Is it just me, or all headsets pieces of crap?

[PhaseXero]

I personally just went with the $60 one because my onboard audio is good enough and from things i read, there is no difference to the regular human ear. Unless your like an amazing audiophile, you wont really hear a big difference. Most of the tests show onboard audio performing identical as some of the best sound cards except for one part but i forgot and it wasn't that much worse.
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I have never heard such a thing in my life. I don't want to call your claim ridiculous but everything I have read and experienced is to the contrary of the statement you have just said.

While onboard audio has gotten A LOT better in the past couple years there is no comparison to a decent sound card. I say decent in terms of 60-100 dollars because that's a reasonable, low to mid budget card.

You WILL hear a difference, X-FI by creative for example uses 3d-CMSS to realistically render 3d images for headphones. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fligG_SLnOc"]This youtube vid [/ame]is something similar to what I am talking about.


Headphones

For headphones, get the JVC headphones they are a great bang for you buck. I reference Hardforums a lot since they are computer and gaming enthusiasts and are quite knowledgeable about all these matters.

If you look at any of their threads concerning headphones there are a couple general trends.

1. NO 5.1/7.1 headphones, they are simply crap
2. Requests for headset recommendations get steered towards headphones

This isn't some elitist headphone club but simply people wanting to get the bang for their buck.

It was mentioned here but the JVC HARX700 is the BEST bang for your buck. You just have to buy a clip on Zalman mic. 50 dollars + Tax and you are rocking. I challenge anyone to come up with a cheaper, better sounding headphone/headset.

I saw genpatton7 with his Senns PC-350 but I don't think I can recommend it for this group. They are $220 retail and their reviews have been subpar at head-fi. For half the price you can get Audio Technica's AD700s and you will have one of the better priced headphones for gaming.

Hardforum on Headsets: [1] [2] JVC-HARX

While I do appreciate our sponsors in donating money to keep our servers running, in no way do we as a group have to endorse their products. If you are recommending their 5.1 headsets out of some unfounded loyalty and unjustified statements about how good they are, then that simply is wrong.

Sorry to put that so bluntly but the truth must be known.

/rant

 

[PewPewBangBang]

I know my post sounds ridiculous but honestly, not many of us will hear that much of a difference. Okay we will probably notice some things here and there but idk i cant justify putting out that much money just for SOUND. Alrite onboard audio won't perform as well as a sound card and probably never will but to a majority of the people out there, onboard audio is good enough. I know there are some people out there who will be able to easily tell a difference but thats not many of us. My dad is a complete audiophile so he probably could but i couldn't, i would rather spend that $100 towards a graphics card.

That is a nice demo though, i will need to wait for my headsets to come before i can test that out, my Altec Lansing speakers dont cut it.

 

[genpatton7]

I know my post sounds ridiculous but honestly, not many of us will hear that much of a difference. Okay we will probably notice some things here and there but idk i cant justify putting out that much money just for SOUND. Alrite onboard audio won't perform as well as a sound card and probably never will but to a majority of the people out there, onboard audio is good enough. I know there are some people out there who will be able to easily tell a difference but thats not many of us. My dad is a complete audiophile so he probably could but i couldn't, i would rather spend that $100 towards a graphics card.

That is a nice demo though, i will need to wait for my headsets to come before i can test that out, my Altec Lansing speakers dont cut it.

That's a little unfair. I would say the majority of people could hear the difference, but they simply haven't tried to yet. Kudos to Phasexero for his detailed and accurate description of the advantages to sound equipment. I know sound isn't a big priority for gamers, especially since most of us would rather spend what money we have on new games and graphics cards, but once you do, you will be blown away. 5 years ago, I found no reason to buy a sound card, the thought seemed ridiculous to me, today I've gone through 3 sound cards and have upwards of 6 high-end headphones. Once you start investing in independent sound cards, like the Asus Xonar DX or the X-Fi Titanium, you'll understand the immense improvement it brings to games, music, and movies.

I saw genpatton7 with his Senns PC-350 but I don't think I can recommend it for this group. They are $220 retail and their reviews have been subpar at head-fi. For half the price you can get Audio Technica's AD700s and you will have one of the better priced headphones for gaming.

I absolutely agree, They're only $150 retail, but the AD700s, HD555s, and HD595s, which are all priced below or at about the same price, blow it out of the water. Headphones w/clip-on mic are always better than headsets. After all, I went in search of a mod because I was displeased with the way they sounded

 

[GingaNinja]

lol try to take care of your stuff. i've never spent over 15 bucks for a headset and my last one just died (or so i thought) from the same thing as you said, except it was the left ear that stopped working for me, after like 4 years....so i bought another $15 dollar set and turns out it happens to it too...and the real problem is the front audio jacks on my computer, loose wire or something and my old headset still works actually

+1 i never got how ear peices could fall off unless you abused your headset i got mine for 50 bucks works perfectly very durable (that doesnt mean i can go slamming it around) comfortable and crystal clear

 

[Officer-Pie]

You probably abuse them if they wear out that quick (i.e. yanking the wires, putting your chair over the cable, etc.

 

[PewPewBangBang]

Yea i know there like a sound difference but yea i guess i can't really argue or anything....i cant talk for everyone -.-
I kinda agree with this guy, hes a pretty big time reviewer of computer gear and has tons of videos and his reviews are fairly good. Im basically trying to explain what he talks about in this video but i understand that there is a difference between sound cards vs onboard and how you can tell the difference. I just dont see the big difference between the two but thats just me.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoPofXehMsw[/ame]

 

[Blue Stealth]

pew pew im not sure if youre a musician or not, but its much easier to hear the differences between onboard and a sound card if you play an instrument or instruments.

-Blue

 

[PhaseXero]

Actually you know what. If I had a choice between a decent on-board audio and headphones. I would take the headphones. What the guy says is mostly right, you probably won't tell the difference in sound cards IF you don't have the right audio equipment.

However you will tell a difference if you switch from a crappy headset to a cheap but nice pair of headphones. While I doubt anyone with a current set of headset will want to switch I guarantee if you are looking at to buy a headset and you get the JVC one instead there will be a significant difference, better details, clarity (hear footsteps more accurately), etc etc. If you bring them over to your friends place and A/B them, there will be a noticeable difference in sound quality.

 

[JunK]

it all starts at peoples hearing. some people have great hearing some don't. i'd have to say some that do wouldn't notice a difference (contrary to what you think) since the slightly slower quality of sound would still have great detail for them, and the opposite for bad hearing. you can't hear the details as well so you kind of boost your hearing capabilities with audio equipment

 

[FaTtY-mIc-FaTFaT]

well, ill say get some sort of dj headset, they cost a hell lot though, so i dont think that will help lol.

but they are the best, never broken down on me yet, and you can hear everything.

 

[I-Die-Often]

I am part of the headphone crowd and already expressed that.... I have a pair of Senn HD280 headphones and a cheapo $20 Logitech USB mic that sits on my desk. the HD280s sound awesome, but just as important, they are VERY comfortable. The ear pads are very nice and the padding at the top of the head band insures the top of your head is just as happy.

Spending $100 on a pair of headphones is not up everyone's alley, but I wanted them for a long time so I could have a closed back set of headphone with pretty good bass reproduction that would be comfortable for the long Blackmesa stalemates...

 

[Ducttape]

My Headset: Turtle Beach HPA2

My last headset broke (earpiece assembly detached from the headset) so I wanted something with solid construction. The turtle Beach HPA2 has more than satisfied that need; these things are solid (we're talking metal) sturdy, the cord is both thick and long, and the in-line volume controller is also very well-built.

The 5.1 surround sound is handled by (4) 3.5mm jacks (Center/Sub, Mic, Front, Surround) that plug directly into your soundcard.

I have several pair of headphones; some with mics and some without.

The Turtle Beach HPA2 are the most comfortable, seriously, after several hundred hours of wearing these on my head, I still am amazed at how well they stay in place without pinching my head or feeling too tight. I've had these for 9 months now, and they still are awesome. no lose wires, no earcups detaching from the frame, they still sound awesome (good bass, 5.1 sound).

I usually go through a set of new headphones in about a month, maybe two before they start to break. I am very happy with the Turtle Beach HPA2.

My other headphones: Sennheiser HD280. These are awesome. The sound is 2.0 (turtle beach is 5.1) but the sound quality is superior to the HPA2. You hear things in your music and movies that you didn't know was there before using these. They do take an adjustment period; when I first tried them out, I thought something was wrong because I could hear a slight, I dunno, a crackling in my music. I was like what the? but then I realized it was the sound built into the music; that is, the HD280's are so finely tuned they let you hear everything in your music. For listening to live music, these are the ultimate and I can't imagine listening to music without them. They area a little tight, and after a while I have to take them off and let my ears breath a little.

For games, I prefer the Turtle Beach HPA2 and for music and movies I use the HD280's.

I can't tell you how many dozen(s) of cheap headphones and headsets I went through before deciding to throw down $$ and get a pair of nice headphones. The HPA2 was around $75 on newegg, the the HD280 were $99 on newegg.

Either of these headsets will make your ears love you.

 

[genpatton7]

it all starts at peoples hearing. some people have great hearing some don't. i'd have to say some that do wouldn't notice a difference (contrary to what you think) since the slightly slower quality of sound would still have great detail for them, and the opposite for bad hearing. you can't hear the details as well so you kind of boost your hearing capabilities with audio equipment

Are you seriously implicating that people with bad hearing compensate with high-end audio equipment, while those with good hearing don't need it because they can hear all the details? It's the exact opposite my friend, those who can't hear the difference between low and high-end audio equipment usually have poorer hearing than those who can. Wider frequency responses, larger soundstages, and crisper/clearer sound is all the result of good quality headphones paired with a good quality source and file/media. If a person can't hear those differences, they either have untrained ears or poor hearing to start.

 

[Ducttape]

Yea i know there like a sound difference but yea i guess i can't really argue or anything....i cant talk for everyone -.-
I kinda agree with this guy, hes a pretty big time reviewer of computer gear and has tons of videos and his reviews are fairly good. Im basically trying to explain what he talks about in this video but i understand that there is a difference between sound cards vs onboard and how you can tell the difference. I just dont see the big difference between the two but thats just me.

I have (i think) modest speakers and headphones. my speakers are THX certified (2.0 logitech z-2300) and my headphones are Turtle beach HPA2 and Sennheiser HD280.

My soundcard is Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium.

Yes, there is a difference in sound between on-board and add-on sound. How much of a difference? I dunno exactly how to describe it, but you can hear the difference. Is it a worthy upgrade? well...that depends on you and your budget. I don't regret the upgrade, and I'll never go back to on-board sound again.

The 5.1 sounds better, "more defined', on the HPA2's.
My desktop speakers and the HD280's definitely benefit from the X-Fi.

 

[Xzbit]

I am on my 15th set. Either the kids are ripping them apart or they stop working. The one i have now, sometimes both sides work and most of the time only 1 works. Not sure why, could it be the sound drivers for the game?

 

[PhaseXero]

What Headset/Headphones are you using right now Xzbit?? The easiest way to check if you don't want to go looking in the software is to plug in a pair of speakers/headphones you know would work. Alternatively if you think it's only the game, and your music works normally in say itunes then it's probably a setting in your game.

However it could also be that the wires have been stressed too much. I had a pair of headphones that were pulled too hard in one direction over a couple month and one side stopped working.


Headphones

From what I can gather there are a lot of strong emotions on both sides of whether it is worth the money to spend on headphones vs putting that money to other uses such as better video cards.

From my own personal experience, I've had gamers who come over to my place tried out my stuff and have gone with either "that's really nice but I'm sticking with my own stuff" and "that's really nice, I have to get one myself".

I believe that you don't have to spend more than 30-50 bucks for a good pair of headphones, a price you pay already with a decent headset. Anything less and like many others have stated they will fall apart in a short period of time. "Buy Cheap Buy Twice"

I can see where PewPew is coming from though. Some people may not notice, some people may not care. That's fine, I have no problem with that. If you have tested other headphones and found it not necessary that's fine.

What I have noticed though is while there are untrained ears and those with "golden" ears, no one who has tried out decent equipment has noticed a significant improvement compared to what they normally use

PewPew - Q for You
Hey PewPew what sound systems have you tested??

 

[Meowcenaries]

Turtle Beach X-52 like 70 $ and it's perfect i just got it today works awesome, now how to get the mic working.

 

[BootyTang]

The headset i have right now is horrible :chair:. Im hoping to get a Razer headset soon

 

[Panzer Grenadier Ulrich]

I have Microsoft Livechat LX300 (something like that) and it lags like anything

 

[Ryken]

I disagree with anyone who says "some people can't hear the difference" in sound quality. I guarantee that anyone who puts on a pair of $15 sony over the ear headphones from walmart can tell that they don't sound as good as a pair of $200 Sennheiser's. There is absolutely no debate there.

The debate is whether or not the difference is worth spending the $185. Some people think it isn't, some think it is, and some can't even bear to put the sony's on.

Yes, there is some debate among certain headphones, many people think $35 JVC HARX700's sound as good as $75 AD700's, and others disagree. But to say that you can't tell a difference between the $5 OEM bin at microcenter and a pair of nice headphones is not a matter of opinion, it's just clinging on to your view that the nicer pair isn't worth the money.

I can understand why people feel like it isn't worth the money. Computer stuff is expensive, and many would prefer to buy a better gpu/cpu/ram/etc than to drop (what can be big) money on headphones. That being said, don't say that there isn't a sound difference because you don't think that the price difference is worth it. When you do, you are wrong.