Which gaming headset is best for budget?

Hi, i need help for choosing the right gaming headset for my system.
I currently own a ROG Maximus VI Hero motherboard, which has a quite decent intergrated sound card, so my question is- Which heaset should i buy?
my price range is from Logitech G430 to Razer Tiamat 7.1 Elite
Here are the headsets i would buy and comments why yes and no:
Razer Tiamat 7.1 Elite . Just limits my price range, has awful microphone quality and i heard a lot of bad and good. Also im worried about my soundcard if compactible
ROG Orion pro are the headset i was just going to buy almost, since its still Asus and goes with my current mobo they should do well right?
Logitech G430 Are the ones that seem quite good because of price abd fefatures, but how well do they actually perform?
I prefer to buy from my local online shop, which they have Tiamat and G430 but not Orion pro, Orion Pro in on Amazon from where i never bought.

So do i need any special sound card for Tiamat or not? Is there a huge diffrence between G430 7.1 and Tiamat 7.1 sorround? (i know Tiamat has a true 7.1 but still, is there such much diffrence?)
Thanks in advance!

I currently using the CM Storm Sirus and very happy about the quality of it, great sound, good quality build, have it for 6 month now and i will buy another one when this headset stop working.
I also got a chance to try out the Razer Tiamat 7.1 Elite at a friend place, and let me tell you, i haven't come across anything that sound that good, too bad, it cost $$$
Asus make killer motherboard but i haven't heard any good feedback about their headset yet.

ASUS ROG said:

I currently using the CM Storm Sirus and very happy about the quality of it, great sound, good quality build, have it for 6 month now and i will buy another one when this headset stop working.
I also got a chance to try out the Razer Tiamat 7.1 Elite at a friend place, and let me tell you, i haven't come across anything that sound that good, too bad, it cost $$$
Asus make killer motherboard but i haven't heard any good feedback about their headset yet.

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Would you say how much better do they sound than CM Sirus of yours?

I suggest creating your own headset by adding an Antlion Modmic to the headset of your choice.

The Creative Arurvana Live! and NVX XPT100 both do very well with positional audio.

Main thing im looking in headsets are the positional audio, i want the best sorround experience i can get.

+1 for the Creative Aurvana Live! and a modmic or desktop mic. I went that route and really like it. For comparison, I also have (and occasionally use) a Plantronics Gamecon 777. The CAL! is much better at positional audio in FPS games and just sounds "cleaner" in general.

Also FYI, any headset advertised as "7.1 surround" is just using that moniker as marketing. With any headset/headphones, you're still dealing with just two speakers, so it's always simulated surround. How the game's sound is recorded and how it's coded matters much more in terms of whether you'll get a "truly surrounding" feel from the audio.

In general, just look for the best set of headphones/headset you can find within your price range (more often than not, headphones, not a a headset, will produce better sound).

EDIT: And in case you're looking, the Zalman MC1 clip-on mic will not work with the CAL! headphones. The wires split close to your head into a smaller wire for each side. The smaller wire is where you'd want to clip the mic and it is too small.

Honestly... I am a headphone *****. I have tried pretty much EVERYTHING under 500$, and some really expensive ones from time to time.

A few universal constants :

1) for the (sound, sometimes build) quality, you are ALWAYS over paying if the headset is marketed to a "gamer" platform. I.e. turtle beaches, razer, steel series, etc. An 120$ headset from turtle beach is about equivalent to a 40$ headphone from Sony.

2) Gamers discuss "my *insert gaming product here* has the BEST SOUND EVER!". Drives me nuts. I bought a Tiamat last month for ****s n giggles, and I ended up returning it because of how bad it was. Its not that they aren't "decent" and well built, its that they are NOT 240$ headphones. They are 80$ headphones with a 20$ mic that just happens to be combined. I also owned a razer kraken 7.1 for about a day before returning that as well.

3) Stay away from turtle beach. Period. They are the "Beats by Dre" of the gaming headset world. Poor build quality, subquality sound, insane marketing to keep up hype and prices that people still pay for some unbeknownst reason to me... If you are DEAD SET on headsets for gamers, Razer Kraken 7.1 and Steel Series

4) I am speaking from headphones to "headsets", and my subjective and objective opinions. Theres little doubt an all magnesium HDJ-1500 will outlast an all plastic Turtle Beach headset, but for sound quality, it was shocking A-B'ing these headsets. They may be "great" if you don't know any better, but A-B'ing them allowed me to truly grasp the difference in sound and build quality of a "high end" headset vs "medium" end headphones (yes I worded that correctly).

I know crap about this overclocking thing, but I can talk your head off for headsets. That mod mic thing is the coolest thing I've ever seen honestly, and would allow you to get the best of both worlds.


Right now I own the following

Pioneer HDJ -500
Pioneer HDJ - 1500
AKG K 240
AT ATH M50S


Recently I have owned (returned or sold)

Beyerdynamic DT880
Razer Kraken 7.1
Razer Tiamat 7.1
Steel Series Siberia V2

I have friends that own various levels of turtle beaches and other gaming headsets for comparison's sake. Ill guide you to www.head-fi.org if you plan on taking it seriously.

So for the budget?
What should i have?
I really 'dont care' for quality of headset, because at the price i would believe they should bring the quality worth listening to.
I hesitatet to go straight on Tiamat, because of people like bob4933. Because i do believe they are crap for the price. Astro A30 is way too expensive and i dont know where to go except G430 or Orion Pro, since they are both trusted brand(Logitech and Asus). They both have simulated sorround which i am not bothered with, because i previously owned a cheap Thermaltake Shock which had stereo, and added Razer Sorround, THE SORROUND WAS AMAZING(since it has also been first time owning it), and i would be as happy if i had pre-simulated sorround. So are there any true 7.1 headset who is not overpriced i wonder?

Brigapes said:

So for the budget?
What should i have?
I really 'dont care' for quality of headset, because at the price i would believe they should bring the quality worth listening to.
I hesitatet to go straight on Tiamat, because of people like bob4933. Because i do believe they are crap for the price. Astro A30 is way too expensive and i dont know where to go except G430 or Orion Pro, since they are both trusted brand(Logitech and Asus). They both have simulated sorround which i am not bothered with, because i previously owned a cheap Thermaltake Shock which had stereo, and added Razer Sorround, THE SORROUND WAS AMAZING(since it has also been first time owning it), and i would be as happy if i had pre-simulated sorround. So are there any true 7.1 headset who is not overpriced i wonder?

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I play FPS's and I rely on footsteps and environmental effects to enhance my gameplay. Im NOT speaking from simply a "audio snob" point of view. The better speakers on mid range headphones far surpasses anything any gaming headset under 200$ can provide. In all honesty, the only gaming headset I found worth the money was plantronics game commander... which is insanely expensive though haha.

I run through a Mackie USB DAC into a Onkyo 7.1 receiver with onboard EQ. Pricey stuff but really lets me test the limits of any headphone/headset. And its just night and day the difference in sound between the razer/steelseries stuff I had and the other headphones I have.

I listen to a motley assortment of music, including Armin Van Buuren, Van Halen, John Mayer, Dream Theater, ambient music, acoustic music, dance music and subsequent artists similar to those listed.

For cost here's my recommendations

50-80$ -> Pioneer HDJ 500. These are pretty decent, a "step above" the razers in sound quality.

100-130$ -> Audio Technica ATH M50s. These are almost universally regarded as the best headphone under 300$. Thats not entirely accurate to my ears, but they do sound great and are incredibly well built. These are my day to day headphones for general use purposes.

130-170$ -> Pioneer HDJ 1500. Man.. .these things are absolutely incredible. The only flaw they have is man they are horribly uncomfortable after 30-45 minutes. They literally are the best sounding headphones I've had on my head, its such a shame they are so uncomfortable. If you are open to modding them with new pads, these things are unbeatable below 500$. They are all magnesium and are built like a freaking tank. I use these for sound editing as they allow me to hear literally every little nuance and detail. These DO NOT DISTORT EVER. I can crank my preamp to the max, and these things just take the beating with a smile and laugh at my failures to do anything to them . I can literally crank them up and listen to them like a small speaker set haha.

What is your budget exactly?

Remember to add the cost of the mod mic or desktop mic if you go with a set of headphones (which seems to be the consensus recommendation).

As a former audiophile whose wallet got too light too fast, I have found my curcumaural Rosewill USB headset to be darn good for the price. Now I have switched to my old Sennheiser 595s because I was sick of talking to people.

Edit: One of these bad boys: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826193055

bob4933 said:

100-130$ -> Audio Technica ATH M50s. These are almost universally regarded as the best headphone under 300$. Thats not entirely accurate to my ears, but they do sound great and are incredibly well built. These are my day to day headphones for general use purposes.

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ATH M50s are quite overrated imo. They compete against other options in the $100-$130 market, but that's about it.

Darknecron said:

ATH M50s are quite overrated imo. They compete against other options in the $100-$130 market, but that's about it.

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Hence why I said

"These are almost universally regarded as the best headphone under 300$. Thats not entirely accurate to my ears"


Under 150 bucks they really aren't beatable in function, build quality, and sound quality.

Darknecron said:

ATH M50s are quite overrated imo. They compete against other options in the $100-$130 market, but that's about it.

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When the Audiotechnica A900s are below $200, I find it hard to believe $100 Audiotechnicas can beat them, let alone mid-range Sennheisers or Beyers in the sub-$200 range.

Tyerker said:

When the Audiotechnica A900s are below $200, I find it hard to believe $100 Audiotechnicas can beat them, let alone mid-range Sennheisers or Beyers in the sub-$200 range.

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AD-900's aren't that great. They are really comfortable, and have a great transparent sound akin to AKG K240, but they aren't fantastic for anything with a bass line. The ATH M50's are more suited for music and general purpose listening, where as the AD series are more suited for listening to lighter fares (movies, classical music, snobby stuff really). 90% of the population doesn't want a "transparent" sound.


I've owned beyerdynamic DT880's, and the sound is really really good, however, they need a reciever to be used right. Plugged into any willy nilly computer will yeild less than desirable results. So add in a DAC or preamp to the mix for that cost. ATH M50's are pretty comparable in sound quality.

edit: also, ATH M50's were around the 200$ mark for a long time. They are just getting older so the prices have dropped significantly. If you're basing sound quality simply on price, youre destined for trouble. Do you think Beats Pros sound like they are 400$ headphones? lol

Edit 2: Sennheisers have great wireless solutions. Their wired headphones are really not that fantastic. More akin to bose than anything. (i.e. overpriced tech because "They can").


edit 3: desktop mics are dirt cheap, and for gaming are 1000% usable.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...59008&ef_id=UsPUDAAABR9I22Cz:20140115221604:s

bob4933 said:

AD-900's aren't that great. They are really comfortable, and have a great transparent sound akin to AKG K240, but they aren't fantastic for anything with a bass line. The ATH M50's are more suited for music and general purpose listening, where as the AD series are more suited for listening to lighter fares (movies, classical music, snobby stuff really). 90% of the population doesn't want a "transparent" sound.


I've owned beyerdynamic DT880's, and the sound is really really good, however, they need a reciever to be used right. Plugged into any willy nilly computer will yeild less than desirable results. So add in a DAC or preamp to the mix for that cost. ATH M50's are pretty comparable in sound quality.

edit: also, ATH M50's were around the 200$ mark for a long time. They are just getting older so the prices have dropped significantly. If you're basing sound quality simply on price, youre destined for trouble. Do you think Beats Pros sound like they are 400$ headphones? lol

Edit 2: Sennheisers have great wireless solutions. Their wired headphones are really not that fantastic. More akin to bose than anything. (i.e. overpriced tech because "They can").

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I said A900, not AD900. Different headphones. And for the quality, HD 555-595 are certainly not overpriced.

And for the record, Beats get a worse rap than they deserve. Particularly the Studios are really pretty nice headphones. Yes, they're bass-heavy. Yes, they're overpriced. But that's what an equalizer is for, and I'm sure everyone has overpaid for something because it's what they wanted.

Tyerker said:

I said A900, not AD900. Different headphones. And for the quality, HD 555-595 are certainly not overpriced.

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They are the same headphone, one is open back the other is closed back. Not much difference there.


Also, 70$ isn't even starting in the headphone game. I appreciate your views, but there's more to headphones than comparing a low end entry model to high end stuff. Once you get over 100 bucks, sennheisers start crapping out quickly (compared to other headphones of the same price brackets they are in).

Tyerker said:

And for the record, Beats get a worse rap than they deserve. Particularly the Studios are really pretty nice headphones. Yes, they're bass-heavy. Yes, they're overpriced. But that's what an equalizer is for, and I'm sure everyone has overpaid for something because it's what they wanted.

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Im really not trying to be contentious, but this comment really proves to me that you have no idea what you're talking about.


http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/beats-pro-high-performance/4852-7877_7-34210289.html

2 out of 5 stars. But they are expensive, so they MUST be good right?

bob4933 said:

Also, 70$ isn't even starting in the headphone game.

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The CAL! and NVX XPT100s are both under $100, and can easily compete with cans at the $150 and $200 marks respectively.

bob4933 said:

Im really not trying to be contentious, but this comment really proves to me that you have no idea what you're talking about.


http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/beats-pro-high-performance/4852-7877_7-34210289.html

2 out of 5 stars. But they are expensive, so they MUST be good right?

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+(1/0)^(infinity+1)

Beats are trash. Period. End of story.

Darknecron said:

The CAL! and NVX XPT100s are both under $100, and can easily compete with cans at the $150 and $200 marks respectively.




+(1/0)^(infinity+1)

Beats are trash. Period. End of story.

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Euler would be proud.

.. ∞
+ ∑(U(t)+I(t))

suck it trebek xD QED.

Im not familiar with those particular headsets myself, Im not saying there aren't hidden gems floating around, but in general, I see people comparing skull candy's and other crap like that to "high end headphones" and it drives me bonkers.

Read a review online = universal fact.
I have listened to Beats Studio personally, and with a little EQ they sound fine. As I said, they are overpriced, as are most of Monster's products. Would I buy a pair? No. Would I use a pair if given to me as a gift? Probably. Would they replace even my 595s? No. But personal preference does not equal universal truth.

And seriously, I don't know what I'm talking about, but open vs closed makes no difference?! Seriously? Get a pair of closed-back Grados and tell me it makes no difference... Wow.