyperX Cloud and I was so amazed by the difference!
They beat Fatality in every way. To be quite honest the Fatality lack in sound quality. If you get the HyperX you'll understand what I mean. Well I'd hope you'll notice a difference.

The Fatality are quite comfy but you can feel that they press on your head just a little but with the HyperX they feel much lighter.

Thanks guys, I'll likely be ordering one of those then! Just waiting to see where's best to purchase one from and see if there's any xmas deals