Upgrading from Roccat Kave

[crazyboy11]

So my Roccat kave's have just developed a fault (lost front left audio :[) so I'm looking for a replacement.

Can anyone recommend anything that handles surround sound well, or failing that simply a really good headset/headphones? (budget £100 - £150)

My sound card is a Xonar DX, which I hope is adequate for your suggestions.

Thanks.

 

[Marsman]

You've got two choices really. Another multi driver headset like the Kave, or stereo + Dolby Headphone. How well each works is down to the individual. Some will tell you that multi driver headsets are best for positional sound and that Dolby Headphone sucks. Others will tell you DH works great with the right headset or headphones and that multi driver headsets are a gimmick and rubbish. Neither camp is right really, as it all comes down to what the user prefers. Whichever the user finds best, is all that matters.

The problem is that if you prefer a headset like the Kave, that really limits where you can go. The choice of headsets that have multiple drivers, rather than just two, is pretty small. If you look in the surround sound headset section in the shop, there are a load of 5.1/7.1 headsets. The majority though are actually just stereo and use a USB device to provide DH. Rather than choosing one of those, you're much better off buying a stereo headset/headphones and using your sound card for DH.

That leaves you with a choice of probably Razer Tiamat if you want multi driver or a decent stereo headset. Decent pair of headphones and a clip on microphone is another option. Beyerdynamic DT770 or 990 are great headphones.

 

[crazyboy11]

Thanks for the reply, very informative indeed.

Is the sound quality of the Tiamat/DT770 significantly better to justify being over double the price of another set of kaves?