74 replies to this topic

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

The amount of recommendation people asking prompted me to open a centralized thread to deal with all of it. Thanks Alias for reminding me.

So anything about headphones, post here!

[Alias]

Raptor or myself should be able to help. I am more focussed on mid-end and entry level whereas Raptor is more accustomed to higher end equipment.

Our opinions may differ but we do agree on most things.

[BeefJeRKy]

Since the question was lost in LPTPW, I thought I'd ask it here as well. I'm considering the Jays v-JAYS or perhaps the c-JAYS if I wanna spend a little more. I like that they seem very light yet robust. I wonder if you've had the chance to try them or read about them.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

I have not heard them myself but from what I read they are mostly mediocre reviews. Most are saying does the job ok, sounds decent for the price, etc. Nothing exception. It is opened as well, so be prepared lots of noise coming in and you music going out. I recommend you get something else IMO.

[BeefJeRKy]

In fact I was looking for an open design so that is a plus for me.

[Alias]

Eh, we mentioned it before. You do not want to use an open headphone for portable use. You're going to get a lot of leakage out (everyone can year you) and a lot of leakage in (you can't hear anything).

For portable use you should be using a closed headphone or IEMs.

[deltaepsilon]

Something good for <$150.

[Alias]

What are you intending to use them for?

[Wizard]

deltaepsilon, on 1 Nov 2010, 7:11, said:

Something good for <$150.

Same for me please..... but more like £75-£100

Megatron, on 1 Nov 2010, 7:14, said:

What are you intending to use them for?

Gaming and ingame banter

[Alias]

AD700 is generally the holy grail of entry-level computer audio. It should be under 100 quid as it can be found here for about $140-$150 (£90 or so). If you can't find it cheap locally I'd advise you to look for a US site, because it retails at about $80US there so even with $50 shipping (which is probably the most obscene it'd be) you should be able to get it cheaper. Here's what a quick search got me. $90US + $35US (~£80) postage to France (I couldn't check UK because your postcodes are bloody weird).

Same for Deltaepsilon, if you plan on using the headphones for indoor/computer use there isn't much competition against the AD700 in that regard. You can get them for $151AU delivered from PCCasegear.



Also please note: in the future for requests please state what you plan to use them for, there are many different types of headphones which all suit different purposes. When you go further up there's certain headphones better for certain genres as well, but if you're spending under $250/£150 I wouldn't bother about that.

Edited by Megatron, 01 November 2010 - 09:26.

[Wizard]

Sorry, I had assumed from the "ingame banter" that it was obvious that I wanted headphones + [inbuilt]microphone. I don't really want two peripherals for one job. My fault for not explaining correctly.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

I have not heard a good pair of headset myself, the Sennheiser PC360 is not terrible but compare to headphones they are pretty overprice for it's sound.

[Wizard]

Ok, any suggestions for an external microphone to accompany the AD700's then?

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

The Zalman clip on mic is what most people uses with it, I only uses a cheap Tesco desktop mic currently.

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Zalman-...phone_1295.html

[deltaepsilon]

ΓΛΡΤΘ&#, on 1 Nov 2010, 20:51, said:

I have not heard a good pair of headset myself, the Sennheiser PC360 is not terrible but compare to headphones they are pretty overprice for it's sound.

I looked them up - they are quite steep.

Also, I'm in a similar boat to Wizard, in that I want a good headset combo, but I'm happy to settle for a good pair of headphones sans mic if it means my budget is not completely done away with.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

I totally recommend a pair of AD700 with mic over any headsets I have heard by a longshot. It is overall cheaper as well. Unless you really hate the design, there is no reason to not get them, they have excellent sound for the price.

[SquigPie]

I used to have a headset, but the first one stopped working on one ear and the other gave me a terrible ear pain. Possibly tinnitus as well.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

Well, it is important to watch the volume. it's too easy to keep turning it up to unhealthy level. What I do is start from 0 then turn it up so that it is enough to hear clearly. Leave it at that level so that I don't have the urge to turn it up.

It's all about self control afterall.

[Alias]

deltaepsilon, on 1 Nov 2010, 21:08, said:

ΓΛΡΤΘ&#, on 1 Nov 2010, 20:51, said:

I have not heard a good pair of headset myself, the Sennheiser PC360 is not terrible but compare to headphones they are pretty overprice for it's sound.

I looked them up - they are quite steep.

Also, I'm in a similar boat to Wizard, in that I want a good headset combo, but I'm happy to settle for a good pair of headphones sans mic if it means my budget is not completely done away with.

You're not going to find anything near the AD700 in terms of cost-to-sound in the pricerange you specified. They are built like a brick so they're not going to die any time soon. Buying 1 pair of $150 headphones every three years equates to the same cost as 3 pairs of $50 headphones in three years, with the added bonus of the $150 headphones having far better sound. If you really want to get them cheaper, you can get the AD700 for about $130 off Ebay, but it'll be a pain if you ever need to do anything with the warranty.

A cheap $5 microphone will substitute any headset mic fine, you're not recording songs or anything with it and VOIP traffic is usually highly compressed anyway. On the other hand, the headphones do matter. The AD700 is very well suited to gaming as it has a huge soundstage (aka how 'wide' it sounds) so the positional audio used by games actually works as it should.

In the price range you two specified there really isn't any competition to them for computer-based audio.

Edited by Megatron, 01 November 2010 - 11:07.

[BeefJeRKy]

For the price of $35, I think the ATH-FC700A should perform nicely

I know the ES7 or ESW9 would sound better but I doubt the difference would be worth the extra $65 and $150 respectively. Plus they are lighter

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

Just used the Zalman clip-on mic for a while with my AD1000PRM, its rather nice. Doesn't pick up all my typing noise anymore and its much clearer, recommended.

[Crazykenny]

What do you think about the Logitech G35 7.1 Gaming Headset? I dont really care about music quality, its used primarily for games so I can hear where everyone is.

[Alias]

Headphone surround sound is a gimmick.
Headphones are ALREADY surround sound and do binaural audio perfectly fine (go to Youtube and go to the barber shop demo, it sounds perfect on 2 channels).

If you want the ability to hear locations better get a headphone with a large soundstage, like the aforementioned AD700.

[ΓΛPTΘΓ]

I have heard all those "7.1" headset, I must say my setup is by far better then them in terms of soundstage, pin-point accuracy and sound quality.

For gaming, I suggest you get a good sound card and a pair of AD700 with Zalman mic, that is rather unbeatable for the price.

[Crazykenny]

ΓΛΡΤΘ&#, on 22 Nov 2010, 17:39, said:

I have heard all those "7.1" headset, I must say my setup is by far better then them in terms of soundstage, pin-point accuracy and sound quality.

For gaming, I suggest you get a good sound card and a pair of AD700 with Zalman mic, that is rather unbeatable for the price.

Thanks for the info, I'll see if they are available in the Netherlands