Help a noob with heaphones purchase?
Oct 16, 2013 at 8:24 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8
slargmonster

slargmonster

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I'm looking to buy a pair of headphones. They have to sound good and they have to be EXTREMLY durable. I've had gaming headsets made of plastic that have been labeled as "durable", that I've broke. Also I know this isn't the place for this but if you could help me I would appreciate it (if you can't its fine), I need a desktop mic. It doesn't have to be amazing but I usually have my brother talking behind me and would like it to be able to localize sound decently. My budget for both is $150-$200.
 
Oct 16, 2013 at 9:34 PM Post #2 of 8
Sennheiser HD558, $130
Get any add-on mic you like.
 
Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card, $26 and there is a $10 mail in rebate this month (Amazon).
 
Oct 17, 2013 at 2:00 AM Post #3 of 8
I currently use Sennheiser HD25-1 as my primary gaming headset/every day headphone. SUPER durable (dropped this headphone a few times, still trucking on), and great sound.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD25-1-II-Closed-Back-Headphones/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381989370&sr=8-2&keywords=hd25
 
Before these I bought the Sennheieser HD555's, still have them too, but I'm not sure if you can buy those new anymore? Correct me if I'm wrong. As for the mic, I went with the Zalman clip on mic. Nothing special, gets the job done, and inexpensive.
 
Oct 17, 2013 at 2:31 PM Post #4 of 8
I'd even go with the HD598. Shouldn't be bad at all for gaming, with one catch. They're open headphones, and when you play on open headphones, you will hear your own keyboard and any other background noise. Plus, people in the same room will hear sound leaking from your headphones. If you have any intentions to go to lans or any kind of offline tournaments, you won' have any isolation and the headphones will be useless.

But, that's the only downside. I play with open headphones and I like it.

Get any directional desktop mic; also there are mics that clip onto your headphones.

If you want closed, try Creative Aurvana Live. Also, I played for a while with a Beyer DT770 Pro and liked it, though it is a tad bass-heavy. The positioning was top notch.

Gaming headsets are, for the most part, cheaply made and overpriced, so I'm not surprised at your bad luck with them.
 
Oct 18, 2013 at 7:44 PM Post #6 of 8
slargmonster said:
Is the sound card necessary? From my understanding, wouldn't a sound card that cheap make no difference? Pardon my noobishness if I'm completely wrong.
Click to expand...

The older or cheaper the motherboard is, the more noticeable the Xonar DG will improve audio quality.
 
Oct 19, 2013 at 11:30 PM Post #8 of 8
slargmonster said:
I have the Asus P8Z68-V LE. Its about 2 years old. Will it be worth getting the sound card with this board?
Click to expand...

After $10 mail in rebate, it's costing you less then $20 to try the Xonar DG.
But I'm not in a position to say for sure it will be a noticeable difference.
I would think it would at least make a minor improvement.
 
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