What Surround Sound Headphones for Gameing?

fish99 · 27 Jun 2006 at 19:54

Steveh_monkey said:
I've got to advise getting a good pair of Stereo Headphones right now. I've had the Medusa 5.1 for ages, and I loved them to bits. However, I just went and bought a jack plug converter (big to small) and used a pair of fairly old but very good quality Headphones I've had around the house for a while.
Combined with X-Fi Xtreme Music, it absolutely blows away Medusas, and they are obviously better for music. With CMSS-3D enabled the surround sound is also much better than the Medusas.
I've also found there are gaps in the Medusa's surround sound speaker system.

Agree 100%. The surround sound on the Medusas (and the Zalmans, and probably all these 5.1 headsets) is really messed up. They haven't been able to make the position of the 6 speakers inside the phones match up with where 5.1 speakers should be at all. Plus there's very little depth to the sound field from front to back.

Angilion · 29 Jun 2006 at 05:13

Likewise. I have the Medusas and I'm not at all impressed with the 5.1 sound. They're very comfortable to wear and they expand even bigger than my head, which are good points, and the sound quality certainly isn't bad...but it certainly isn't 5.1.

For a start, there aren't any front channels. Seriously. You get left, right, centre, left and slight behind, right and slightly behind. Then there's the jumping Steveh_monkey referred to.

I use mine as stereo headphones now.

mrbios · 29 Jun 2006 at 05:30

Angilion said:
and the sound quality certainly isn't bad

its worse than bad! its appauling!

devilkazuya · 29 Jun 2006 at 14:19

agreed. Medusas have terrible sound quality, and the srround sound is just not effective or accurate. The only thing i use mine for is the mic, which is quite good quality. I wear my grado sr125s for gaming, then just have my Medusas sat on the table with the mic plugged into my pc, but not the headphones, and just have the mic pointing upward at me when i go on teamspeak.

Angilion · 29 Jun 2006 at 22:59

They probably do have terrible sound quality in comparison with £150 headphones, but that's to be expected for £30 headphones.

I think £30 would be better spent on a pair of stereo headphones, though.

SnipaMasta · 30 Jun 2006 at 04:54

If you want to play games decently, surround sound headphones are the best way to go. Stereo doesn't give the positioning as well as the Medusa's, and the Medusa's sound quality isn't particularily terrible.

fish99 · 30 Jun 2006 at 09:46

Angilion said:
They probably do have terrible sound quality in comparison with £150 headphones, but that's to be expected for £30 headphones.

They have terrible sound quality compared to £15 stereo headphones.

puppy · 30 Jun 2006 at 13:07

I have to agree - after having used (and got rid of) both Medusas and Zalmans, "proper" stereo headphones coupled with the Creative X-Fi's game mode are much better, both in terms of sound and enemy positioning etc

I use Sennheiser HD555s myself, but any Sennheiser 5xx or 6xx series cans will do the trick, as will any Grados. Both ranges are wonderful for music and films too... what I would say though is try to find the opportunity to audition them - i.e. do some listening tests in a shop. Your ears will tell you which ones you prefer

Personally I find Grados too uncomfortable to wear for long gaming sessions, Senns are much more "plush", and in sound terms I find Grado's a bit too bright/sparkly, but that's just my personal preference. It's really important to listen through them before buying if that's at all possible - I can't stress that enough

Good luck with choosing - I really would steer away from cheapie supposedly 3d headphones though, whoever makes them :rolleyes:

MoNkeE · 30 Jun 2006 at 19:45

Christ, someone feel free to correct me, but everyone seems to be saying "surround sound headphones are crap - what you want is this £55 soundcard and this £50+ headset".

Everyone seems to be comparing over £100's worth of gear to an admittedly cheap pair of surround sound headphones (which cost £30 in comparrison). That's like saying, "I could beat you in a race" when you're in a porshe and the other person's in a Ford Escort...

-RaZ

Boz · 30 Jun 2006 at 20:19

the point is a cheap pair of stereo headphones will be streets ahead of any of these 'surround' headphones. think of it this way - how much separation can the 'surround' headphones achieve when the actual drivers are about 1cm from your ear?

also, if 'surround' headphones were the way to go then why dont companies like grado, sennheiser, akg etc make them?

TooNice · 30 Jun 2006 at 20:45

^ Well, strictly speaking, high end IEMs have 2-3 drivers and are stuffed down your ear canals.

I am not entirely skeptical that it is impossible to have multi-driver surround headphone to sound good... But the cost would be exorbitant (even more than current £150 headphones).

ShiWarrior · 30 Jun 2006 at 21:53

Boz said:
the point is a cheap pair of stereo headphones will be streets ahead of any of these 'surround' headphones. think of it this way - how much separation can the 'surround' headphones achieve when the actual drivers are about 1cm from your ear?

also, if 'surround' headphones were the way to go then why dont companies like grado, sennheiser, akg etc make them?

I looked at the Sennheiser web site amd im sure one of their wireless ones had something "surround sound" but i don't think it actuall surround sound stuff like medusa and zalman

Angilion · 30 Jun 2006 at 22:42

MoNkeE said:
Christ, someone feel free to correct me, but everyone seems to be saying "surround sound headphones are crap - what you want is this £55 soundcard and this £50+ headset".

Everyone seems to be comparing over £100's worth of gear to an admittedly cheap pair of surround sound headphones (which cost £30 in comparrison). That's like saying, "I could beat you in a race" when you're in a porshe and the other person's in a Ford Escort...

-RaZ

It's more than that. The cheapest X-Fi comes in around £80 and the headphones people are talking about are over £100. I looked online for Grado SR125, for an example, and the cheapest price for a pair was £116.

EDIT: I see that the X-Fi has dropped a lot. I think I'll buy one.

OTOH, I do think that the right pair of £30 stereo headhones would be a better buy than a £30 pair of surround sound headphones, especially if you have an X-Fi already.

I've twiddled with settings all day long and there is still no way I'd describe my Medusas as being bona fide surround sound. For positioning of a sound in a game, I find it better to use them in stereo mode and move in the game to triangulate.

So the "surround" sound thing is of very little use IME, therefore paying the money you spent for "surround" sound on better quality in stereo is, IMO, a better buy.

Angilion · 30 Jun 2006 at 22:45

Boz said:
the point is a cheap pair of stereo headphones will be streets ahead of any of these 'surround' headphones. think of it this way - how much separation can the 'surround' headphones achieve when the actual drivers are about 1cm from your ear?

also, if 'surround' headphones were the way to go then why dont companies like grado, sennheiser, akg etc make them?

The market is different, so I don't think that's a conclusive argument. Those companies aim their products at audiophiles and thus predominantly for music, which is predominantly in stereo.

ShiWarrior · 30 Jun 2006 at 22:49

ok, I think we have established that X-Fi sound card and a good pair of stero heardphones are the way forward.?

back to my original question for a bit,
take the "surround sound" out and putting it this way :

What "stereo" headphones WITH a microphone do you suggest for say upto £50

Thanks

SnipaMasta · 1 Jul 2006 at 01:08

Angilion said:
I've twiddled with settings all day long and there is still no way I'd describe my Medusas as being bona fide surround sound. For positioning of a sound in a game, I find it better to use them in stereo mode and move in the game to triangulate.

So the "surround" sound thing is of very little use IME, therefore paying the money you spent for "surround" sound on better quality in stereo is, IMO, a better buy.

You haven't twiddled enough! The demo that came with my soundcard (a helicopter circling around) runs brilliantly with my Medusa's. It's not faultless, but it's pretty damn accurate.

TooNice · 1 Jul 2006 at 01:09

Angilion said:
I looked online for Grado SR125, for an example, and the cheapest price for a pair was £116.

That's because Grado are overpriced in this country. I wouldn't buy one here, I got my HF-1 from the States (which does cost more than £100, but is also a good step up from the SR125). If it weren't for that deal, I would've gone for an Alessandro: those are basically tweaked Grado, and the MS-1 cost $100 and is usually considered to be at SR125 level. However, fish99 has said that you can get stereo headphones compete favorably in SQ with those surround headset for £15.. under the form of the Koss KSC-75 (I am being unreasonably conservative by only saying "compete favorably").

The only headset that might consider would be the Senn ones (PC series). But I'd say that'd be buying into the Sennheiser brand. Headsets are, like surround headphones, not designed with top audio reproduction in mind even from a well known manufacturer. If it was up to me, I'd grab the Koss KSC-75/Porta Pro/Sportapro, and grab the cheapest table mic I can find (unless I had recording in mind). It'll end up costing the same as a Senn PC150, take more space, but sounding better (and in some way more versatile since it can be used with your MP3 players or whatever... whereas you probably wouldn't wear your headset outside).

Angilion · 1 Jul 2006 at 22:50

SnipaMasta said:
You haven't twiddled enough! The demo that came with my soundcard (a helicopter circling around) runs brilliantly with my Medusa's. It's not faultless, but it's pretty damn accurate.

There isn't much to twiddle with, but I'd be glad to hear the settings you use. Maybe I am overlooking something important.

Do you have any details about that demo? I'd like to try it on my machine, but the only helicopter surround sound demos I found in a search were for faking surround sound on stereo.

Are you using an X-Fi, by any chance?

ShiWarrior · 4 Jul 2006 at 11:48

What about one of these ?

Sennheiser PC135 USB Pro-Gaming Headset (SP-005-SN)
The supreme gaming tool for excellent sound. You play hard and need a headset that can keep up. The pc 135 USB gives you true-to-life sound for superior gaming performance. The in-line volume control lets you crank the intensity up or down and the USB adapter with integrated sound card lets you hook up to any computer, even one without a sound card. Put it to work at your next serious competition or LAN party. You’ll never leave home without it again.

- Integrated Sound Card Chip
- Frequency Response: 30-18,000Hz
- Impedance: 32ohms
- SPL (at 1 kHz, 1 Vrms): 112dB
- Cable Length: 3m
- Connector Plug: USB adapter and 2 x 3.5mm jack

its on this site, around £50

What about Plantronics? no one has mentioned them yet

v0n · 4 Jul 2006 at 15:23

Frequency response of that headset deserves a kick in a box already. These days good headphones don't have to be expensive, Technics RPF350 for example, very mass consumer targetting headphones with average price of about 25-29 quid, available in all local stores including high street catalogue shops and in terms of quality they will knock the crispness and livelyness, bass and trebles out of any "gaming" headphones sold for 3 and 4 times the same money ...