Looking for good gaming headphones

As soon as i use a stereo headset i loose about 10-15 % in skill when it comes to competive gaming. SO on my own personal experience I cant play without 5.1
 
The Joker said:
I guess it does come down to personal preference.
Click to expand...

It does, and without a person testing each headset it boils down to your decision and then you have to be happy with what you chose. This is one of the great struggles I've noticed; headsets, mice and keyboards can't be rated above one another on a chart with specific stats on each and therefore your own opinion on each is what settles the matter.

Too bad there aren't any(or many if I just haven't noticed one) stores that make it possible for you to test these high-end gaming peripherals and see for yourself.

I made a good choice and bought the G35's, which I love with all my heart although the earcups are starting to wear off.

Good luck on your decision though OP, I hope you are satisfied with your purchase.
 
if it is worth anything, here is my experience so far with the Kave's:

Purchased at: Dion Wired, Hyde Park

Initial thoughts: Packaging was brilliant, set was really secured down and protected inside that box. Plenty of in-depth documentation (Which I didn't read because you can't trust the system), Even a 5.1 Demo CD to make sure that the set is working (Realtek sound test sufficed for me) and the Roccat ID Card was a nice touch - except that it has no use in SA (overseas its a different story apparently).

Set up: 4 Analog 3.5mm Jacks, covered by protective caps initially, straight into the mobo sockets. USB Plug that draws power wasn't much of a limitation either, no drivers required to force the ports to give power. Since my rig has no speakers (yet) these will remain plugged in all the time. Loaded the Realtek sound manager, set the output to 5.1, tested, everything worked fine - you could really hear the direction on this set.

Sound General: I will admit that at first the sound was weak, tinny, and harsh. however, I run my standard 20 hours of burn-in before fully listening and critiquing headphones. they are about 15 hours in now. (This is a practise I perform to all my headphones - I have yet to encounter a single pair where the audio did not sound better and fuller after the burn-in)

Gaming Audio: I have not tested these sufficiently with any games where positional audio is critical - namely CS. Will test in the new year when the servers are full of people again. The only game I have really played with it is Half-Life (got every HL in the steam sale for 9 dollars). even in that game, positional audio was noticeable. someone could take to me, and I would rotate around, and his voice would match his position perfectly with relation to my head. The soundscape of these are far larger than my Old stereo Audiophile pair - really cool in games like FC3 where the soundstage matches the open environment.

Music: I have my pair of Technics that I use exclusively for music. however, following the 15 hours that they have burned in so far, I tested out some tracks to at least see what they had to offer. This was after enabling DTS:Connect in the realtek settings. The bass was punchy and balanced, despite the fact that the sub doesn't engage when using DTS:Connect. highs where a bit on the low side with an average midrange. all in all, they are not going to replace my Tech's anytime soon, but they are sufficient enough that I won't bother to pull out the Tech's just to listen to something. in fact, they were a lot better than expected. they CAN fill the position of both headphone and headset, but only if the user can enable DTS:Connect or equivalent technology, and is on a tight budget.
(All test material was at AIFF/WAV Quality, encoded straight from the CD)

Feel: Although most complain that they are heavy, I do not mind as I have had experience with heavy headphones all my life and have grown used to it. a marathon 6 hour session didn't make me feel uncomfortable, with short minute breaks every hour or so from the headset (Only to get food/drink though, not because they became uncomfortable). they are called Kaves for a reason - there is so much flipping space inside those things. they do not rest on the ear - a gripe I have with the techs (Which DO rest on the ear), as they made my ears horridly sore after about 3 hours (The Tech's sorry for all this ambiguity). the earcups rest nicely around my ear and it really feels like your ears are enveloped and locked off from the rest of the world. for me personally, they do not put sufficient pressure against my head and it was slightly worrying at first, although I got used to it very quickly. it had enough pressure to create a seal against my head, though, so its not like they where just hanging there.

Sound Isolation: Nothing short of brilliant. Couldn't even hear my brother talk (he had to tap me/throw things at me to get my attention) and I couldn't hear the game of Black Ops II he was playing on the PS3 (and I sit 1.5M away from the TV - facing away from it though). I DID Hear the fans of the PS3 though, which leads me to believe that the isolation is attenuated to certain frequencies. in it's defence though, the PS3 is a 2007 Phat model, with the terribad 15 blade fan, which can be heard across my whole house if it hits its top level (which BlOps seems to push it to).

Controller: The little controller is damned simple, yet amazingly functional. it has 4 sliders for the Centre, Sub, Left/Right and back speakers, if you are inclined to EQ the audio yourself. the game and move slider has no real use for me though. the volume slider is absolutely brilliant, as it adjusts the volume on-the-fly and didn't even need a driver. the centre button in the middle of the volume dial instamutes the sound, great for having to talk to people IRL without the whiny sound you get when you take them off and the cans are far away from your ears. Finally, the mic mute button is a godsend. I am not a fan of using hotkeys on any program except the game I am in (Doesn't work sometimes), and it frees up my TeamSpeak "Mute" Hotkey as well. Great for fans of Open Mic.

Microphone: Haven't had sufficient time to use it yet, but according to other players on TF2, they can hear me clearly and can make out what I am saying perfectly. it also lights up with a blue ring around it when muted, just to make sure that you know what state it's in. it also looks cool.

General Looks: The Cups look massive, and it looks a little weird when holding them in my hands. however, I wouldn't be afraid to wear them at LANs or anything because they do have a beauty in their simplicity, as opposed to the Kulo, which have a far more aggressive look (but thats a whole 'nother headset). the Matte Black color finish is also a plus, I can't stand glossy (Read: overly shiny easily fingerprint-marked) headphones. However, if you are buying headsets purely for the looks then go look at something else, like Turtle Beach.

Construction: They really do feel sturdy - at one point, I mistook the headband slider for a metal (Felt like anodized aluminium) But I'm pretty sure its plastic. either way, it feels THAT sturdy. There is definitely a weak point where the actual cups connect to the headband, but Like I said, thats present in all headphones. I am very careful with headphones, so I expect no problems for the time being, but will report any if necessary.

Conclusion: First off, this became way longer than intended.
Second, this is my own personal experience after owning them for just a week. yours could be completely different, and you may feel completely differently about them.
Third: There are multiple other models of "Gaming Headphone" That I have never experienced before, and could probably beat these. however, this is my first pair of "Gaming" Headphones and I have not been able to experience those other brands and models. try them out and ask around. don't take my word for it.
Fourth: There will always be debates around Analog Vs. Digital, "True" Vs. Simulated Surround, 7.1 Vs. 5.1, and Audiophile Vs. Gaming branded headsets. At the end of the day, these come down to personal preference, E.g:
I like Analog because it means one less driver to chew up CPU cycles and potentially not work at a critical time, as per Murphy.
I prefer true Surround over Simulated because I don't like the idea that audio is being processed by some unknown technology inside the headphone - G35's in this case. I also don't believe that speakers can ever be perfectly tuned to fool the human ear into believing that a sound is coming from somewhere its not - hence the reason a real 5.1 surround sound system kills a 5.1 Sound Bar in your lounge.
I have both an Audiophile and gaming pair now, guess I am lucky to not have to choose.

Anyway, thats my mini-review done, feel free to PM me with any comments/questions/death threats that you may have. Stay Awesome.

And Roccat, you have one very new, very happy customer to add to your list.
 
Last edited:
DeShizz said:
if it is worth anything, here is my experience so far with the Kave's:

Purchased at: Dion Wired, Hyde Park

Initial thoughts: Packaging was brilliant, set was really secured down and protected inside that box. Plenty of in-depth documentation (Which I didn't read because you can't trust the system), Even a 5.1 Demo CD to make sure that the set is working (Realtek sound test sufficed for me) and the Roccat ID Card was a nice touch - except that it has no use in SA (overseas its a different story apparently).

Set up: 4 Analog 3.5mm Jacks, covered by protective caps initially, straight into the mobo sockets. USB Plug that draws power wasn't much of a limitation either, no drivers required to force the ports to give power. Since my rig has no speakers (yet) these will remain plugged in all the time. Loaded the Realtek sound manager, set the output to 5.1, tested, everything worked fine - you could really hear the direction on this set.

Sound General: I will admit that at first the sound was weak, tinny, and harsh. however, I run my standard 20 hours of burn-in before fully listening and critiquing headphones. they are about 15 hours in now. (This is a practise I perform to all my headphones - I have yet to encounter a single pair where the audio did not sound better and fuller after the burn-in)

Gaming Audio: I have not tested these sufficiently with any games where positional audio is critical - namely CS. Will test in the new year when the servers are full of people again. The only game I have really played with it is Half-Life (got every HL in the steam sale for 9 dollars). even in that game, positional audio was noticeable. someone could take to me, and I would rotate around, and his voice would match his position perfectly with relation to my head. The soundscape of these are far larger than my Old stereo Audiophile pair - really cool in games like FC3 where the soundstage matches the open environment.

Music: I have my pair of Technics that I use exclusively for music. however, following the 15 hours that they have burned in so far, I tested out some tracks to at least see what they had to offer. This was after enabling DTS:Connect in the realtek settings. The bass was punchy and balanced, despite the fact that the sub doesn't engage when using DTS:Connect. highs where a bit on the low side with an average midrange. all in all, they are not going to replace my Tech's anytime soon, but they are sufficient enough that I won't bother to pull out the Tech's just to listen to something. in fact, they were a lot better than expected. they CAN fill the position of both headphone and headset, but only if the user can enable DTS:Connect or equivalent technology, and is on a tight budget.
(All test material was at AIFF/WAV Quality, encoded straight from the CD)

Feel: Although most complain that they are heavy, I do not mind as I have had experience with heavy headphones all my life and have grown used to it. a marathon 6 hour session didn't make me feel uncomfortable, with short minute breaks every hour or so from the headset (Only to get food/drink though, not because they became uncomfortable). they are called Kaves for a reason - there is so much flipping space inside those things. they do not rest on the ear - a gripe I have with the techs (Which DO rest on the ear), as they made my ears horridly sore after about 3 hours (The Tech's sorry for all this ambiguity). the earcups rest nicely around my ear and it really feels like your ears are enveloped and locked off from the rest of the world. for me personally, they do not put sufficient pressure against my head and it was slightly worrying at first, although I got used to it very quickly. it had enough pressure to create a seal against my head, though, so its not like they where just hanging there.

Sound Isolation: Nothing short of brilliant. Couldn't even hear my brother talk (he had to tap me/throw things at me to get my attention) and I couldn't hear the game of Black Ops II he was playing on the PS3 (and I sit 1.5M away from the TV - facing away from it though). I DID Hear the fans of the PS3 though, which leads me to believe that the isolation is attenuated to certain frequencies. in it's defence though, the PS3 is a 2007 Phat model, with the terribad 15 blade fan, which can be heard across my whole house if it hits its top level (which BlOps seems to push it to).

Controller: The little controller is damned simple, yet amazingly functional. it has 4 sliders for the Centre, Sub, Left/Right and back speakers, if you are inclined to EQ the audio yourself. the game and move slider has no real use for me though. the volume slider is absolutely brilliant, as it adjusts the volume on-the-fly and didn't even need a driver. the centre button in the middle of the volume dial instamutes the sound, great for having to talk to people IRL without the whiny sound you get when you take them off and the cans are far away from your ears. Finally, the mic mute button is a godsend. I am not a fan of using hotkeys on any program except the game I am in (Doesn't work sometimes), and it frees up my TeamSpeak "Mute" Hotkey as well. Great for fans of Open Mic.

Microphone: Haven't had sufficient time to use it yet, but according to other players on TF2, they can hear me clearly and can make out what I am saying perfectly. it also lights up with a blue ring around it when muted, just to make sure that you know what state it's in. it also looks cool.

General Looks: The Cups look massive, and it looks a little weird when holding them in my hands. however, I wouldn't be afraid to wear them at LANs or anything because they do have a beauty in their simplicity, as opposed to the Kulo, which have a far more aggressive look (but thats a whole 'nother headset). the Matte Black color finish is also a plus, I can't stand glossy (Read: overly shiny easily fingerprint-marked) headphones. However, if you are buying headsets purely for the looks then go look at something else, like Turtle Beach.

Construction: They really do feel sturdy - at one point, I mistook the headband slider for a metal (Felt like anodized aluminium) But I'm pretty sure its plastic. either way, it feels THAT sturdy. There is definitely a weak point where the actual cups connect to the headband, but Like I said, thats present in all headphones. I am very careful with headphones, so I expect no problems for the time being, but will report any if necessary.

Conclusion: First off, this became way longer than intended.
Second, this is my own personal experience after owning them for just a week. yours could be completely different, and you may feel completely differently about them.
Third: There are multiple other models of "Gaming Headphone" That I have never experienced before, and could probably beat these. however, this is my first pair of "Gaming" Headphones and I have not been able to experience those other brands and models. try them out and ask around. don't take my word for it.
Fourth: There will always be debates around Analog Vs. Digital, "True" Vs. Simulated Surround, 7.1 Vs. 5.1, and Audiophile Vs. Gaming branded headsets. At the end of the day, these come down to personal preference, E.g:
I like Analog because it means one less driver to chew up CPU cycles and potentially not work at a critical time, as per Murphy.
I prefer true Surround over Simulated because I don't like the idea that audio is being processed by some unknown technology inside the headphone - G35's in this case. I also don't believe that speakers can ever be perfectly tuned to fool the human ear into believing that a sound is coming from somewhere its not - hence the reason a real 5.1 surround sound system kills a 5.1 Sound Bar in your lounge.
I have both an Audiophile and gaming pair now, guess I am lucky to not have to choose.

Anyway, thats my mini-review done, feel free to PM me with any comments/questions/death threats that you may have. Stay Awesome.

And Roccat, you have one very new, very happy customer to add to your list.
Click to expand...

+Rep to a fantastically in-depth post IMO
 
i got a pair of Turtle Beach Earforce Z1's from the BF for christmas and i must say they are awesome and a big improvement on my el-cheapo Hama's i had previously.
 
I'm using a xonar u1 cause I don't have space in my pc fora dedicated sound card so had to get that. coupled with Sennheiser HD598 and I must say best combination ever. Gaming branded headsets is just not the same as audiophile Headphones. get a cheap microphone. As long as they can hear you all is fine
 
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