What surround sound headset for my xfi card ?

Franco_cov · 2 Jul 2008 at 08:40

Guys,

Any suggestions to what headset to get for gaming? I did have the 5.1 medusa but the connector on the box came faulty after a short period.

I already own a xfi fatality 5.1 gamers card so would like to get a headset that will last have had clear surround sound to enjoy my games better.

Any suggestions??

Mansize_tissue · 2 Jul 2008 at 16:04

Franco_cov said:
would like to get a headset that will last have had clear surround sound to enjoy my games better.

Solution: get a decent pair of stereo headphones and enable CMSS-3D on your card.

Tetsu · 2 Jul 2008 at 16:40

Mansize_tissue said:
Solution: get a decent pair of stereo headphones and enable CMSS-3D on your card.

Yeah 5.1 headphones are a gimmick, do the above ^^^

davecarter · 2 Jul 2008 at 16:46

I have some 5.1 phones which are great for movies but poor for music and games, which are the best stereo headsets, I m after something with great sounding bass and no distortion

Mansize_tissue · 2 Jul 2008 at 23:36

What's your budget?

davecarter said:
I have some 5.1 phones which are great for movies but poor for music and games, which are the best stereo headsets, I m after something with great sounding bass and no distortion

If you want some 'phones for gaming (for example competitive FPS) you would be better with something which doesn't drastically over emphasise the low-end. Though, saying that, not many stereo cans from reputable manufacturers will do this to such an extent that it might be a problem. My Beyers, for example, are known to be able to produce really heavy bass. Explosions in games have never sounded better! Though of course it doesn't distort or mask the other frequencies so much that it becomes problematic--in my eyes (or ears rather), at least.

C64 · 3 Jul 2008 at 02:30

Grado are surprisingly good for fps as they have great mid and high end I'd just get sennheiser hd555 or goldring dr150.
I myself own the goldring dr150 they are superb and british too.

Franco_cov · 5 Jul 2008 at 18:46

^^^ Bump ^^^

Uriel · 5 Jul 2008 at 19:20

I'm getting tired of the "5.1 headphones are a gimmick" mantra. It's becoming an article of faith for some of the audeophile crowd and I'm convinced that it gets repeated by people are just spouting what they've heard on forums (not that I'm suggesting any of you guys are doing it). I think the problem with 5.1 headphones isn't so much the principle as the implemenation, quality of components etc.

Some might say that 5.1 speakers are a gimmick compared to a stereo set (you've only got two ears etc) but no virtual surround technology I've heard is as convinging as having speakers all around me. Of course there are differences between soundwave behaviour from speakers and headphones but your ears are as individual as your fingerprints. What works for one person may not be an ideal solution for anther. Depending on the algorithms involved you might find CMSS or Dolby Headphone a lot more convincing than I do.

5.1 headphones work very well for some people. I find the positional effects on the medusas pretty convincing, much more so than the X-Fi's CMSS-3D, but there are some sound and build quality issues with them. I certainly wouldn't use the Medusas over a set of stereo phones of the same price bracket for music listening.

This review directly compares the Medusas with the HD555s. http://techgage.com/article/speedlink_medusa_51_and_sennheiser_hd555/1

Tetsu · 5 Jul 2008 at 23:19

I'm purely going on experience with this. My hd555 have way better positioning than my medusa's. its not a completely fair test though as the medusa's sound quality is simply dreadful in comparison. which makes them really suffer on the high end.

AbsenceJam · 6 Jul 2008 at 00:01

Uriel said:
I'm getting tired of the "5.1 headphones are a gimmick" mantra. It's becoming an article of faith for some of the audeophile crowd and I'm convinced that it gets repeated by people are just spouting what they've heard on forums (not that I'm suggesting any of you guys are doing it). I think the problem with 5.1 headphones isn't so much the principle as the implemenation, quality of components etc.

Some might say that 5.1 speakers are a gimmick compared to a stereo set (you've only got two ears etc) but no virtual surround technology I've heard is as convinging as having speakers all around me. Of course there are differences between soundwave behaviour from speakers and headphones but your ears are as individual as your fingerprints. What works for one person may not be an ideal solution for anther. Depending on the algorithms involved you might find CMSS or Dolby Headphone a lot more convincing than I do.

5.1 headphones work very well for some people. I find the positional effects on the medusas pretty convincing, much more so than the X-Fi's CMSS-3D, but there are some sound and build quality issues with them. I certainly wouldn't use the Medusas over a set of stereo phones of the same price bracket for music listening.

This review directly compares the Medusas with the HD555s. http://techgage.com/article/speedlink_medusa_51_and_sennheiser_hd555/1

They are a gimmick and sound crap, end of, you don't need to be an audiophile to realise that. If you like them then good for you, some people like ridiculous amounts of bass or cranking up the brightness on the display. Doesn't mean what they like is any good.

Uriel · 6 Jul 2008 at 15:22

I'm not so much saying I like them, as they're not just a gimmick. 5.1 headphones work pretty much as intended, depending on speaker positioning on the particular set and an individual's ears. They are a better solution for some people that want surround sound in games or movies than higher quality stereo headphones using virtual positioning.

Virtual surround technology works by simulating the audio cues (regarding positioning) that we hear due to the way soundwaves eventually reach our eardrums. Given that everybody's ears are different, these audio cues are different for each individual. If your ears are sufficiently similar to the 'model' ones that are being simulated by the virtual speaker technology, the technology works. If your ears are sufficiently different from the simulated 'model ears' it will sound wrong.

I've heard Dolby Headphone through an expensive set of headphones (Grados I think - was a demonstration type thing) and didn't find the positional effect convincing. It was more of a kind of "I can hear what they're trying to do there" sort of experience for me, rather than the "it's that way" (well roughly) experience I get with the Medusas. I find the experience interpretative with Dolby Headphone and instinctive with the Medusas. My CMSS-3D / X-Fi experience has been limited to in ear buds that came with a Sony Walkman phone - nothing on par with the HD555s - and again, I found it unconvincing.

One thing that I do find works better with both Dolby Headphone and CMSS-3D is the sense of sound sources being outside the head. The Medusas sound like the noise is either in my head or a small bubble around it, although I find EAX can help with that one in games.

The Medusa surround positioning isn't perfect for me. I find that things that are supposed to be directly in front or behind me in games or movies sound too 'wide'. That the medusas sound crap terms of quality when compared to to decent stereo sets- I'll give you that one. My particular pet hate about the medusas is the amount of interference they pick up - it's really difficult to get rid of buzzing from wi-fi, mobile phones etc. After lots of messing with mine I've got them to a level I'd regard as acceptable. Also, after my Audigy 2 died, I used the Medusas with my onboard sound, which had a sub crossover setting but was non adjustable. In short the experience was horrible. Using them with a reasonable soundcard and setting them up properly makes a huge difference.

Hey - I'd take a decent 5.1 speaker set over any headphones for gaming but my last two residences have been a terraced house and a flat. Hardly ideal for cranking up the volume.

Getting a Xonar is probably going to be my next audio-related purchase. Maybe I'll give it's virtual surround setting a go and it'll work better. I'm pretty sure that the X-Fi's CMSS-3D isn't for me. It's preferable to just stereo but doesn't really cut the mustard.

Edit: To the OP - you've tried the Medusas so they're a known commodity. In spite of their failings I believe that the Medusas are still one of the best 5.1 headsets on the market. Is there a hi-fi / audio-visual shop you can go to locally that might allow you to try a few stereo sets with a virtual speaker technology? Most AV amps have a virtual surround headphone setting. You should be able to tell pretty quickly whether it works well for you or not. Maybe take a couple of DVDs and CDs of your own and use those if they'll let you.