5.1 Gaming Headset

• 

  ProjectZero on 22/04/2014 - 11:27

  Check out the guide here.

  However, if you want "true" (multi driver) headsets, there's the roccat kave and coolermaster Sirus (something like that) that i know of

• 

  lolmao on 22/04/2014 - 13:17

  Astro A50

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  Riczter on 22/04/2014 - 15:00

  is there anything half decent under $50?

  • 

    ProjectZero on 22/04/2014 - 15:17

    1) Do you need it to be 5.1 or 7.1?

    If no, then just get whatever headphones you think is value for money.

    If yes, please go to 2)

    2) Did you get razer's surround software when it was free?

    If no, you will need to get either a sound card or some device to mix the channels for you. Or you can buy the virtual surround headsets which come with the usb soundcards. Cheapest i've seen is the gamecom 780

    If yes, again just get whatever headphone you think is value for money.

• 

  Settero on 22/04/2014 - 15:03

  some people say that the low end ones suck , i have had no problems with my cheap (50ish) sets, and find little difference between my (150$) set.

  iv had good experiences with the plantronics low end ones, might want to look into GameCom 380

  • 

    ProjectZero on 22/04/2014 - 15:19

    I think you're mistaken, the gamecom 380 does not come with the usb sound card. It's only stereo.

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  Domingo on 22/04/2014 - 15:51

  I have the Roccat Kave, pretty happy with it. Had a Razer Barracuda previously, the Roccat seems a bit better in terms of construction etc. I've taken it with me to a few places now and it is still in great condition. Does get ever so slightly uncomfortable after a few hours, but usually just to the point of lifting it off my head and putting it back on to make the issue go away.

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  Brouw3r on 22/04/2014 - 16:05

  I got some logitech G430's (virtual 7.1) and have had no problems with them yet. They are comfortable, not too hot (plantronics 780's mad my ears too hot in no time) and they have a USB sound card. $64 at MSY

• 

  samfisher5986 on 23/04/2014 - 11:05

  +1

  All the gaming headsets have very poor sound quality, this is especially true for the wireless gaming headsets.

  Surround sound does work fine with a normal headset, especially if you use razer's surround sound tool.

  The only reason you might want 5.1/7.1 headsets is if you are very serious about your FPS games and their surround sound technology actually works properly on your games.

  • 

    ProjectZero on 23/04/2014 - 14:58

    +1

    What samfisher said, although i would argue that "dolby headphones" is better then razer's tool but dolby headphones features cost money…

    I've tried razer's tool, i have a soundcard that can do dolby headphones and i just unwrapped my multi driver headset last night (roccat kave XTD digital) and i can tell you razer was the worst… BUT it was free. The directional cues aren't clear even after tweaks.

    Dolby Headphones isn't too bad but there always seems to be something missing in terms of directional cues. It just wasn't accurate, but it was quite close.

    Whilst the sound quality on the roccat isn't exactly the best, it wasn't too bad and the directional cues were spot on for me.

    It all depends on the person, but i would recommend getting the razer tool and testing it first with a pair of headphones. If that's not good enough, try the other alternatives.

    • 

      samfisher5986 on 23/04/2014 - 15:44

      I thought I would point out some important points:

      • Your Roccat headphones have a built in sound card, this means all surround data is processed by this first, if it does this poorly there is very little you can do as they use preset tweaks to achieve a desired effect. Razer shouldn't do anything useful.

      • The Razer surround software is intended for two driver headphones without built in sound cards or razer headphones, not multi driver headphones or 5.1 speakers.

      • Multi driver headphones are unfortunately last decade, game developers put a lot of effort into their headphone sound and they can actually give you the surround effect better on a regular pair of headphones.

      • The Razer software only works well on certain games, for example it is night and day on Battlefield 3, however it doesn't do much for Battlefield 4 as it already has very accurate surround sound for headphones.

      • The best solution is a good pair of regular headphones with a sound card. Once you hear the Audio Technica AD700 or AD900's you will never go back to anything else.

      • 

        ProjectZero on 23/04/2014 - 16:58

        Haha i should have made it clearer.

        I tested the Razer tool and dolby headphones on a pair of CAL! 2… i know the soundcard isn't being used by the roccat, but nevertheless i still think it has better positioning.

        I still dislike dolby headphones because the cues aren't as good, i know it's there and gives a general direction but i still think the roccat does a better job at this.

        Just a query for your third point, would you still need something to mix the sound for you or do you mean it's built into the game?