Saturday September 6 2008

GotFrag Hardware Forums

pretty specific headset need

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Hey guys, I need a new headset for gaming, music, and movies. I've had a pair of Sennheiser PC-150s for years, but it's on its last legs.

Technically I don't have a budget, but I don't use them as much as I used to, so I don't want to spend a lot more for a small quality difference. Less than $75 would be preferred, I don't want a USB headset, and it must have a decent mic attached. Also, I'd prefer something sleek looking, so I don't look like a huge dork sitting in the airport or something.

You can suggest more expensive headsets (up to $200), but I'd only be interested if there's a huge quality difference from a $40-75 pair.

Thanks in advance.
i quit cs, yet im better than you. :[
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Senheiser HD555
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GotFrag Prime!
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i just ordered my HD555's yesterday, i can't wait til i get them :D
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HD555 doesn't have a mic attached to it though : [
but i would recommend the same one....
since besides not having a mic...it's prob. the best headphones for CS n music =)
tw
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+ Zalman Mic
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You want a good headset with a mic attached and also be able to wear it at the airport AND not look like a dork? That's gonna be pretty tough depending on what you'd wear out...

The only headset I think you'd want because it looks "less dorkish" is the (fairly new) SteelSeries Siberia Neckband headset, but it's pretty overpriced for the (IMHO) at best, sub-par (meaning not that great) audio quality/performance. Plus I heard it takes awhile to get used to since they hang on your ears :P.

http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Siberia..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp..

Personally I'd get a decent headset such as a Plantronics .Audio 370:
http://www.buy.com/prod/plantronics-audio.. (that's the wrong pic, it looks like: http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-Open-Ea..

The 370s are old/discontinued and only have a 3.5mm port while the newer 770s have both a 3.5mm port and a USB port - AFAIK that's the only difference between the two.

And for your street use (music player/phone), I'd pick up a pair of Sennheiser CX-300's which are decent for their price - not the best, not the worst - http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-CX-300B-..

Edit: Fixed links

This comment was edited at 06/11/2008 3:04 AM
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the sennheiser pc 151's are 40 dollars...and if youve bought your 150's in the last 2 years sennheiser will replace them for free.
The "*PEW* *PEW* *PEW* *PEW* ^^FIREWORKXZZZZ^^" Guy.

Icemat Siberias are very comforatable and you can choose to buy them without the USB card.

Idk about walking around with them but they have great sound quality.
eVGA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard|Intel QX6700|Edge2x4G|eVGA GeForce 8800 Ultra|DeathAdder|QcK+|
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#8 siberias are NOT comfortable if uve ever had a pair of decent headphones or even some middle range "gaming headsets"... and they DO NOT have anything close to "great sound quality" -_-

overpriced, overrated pos = siberia imo
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Go for the SteelSeries Siberia or if you want a smaller size, then buy the SteelSeries Neckband. That's just my two cents.
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You can't wear a headset with a mic out in public and not look like a dork. As for the 555's there is definitely a significant increase in sound quality over your pc150's but like you said you don't use them as much anymore so I would probably suggest that you buy another pair of pc-160's (or whatever the newer version is called).

#8 siberias sound like someone took a dump in my ear. Just throwing that out there.
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#6 I have the siberia neck band headsets and they sound fine in game, thats coming from the siberia headset and the HD555, but they do hurt like hell after a bit.

This comment was edited at 06/13/2008 2:43 PM
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You can't wear a headset with a mic out in public and not look like a dork
gotfrag makes my trigger finger itchy!
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#12 - I haven't used the Siberia Neckband yet, but I've heard their sound is nearly identical to the first Siberia's (which I had) and those were pretty bad, IMO not even comparable to the sound from decent headphones such as a pair of HD555s or my current AD700s...
15
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"pretty specific headset need"

when i saw that i thought

wow this guy must have only ear or something, maybe he needs a headset with both ear pieces on 1 side
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trust me, HD555's are where its at. You won't look like a dork weaering these, they're pretty stealthy :P

Whoever recommended Icemats is crazy. Not only are they crap, but they look ridiculous.
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I suggest getting a pair of Sennheiser 280 pros and a Zalman clip on mic.

Headphones go for 99.99 @ http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-manufac..

Zalman mic goes for about 8-10 bucks on newegg.com

This comment was edited at 06/13/2008 9:37 PM
lll llllll

QUOTE:
so I don't look like a huge dork sitting in the airport or something.


That is a hard one to find, as anything with a mic makes you look dorky, but a zalman clip on could be detached amiright?

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=..

http://www.crazypc.com/products/4560.html

those look dorky? if you don't think so, then buy those with a zalman clip on mic eh? As most of these rich bassturds will tell you, it has pretty high quality, Sennheiser knows what they are doing, so go with that till someone pitches you something better ^_^
This is my happy face :] This is my rawr face !_!
19
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i actually decided to go with exactly what you suggested #17. i was between the hd555 and the 280 pros, read a number of reviews, and thought the 280s + a zalman mic would work. i'm a little worried because one review said you get noticeable feedback from touching the wire, and that might not work with the mic, but if i don't like it i'll send it back.

also, in case anybody else is looking at these products, i found them both cheaper at amazon.com

my total was $102.76 shipped (headphones $95.89, mic $6.87)

thanks everyone!

p.s. yeah, they would look really dorky to wear in public, but oh well. :P
i quit cs, yet im better than you. :[
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#19 you wont be disapointed. but if you dont like the zalman clip on mic you can always get one of those desktop stand up mics. I just bought a 10 dollar desktop mic today and it sounds really good, just waiting on my friend to get outta work so he can tell me how I really sound on it.
lll llllll
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the headphones are awesome. i've always thought sennheiser does a great job on headphones, and they've done it again. big upgrade over my old pc150's. i haven't gamed with them yet, but music sounds very crisp and clear, with no distractions from outside noise. the cord gets in the way a little bit, but not much. the headphones fit tightly, but not at all uncomfortably. i highly recommend these headphones to anybody else. thanks a lot volatile!

i haven't tested the mic. i've never used a mic on this computer before, and i JUST now found out that vista/sb audigy clash (how is this possible -- dell ships with audigy on tons of systems)? so i need to find a fix for that before i test the mic. :/
i quit cs, yet im better than you. :[

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