• Steam recently changed the default privacy settings for all users. This may impact tracking. Ensure your profile has the correct settings by following the guide on our forums.

Looking to invest in a good headset

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
I've been in need of a headset for quite some time and have been going back and forth between several headsets in my mind. Right now I can't afford the ones I have in mine but would like input into my choices or any other suggestions that you may have. Here are some I'm thinking of:

Logitech G35: Newegg.com - Logitech G35 USB 2.0 Surround Sound Headset - I love their design and have heard only positive reviews from them. These are my ideal PC headset however my one issue is that it is USB only (I like that it is USB only because I hate having to deal with the 3.5mm plugs but at the same time can only use it on my PC then).

Turtle Beach Xbox 360 Wireless Headset: Newegg.com - Turtle Beach XBOX 360 Wireless Gaming Headset Ear ... - Now this one is nearly double the price but will allow me to use it both on my computer (however no mic capabilites with the computer there) and my 360 since I spend most of my time on the 360 with MW2 or other games. I find myself putting a set of headphones in and having my mic hang around my neck while playing to not disturb my roomates at times.

So I'm torn between two systems, Xbox 360 and PC. I really only need the mic/headset for the computer. Having wireless capabilities is always a plus in my book as I hate being tethered down to my desk. The Turtle Beach headset is just a side thought and the price is a little too steep for me right now so I'm leaning more towards the Logitech G35's. However if anyone has any suggestions that have cross-platform capabilities than I would love to hear them but so far these Turtle Beaches are the closest I could find.
 

MenaceInc

Staff Member
I made a similar thread lately about the same kind of thing but I didn't have to worry about 360 compatability. You can read it here.

Basically though, I would recommend a pair of the Platronics 777 headsets which comes with a USB soundcard and 3.5mm jacks as well so you get the best of both worlds there ;)

How it works is just basically 3.5mm --> USB soundcard so you can still use it with other devices (including an adaptor for the 360 if necessary ;) )

I myself got the 377s and do not regret it at all. Best headset I've ever bought.
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
I made a similar thread lately about the same kind of thing but I didn't have to worry about 360 compatability. You can read it here.

Basically though, I would recommend a pair of the Platronics 777 headsets which comes with a USB soundcard and 3.5mm jacks as well so you get the best of both worlds there ;)

How it works is just basically 3.5mm --> USB soundcard so you can still use it with other devices (including an adaptor for the 360 if necessary ;) )

I myself got the 377s and do not regret it at all. Best headset I've ever bought.

Yeah I read your thread before making this one (suggested it as a similar thread, love that feature), I think I'd prefer the Logitech G35's (I'm a logitech fanboy and I like the programmable buttons on the headset itself).
 

x3sphere

Administrator
Staff member
Enforcer Team
Game Info Editor
The Logitech look like a decent buy. Personally though I'd get a pair of high end headphones and use a clip on mic like the Zalman, that's what I do with my HD650s. Works fantastic.
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
The Logitech look like a decent buy. Personally though I'd get a pair of high end headphones and use a clip on mic like the Zalman, that's what I do with my HD650s. Works fantastic.

Not a bad idea, but your HD650's are out of my price range ;) I'll take a look at some high-end headphones but those are usually out of my price range :p
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
Think I'll pick up the G35's at BestBuy tomorrow morning. I would like to use them with my 360 as well (for sound, no necessarily microphone, I can use my standard 360 mic for that). After hours of researching I just decided that I will input my 360's audio through my computer and then send it to my headset. Not sure how great the "surround" sound will be since it is a single 3.5mm input to the computer though.

Also sad that there is no audio-out through USB support for either 360 or PS3, that would've made things so much easier!

My reasoning for picking the G35's:

1) Design!
2) Controls on the headset and not dangling on the cord, that always weighs me down
3) Closed ear design with noise cancellation (most other similar headphones are open-ear which allow noise in and out.
4) Uh...it's Logitech..and I am a Fanboy...yep
 

Seth

MD Party Room
I know it a bit late.. But I have a pair of Razer Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headphones and man these thing are great...

Razer makes some good gaming headphones and they where every penny, plus they have 5.1 support( despite me not using it) however the G35 seem to do the job just as well..

Also I agree with forzen the ps3 and 360 should have usb support,however I found something that works almost as good I have a pair of x540 hooked up to my tv and then those have a 3.5 mm input that right next to my chair.
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
I know it a bit late.. But I have a pair of Razer Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headphones and man these thing are great...

Razer makes some good gaming headphones and they where every penny, plus they have 5.1 support( despite me not using it) however the G35 seem to do the job just as well..

Also I agree with forzen the ps3 and 360 should have usb support,however I found something that works almost as good I have a pair of x540 hooked up to my tv and then those have a 3.5 mm input that right next to my chair.

Yeah I was considering that headset as well, decided that I really wanted the noise-cancellation that the G35's offered (hard to find one with noise-cancellation). I'll report back tomorrow on how I like them (so long as they have them in stock at BB)
 

Seth

MD Party Room
I have about 3 sisters and my mother screaming in the background quite a few times and couldn't near them at all. Even if it not labeled noise-cancellation I think it goes a good job as well. The bass just over powers everything
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
I have about 3 sisters and my mother screaming in the background quite a few times and couldn't near them at all. Even if it not labeled noise-cancellation I think it goes a good job as well. The bass just over powers everything

Yeah that's good. I ended up picking the G35's up, just got back and am installing the software with it. So far happy with my purchase :p (they feel great)

EDIT: When I first tested the sound with the Windows with the standard test feature I thought that they were playing from my speakers around me and not coming from the headset...now that should probably tell you something about the surround capabilities of them :) They're really nice, great build quality so far I have no complaints. I've yet to test out the microphone but I think I'll do that later tonight in a game. It's also nice having an instant switch on the back of my headphones to control whether or not the Dolby 7.1 is enabled or disabled. It's not great to have on when listening to standard audio (like songs) but for games and even movies it seems to be doing quite well. There's volume control, a mic mute and 3 semi-programmable buttons on the side as well. When you hit the mic mute button it has a red led that pops up on the tip of the mic so you can see if it is muted or not.
 

El Xando

"Dam whippersnapper"
I myself am getting some Turtle Beach X41s pretty soon, so I'll have to tell you what I think of them :p
So there's no way you can use that headset with voice chat on your 360? Bit of a shame but ah well. How does it sound with your 360? Does it sound just like Stereo?
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
I myself am getting some Turtle Beach X41s pretty soon, so I'll have to tell you what I think of them :p
So there's no way you can use that headset with voice chat on your 360? Bit of a shame but ah well. How does it sound with your 360? Does it sound just like Stereo?

It's not the greatest on the 360 since I have to play it through my in-line jack on the computer. Just got down playing some MW2 and while I was able to tell where some dogs were coming from at some point, didn't feel like a true surround experience that I got from my regular speakers (and the sound quality wasn't too great either), although I'm sure your X41's will sound much better since they can receive the sound directly from the 360. For chatting I'll just hook up my normal headset and put it around my neck like I always do if using headphones, just have the mic stand up.
 

El Xando

"Dam whippersnapper"
It's not the greatest on the 360 since I have to play it through my in-line jack on the computer. Just got down playing some MW2 and while I was able to tell where some dogs were coming from at some point, didn't feel like a true surround experience that I got from my regular speakers (and the sound quality wasn't too great either), although I'm sure your X41's will sound much better since they can receive the sound directly from the 360. For chatting I'll just hook up my normal headset and put it around my neck like I always do if using headphones, just have the mic stand up.

Ah yeah fair enough.
I myself have my 360 sound at the moment coming through the line-in of my computer.
My 360 is plugged into my monitor via HDMI, however the monitor lacks speakers but has an audio out. So I have a cable going from the audio out to my PCs line in. I then have 3 cables coming out my PCs speaker jack, my speakers, my TV, and my X1s, my current gaming headset.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know if there's such a thing as an optical splitter? As the X41s use optical and I was wondering if I could have BOTH my 360 and PC plugged into them via optical...
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
Ah yeah fair enough.
I myself have my 360 sound at the moment coming through the line-in of my computer.
My 360 is plugged into my monitor via HDMI, however the monitor lacks speakers but has an audio out. So I have a cable going from the audio out to my PCs line in. I then have 3 cables coming out my PCs speaker jack, my speakers, my TV, and my X1s, my current gaming headset.
On an unrelated note, does anyone know if there's such a thing as an optical splitter? As the X41s use optical and I was wondering if I could have BOTH my 360 and PC plugged into them via optical...

I'm pretty sure there are splitters, I know there are switches out there (you can switch from one connection to another, manual switch tho).

EDIT: Amazon.com: Optical Splitter: Electronics maybe?
 

El Xando

"Dam whippersnapper"
I'm pretty sure there are splitters, I know there are switches out there (you can switch from one connection to another, manual switch tho).

EDIT: Amazon.com: Optical Splitter: Electronics maybe?

Oh wow thanks, nice find :)
I really should have looked myself before asking :p
Now to find a UK equivalent, it'll probably be on Amazon.co.uk
I'm not sure if I will do it though as how much on PC is actually in surround? For instance YouTube videos aren't are they, so what is...?
 

x3sphere

Administrator
Staff member
Enforcer Team
Game Info Editor
Most new games are, as well as high-def movies. However I think 5.1 on headphones is a gimmick.. it sounds nothing like 5.1 coming from a speaker set. True surround just isn't possible on headphones.
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
Most new games are, as well as high-def movies. However I think 5.1 on headphones is a gimmick.. it sounds nothing like 5.1 coming from a speaker set. True surround just isn't possible on headphones.

That's true of course, it's all virtual but the effect is still there. Like I said, when I did the test I could really hear it coming from distinct directions, was very interesting and thought it was actually coming from my speakers rather than my headset. The "surround" sound wasn't really a part in my decision to get this headset, it's just an added bonus ;) (Noise Isolation, programmable buttons, volume jog dial and mute button all on the headset itself) - I hate controls on the cords! I won't be using these headphones for their surround experience, that is what my Z5500's are for ;) Although they do a good job at emulating the experience as described earlier.
 

El Xando

"Dam whippersnapper"
That's true of course, it's all virtual but the effect is still there. Like I said, when I did the test I could really hear it coming from distinct directions, was very interesting and thought it was actually coming from my speakers rather than my headset. The "surround" sound wasn't really a part in my decision to get this headset, it's just an added bonus ;) (Noise Isolation, programmable buttons, volume jog dial and mute button all on the headset itself) - I hate controls on the cords! I won't be using these headphones for their surround experience, that is what my Z5500's are for ;) Although they do a good job at emulating the experience as described earlier.

Mute on the headset would be so nice! When I used to just use an xbox live headset I loved the ability to easily mute myself - the mute button was right below the controller so I didn't have to find it on the cable. Both X1s which I have currently and X41s which I'm getting have the mute cable halfway down the cable... you have to find it, and it can take a few seconds to mute yourself.
 

FrozenIpaq

Justin B / Supp. Editor
Enforcer Team
Well I really wanted to use this headset on my Xbox 360 so I've taken a few extra steps and it looks like I can get it fully "compatible" with my 360 audio and microphone :)

To take care of the in-game audio and have the 5.1/7.1 surround sound outputted to my headset I bought a sound card with an optical in and optical out port. I will put the 360's audio through the optical in port on the card and then send that sound to my USB headset which should allow it to playback the 5.1 surround.

For the microphone it will be a little more of a hassle but I got it to work as well. I will set the microphone to listen-mode and set the default playback device to be the line-out port (basically the headphone port) on the sound card and then connect that to my 360's controller using a 3.5 to 2.5mm cable. I just tested it and can confirm that it works.

So I'm very happy with my purchase of this headset and managed to get around that USB-only hurdle and the Xbox 360! Only downside is I have a lot of cables to run and have my 360 in close proximity to my PC. Granted I will still probably use my 5.1 speakers rather than the headset when playing on the Xbox 360 but this was just something I needed to try out and am glad that it works so if I ever do need to game "quietly" and not disturb my roomates I could easily do that.
 

El Xando

"Dam whippersnapper"
Well I really wanted to use this headset on my Xbox 360 so I've taken a few extra steps and it looks like I can get it fully "compatible" with my 360 audio and microphone :)

To take care of the in-game audio and have the 5.1/7.1 surround sound outputted to my headset I bought a sound card with an optical in and optical out port. I will put the 360's audio through the optical in port on the card and then send that sound to my USB headset which should allow it to playback the 5.1 surround.

For the microphone it will be a little more of a hassle but I got it to work as well. I will set the microphone to listen-mode and set the default playback device to be the line-out port (basically the headphone port) on the sound card and then connect that to my 360's controller using a 3.5 to 2.5mm cable. I just tested it and can confirm that it works.

So I'm very happy with my purchase of this headset and managed to get around that USB-only hurdle and the Xbox 360! Only downside is I have a lot of cables to run and have my 360 in close proximity to my PC. Granted I will still probably use my 5.1 speakers rather than the headset when playing on the Xbox 360 but this was just something I needed to try out and am glad that it works so if I ever do need to game "quietly" and not disturb my roomates I could easily do that.

Wow, nicely done!
I've had my X41s for a while now and they're pretty nice! :D
Unfortunately there is no way I can get the microphone of it working with my computer, but I'm not fussed about that.
I've got my 360 sound going into the transmitter via an optical cable and my PC sound via a 3.5mm jack to dual phono cable.
One thing I did find was if the transmitter was near my router I occasionally got strange buzzing sounds so had to move it.
Also, when the batteries run out mid game, it's very annoying :p I'm definitely getting some rechargeables soon.
Other than that it's awesome! Comfortable, great sound :)
 
Top