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Affordable headset mic for gaming

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J

jmh547

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Joined
Jul 26, 2005
I am looking for an affordable headset microphone for gaming. I have my computer hookedup to my tv and surround sound. The surround sound is awsome (PSB speakers, SVS sub, and Marantz AVR) so I don't want headphones. I thought maybe some of you guys had some experiance with such a thing. We will call the budget $30 but that is always flexable.
 
Wouldn't you get feedback with that setup? Even with PTT enabled, if there was action going on and you talked, that would go right through the mic (or do I just use crap stuff? LOL)?
 
EarthDog said:
Wouldn't you get feedback with that setup? Even with PTT enabled, if there was action going on and you talked, that would go right through the mic (or do I just use crap stuff? LOL)?
Click to expand...

Depends on the software used.
TeamSpeak has very good background noise cancelling.
 
That is what I use and experience. Hence I am headphones only. :)

(sorry for the threadjack).
 
EarthDog said:
Wouldn't you get feedback with that setup? Even with PTT enabled, if there was action going on and you talked, that would go right through the mic (or do I just use crap stuff? LOL)?
Click to expand...
I don' think so...In order to get feedback there has to be a loop (i.e. microphone playing over the speakers feeding back into the microphone). It has been a long time since I used Vent or TS but I don’t recall my voice being broadcast over my speakers. It is likely the other people will hear my action when I am talking but with a "decent" mic that should be minimal. Besides I typically only game after the kids/wife go to bed. I insulated the heck out of the basement but I still can’t listen "high" volumes, usually around 60db.


I did find this
http://www.dx.com/p/universal-headset-microphone-black-3-5mm-plug-90cm-cable-198680
$4 + shipping but only two reviews and never heard of the company.
 
. It is likely the other people will hear my action when I am talking but with a "decent" mic that should be minimal.
Click to expand...
Perhaps feedback wasn't the right word... but what I quoted is exzactly what I am talking about. That seems to cause me problems in TS from others (and myself considering my speakers are 3' from the mic boom on my head, LOL!

I digress though. :)
 
A lot of people like using a modmic, generally those are attached to your headphones (and not a headset) but maybe it can also be attached to a lapel or something.
 
For that price, unless I am mistaken you are pretty limited to products such as Logitech/Creative. For around $80+ you can move to Blue(Yeti, Snowball, etc) or similar brands and models, and then of course you can go even higher end with audiophile companies, but that is a far cry from your budget.
 
Blue snowball is an awesome mic! Unreal performance for the price! I own a rode nt5, shure sm57 and 58; the snow ball is quality.


edit:

buy it from guitar center if you have one nearby.
 
Last edited:
I have been looking everywhere and cannot found a head worn microphone, without headphones that doesn't, require phantom power. It seams like they are all designed to work with wireless transmitters, which kind of makes sense but that puts it way out of my budget (as mentioned above)
 
I searched high and low for the same. I too run with a 7.1 setup and do not use headphones, so I wanted a mic only setup that I could wear on my head, but like you, never found anything for a decent price without built in headphones, or too expensive that was made for wireless/pro setups. I just settled with a Samson Go Mic. It's not expensive, gets rave reviews and because of it's size, can be mounted a number of different ways. I bought a cheap desk lamp with adjustable arm from Ikea (something like $10), removed the lamp housing, and attached the Go Mic to the end of it. So now, when I'm not using it, I can easily move it out of the way, and when I need it, its a simple reach and position and I'm set to go with delicious voice quality.
 
Clip-on (Lapel) mic =/= head mic, especially when trying to pickup your voice and only your voice, not your speakers. At least, for the cheap ones that's how it is. Either they are really crappy and don't pickup your voice well enough, or they pickup everything and your voice gets drowned out by the background sounds.
 
Normally, the mics that sit an inch away from your mouth can be of poor quality, yet still give very good performance in being able to capture your voice and only your voice with very little background. It's what I used to use for many years, going through a number of pairs of various brands, all very low cost, yet all doing exactly what I needed, except they all had built in headphones that I didn't need that just got in the way of my speakers.

Though for a time I did use such a headphone/mic set with a 2nd sound card and directed the voices from Ventrilo to the headphones, it wasn't something I did for long as the cheap headphone types were never really comfortable to begin with.
 
Be sure to get the 3.5mm plug version and possibly an extension cord, since the cable is only about 3 feet in length. B&H also has it for about $5 less if you have one near you or maybe the shipping is less.
 
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