UPDATED: Surround Sound Headset recs please!

[datamestonic]

!SEE POST FURTHER DOWN!

Can anyone reccomend a high quality 5.1 surround sound headset please?

Notice, it needs to be a headset, not just headphones. I have a pretty flexible budget, looking for something that completely covers the ears, has fantastic sound and a good mic. Needs to be sturdy and comfortable, if they're bulky that's fine.

I'm thinking about some of the Sennheiser ones but would love to hear some other suggestions.

 

[0roo0roo]

5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

 

[datamestonic]

After some heavy researching, I found the ultimate headset featuring everything I was looking for:

- Heavy duty feel
- 5.1 Surround
- Strong crisp sound
- Strong heavy bass
- Comfort
- Good mic

I found these specifications on the Medusa 5.1 Surround Sound Headset from a yet to become big company, based on larger European company. According to all the reviews I could find, this was the first headset where the reviewers had no significant problems with the headset (except for that the non-usb version was difficult to travel with because of so many wires). Furthermore, in several ones reviews that compared this one to different big name headsets, this one won by far, tending to get 4/5 or 5/5.

The non-usb version supposedly has better sound and comes with it's own mini-amplifier for connecting all the channels correctly and enhancing the sound. Supposed to work great with games!

Anyway just thought I'd update this thread for anyone that had the same problem as me, finding a good high quality and heavy duty surround sound headset with nice mic. Since this product is european, you'll have trouble finding it in stores here, and even on the net, but eBay has plenty new ones on sale from company accounts.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

You probably haven't tried Dolby Headphone mode 1

 

[svi]

5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

QFT.

Originally posted by: Matthias99
I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

Which stereo headphones have you tried, and which algorithms have you used? I ask because I've used a lot of both, and I've found stereo headphones costing half as much as the Zalmans to do better. I know, "YMMV," I'm just curious if maybe our opinions are different because our experiences are different.

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

Don't they work the same way? I was under the impression that they also use the multiple speaker in each ear thing... but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[imported_Rampage]

Forget about them.

They are junk.
I've owned the Kinyo and 2 other branded 5.1 headsets.. they are a waste of time.

Better off getting yourself a great sounding regular set of headphones and a X-Fi if you are serious about immersion.

I like bassy headphones like the Koss PortaPro (or any Koss for that matter, they are known for their bass yet still a decent price).

My favorite high end cans are Ultrasone. Great sound all around but not weaker bass like Sennheiser and some other tend to have (Sennheiser concentrate more on balance, detail, fidelity and I feel it sacrifices what I feel sounds good.. some decent kick from my M1A16!!!!!)

You'll have to try a lot of headphones to come to the conclusions that I have for my own buying preferences..

When I buy headphones, I obviously dont even consider 5.1 and use either my Sennheiser PC150s for gaming, or a pair of my Koss.

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: southpawuni
Forget about them.

They are junk.
I've owned the Kinyo and 2 other branded 5.1 headsets.. they are a waste of time.

Better off getting yourself a great sounding regular set of headphones and a X-Fi if you are serious about immersion.

I like bassy headphones like the Koss PortaPro (or any Koss for that matter, they are known for their bass yet still a decent price).

My favorite high end cans are Ultrasone. Great sound all around but not weaker bass like Sennheiser and some other tend to have (Sennheiser concentrate more on balance, detail, fidelity and I feel it sacrifices what I feel sounds good.. some decent kick from my M1A16!!!!!)

You'll have to try a lot of headphones to come to the conclusions that I have for my own buying preferences..

When I buy headphones, I obviously dont even consider 5.1 and use either my Sennheiser PC150s for gaming, or a pair of my Koss.

I see... I've tried a fair amount of headphones and headsets in my time, so far my favorite have been Bose although I was only able to afford the lower end ones around $150.. Been looking forward to trying Sennheiser but never got a chance, I tried out some big bastard philips stereo headphones once though, packed some of the best sound I've ever heard (except for the Bose ones) but they were massive. I don't have anything against that personally, I prefer it, but most people don't like that.

I've only tried two sets from Koss but they both sucked. To be fair they were quite cheap though, and I guess all cheap headphones suck. I've never tried the porta pros but they seem very popular. I just can't get myself to use headphones that don't cover my ears though, I've tried many in the past and i think they're uncomfortable.

I'm getting the idea that this 5.1 thing might really be crap but I do want to try it out so I'm going to order these, worst comes to worst and I learn an expensive lesson, but if these many reviews are all saying what they seem to be saying I don't think I'll be dissapointed. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, thank you for your advice.

 

[w00t]

your never really going to get surround sound with a headset even if they do put the speakers in there's base plus the speakers are so close togather its not worth it.

If i were you i would look into
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836508101 <- These have a ****** mic so watch out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106346 <-- good i prefer plantronics still
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106348 <-- still good but you have money so
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106014 <-- good headset like dsp-500 without built in sound card good mic
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106012 <-- what i have not giving em up love em and am going to continue they are usb sound quality is good broke the wire shipped mine back replaced with brand new ones

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: w00t
your never really going to get surround sound with a headset even if they do put the speakers in there's base plus the speakers are so close togather its not worth it.

If i were you i would look into
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836508101 <- These have a ****** mic so watch out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106346 <-- good i prefer plantronics still
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106348 <-- still good but you have money so
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106014 <-- good headset like dsp-500 without built in sound card good mic
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826106012 <-- what i have not giving em up love em and am going to continue they are usb sound quality is good broke the wire shipped mine back replaced with brand new ones

Yeah.. see I wanted to get a set of plantronics, i've heard that they're great for headsets, unfortunately they don't make any in the style that I like (which is basically like what the icemat ones look like). Big sturdy over the head, HEAVILY padded, with completely ear covering headphones. If only they made something like that with a flexible mic, I'd get plantronics, but they don't so I won't.

I would have gotten the icemat or steelpad ones except the steelpad one wasn't quite as hefty as I would have liked it to be, and heard quite a few bad reviews on the quality of it, and the icemat one i also heard quite a few bad things about, and moreover it's not really a headset, it just comes with the separate mic which i don't like, if I wanted that I'd probably get a pair of good stand alone headphones with separate mic instead, from some other company.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: datamestonic

Originally posted by: southpawuni
Forget about them.

They are junk.
I've owned the Kinyo and 2 other branded 5.1 headsets.. they are a waste of time.

Better off getting yourself a great sounding regular set of headphones and a X-Fi if you are serious about immersion.

I like bassy headphones like the Koss PortaPro (or any Koss for that matter, they are known for their bass yet still a decent price).

My favorite high end cans are Ultrasone. Great sound all around but not weaker bass like Sennheiser and some other tend to have (Sennheiser concentrate more on balance, detail, fidelity and I feel it sacrifices what I feel sounds good.. some decent kick from my M1A16!!!!!)

You'll have to try a lot of headphones to come to the conclusions that I have for my own buying preferences..

When I buy headphones, I obviously dont even consider 5.1 and use either my Sennheiser PC150s for gaming, or a pair of my Koss.

I see... I've tried a fair amount of headphones and headsets in my time, so far my favorite have been Bose although I was only able to afford the lower end ones around $150.. Been looking forward to trying Sennheiser but never got a chance, I tried out some big bastard philips stereo headphones once though, packed some of the best sound I've ever heard (except for the Bose ones) but they were massive. I don't have anything against that personally, I prefer it, but most people don't like that.

I've only tried two sets from Koss but they both sucked. To be fair they were quite cheap though, and I guess all cheap headphones suck. I've never tried the porta pros but they seem very popular. I just can't get myself to use headphones that don't cover my ears though, I've tried many in the past and i think they're uncomfortable.

I'm getting the idea that this 5.1 thing might really be crap but I do want to try it out so I'm going to order these, worst comes to worst and I learn an expensive lesson, but if these many reviews are all saying what they seem to be saying I don't think I'll be dissapointed. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, thank you for your advice.

Uh oh, he said the "B" word! (Bose). YoYo is gonna have a field day! If you are reffereing to the Tri-ports as sounding good then you definately have not listened to a good pair of headphone. I would wish a set of those on my worst enemy! I have got a set as a gift a coupla years ago and could not beleive how BAD they sound. My Sennheiser PX-100 sounds 500% better and they cost only 39 bucks! Dude, do yourself a favor and listen to some good Sennheisers, HD-280, PX-100, HD-555, HD-456 even Sony (im no fan) MDR-V7000DJ sound SO MUCH better than the tri-ports!

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: datamestonic

Originally posted by: Matthias99

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
5.1 headphones are generally considered gimmics

I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

Don't they work the same way? I was under the impression that they also use the multiple speaker in each ear thing... but maybe I'm wrong.

Um, yes. I was disagreeing with 0roo0roo.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: svi

Originally posted by: Matthias99
I've found that the Zalman ones work better for me than those algorithms that try to make regular stereo headphones sound like surround sound. YMMV.

Which stereo headphones have you tried, and which algorithms have you used? I ask because I've used a lot of both, and I've found stereo headphones costing half as much as the Zalmans to do better. I know, "YMMV," I'm just curious if maybe our opinions are different because our experiences are different.

Recently I've been using some Koss open-ear headphones (yeah, they're not the absolute best, but I was a broke college student). I used to have some Sony headphones (not sure which model at this point), and I've used a few different brands of earbuds.

My experience with 'faked' surround sound through headphones (or from just stereo speakers) has just never been very impressive. They do a decent job with depth (that is, things that are further away sound further away), but I have a hard time locating which direction something is supposed to be coming from. I've tried the ones on the Creative Soundblaster Live! and Audigy1/2 cards, and it just didn't impress me very much. I seem to get a better sense of spatial positioning in games with the 5.1 Zalman headphones I have now. I must admit that I did not do extensive head-to-head comparisons, though; perhaps when I am next in the market for headphones I will attempt to do so.

If you want the best sound quality, though, you need good stereo headphones. Buying two drivers for $100 gets you better quality than 6 for $50.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Oyeve

Originally posted by: datamestonic

Originally posted by: southpawuni
Forget about them.

They are junk.
I've owned the Kinyo and 2 other branded 5.1 headsets.. they are a waste of time.

Better off getting yourself a great sounding regular set of headphones and a X-Fi if you are serious about immersion.

I like bassy headphones like the Koss PortaPro (or any Koss for that matter, they are known for their bass yet still a decent price).

My favorite high end cans are Ultrasone. Great sound all around but not weaker bass like Sennheiser and some other tend to have (Sennheiser concentrate more on balance, detail, fidelity and I feel it sacrifices what I feel sounds good.. some decent kick from my M1A16!!!!!)

You'll have to try a lot of headphones to come to the conclusions that I have for my own buying preferences..

When I buy headphones, I obviously dont even consider 5.1 and use either my Sennheiser PC150s for gaming, or a pair of my Koss.

I see... I've tried a fair amount of headphones and headsets in my time, so far my favorite have been Bose although I was only able to afford the lower end ones around $150.. Been looking forward to trying Sennheiser but never got a chance, I tried out some big bastard philips stereo headphones once though, packed some of the best sound I've ever heard (except for the Bose ones) but they were massive. I don't have anything against that personally, I prefer it, but most people don't like that.

I've only tried two sets from Koss but they both sucked. To be fair they were quite cheap though, and I guess all cheap headphones suck. I've never tried the porta pros but they seem very popular. I just can't get myself to use headphones that don't cover my ears though, I've tried many in the past and i think they're uncomfortable.

I'm getting the idea that this 5.1 thing might really be crap but I do want to try it out so I'm going to order these, worst comes to worst and I learn an expensive lesson, but if these many reviews are all saying what they seem to be saying I don't think I'll be dissapointed. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, thank you for your advice.

Uh oh, he said the "B" word! (Bose). YoYo is gonna have a field day! If you are reffereing to the Tri-ports as sounding good then you definately have not listened to a good pair of headphone. I would wish a set of those on my worst enemy! I have got a set as a gift a coupla years ago and could not beleive how BAD they sound. My Sennheiser PX-100 sounds 500% better and they cost only 39 bucks! Dude, do yourself a favor and listen to some good Sennheisers, HD-280, PX-100, HD-555, HD-456 even Sony (im no fan) MDR-V7000DJ sound SO MUCH better than the tri-ports!

I'm mainly against their HT sets. Not as much against the headphones or car stereo systems (not that I think they're a good idea, I just haven't had any personal experience with them).

 

[vbuggy]

I thought about going for the broadcast headsets, but they are mainly about capturing good audio so they have way too overspecced mics for our purposes. Eventually I've ended up using headphones with a desktop mic when at home. I've organised LAN parties like twice and I have a relatively crappy headset for those occasions when I get soundly beaten anyway

I have a number of 'offbeat' headphones which I bought because I was curious about them which I just don't use (bluetooth phones, etc) so I'm not entirely ready to waste more money on ineffectual 5.1 headphones. Can anyone be more specific about the in-game differences between 5.1 phones and say the 3D effects on the Creative cards using a decent headphone for example the Ultrasone like someone mentioned before.

 

[labyrinth23]

Dudes,

The MedUSA 5.1 non-USB headsets are amazing. I've got one of them paired up with the X-Fi and sound is incredible. If you get your hands on one, definately get it. It's worth the money!

 

[Matthias99]

I have a number of 'offbeat' headphones which I bought because I was curious about them which I just don't use (bluetooth phones, etc) so I'm not entirely ready to waste more money on ineffectual 5.1 headphones. Can anyone be more specific about the in-game differences between 5.1 phones and say the 3D effects on the Creative cards using a decent headphone for example the Ultrasone like someone mentioned before.

For me, I feel that I can more quickly and reliably locate the source of an in-game sound with 5.1 headphones as opposed to regular stereo headphones (even with some sort of pseudo-3D stereo downmixing being done). It's the difference between hearing something "behind me and to the left" and "off to the left somewhere".

Like I said, YMMV, and apparently this is NOT a clear-cut issue. But I've tried it both ways, and I find the 5.1 headphones I've used work well. I would strongly recommend trying it yourself if at all possible.

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: labyrinth23
Dudes,

The MedUSA 5.1 non-USB headsets are amazing. I've got one of them paired up with the X-Fi and sound is incredible. If you get your hands on one, definately get it. It's worth the money!

I've ordered one, looking forward to getting it... I'll have the x-fi too.

How is the surround? You try any BF2 because I heard they were especially incredible with that game?

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: Oyeve

Originally posted by: datamestonic

Originally posted by: southpawuni
Forget about them.

They are junk.
I've owned the Kinyo and 2 other branded 5.1 headsets.. they are a waste of time.

Better off getting yourself a great sounding regular set of headphones and a X-Fi if you are serious about immersion.

I like bassy headphones like the Koss PortaPro (or any Koss for that matter, they are known for their bass yet still a decent price).

My favorite high end cans are Ultrasone. Great sound all around but not weaker bass like Sennheiser and some other tend to have (Sennheiser concentrate more on balance, detail, fidelity and I feel it sacrifices what I feel sounds good.. some decent kick from my M1A16!!!!!)

You'll have to try a lot of headphones to come to the conclusions that I have for my own buying preferences..

When I buy headphones, I obviously dont even consider 5.1 and use either my Sennheiser PC150s for gaming, or a pair of my Koss.

I see... I've tried a fair amount of headphones and headsets in my time, so far my favorite have been Bose although I was only able to afford the lower end ones around $150.. Been looking forward to trying Sennheiser but never got a chance, I tried out some big bastard philips stereo headphones once though, packed some of the best sound I've ever heard (except for the Bose ones) but they were massive. I don't have anything against that personally, I prefer it, but most people don't like that.

I've only tried two sets from Koss but they both sucked. To be fair they were quite cheap though, and I guess all cheap headphones suck. I've never tried the porta pros but they seem very popular. I just can't get myself to use headphones that don't cover my ears though, I've tried many in the past and i think they're uncomfortable.

I'm getting the idea that this 5.1 thing might really be crap but I do want to try it out so I'm going to order these, worst comes to worst and I learn an expensive lesson, but if these many reviews are all saying what they seem to be saying I don't think I'll be dissapointed. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, thank you for your advice.

Uh oh, he said the "B" word! (Bose). YoYo is gonna have a field day! If you are reffereing to the Tri-ports as sounding good then you definately have not listened to a good pair of headphone. I would wish a set of those on my worst enemy! I have got a set as a gift a coupla years ago and could not beleive how BAD they sound. My Sennheiser PX-100 sounds 500% better and they cost only 39 bucks! Dude, do yourself a favor and listen to some good Sennheisers, HD-280, PX-100, HD-555, HD-456 even Sony (im no fan) MDR-V7000DJ sound SO MUCH better than the tri-ports!

Hmm yeah I believe it's the triports I have. I should have been more specific, I meant they're great considering their size and weight and portabillity and comfort all wrapped into one, I don't know I think they're overall very good headphones, definitely overpriced but that's because part of getting Bose is for the brand I guess. It's just one of those useless things some of us stupid humans do.

That aside, I've tried a lot of Sony headphones including the V7000 and think i get even less bang for the buck from them, in fact the more Sony products I've bought lately (handy cam-corder, an entire array of headphones, dvd player, etc etc) the less I like them. I just don't feel that they make very good products, incredibly overhyped and overpriced. But then again I bought the Bose headphones so I shouldn't be talking haha!

I'll certainly try out Sennheiser though, I always thought those (and I guess Grado) would be the bomb. But I'll wait till I have enough money to get an incredible set, I don't want to half ass it.

 

[cbingel]

LTB's - 65.00 and Medusa-USA $108

Both have gotten great reviews, and the biggest difference seems to be the breakout box for the Medusas.

Does anyone have any hands-on with these?

 

[datamestonic]

Originally posted by: vbuggy
I thought about going for the broadcast headsets, but they are mainly about capturing good audio so they have way too overspecced mics for our purposes. Eventually I've ended up using headphones with a desktop mic when at home. I've organised LAN parties like twice and I have a relatively crappy headset for those occasions when I get soundly beaten anyway

I have a number of 'offbeat' headphones which I bought because I was curious about them which I just don't use (bluetooth phones, etc) so I'm not entirely ready to waste more money on ineffectual 5.1 headphones. Can anyone be more specific about the in-game differences between 5.1 phones and say the 3D effects on the Creative cards using a decent headphone for example the Ultrasone like someone mentioned before.

Sorry I can't really answer that question yet, but regarding your other point, it's kind of funny that you bring up getting a different market of headsets. I was actually looking at aviation headsets, thinking... wow those look exactly like the type of build I'd like to see on a gaming headset. I was even considering getting some for a while, when I reminded myself that they didn't even have the right plugs, and certainly wouldn't have anything along the lines of even simple directional sound. They're just made to block out as much exterior noise as possible, be comfortable for long long flights and have great mic clarity.

But yeah that was a kind of fun consideration. I wish they would make gaming headsets nice and heavy duty like this:

http://www.headsetsetc.com/15xl.html

 

[vbuggy]

Picking a 'do-it-all' headset for gaming use seems to be surprisingly hard. As you say, there's either the pro stuff which doesn't actually offer what we want, or there's the el-cheapo-nastio stuff.

Usually I'm quite quick about just picking up whatever I'm interested in. I walk into a shop or go into an online store and buy, but I've been dithering over the Medusas, actually even going through most of the checkout on a couple of occasions but thinking "really, could it be any good?" based on the overwhelming volume of what I read... and abandoning the order which is always a bad sign. Nothing I've picked up after a protracted decision process has ever been any good so I am now even less sure.

I use what is probably the most expensive pair of headphones ever to go into production as my gaming phones, so trading down to a $150 pair of phones is also rather incongruous. But gaming doesn't exactly require hi-fi. Back to the eeny meeny miny mo I guess. Any comments to make me less indecisive would be appreciated.

 

[labyrinth23]

Originally posted by: datamestonic

Originally posted by: labyrinth23
Dudes,

The MedUSA 5.1 non-USB headsets are amazing. I've got one of them paired up with the X-Fi and sound is incredible. If you get your hands on one, definately get it. It's worth the money!

I've ordered one, looking forward to getting it... I'll have the x-fi too.

How is the surround? You try any BF2 because I heard they were especially incredible with that game?

OOOOHH man...they are excellent with BF2. That's the game I play the most, just because it feels like I'm actually in it. They help alot when trying to figure out where the enemy is located, especially with enemy snipers. You can hear the sniper shot and know exactly where it came from! Anyways, best headset ever owned! Let me know what you think when you get yours!!

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: datamestonic
After some heavy researching, I found the ultimate headset featuring everything I was looking for:

- Heavy duty feel
- 5.1 Surround
- Strong crisp sound
- Strong heavy bass
- Comfort
- Good mic

I found these specifications on the Medusa 5.1 Surround Sound Headset from a yet to become big company, based on larger European company. According to all the reviews I could find, this was the first headset where the reviewers had no significant problems with the headset (except for that the non-usb version was difficult to travel with because of so many wires). Furthermore, in several ones reviews that compared this one to different big name headsets, this one won by far, tending to get 4/5 or 5/5.

The non-usb version supposedly has better sound and comes with it's own mini-amplifier for connecting all the channels correctly and enhancing the sound. Supposed to work great with games!

Anyway just thought I'd update this thread for anyone that had the same problem as me, finding a good high quality and heavy duty surround sound headset with nice mic. Since this product is european, you'll have trouble finding it in stores here, and even on the net, but eBay has plenty new ones on sale from company accounts.

I have a pair of these I'm looking to sell. They work great for 5.1, although nothing obviously is as good as a true speaker setup, but they work fine for on your head. $70 shipped if interested.