What gaming headset should I go for? Is surround sound important?

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domdomrys

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I'm having a really hard time choosing a new headset or headphone + mic combo. I want to upgrade as it's black friday soon, and my current headset (Plantronics Gamecom 780) is slowly falling apart. The problem is that the 780 is surround sound, and every time I try to use stereo headphones while gaming it sounds really bad (I haven't tried any high-end ones by the way) although people say that getting separate headphones and microphones is better. I'm thinking about getting Tritton 720+, Sennheiser G4ME ZERO or ONE or a Razer surround headset simply because they're surround sound (and have a good mic), but it doesn't seem like there would be much of an upgrade over the 780s.

Do higher-end stereo headsets (£100ish) work well with gaming? Preferably I would like an opinion from someone who has used surround and stereo headphones for gaming, as it seems like I will never be able to get used to stereo headphones again. Any help is appreciated!
 
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sizzling

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Gaming surround sound headsets are just a gimmick, the positioning just doesn't work. A high end stereo headset far outshines any gaming headset I have every tried, reproducing far more detailed audio. I currently use a Bose pair (AE2i I think)
 
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domdomrys

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Thanks for replying, the thing that gets me is just the way it sounds. When I try playing video games with a stereo headset the sounds seem very sharp and close to my ears. With surround it feels more open and easy on the ears. The positioning does actually seem to help a lot over stereo (e.g. some sounds sound more far away) which is another thing I'm not wanting to let go. Would it just be a matter of getting used to it, and in the long run do high-end stereo headphones sound as good/better than normal surround headphones?
 
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Victorion

Victorion

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Surround sound works very well in gaming. But you need both a good dac and a pair of quality headphones to hear the difference.

Personally I´d recommend Kingston HyperX Cloud II and not use the USB-dac, but a dedicated internal soundcard. For example from Xonar DX from Asus
 
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sizzling

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I have tried many surround sound headset setups and none of them have ever given any accurate directional sound, stereo yes but surround sound no. I have also tried high quality Bose stereo set with the Razor surround sound software and that was just as hopeless.

The physics of it dont stack up either. Headset produce sound from two linear moving cones placed 180 degrees from each other about 6-8 inches apart, how on earth can you create directional sound from that? What is created is changes in pitch or tone to try and trick a sense of direction. I know Astro did a headset with 5 speakers in each earpiece but the overlapping speakers caused other sound quality issues.

Having gamed with a real 7.1 surround sound I am yet to find a headset that even starts to replicate it. I have settled on using good stereo headsets as I would rather good quality sound in stereo than below mediocre sudo surround sound.

Maybe there is a headset out there that actually does what it claims but Im yet to hear it and doubt its even physically possible.
 
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Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163

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The Razer Kraken 7.1 USB is the best cheapest one, I would probably go with tiamat for a more expensive headset. However, I wouldn't worry too much about audio in a gaming headset, they're all mediocre, about even if you will. I would recommend buying an AVR, 5.1/7.1 speaker/sub and use that for the long run. Perhaps you can find refurbished ones, but actual physical speakers placed around the room is required, because we can instantly tell the difference how far away and where a sound is coming from, headsets lower and increase volume to try to create this effect, because it's hard to be directional with small space, such as the ear cups.
 
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Victorion

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Well first of all, there are 2 types of Surround Sound Headphones:
- Virtual Surround Sound Headphones (stereo speakers with simulated surround sound)
- True Surround Sound Headphones (several speakers in each earpiece)

Humans have only one 2 ears (left and right) and inside them we have pinnea, which make sound from the front and back take different routes to the ears. That way we can tell whether a sound comes from the back or from the front, or from the left or right.

Virtual surround technologies work by emulating the changes that our pinnae apply to sound that comes from the back. It is quite possible to create virtual surround sound that has extremely convincing results, however cheap build quality does a poor job of it.

Consider 3D technology. The current 3D tech makes a hell of a show in movie theaters, but the Samsung Smart-TV at my home, does a quite lousy job at the same. The components in my Samsung TV is just not as good as the ones in the cinema.

Soundbars for your home work exactly the same way, and thats why you have "sweet spots" when you hear virtual surround sound from a soundbar.
 
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sizzling

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Sorry but I truly believe that's over simplified theory but I cannot say I'm and expert in the physics. I have never found a good sound bar either and have been through loads of tests but then the stores with testing rooms always say a 5.1 or 7.1 setup is better than a sound bar. I confess I'm a fussy git when it comes to sound but that's because I grew up with studio speakers in my parents living room as my dad was a sound engineer for TV production. Maybe a great surround sound headset exists but until the day I try it I will stay convinced there is a huge placebo effect generated off the marketing
 
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Suzuki@1473780084@1473780163

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3D is not a very good comparison to sound. You probably have a Active set wehere as Passive is way sharper in comparison, which is used in the cinema as well, on a much larger screen as well. When it comes to sound, your room is the sound processor so to speak. Professionals use physical speakers when mixing. It makes no sense to use headphones for that task. The problem with headsets is people that are non audiophiles have a really hard time seperating low end headsets with high end headsets. If they have decent bass, then that is translated to good enough sound. Headphones pro grade or not requires extra to sound good, or noticeably better to non audiophiles I should say. You'd be surprised how many people don't care about pro sound.
 
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