Help choosing semi-hifi headset and soundcard

[Juusuhako]

Hi, I need help choosing a semi-hifi pair of headphones and soundcard for gaming.
I recently sent back my Astro A40 for a refund (which is why im making a new thread ^_^).

I have no expertise in hifi at all, but admittetly will be using it mainly for gaming. I also need a soundcard to match, and I assume it needs to be something with an amp.

Im not looking for the most high-end hifi pair of headphones, but something that would still "blow away" your typical, average "40-50mm gaming headset". Im thinking something along £100 (MAX.) for the headset, and then a decent soundcard (but cheaper is fine too).

I also dont mind taking suggestions based on me buying it used rather than new.

 

[TPC]

I can recommend the Sennheiser HD558 for that price bracket.

 

[Juusuhako]

I can recommend the Sennheiser HD558 for that price bracket.

Its slightly over budget (about £125 here).

 

[Dawelio]

Any other info you could provide us with here?... like if you prefer cloth (open) or leather (closed) type of headsets, you prefer analog (3.5mm jacks) or USB?... what are you looking at in terms of functions of the headset it self, swivel, tilt of the headset itself etc?...

Umm... I will be honest here, I have to knowledge or experience with hifi but I know some about headsets, specifically for gaming.

I personally use a Logitech G35, which is spot on for me. Have all the features I need/want and it's not that expensive either. It has very good audio playback, both in the earcups and in the microphone itself.
The retractable muted microphone feature is very handy as well, in my opinion.

Other than that, another very well known headset, specially amongst professional gamers is the Steelseries Siberia V2. Great headset, well known, light weight and a good headset.
Although, it wasn't my cup of tea as it was too small for my head, as I need a headset that can expand it's headband. And meanwhile the Siberia can do this, it's only to a certain extent, due to the soft cloth bungy jump thingy on it.

One of the best ones I know, that you most likely need a sound card for, as it needs quite a high AMP in order to drive the speakers... is the Sennheiser PC350 or PC350 G4ME.
Tried these as well and weren't my cup of tea either, as my ears pinched the inside of the earcups and it was annoying. Plus, this you could get (not sure if it's still available) in a bundle with ASUS Xonar Xense soundcard, which was a nice feature for the collaboration between ASUS and Sennheiser.

Then there's also the cheaper ones Corsair's line up, Razer (although personally don't favour these much), Cooler Master's headset etc...

When it comes to headsets it's very hard to give you a good tip, as we all have a very different shape to our heads and what we individually think and feel is comfortable to wear.
Like someone in here might hate the Logitech G35's, meanwhile they are the spot on headset for me.

Probably a bit much, but hope it helped you somewhat

 

[Juusuhako]

Any other info you could provide us with here?... like if you prefer cloth (open) or leather (closed) type of headsets, you prefer analog (3.5mm jacks) or USB?... what are you looking at in terms of functions of the headset it self, swivel, tilt of the headset itself etc?...

Umm... I will be honest here, I have to knowledge or experience with hifi but I know some about headsets, specifically for gaming.

I personally use a Logitech G35, which is spot on for me. Have all the features I need/want and it's not that expensive either. It has very good audio playback, both in the earcups and in the microphone itself.
The retractable muted microphone feature is very handy as well, in my opinion.

Other than that, another very well known headset, specially amongst professional gamers is the Steelseries Siberia V2. Great headset, well known, light weight and a good headset.
Although, it wasn't my cup of tea as it was too small for my head, as I need a headset that can expand it's headband. And meanwhile the Siberia can do this, it's only to a certain extent, due to the soft cloth bungy jump thingy on it.

One of the best ones I know, that you most likely need a sound card for, as it needs quite a high AMP in order to drive the speakers... is the Sennheiser PC350 or PC350 G4ME.
Tried these as well and weren't my cup of tea either, as my ears pinched the inside of the earcups and it was annoying. Plus, this you could get (not sure if it's still available) in a bundle with ASUS Xonar Xense soundcard, which was a nice feature for the collaboration between ASUS and Sennheiser.

Then there's also the cheaper ones Corsair's line up, Razer (although personally don't favour these much), Cooler Master's headset etc...

When it comes to headsets it's very hard to give you a good tip, as we all have a very different shape to our heads and what we individually think and feel is comfortable to wear.
Like someone in here might hate the Logitech G35's, meanwhile they are the spot on headset for me.

Probably a bit much, but hope it helped you somewhat

I dont worry too much about comfort. Well, I do, but I never had a headset that was uncomfortable or that I couldn't get used to. If it its uncomfortable I will just quickly ship it back (we have a 14-days "right of withdrawal").

Since I want a soundcard it has to be 3.5mm. I have only ever had closed headphones (almost all "gaming headsets" are closed), so im used to alot of bass. I realize open headphones wont have as much bass, but I know pretty much all soundcards these days pack a "bass boost"-feature that I should hope will make up for it.

It would be nice if the earcups can swivel, but it is definitely not a must.

Never been a fan of Siberia (they're ugly too ) and G35 is USB.

 

[iBeInspire]

If you're on a budget you cant go wrong with an asus Xonar DGX. Decent sound quality for the money, I strongly doubt it's worth investing more if you will be mainly gaming.

Headphones are a bit more tricky, you want something with a large soundstage as it will help with positioning, but you also want a ''fun'' sounding can for you know... fun. I know a lot of people love the DT770 as a gaming can, might be a litttle over budget but not too much. If you want to save some money I'm a big fan of the ~£40 Panasonic HTF600 for gaming, I had mine for the longest time until I gave them to a relative... fond memories. If you could tell me what type of games you play/what type of music you're into I might be able to give a slightly better response

Edit: THIS GUIDE is like the holy-grail of audiophile gaming testing. Might be worth having a look through there and seeing if there's anything you like

Edit #2: Having a look through the guide, I think Creative Aurvana Live (CAL) headphones would be an excellent fit for you

 

[Dawelio]

What about the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset then?... was a very well regarded headset in 2014.

 

[Juusuhako]

If you're on a budget you cant go wrong with an asus Xonar DGX. Decent sound quality for the money, I strongly doubt it's worth investing more if you will be mainly gaming.

Headphones are a bit more tricky, you want something with a large soundstage as it will help with positioning, but you also want a ''fun'' sounding can for you know... fun. I know a lot of people love the DT770 as a gaming can, might be a litttle over budget but not too much. If you want to save some money I'm a big fan of the ~£40 Panasonic HTF600 for gaming, I had mine for the longest time until I gave them to a relative... fond memories. If you could tell me what type of games you play/what type of music you're into I might be able to give a slightly better response

Edit: THIS GUIDE is like the holy-grail of audiophile gaming testing. Might be worth having a look through there and seeing if there's anything you like

Yea I've been looking at that soundcard. As opposed to Asus DX it has an amp., yet it is cheaper. Im not sure why this is, I thought an amp. could only be a good thing?

Cant really say I want a pair of headphones for a specific type of music... They just need to be all-round good, as I listen to a lot of different stuff. You can scratch stuff like dubstep and in general techo... But aside from that I pretty much listen from kpop to sometimes metal... Even Taylor Swift drops by once in a while.

Like I said I've only ever had closed headphones, so im used to the bass packing a solid punch (I also use in-ear when im on-the-move). But again, most soundcards (including DGX) has a feature to boost bass, so even if they lack I hope the soundcard can make up for it.

What about the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset then?... was a very well regarded headset in 2014.

My friend has it and its mic. is horribly noisy (im sure I've read about this issue several times online). I know they just announced a 2nd gen. of it, so it would have to be that if any, but I dont even know about release date... For now I wanna see what options I can get with semi-hifi headphones (or whatever you wanna call it )

 

[iBeInspire]

Yea I've been looking at that soundcard. As opposed to Asus DX it has an amp., yet it is cheaper. Im not sure why this is, I thought an amp. could only be a good thing?

Cant really say I want a pair of headphones for a specific type of music... They just need to be all-round good, as I listen to a lot of different stuff. You can scratch stuff like dubstep and in general techo... But aside from that I pretty much listen from kpop to sometimes metal... Even Taylor Swift drops by once in a while.

Like I said I've only ever had closed headphones, so im used to the bass packing a solid punch (I also use in-ear when im on-the-move). But again, most soundcards (including DGX) has a feature to boost bass, so even if they lack I hope the soundcard can make up for it.

:O Another undercover Taylor Swift fan? Join the club bro
In all seriousness I think the CALs will be a good fit for you. They pack quite a strong punch in the bass department and decent clarity overall. More importantly though the soundstage is decent, which should be good for gaming.

The DX is more geared towards home theatre and surround-sound audio because it has Dolby Digital Live support. Also it does use higher quality components which makes it slightly more expensive. The DGX is geared specifically at gamers using mainly headphones, because it has the headphone amp and Dolby Headphone and is a little cheaper because it uses slightly lower grade components, for example I'm sure the DX has a separate op-amp for each channel, while the DGX has 2 for the front out and then 1 for ''the rest''. All a little complicated but if you're using headphones and you're on a budget get the DGX.

My friend has it and its mic. is horribly noisy (im sure I've read about this issue several times online). I know they just announced a 2nd gen. of it, so it would have to be that if any, but I dont even know about release date... For now I wanna see what options I can get with semi-hifi headphones (or whatever you wanna call it )

I actually had one myself but passed it onto my brother. It's by no means a bad headset, the overall colour of the sound is reasonable to listen to (warm) but it just doesn't have the detail you get from higher end headphones.

 

[Dawelio]

Like I said I've only ever had closed headphones, so im used to the bass packing a solid punch (I also use in-ear when im on-the-move). But again, most soundcards (including DGX) has a feature to boost bass, so even if they lack I hope the soundcard can make up for it.

Well if you MUST have a sound card, the G35's, which are closed, but are USB, you can set the bass for yourself... you can have none or massive, I have set at 3, which is a sweet spot, higher than that and I got a headache.

Even at 7 or max 10, the bass managed to break the speakers lol... as whenever a bang came in a movie or special buzzing sound in a dubstep song, you would hear small noises such as if the headset itself was cracking. But it was only the speakers itself lol.

And I myself really need bass, hence why it took me months to find a good headset and even purchased more than 10 different, which 7 went to the trash can lol.

But then, if you don't fancy USB etc, then no worries... just thought I'd mention it

My friend has it and its mic. is horribly noisy (im sure I've read about this issue several times online). I know they just announced a 2nd gen. of it, so it would have to be that if any, but I dont even know about release date... For now I wanna see what options I can get with semi-hifi headphones (or whatever you wanna call it )

Umm, I can't really say I agree with you on that one... as my mate and I haven't noticed any of that to be honest and he has one.
In Teamspeak, he is as clear as day in my ears and me in his. So he might have gotten the lottery ticket


Btw, how come everyone wants a sound card really?... I mean, I didn't really notice any difference when I had an ASUS Xonar DGX and I sat for hours playing around with it, watched videos of how to set it up and I didn't notice any difference between it and my USB headsets lol.
Probably didn't set it up right though ... but still

 

[Juusuhako]

Well if you MUST have a sound card, the G35's, which are closed, but are USB, you can set the bass for yourself... you can have none or massive, I have set at 3, which is a sweet spot, higher than that and I got a headache.

Even at 7 or max 10, the bass managed to break the speakers lol... as whenever a bang came in a movie or special buzzing sound in a dubstep song, you would hear small noises such as if the headset itself was cracking. But it was only the speakers itself lol.

And I myself really need bass, hence why it took me months to find a good headset and even purchased more than 10 different, which 7 went to the trash can lol.

But then, if you don't fancy USB etc, then no worries... just thought I'd mention it



Umm, I can't really say I agree with you on that one... as my mate and I haven't noticed any of that to be honest and he has one.
In Teamspeak, he is as clear as day in my ears and me in his. So he might have gotten the lottery ticket


Btw, how come everyone wants a sound card really?... I mean, I didn't really notice any difference when I had an ASUS Xonar DGX and I sat for hours playing around with it, watched videos of how to set it up and I didn't notice any difference between it and my USB headsets lol.
Probably didn't set it up right though ... but still

I believe my brother has a pair of Logitechs G-something, they're wireless though. They didnt feel too tight on my head, and kinda... flimsy, I dont know.

From what I know jack+soundcard>built-in USB soundcard... At least if you get something decent. I've had X-Fi's before and I loved some of its features, but now I wanna try Asus as I've heard good things about their soundcards.

In regards to HyperX I know for a fact I've read about this mic. issue. Sometimes hes perfectly clear, and all of a sudden the mic. sensitivity goes out of hand and makes a horrible loud static noise, and its like I can hear his entire apartment. I sometimes found myself taking my headset off because it happens so sudden and can be unbearable if my volume is already high.

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

It doesn't matter if you have the best sound card in the world if the headphones are totally and utterly crap the situation cannot be helped. If you go to headphones like the aforementioned hd 558 or the DT 770 or higher then you would pick the difference between a good sound card and a great soundcard.

I think that sennheiser has some headphones that are much on the lower end HD 4xx (I don't remember) or the HD 518 will those be any good for him?
Plus, the creative Soundblaster Z isn't a bad choise. They even include a microphone with noise cancellation

 

[Juusuhako]

It doesn't matter if you have the best sound card in the world if the headphones are totally and utterly crap the situation cannot be helped. If you go to headphones like the aforementioned hd 558 or the DT 770 or higher then you would pick the difference between a good sound card and a great soundcard.

I think that sennheiser has some headphones that are much on the lower end HD 4xx (I don't remember) or the HD 518 will those be any good for him?
Plus, the creative Soundblaster Z isn't a bad choise. They even include a microphone with noise cancellation

Right, thats why I want a "semi-highend" pair of hifi headphones, im sure these can take advantage of a decent soundcard?

Havent looked at HD518, but they're in a good price range, so I think I'll read up on them.

I've seen the SB-Z with the mic. Actually considering them specifically so I dont have to look for an external mic. But again, will have to read up on it. I just got the idea that Asus sorta "overran" Creative with their cards.

 

[TPC]

The HD518 is a great choice, otherwise I seriously would suggest the hyperx cloud since its basicly a beyerdynamic rebrand

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

I've seen the SB-Z with the mic. Actually considering them specifically so I dont have to look for an external mic. But again, will have to read up on it. I just got the idea that Asus sorta "overran" Creative with their cards.

That happened because Creative was king when hardware acceleration of sound was a thing in games (EAX) then vista killed EAX, creative didn't catch up at all...

 

[Juusuhako]

The HD518 is a great choice, otherwise I seriously would suggest the hyperx cloud since its basicly a beyerdynamic rebrand

I thought they were rebranded Kingstons. Would you side 518 over them, or?

That happened because Creative was king when hardware acceleration of sound was a thing in games (EAX) then vista killed EAX, creative didn't catch up at all...

So then I may aswell stick to Asus, I guess.

 

[Thelosouvlakia]

So then I may aswell stick to Asus, I guess.

They are not that bad. But you can't compare them to beasts like the Essence STX
For their price they are perfect imo

 

[Juusuhako]

They are not that bad. But you can't compare them to beasts like the Essence STX
For their price they are perfect imo

I looked at Essence STX II, but I would need quite a pair of headphones to match it, and it would become too expensive. Not sure what the difference on STX I and II are though, but I could look into a first gen. if I can find it at a reasonable price or used (assuming first gen. isnt already overkill for a below-£100 pair of headphones, then theres no need).

 

[iBeInspire]

I looked at Essence STX II, but I would need quite a pair of headphones to match it, and it would become too expensive. Not sure what the difference on STX I and II are though, but I could look into a first gen. if I can find it at a reasonable price or used (assuming first gen. isnt already overkill for a below-£100 pair of headphones, then theres no need).

I think if you're looking as high-end a STXs, then maybe have a look at some DACs too? I personally love fiio e10, you might too - but it's more geared towards music rather than gaming... no extra features.

I've heard good things about the 518, might be worth a read about them

 

[Juusuhako]

I think if you're looking as high-end a STXs, then maybe have a look at some DACs too? I personally love fiio e10, you might too - but it's more geared towards music rather than gaming... no extra features.

I've heard good things about the 518, might be worth a read about them

Im not, unless it turns up used for a good price. STX I/II plus a matching pair of headphones would become over £200 depending if it were to be I or II, and im not interested in that.