Buying a Headset - What Should I Look For?

**ccllnply** · June 03, 2012, 01:07 PM

I'm considering buying a headset for online gaming soon. The plan was not to get anything fancy and get the cheapest thing going. I found several for less than £5 but the variety in prices (£100 for a headset? What!) has got me wondering. I've no idea what I should be looking for or if I should be looking for anything so I decided to come here and try to save myself a few euros.

Any help?

**Bolkonsky** · June 03, 2012, 03:14 PM

Expect to spend in the £20 range for a decent headset.

I bought a Inland 87076 a couple years ago for $20, was a good deal. The microphone's solid, the speakers sound average, etc. Most people that buy headsets for some reason want some crazy sound and are willing to spend $150 on them. I could personally never justify that much, but for anything under the 20 mark, expect lousy quality.

**ccllnply** · June 03, 2012, 05:09 PM

And what exactly would make a headset lousy quality? Would it just break easily or is it something to do with the sound quality?

**Bolkonsky** · June 03, 2012, 07:51 PM

You get a faint buzz when there's no audio playing, maybe the same when it's all the way up, I've never had a problem with headphones breaking, but for 5 pounds, you might. Expect cheap plastics, uncomfortable pieces, terrible microphone volume. The sound quality is very high on that pair I linked, though, very rich and deep. I personally am not put off by it at all. Then again, I'm not an audiophile by any means. I'm sure there's better sound, I just don't think anything better is worth the price. That headset's a good price, and better than I would expect quality for that price. I'm sure the $100 headset sounds amazing, but does it sound $75+ more amazing? At some point, you're paying for stuff like wireless, looking cool, warranties, and just pure "g@m3r" jacked up prices.

Honestly you might be better off with a desktop microphone and a pair of headphones.

**Phier** · June 03, 2012, 10:15 PM

I've always loved this type...

http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-DS.../dp/B00005A9AU

Yea its not cheap but.......

The USB interface I've found to be FAR superior to the audio card interface, the sound quality is very good and they are VERY light.

Where they really shine is using the mic. I've had nothing but trouble with normal ones, and this one works perfectly with any game or speech recognition program.

**ccllnply** · June 04, 2012, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by Bolkonsky

You get a faint buzz when there's no audio playing, maybe the same when it's all the way up, I've never had a problem with headphones breaking, but for 5 pounds, you might. Expect cheap plastics, uncomfortable pieces, terrible microphone volume. The sound quality is very high on that pair I linked, though, very rich and deep. I personally am not put off by it at all. Then again, I'm not an audiophile by any means. I'm sure there's better sound, I just don't think anything better is worth the price. That headset's a good price, and better than I would expect quality for that price. I'm sure the $100 headset sounds amazing, but does it sound $75+ more amazing? At some point, you're paying for stuff like wireless, looking cool, warranties, and just pure "g@m3r" jacked up prices.

Honestly you might be better off with a desktop microphone and a pair of headphones.

Alright, well I'm going into town today so I'll look around for a decent headset and if I'm not surer I'll come back and look at Amazon. To be honest, I'll probably end up on Amazon. Really the microphone is more important to me as long as the sound from the headphones isn't too annoying. I'm not into this "I want to hear everything around me"

that some gamers want

Originally Posted by Phier

I've always loved this type...

http://www.amazon.com/Plantronics-DS.../dp/B00005A9AU

Yea its not cheap but.......

The USB interface I've found to be FAR superior to the audio card interface, the sound quality is very good and they are VERY light.

Where they really shine is using the mic. I've had nothing but trouble with normal ones, and this one works perfectly with any game or speech recognition program.

$75 marked down from $125? Seems a bit steep. For that price I'd at least expect them to be wireless but the mic sounds promising

**Treize** · June 04, 2012, 05:05 AM

**Bolkonsky** · June 04, 2012, 08:03 AM

That must cost a small fortune.

**Treize** · June 04, 2012, 08:27 AM

I paid €160 for it.

**ccllnply** · June 04, 2012, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by Treize

I paid €160 for it.

Would something like this be worth buying?

http://www.did.ie/sennheiser-mono-sykpe-headset-pc21

Edit: Or this?

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/p...SET.htm#tabrev

**Phier** · June 04, 2012, 11:01 PM

Well mono would suck, it drives me nuts personally to only hear from one ear like that.

The other would annoy me too. I hate earmuffs like that, they get hot. Take a look at the plantronics one, they have cheaper ones like that for sale.

**ccllnply** · June 05, 2012, 05:30 AM

Ok, well what about then?

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1123237...8-headset.html

**Phier** · June 05, 2012, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by ccllnply

Ok, well what about then?

http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1123237...8-headset.html

That looks basically like what I'm using now (thicker headband part). I like them myself. Another feature of the plantronics is they are very adjustable. I have a big head (one size fits all my ass) and they are very comfortable.

**Treize** · June 05, 2012, 07:32 AM

You can't go cheap and expect quality.

Cheap headsets tend to break down within a few months.

**Bolkonsky** · June 05, 2012, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by Treize

You can't go cheap and expect quality.

Cheap headsets tend to break down within a few months.

That has simply never happened to me. They don't break if you don't abuse them.

**irishron** · June 05, 2012, 09:12 AM

My has an old pair for her old Walkman that predate it. They are old.

I plugged then into the computer and they still work. Mono but not any worse than the onboard sound out of the speakers.

**Hrothgar Óhreinsaður** · June 06, 2012, 04:05 PM

I have a Sennheiser HD 202, and they have incredible sound and cost less than $20 USD. I highly recommend them.

**ccllnply** · June 09, 2012, 05:26 AM

Ok so I'm stuck between buying a very cheap headset (less than €10) and just seeing how it is. That way I can get a feel for headsets and see what I want in the future, also if it works it'll be a great deal. Or getting a more expensive headset (€20-€30) and getting a solid, good quality headset that will work straight away.

I'm also in the middle of exams so I would ideally want to get it at the end of next week or the beginning of the week after, so I'm not sure whether to buy it online (where I'd get better deals) or get it in a local store. Thoughts?