USB headset vs 3.5mm headset.

[NoobyDoo]

What is the advantage of opting for a USB headset rather than a 3.5mm one ?

 

[davidrees]

It depends on the system. Some systems may not have a decent sound card built in.

For me, I have speakers that do not have a hardware volume control and before I got a new case that had the new kind of headphone jacks, I would have gone with a USB set so I would not have to mess with the jacks in the back of the case.

 

[corkyg]

I don't know of any advantage of USB. The stereo mini-jack works anywhere - universally acceptable - even on your iPod. USB will only work on some computers, so it is more limited. IMHO, USB is a disadvantage.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

A USB headset is better because it does the analog to digital transfer on the cable instead of in the computer if you had a 3.5mm headset.

 

[davidrees]

A USB headset is better because it does the analog to digital transfer on the cable instead of in the computer if you had a 3.5mm headset.

The only way I could see that being "better" is if you have a problem with line/induction noise and induction is more likely to be a problem for low level analog signals than the relatively higher voltages of a headphone amplifier. There is more to it than just ADC - you need an amplifier and you need various filters for the ADC, etc.

My guess is that a high end motherboard sound implementation like a Realtek 888/889 is going to be more gentle with your sound fidelity than a system crammed into a tiny USB dongle.

 

[murphyslabrat]

I have had bad experience with Plantronic's USB headsets, which offer nothing in return for the tons of harmonic distortion they give. Creative's USB dongle, like the one built into the Fatal1ty, was decent enough to win over the onboard audio.

Personally, I would prefer to save the money from buying a decent analog headset over a USB one, and buy an internal soundcard down the line.