Gaming Headsets

Ok so my headsets of about two years are on there last leg. I am currently using some tape to keep the suckers together and on top of that my so was playing with the chat cable and that went out. So with them getting ready to close shop and become useless i am now looking to buy some new ones. With all these choices and some really exceptional headphones for under 200 my it all starts to get really fuzzy with the 7.1 and 5.1 choices. So do you all think its worth dropping paying close to 200 for 7.1 or just stick to the stereo for a good price and some great sound? Also i saw on some youtube video of the tritton detonator hooked up to a astro mixamp, obviously simulating surround sound, do you think this route is worth the money.

I feel the surround sound is worth while. I can tell what is behind or in front of me.

I am assuming all headsets are stereo by default its the decoders or boxes that come with the headphones that make them surround right? How about mini drivers vs one driver.

The surround sound is pretty good, better on some games, gets a little crazy on mw when a ton of stuff is go'n on like air support. Personally I don't think it's all that great, not worth $100 extra. I have the turtle beach x41 wireless ones and I had the stereo ones before. Amazon has the turtle beach and Trittion on sale all the time for around 150, if u have the cash go for Astros On a budget go with wireless stereo

Droopy how often are you having to deal with batteries?

I'm big on the sound quality, so bigger drivers- heck, you only have 2 ears right? I use the rechargeable batteries in my X41's and can normally make it about 15 hours before needing to switch them out.

~mrmiller

deepsouth06 wrote:Droopy how often are you having to deal with batteries?

Pick up a AA/AAA battery charger and either 4 AA or AAA for the headset. I have a set of XP500s and I keep one set of batteries in them and one set as a spare. When the one set goes dead I swap them out and then charge the dead ones while I play. The whole set (batteries and charger) cost me about $50 (I bought 4 AA and 4 AAA to start). The other nice thing is that you can buy more batteries and use them for tv remotes, camera, etc.

Here's the link to the charger that I use:

http://www.energizer.com/charging/rechargeable-battery-charger/Pages/basic-charger.aspx

I happened to buy it because we sell it at work and I get a discount on purchases at work but I've had it for like 3 or 4 years and haven't had any issues with it, nor have I had to buy new batteries.

I use the energizer rechargeable battery's and I get 15-18 hours out if them, amazon has the x41 for $120 which is a about what I think they are worth, the x41 are the old version, turtle beach makes newer models that might be better but they are $90 more

I bought the Triton for xbox...not sure of the specs....just stereo i know that. Cost about 110. I like them

Sounds like the 15-18 hrs is more than enough for one sit of gaming and keep a second pair of batteries would be the way to go. I have been keeping my eye on the two wireless Trittons that dont even have a release date. Not sure how much longer i can keep holding off especially now that my current ones are starting to break on me. Thanks for the input guys.

if you want 5.1 true surround sound

and dont mind being wired
get the tritton AX Pros for 160 at bestbuy that is what i have and the sound is epic

for each ear the Ax Pros has 4 speakers so you get a really surround sound feeling for a good price

I really enjoy any wired pair of Turtle Beachs. Good audio quality, and they pick up sounds very well. Moderately comfortable. I've done a few 8+ hour sessions and didn't have to pull them off.

If you can save up a little I would definitely get some astros. Might just be my head/ear shape but I find them extremely comfortable. Their sound quality is on par with Senn HD555's, and I use those for recording music. So definitely good stuff.

I have steel seires headset with an astro mix amp and I love the sound. The mix amp eats batteries but you can buy a recharge pack for the amp

was there a big difference with the mix amp. Im also thinking of maybe buying a set and then buying a mix amp as well.

I love my Astro A30's. The are a fantastic set of headphones. They are super comfortable, have great sound and are very versatile. I can use them with every device I own/use. PC, Xbox, PS3, iPad, iPhone etc... I can take them on vacation and use them at home. They are just all around kick ass.

They just have one 40mm driver per ear but the Astro Mixamp can turn any stereo headset into Dolby 7.1 Simulated Surround Sound. I can hear sounds from all direction, (front, back, left and right) even with just two drivers. It's kinda crazy actually. Some sort of black magic going on in there.

I have the 5.8 Wireless Mixamp with the rechargeable battery pack so I don't have to worry about batteries and the last like a week before needing to recharge. The Astro 5.8 Mixamp will work with any wired headset, turning it instantly into both a 7.1 Surround Sound headset and make them semi-wireless at the same time. (semi-wireless: one wire running from the headset to the wireless mixamp).

My only grip is having to run an additional chat cable to talk via XBL. Strangely, the single wire from the headset is not a problem but adding the second wire from the controller to the mixamp is annoying. A wireless solution would be ideal. I think the Bluetooth attachment like you get on the Turtle Beach XP500's is the best work around I have seen so far. I am hoping the next generation of Astro Mixamps will employ this technology.

Yes the mixer that came with the steel seires headset was not the best quality and the astro mix amp is good quality and adds a bit to the sound. Sounds better with it than with the little mix puck that came with the steel series head set

I've never given much credence to the "I only have two ears so stereo is good enough" arguement. In real life I can hear what is above, below, in front, and behind me just as well as what is left or right. It has to do with the direction the waves enter and the 7.1s do a good job of that. I just the same setup as puppet, also using rechargeable AAs. I love being totally wireless. Good luck with your selection - it is an investment toward your enjoyment and can be a tool to improve your play.

I haven't used a mixamp but like Coolhand says, the XP500s are great as they are.

S7 Coolhand wrote:I've never given much credence to the "I only have two ears so stereo is good enough" arguement. In real life I can hear what is above, below, in front, and behind me just as well as what is left or right. It has to do with the direction the waves enter and the 7.1s do a good job of that. I just the same setup as puppet, also using rechargeable AAs. I love being totally wireless. Good luck with your selection - it is an investment toward your enjoyment and can be a tool to improve your play.

Simulated 7.1 and 7.1 are fairly difficult to distinguish in headsets. I know even in my $50 turtle beachs I can tell exactly what direction every noise is coming from.

AtrumX wrote:

S7 Coolhand wrote:I've never given much credence to the "I only have two ears so stereo is good enough" arguement. In real life I can hear what is above, below, in front, and behind me just as well as what is left or right. It has to do with the direction the waves enter and the 7.1s do a good job of that. I just the same setup as puppet, also using rechargeable AAs. I love being totally wireless. Good luck with your selection - it is an investment toward your enjoyment and can be a tool to improve your play.

Simulated 7.1 and 7.1 are fairly difficult to distinguish in headsets. I know even in my $50 turtle beachs I can tell exactly what direction every noise is coming from.

This is true. Also, even though they say it, it is not true 7.1 in a headset. There is no true center or rear channel. That said, I am sure the multi-driver headsets are slightly better for directional sound. But as Atrum stated I can hear sound from all directions with my 7.1 simulated. I can't explain how it works but it works.

This is true about the 4 drivers vs 1 in the headset. I guess my biggest debate now is wireless vs wired. I seem to be leaning towards wireless and have my eyes on the new Trittons if they ever come out, but not sure how much longer i can put up with the waiting for them to get a release date, and with some of you all getting the TB wireless that throws another wrench in my decision. But then comes the debate if I am going to be paying up in the 200 range why not maybe go for the astros, after all the good reviews i hear. Ugggg to many choices.. haha

all it is ..is sound delay and the over all volume it choices to delver it in..

and agreed in a headset simulated sound the same if not better then true 7.1

If you're considering the Astros, take a good look at the XP500s too. They're a really quality headset that's completely wireless.

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/xbox-gaming-headsets/ear-force-xp500.aspx?gclid=CLvHoNrbsa8CFU3UKgodtw7zFw

Good news amazon just informed me that my xp400's shipped yesterday and I should have them today. I think it might be time to retire the x11's and the cord.