New Headphones: R1000 Budget

Staple2

Staple2

New member
I've basically narrowed my options down to

Sennheiser HD 555
Steelseries Siberia v2
Steelseries 7H
Razer Megalodon
Razer Charcharias
Roccat Kave

The Senny would be great, although the only place I can find it is with Take2 and then it will take 3 weeks minimum to get to me. The Siberia looks a little cheap, while the Megalodon, Charcarias and Roccat are all a bit chunky. Of course looks don't really matter, but the sound does. The unfortunate thing is that one has to rely on reviews to fill you in on this.

The problem I have with all those I mentioned except for the HD 555 is that they are designed primarily for FPS gaming. While I do play CS:S quite a lot, I've always been rather comfortable with a cheap mic and basic sound. I want headphones that give me great sound when listening to music and watching the occasional movie or so. So with that in mind what would you recommend?

Also note that I just had a pair of Aerial7 ChopperIIs which were really great and delivered excellent sound. They were also the most comfortable headphones I've ever had and only cost me R700. I want my next pair to be even better in terms of sound and comfort.
 
I can recommend Sennheiser, really good audio quality. I had the PC350 and still sad that I let them go :( I've had the steelseries 7h, and though the audio quality was good, they lacked a bit volume. They also smaller than they look in pics, fitting on my ears rather than over them. The Siberia set is actaully decent, and according to me, louder than the 7h. Also bigger and a better fit for me than the 7h.

Had the Megalodon, and though it's nice for plug and play, I had issues where mid-game my sound will distort and cut out and the only way to resolve it was to unplug it and plug it back in. Bit of a hassle midway through a clannie. Also, the "surround sound" works in some games, others not giving it a hollow feel.

The Kave's are decent, and has good audio quality. And they were quite loud as well. Bit clunky and heavy though, but felt comfortable on my head. Messy wires though, 4 3.5mm and a usb if I remember correct.
 
The Kave's are awesome for sound quality, but they are big, so big in fact that you look like you are driving a tank instead of sitting infront of a PC
 
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I agree with the Kaves. They are very good. Cables are messy but i only use them when i LAN. I have a dedicated 5.1 speaker setup for the home.
 
I bought Kaves and I have not been sorry. However, there is definitely an argument for avoiding 5.1 headsets, especially if you want really great performance with music. If you want the best possible all around performance, and are not interested in surround sound then I would suggest you read up on the best stereo set for under R1000.

HOWEVER - I have been blown away by just how awesome the Kave's surround sound is in games like Bad Company 2, so if possible I recommend trying them out somehow.


Bear in mind that if you're using an onboard sound card you will not be able to get the best out of any serious headset. I never believed this was true until I bought my Kaves. They are known to omit an annoying buzzing sound when used with onboard sound cards, so I had no choice but to buy a new sound card. I decided to go big and got myself a Creative Soundblaser X-Fi Titanium Fatality edition. Apart from the buzzing problem fixed, I'm blown away by the difference between onboard and this card.

I'm hearing stuff in games I never even knew was there before, and the EAX 5.1 standard is mind blowing. Punchy, clear bass tones, nice soothing mids and well balanced highs - very impressive sound all around.

Also, using the card's bundled software I have been able to set up custom profiles for music and games, and while the audio in games is obviously phenomenal, I have also been able to find a very satisfying config for music.

My only criticism of the headset is that it is a little heavy and for the first few weeks I would get a bit of a sore head when wearing them. My skull seems to have become used to it though as I'm no longer experiencing this pain :)
 
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Logitech G35's are also awesome. Love mine! Easy to use and nice long cable and they are USB. No swopping with speakers all the time. Plug in USB and headset takes preference. Unplug and you speaker setup is back in charge.

Sound quality is brilliant.
 
The only two I would consider are either the Roccat kaves or the Logitech G35.

Roccats are very nice. Brilliant quality and proper 5.1. Big drawback for me is the three stereo jacks that you would need to swop out with your speakers each time you cant to use either or.

Logitechs are just as good in quality and have a really long cord. As mentioned, I love the USB connectivity.
 
Only issue, and I have to agree with Nick on this one regarding the external card is that none of the really decent high end soundcards come with a USB port.
So you will always have to be happy with the onboard's decoding and the headset's built in USB soundcard

If you are a serious audiophile, you have to go with analog jacks :)
 
Well I agree with almost all the comments here. I've been reading up on a ton of reviews to help me decide (it's a lot of money).

At the moment I have an onboard sound card and not enough money to purchase a decent dedicated card, however it is something I'd like to invest in in the future. That makes me pretty skeptical of the Kave, for reasons Tinman mentioned. I won't be able to fully utilize the 5.1 anyway until like a year from now when I've finally got some money together again for an upgrade. While I'm very tempted to try them I'm not really keen, for the aforementioned reasons as well as the fact that it's designed as a gaming headset. That's also why I'm not too sure about the Razer, Siberia, 7H etc.

I'm looking for headphones that will cater for music quality firstly, then comfort, then gaming. I'm really not that into expert equipment when it comes to gaming. I mean I played CS:S competitively for like a year with some lucky packet keyboard and mouse combo and crappy desktop speakers. The most important thing for me would be something similar to the Aerial7s but better. Unfortunately not many people know what fits into this area because people who've heard of Aerial7 immediately associate them with style over quality, like Skullcandy. It's true, unfortunately, but the Chopper2s were the exception.

So I'm leaning towards the Senny, unless other suggestions come forth. Going that route has a couple of drawbacks though, such as the open design which means lot of sound leakage in and out. Not too mention the 3 week wait. I might as well make it 4 weeks and then when I'm visiting Canada buy me the pair for R700, or even up it to a better model with some better isolation.
 
I really don't know why you need to spend so much on headphones. I've got a pair of I got at a flea market 5 years ago for R50 and they sound just as good my 5.1 speakers even if thy don't have front/back surround capability.
 
Raven Gold said:
I really don't know why you need to spend so much on headphones. I've got a pair of I got at a flea market 5 years ago for R50 and they sound just as good my 5.1 speakers even if thy don't have front/back surround capability.
Click to expand...

The same way a Tata is the same as Jaguar XJR, except the Tata is shit?
 
DenSweeP said:
The same way a Tata is the same as Jaguar XJR, except the Tata is shit?
Click to expand...

Or the same way a 50 year old beetle is still running fine while said jaguar's golfer/diver is stuck in the mechanic's waiting room to fix a flat tire for half the price of the car itself.
 
DenSweeP said:
The only two I would consider are either the Roccat kaves or the Logitech G35.

Roccats are very nice. Brilliant quality and proper 5.1. Big drawback for me is the three stereo jacks that you would need to swop out with your speakers each time you cant to use either or

Logitechs are just as good in quality and have a really long cord. As mentioned, I love the USB connectivity.
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This problem is easily solved with an analogue splitter. I got one at hifi corp for R20.

At OP, sounds like u will be best served with stereo sennies, cant u find a closer set for a similar price?
 
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