looking for a GAMING HEADSET & SOUNDCARD

[vald10]

oh but wait, I just realized, u told me that Razer fanboys are the ones who usually recommend it, because its what THEY OWN. all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place, u have so many Sennheiser products, no wonder u talk about it like that

 

[Darknecron]

oh but wait, I just realized, u told me that Razer fanboys are the ones who usually recommend it, because its what THEY OWN. all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place, u have so many Sennheiser products, no wonder u talk about it like that

Same with me and the CAL!

But don't listen to me, listen to the guys that know what they are talking about (just search for Aurvana):

Mad Lust Envy's Headphone Gaming Guide

Shootout: 108 Portable Headphones Reviewed

 

[sobe]

oh but wait, I just realized, u told me that Razer fanboys are the ones who usually recommend it, because its what THEY OWN. all of a sudden all the pieces fall into place, u have so many Sennheiser products, no wonder u talk about it like that

A lot of people tend to recommend a single product that they purchased because they have to justify what they spent on what they have.

To be honest, as I've mentioned in other threads, I've moved away from Sennheiser to Beyerdynamic as my daily drivers (DT990) for the extra bass + sound signature. I only have 2 sets of Sennies myself left and they tend to sit on headphone racks, but, as a good "starter" or "intro" into high quality audio, IMO Sennheiser is a great place to start.

I don't tend to recommend something just because I own it and think everyone should have it, that would be hypocritical of me. I have had several headphones from Grado to Ultrasone to Sennheiser, and I use that personal experience mixed with the reviews backing what I recommend to make recommendations for people asking, such as yourself

 

[fatb0y]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I would honestly recommend getting a really good pair of headphones and a separate mic.

if you use this mic, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1006278&is=REG&Q=&A=details, it works just like a headset... except the sound quality is much better.

 

[Woomack]

I can recommend Siberia V2 headsets but mainly because I got one for a review and I love it comparing to some other headsets that I had before. Siberia V2 Kingston HyperX edition -> http://www.funkykit.com/reviews/spe...beria-v2-hyperx-edition-gaming-headset-review
Also for games if you have a newer board then I don't think you need anything better than integrated audio.
I had ASUS Xonar but I sold it as integrated cards are more than enough for daily work/gaming. I would get some better sound card only for listening to high quality music. It's waste of money for games as even these integrated chips have a lot of good options but you need good driver and sometimes additional software. Sometimes drivers and soft are bad and not everything is working.

 

[sobe]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I would honestly recommend getting a really good pair of headphones and a separate mic.

if you use this mic, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1006278&is=REG&Q=&A=details, it works just like a headset... except the sound quality is much better.

I actually had to move AWAY from that mic with my DT990's because my voice was so low and it had issues picking up anything on the Phoebus unless I boosted mic boost to 100%, but that just caused distortion when playing games... So I can only recommend the Antlion Modmic, with the modmic I was able to get clearer sound than the Zalman as well as being able to drop mic boost to 0% and sounding clear to everyone in TS, Vent, etc.


Woomack, the Xonar Phoebus card is similar to the Xonar Essence STX setup, if you aren't familiar, it is the go-to generally for quality audio. So you are already looking at higher end + amp + better immersion experience with the Phoebus in games compared to the STX (STX sounds rather hollow in games compared...)

 

[vald10]

@Woomack , Siberia V2 features VIRTUAL SURROUND SOUND. it has only 2 speakers, and the 5.1/7.1 sound's being modified by a driver, I need an headset that provides surround by using multiple speakers (like the models that were discussed above.)


@ Sobe, from what I've heard, Essence STX isnt very "game-friendly" (especially compared to the Phoebus - which like you said, is the go-to for HIGH-END quality audio)

quick question, if we get Sennheiser out of our equation - from what we have left, what's the most preferable set in your opinion out of all those we reviewed?

and another thing, and I'm asking this only because I'm kind of on thin ice (budget-wise) due to the fact that I've recently found out that I'll be also getting a 120hz screen (probably the 2420t/2411t if you're curious ) , so I was wondering, this "true surround sound" .. is it really a deal-breaker? or is it just some marketing trick because as I said in the post itself, I've never tried anything other than the virtual stuff.. (siberia,kulo;etc;etc) and.. I just wanna be sure that Im making the right choice here.

I wanted to get the Xonar Phoebus for a long time, and then I decided also to get myself a matching headset to be able to... test the audio quality, and I know cheap USB sets are a waste of time and money and they wont provide and give out the high-end audio that the Phoebus usually does..

but after I included the Screen (which is another 330-400$) in the budget, I dont think I can spend more than 150$ on the set itself,

BTW, MOST IMPORTANT Q, The Sound-Card, Should I get the Solo or the standard edition ? (which is an extra 58$) just for that little thing with the audio+mic inputs..)

a lot of people complained actually about the SoundBlaster Zx's control box that reduces quality by A HELL OF A LOT probably.. and the best option for them is to plug it directly to the PC, to the card itself.. So maybe the phoebus's box has issues like this one as well?

 

[sobe]

The Essence STX and ST are my go to for people asking about a good quality headphone amped sound card, it's just that with games, it's not that they suck by any means, it's just if you are someone coming from cards from Creative like the X-Fi Titanium HD or an Auzentech card, the Essence ST/X has a less immersive sound that can be compared to "hollow sounding" if you will compared to the other cards more aimed at gameplay experience.

Like you, I had my eyes on the Phoebus since it was announced, and I'm glad I picked it up (Apparently the box is decent, but since you are getting headset/headphones anyway, I wouldn't bother personally, save the money and get the Solo). There are still a lot of complaints on it as far as drivers and functionality, but if you are on Windows 7 x64, the "Phoebus_7_0_1_29" drivers have been working perfect for me since they released.

Your question on which would be overall the best from the ones we've talked about, with Sennheiser out of the question, the Creative Aurvana Live! has my vote with an Antlion Modmic attached to it. The CAL! offers the guts from the renowned Denon D1001k, so you can't really go wrong there. The one thing though, getting this sound card and if you used the CAL!, you may as well turn the amp down as the CAL! makes no real use of an amp sadly. (But do consider that the price of the CAL! for the sound you get from them is rather extraordinary, eg. since AudioTechnica M50's sell for almost twice the cost for a similar sound quality)



As for your inquiry on the 120Hz/144Hz screens, if you do not have access to the ASUS VG248QE, I would go with the BenQ XL2411T (it is an improved revision of the XL2420T panel). If you are not in the USA, you can purchase both from Overclockers.co.uk and have them imported (I had a XL2411T imported to the states since it is unavailable in e-shops here).

"True surround sound" is more marketing than anything, YES some gaming companies such as Medusa-USA for instance stick more than 1 driver (speaker) in an earcup to give that "surround sound" feel, the big issue with that is, you are still paying around the ~$150 mark for a company shoving 8 ****ty drivers in a single earcup, severely reducing sound quality. If you are NOT looking for sound quality then that is certainly a way to go I suppose. When you pay let's just say $200 for a pair of Sennheiser headphones, since we've established Senn in this thread, that amount is going towards quality drivers outside of the headphone shell and padding.

You said Solo or Standard, I answered that earlier but in case you missed it, just get the Solo.

The box that comes with the Phoebus isn't horrible... But I prefer direct input anyway, and as far as the Creative Z, ZxR, etc. Listening to music or movies sucks big time, whereas playing games sounds damn good. I didn't test the box with that as I didn't test the box that came with my Phoebus, so I'm sorry but I'm unable to really give much information on that outside of what I've read on it.

 

[Krill_]

Real headphones + pedestal / clip-on mic > gaming headset, every time.

 

[vald10]

@ Sobe - ok , I was thinking SOLO from the very beginning.

about the screen even though its not the right sub-forum or thread, since we're on that page already - I was informed that 11T has horrible flickering at 144, and the colors,contrast,gamma are just.. whats the word , somehow DISAPPOINTING (as reviewed by many,many people.) so it makes 20T as the best choice to go with. but I guess I'll just ask at the store since I dont really feel like spending another 50$+ for nothing (in case I take the 20T) . another thing I liked quite much was the S-Switch.

about the headset, I've decided (after some serious consideration) to go with the PC350 I guess, especially after we established that the Solo is what I need. (so I kinda invest these few extra bucks on the set instead) cuz u know, "someone" has highly recommended Senn..

 

[Darknecron]

@Woomack , Siberia V2 features VIRTUAL SURROUND SOUND. it has only 2 speakers, and the 5.1/7.1 sound's being modified by a driver, I need an headset that provides surround by using multiple speakers (like the models that were discussed above.)

Did you listen to this Holophonics demo? I linked a few posts back. Use stereo headphones.

 

[sobe]

@ Sobe - ok , I was thinking SOLO from the very beginning.

about the screen even though its not the right sub-forum or thread, since we're on that page already - I was informed that 11T has horrible flickering at 144, and the colors,contrast,gamma are just.. whats the word , somehow DISAPPOINTING (as reviewed by many,many people.) so it makes 20T as the best choice to go with. but I guess I'll just ask at the store since I dont really feel like spending another 50$+ for nothing (in case I take the 20T) . another thing I liked quite much was the S-Switch.

about the headset, I've decided (after some serious consideration) to go with the PC350 I guess, especially after we established that the Solo is what I need. (so I kinda invest these few extra bucks on the set instead) cuz u know, "someone" has highly recommended Senn..

I highly recommend Senn for headset as thats the best you can really get as far as headset goes You shouldnt be disappointed, using your sound card though, for at least a night or couple of nights leave them on a music playlist at decent volume to cure a quick burn in for the drivers.

For the monitor, I'll double check for you just to be sure, but I am fairly certain the 11T is the newer panel as well as the better (directly compared to the asus). Right now I'm finishing foods then when I walk outside the campus cafeteria there is a group of people with signs telling all the students we are going to hell for sinning.

 

[sobe]

Got your information here, the 11T would be the one to go for indeed (Keeping in mind the BenQ monitors all suffer from washed out colors compared to the equivalent ASUS VG248QE) but the 11T is a bit richer.

http://pcmonitors.info/forum/topic/benq-xl2411t-215-vs-benq-xl2420t-280-whats-the-difference

To sum up:

"When it comes to the actual image performance the monitors are quite similar. The 11T seems to have been tweaked a bit, at least compared to the revision of the 20T we reviewed, but is essentially quite comparable when running the same settings. It seemed to give some slightly richer colours when running under ‘Standard mode’ and selecting ‘Gamma 4′ without crushing shades or making colours far too deep as the 20T did."

"The monitors are both very responsive but the 11T has a bit of an edge in that department. It actually runs at 144Hz natively, giving a slight edge in fluidity. It also offers ‘High’ and ‘Premium’ AMA (Advanced Motion Acceleration) modes rather than just ‘On’. The ‘High’ setting offers a more comfortable balance than the overly aggressive acceleration on the 20T and less conspicuous overdrive artifacts are produced as a result. Most users don’t seem to mind about these on the 20T anyway, but some do."

"Those are really the key differences between the two monitors. It is really the S-Switch, extra ports and touch sensitive controls that add a bit of cost to the 20T (or at least are selling points that would allow BenQ to charge a premium). The 11T is newer though and has been tweaked a bit, particularly with its more flexible grey to grey acceleration options."

 

[vald10]

Got your information here, the 11T would be the one to go for indeed (Keeping in mind the BenQ monitors all suffer from washed out colors compared to the equivalent ASUS VG248QE) but the 11T is a bit richer.

http://pcmonitors.info/forum/topic/benq-xl2411t-215-vs-benq-xl2420t-280-whats-the-difference

To sum up:

"When it comes to the actual image performance the monitors are quite similar. The 11T seems to have been tweaked a bit, at least compared to the revision of the 20T we reviewed, but is essentially quite comparable when running the same settings. It seemed to give some slightly richer colours when running under ‘Standard mode’ and selecting ‘Gamma 4′ without crushing shades or making colours far too deep as the 20T did."

"The monitors are both very responsive but the 11T has a bit of an edge in that department. It actually runs at 144Hz natively, giving a slight edge in fluidity. It also offers ‘High’ and ‘Premium’ AMA (Advanced Motion Acceleration) modes rather than just ‘On’. The ‘High’ setting offers a more comfortable balance than the overly aggressive acceleration on the 20T and less conspicuous overdrive artifacts are produced as a result. Most users don’t seem to mind about these on the 20T anyway, but some do."

"Those are really the key differences between the two monitors. It is really the S-Switch, extra ports and touch sensitive controls that add a bit of cost to the 20T (or at least are selling points that would allow BenQ to charge a premium). The 11T is newer though and has been tweaked a bit, particularly with its more flexible grey to grey acceleration options."

Yeah, but the so called "native" 144 flickers in-game and this screen seems to get ****ty reviews compared to the 20T, + like I said, the S-Switch is pretty crucial here. And another thing is that I need to tweak it as *** to get a decent balanced image.. while it doesnt seem to be a problem in the 20T. And last but not least, This SPECIFIC model is pretty bright, even when brightness is put on '0'.

dunno I guess I'll ask about that in the store, and then again, they'd both be on and I will get a chance to actually look at them simultaneously and check it out at "real-time" .

 

[sobe]

Just so you are aware, both the XL2420T and 11T got updated panels due to getting rid of the PWM for backlight in July (As both the 20T and 11T had the same "flicker" you mention). So just check to make sure you get the latest Part Number of whichever one you get so you won't deal with flicker regardless.

XL2420T:

As of July 2013, in certain regions including the UK, the XL2420T has been upgraded with a new panel. This uses a flicker-free (PWM free) backlight and supports a 144Hz refresh rate. This model carries the P/N: 9H.L7PLB.DBE. In North America this upgraded version is called the XL2420TE.

XL2411T:

Update: As of July 2013 the monitors have been upgraded to the new flicker-free (PWM free) ‘Revision 2.0′. The P/N associated with this is 9H.L9SLB.DBE.

Regardless which you end up with, I recommend not running 144Hz anyway.... I actually recommend running 120Hz + Lightboost, it provides a much smoother experience than 144Hz will Click HERE for more info on Lightboost. Oh, and I hope you enjoy your Lightboost monitor, by far the best gaming experience I've had on a monitor since my old big *** CRT sitting on my desk.

 

[TransformedBG]

Honestly I love my g35 head set

 

[vald10]

Just so you are aware, both the XL2420T and 11T got updated panels due to getting rid of the PWM for backlight in July (As both the 20T and 11T had the same "flicker" you mention). So just check to make sure you get the latest Part Number of whichever one you get so you won't deal with flicker regardless.

XL2420T:


XL2411T:



Regardless which you end up with, I recommend not running 144Hz anyway.... I actually recommend running 120Hz + Lightboost, it provides a much smoother experience than 144Hz will Click HERE for more info on Lightboost. Oh, and I hope you enjoy your Lightboost monitor, by far the best gaming experience I've had on a monitor since my old big *** CRT sitting on my desk.

ye I read about that update, just didn't realize it included the 11T aswell.
and ye I also remember reading about the 120+lightboost > 144hz thing.

I'd check the S/N in the store and if it matches I'll definitely get the 11T.

Thank you very much mate, Im glad I found someone who has a decent amount of knowledge in the exact field I was researching. I wish you all the best in the future, good luck in Uni too

 

[vald10]

oh wait, 1 last little thingie, what is it that I hear about the Phoebus having enough slots for only 1 analog device (means that I cant hook the headset and my sound sys simultaneously ..?

 

[NiHaoMike]

You can get a splitter from an electronics store. But unless you're into vintage equipment, you really want digital for speaker amps.

 

[sobe]

Or can hook up the case outputs for speakers and keep headset connected directly to the back of the card.