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You’d never credit your headset after winning a Team Fortress 2 match, nor would you ever brag about your soundcard after just acing a round in Call of Duty 4, but any gaming veteran knows that having a sweet set of cans is a must for even the casual gamer’s setup. This is especially true today with the vast majority of professional gamers using headsets instead speaker systems.
Unfortunately, deciding which audio hardware is right for you can become aggravating very quickly with USB headsets, 5.1 headphones, onboard mixing, analog inputs, and incompatible interfaces confusing the market. With this roundup, we’re going to scrutinize six gaming headset options, and examine the largely unspoken differences between analog and USB audio technology.
If you like your existing soundcard, you won’t need a USB headset. This is because the only way for audio to be produced through the USB headset is by bypassing the soundcard entirely. A USB headset is recognized by your operating system as a completely separate audio device. While this is convenient for laptops and desktops with cheap onboard soundcards, it creates a headache for anyone looking to play music or film audio through their speakers; you'll have to change the default Windows audio device, swapping between the headset and whatever sound card your speakers are plugged into. A USB headset will usually require software installation to function with your OS and to allow customization and mixing control. This brings us to the very reason companies are making USB headsets in the first place, to allow for inline hardware acceleration which remixes the audio before sending it to the speakers. Essentially you have a mini soundcard embedded in the headset.
This is both a good and a bad thing. For gamers without soundcards (or have soundcard driver problems in Vista), USB headsets are an unbeatable value. You get hardware acceleration and a physical headset in one package. If you already have an expensive and fully-functioning soundcard, however, buying a USB headset can be pointless – the audio quality won’t necessarily be better with USB. The only option for you is using analog jacks, or if you have a newer soundcard, optical cables (although it would be amazing, we have yet to see a high end optical headset).
That said, deciding upon a testing method was difficult. We eventually settled on testing the analog headsets with a PCI-Express X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty soundcard and the USB headsets on their own.
With that important difference explained, we take a look a few of the latest headsets to see which pair is truly king of the cans.
We’re typically wary of wireless gaming products due to their spotty battery life and ironically more inconvenient set up process. We were pleasantly surprised, then, when Creative proved us wrong with this wireless offering. The HS-1200 mixes audio onboard like other USB headsets, but unlike its competitors it makes use of Creative's X-FI Crystalizer and CMSS-3D technologies. This portable X-Fi implementation comes pretty close to the surround directional accuracy and audio quality of an actual X-Fi soundcard. Despite this, games would only allow us to enable older version of EAX. OpenAL does not work with this headset and Battlefield 2 wouldn't let us set the audio quality to "Ultra." Another drawback is the lack of underwhelming bass; although punchy, there was no real boom.
The wireless functionality impressed us as it worked within 40 feet of the transmitter, through walls and electronics, before fading out. Also, the headset comes with volume control buttons on the earpads themselves, which is a necessity when going wireless. The earpads felt comfortable enough, but they sit on top of your ears, making you sweat a little. And although the microphone performed well in Skype and games, we would have liked to see it retract or detach.
All in all, the audio fidelity of the HS-1200 is excellent and the wireless functionality is near-perfect, but the poor EAX support and small earpads force our smiles to wane.
While this headset carries the official seal of approval from the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) and uber-gamer Fatal1ty, these endorsements are obviously more of a marketing gimmick than a certification of quality, since we don’t think any professional gamer would ever use a budget headset like this one. The HS-1000 contains the same inline acceleration as the HS-1200, and the CMSS-3D and Crystalizer are a welcome inclusion. Despite this, the EAX support remains just as spotty as it was on the HS-1200 and OpenAL support is nowhere to be found. Even with the far more comfortable earpads, this headset’s speakers aren't as accurate as the HS-1200's, producing little if any bass.
Fortunately the mids and highs were a bit more up to par. One thing this headset is good at is maintaining audio clarity at extremely high volumes; there was little distortion when pushing levels to the limit. The Fatal1ty's had the worst microphone among the sets we tested; it would pick up background noise with every bit of fidelity as it did our voice. In addition the recording quality was only mediocre.
For its relatively low price, the Fatal1ty HS-1000 is good, but it simply can't compare to what real professional gamers use in competitive gaming leagues such as the CGS.
Note: In a smart move, Creative is producing analog and USB versions of this headset. Both are identical except for the inclusion of an inline mixer with the USB version and the analog set will cost you much less.
Comments are closed on this article
Joe C
March 22, 2011 at 1:37am
I like these reviews. I have to say I am partial to headsets like the <a href="http://www.gamingheadsetreports.com/report-dont-buy-the-logitech-g930-7-1-until-you-read-this/">Logitech G930</a> , but just because it was my first headset. Been in the market for either Sennheiser or Ear Force. I may reconsider though.
pcfitness
December 22, 2008 at 1:13pm
I just got these yesterday and love them.
Instead of me doing a review on these I will leave a few links that I found which actually made me go buy a pair.
http://www.modders-inc.com/reviews-story--163.html
http://www.cinemablend.com/games/PC-Review-AXPC-Gaming-Headphones-4670.html
http://www.gamernode.com/features/2895-axpc-51-usb-gaming-headphones-review/index.html
PC Fitness.
www.expertcomputerhelp.com
www.expertpersonaltraining.com
Talcum X
October 13, 2008 at 11:05am
Interesting. I like to read customer reviews of products after reviews such as these to see what the masses had to say about their purchace. Come to find out, the Senneiser got better overall reviews than the Plantroics. The Plantronics got some major mixed reviews on NewEgg. Especially about the 5.1 claim.
***********
Every morning is the dawn of a new error.
"In Ireland, there are more drunks per capita than people." - Peter Griffin
BizSAR
October 13, 2008 at 9:18am
There reviews are great and long overdue.
Did you consider the EDGE Accoustics GX400 earphones (http://www.edgeacoustics.com/products/gx400/)?
I would suspect they would stand up quite well against the best headphone counterparts.
~BizSAR
billysundays
October 12, 2008 at 3:37pm
This has been a long awaited round up review. Great job Reed.
I'm glad you guys have thrown in an opinion on the use of multiple speakers in headsets to reproduce 5.1 surround sound. I remember you also gave Turtle Beach’s Ear Force HPA2 headset props for the same reason.
There're more than a dozen brands now touting thier own multi-speaker surround sound gaming headsets for PCs and consoles. Most opinions I've read online make them out to be gimmicky, while affirming the combination of quality headsets with HRTF technology, like Creative Lab's "CMSS-3D", to be the only way to go.
Here's my question to anyone in the MaxPC staff. Seeing as the Medusa's "aural positioning was the best we've heard", would you say that the multi-speaker solution is better than the conventional use of HRTF with headphones?
Any readers have an opinion?
By the way, Reed, where's the review of the ASTRO A40 GAMING HEADSET by
Will Smith? I was sure it would've been feature in this round up.
whisp
October 13, 2008 at 4:54am
Will told me he had the review for that headset nearly finished when I was working on this one.
Currently I would go with a quality stereo headset and rely on a good soundcard to mix the surround. 5.1 headsets have a ways to go from what I have seen, for whatever reason they always seem to produce degraded audio quality. The latest X-Fi soundcard had surround positioning just shy of a true 5.1 headset, the difference was not as much as you would think.
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
billysundays
October 13, 2008 at 9:22pm
On Astro's website there's a review of the A40 headsets by a Will Smith for "Official Xbox Magazine"? Does Will Smith also write for "Official Xbox Magazine"?
foyleman
October 12, 2008 at 11:09am
You don't need a desktop mic to sound good. There are studio quality headsets with microphones.
I have a Sennheiser HMD Pro 280 headset with mic. You have to solder on the cable end that you plan to use. I soldered on a balanced microphone plug for my mixing board. Then I run the mix through to my Creative Soundblaster Audigy soundcard.
I get asked all the time, "How do you sound so good? What do you use?" This is it.
PDeath
October 11, 2008 at 9:26pm
I am very happy with my Steel Series 5Hv2s, the're great if you prefer anolog 2.0 through your soundcard instead of usb.
billysundays
October 10, 2008 at 8:26pm
actually, sirphunkee, they've featured 3 turtle beach headsets in the past. do a quick search. they liked the Ear Force HPA2 headset (june '07"). i wonder how they would compare it to these headsets.
sirphunkee
October 10, 2008 at 11:46pm
Exactly, I was just hoping to see them compared directly to the Sennheiser and Plantronics models
sirphunkee
October 10, 2008 at 7:44pm
I'm also surprised that not a single one of Turtle Beach's gaming-worthy headsets got a mention...they have several models all across the pricing spectrum, some of them 5.1, and all of them better than several models that were included in this roundup (IMO).
joe2
October 10, 2008 at 5:53pm
i read several positive reviews so i bought the medusa progamer 5.1 v2 for $130.
within 2 weeks they stopped working. the power somehow got cut off or the flimsy plastic switch broke. i barely used them (only wore them 1-2 hours a day) and treated them very well.
they were almost new so i thought it would be easy to get them replaced. unfortunately they have a really nasty service policy:
in order to get them repaired i had to send them to england ($40 shipping) then IF they decided to repair them, i had to pay to have them shipped back (another $40).
so, $80 to have them repaired, IF they decided to repair them. otherwise i would get a bill for a repair charge.
i've never heard of a company that makes you pay $80 in shipping to repair an obviously defective product. my 24" monitor stopped working after 3 years and Acer paid shipping both ways and repaired it for free. my microsoft keyboard stopped working and they sent me a new one, no questions asked, no charge.
to add insult to injury, the emails from their service department were curt, bordering on rude. apparently when you buy the headset the money goes to germany but when you repair it the headset goes to england, so they have no motivation at all to provide you with good customer service. i don't know why they would run their company that way but if i convince a single person not to buy this headset i'll feel better about wasting $130.
(i bought a $40 creative fatality headset after i threw away the medusa and it was more comfortable and sounded better anyway.)
strykyr
October 10, 2008 at 5:21pm
I just bought the Pantronics set last week. Was listening to Me and Bobby Mcgee and I swear I heard pages turning and a mic stand being moved in the background. The beginning of hells bells...The sound the Nano suit makes in Crysis...wow. Thses things have to be the best sounding 'phones I have ever heard. I don't realy use the little sound card that came with it. I have an Audigy 2 Platinum and the 2 jacks on the drive unit suffice and drives them better. The mic picks up fly farts. What kept them from getting a 10?
whisp
October 13, 2008 at 4:58am
If the rating system was based stricly on a price/performance ratio, the headset would have easily been given a 10.
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
ProtoJMB
October 10, 2008 at 5:07pm
Hey, good article. I shall refer my friend to it, as he was looking at some different headsets.
Anyways, you said "although it would be amazing, we have yet to see a high end optical headset"
Well apparently they DO exist! A company called TRITTON Technologies (I've never heard of them) makes high end optical headsets that can be used with anything that has an optical port, including PC's with optical ports either onboard or with the latest round of soundcards. I think it would be worth checking out. They actually make two different kinds, a lower tier and then a super high end that will be coming out soon. They are also DOLBY Digital 5.1 certified headsets.
This headset is under $100 on newegg:
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA600.htm
This headset only has an "OUT OF STOCK" placeholder on newegg, but the website says it's a coming soon product. It's WELL OVER $100:
http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA611.htm
It'd be cool to see a review of those, see how they stack up to the analog brethren. = D
billysundays
October 12, 2008 at 3:20pm
Those headsets were announced so long ago, and MaxPC has already reviewed two of trittons headsets and found them to be mediocre, so don't hold your breath.
Manolo71
October 13, 2008 at 11:50am
Billisunday i have to defer on your comment about the TRITTON'S cans, I have a pair of AX360 (http://www.trittontechnologies.com/products/TRIGA600.htm) for almost two years now, i buy those when 2142 hit the market, and the only thing i can say this can's rock my ears, first of all the only down side is that you have to tweak the control the find that sweet spot, and yes they are digital, i have them conected to my X-Fi fatality titanium and it work great. I have 2142, F.E.A.R.,HALF LIFE 2,S.T.A.L.K.E.R (SHADOW & CLEAR SKY), COD4, CRYSIS, WORLD AT WAR, with no problem at all. I can wait to try FAR CRY 2 & FALLOUT 3,
mitpatterson
October 10, 2008 at 2:53pm
Good article Reed, but where are the prices and links?
mitpatterson
billysundays
October 12, 2008 at 3:31pm
(Reed) Regarding your review of the Plantronics, I'll assume that "we found its directional mixing...close to that of an X-Fi soundcard" means that you guys find Creative Lab's "CMSS-3D" HRTF to be superior to the "Dolby Headphone" technology. That being the case, I think it would be worth noting that the Plantronics headset can also be connected to your souncard via its analog connection, and they're about $150 less than the Sennheisers.
whisp
October 13, 2008 at 5:09am
I believe I did - "The 777's come with a detachable "5.1 Dolby Headphone USB soundcard" that allow for either analog or USB input"
I have been told not to mention price in the reviews unless its a HUGE factor. You are right though, I should have mentioned that the price difference between the two was very large.
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
billysundays
October 13, 2008 at 11:49am
My bad. Weird that i missed that. I must have read the article 4 times before i posted a reply, i just didn't correctly parse what you were trying to say.
sirphunkee
October 13, 2008 at 5:00pm
I think the Sennheiser's have dropped in price, they're widely available now for $160 online (but the plantronics model is holding steady at $90-$100)
Sever
October 10, 2008 at 1:42pm
Saw Reed sporting the Plantronics GameCom 777 at Nvision they were sweet would get a pair but i have 2 steelseries 5H v2 and i love them. Great review Reed hope to see more.
captrespect
October 10, 2008 at 1:14pm
Great reviews!
Anyone have a recomendation of a good mic I can clip to my headset or shirt? I've already got a good pair of headphones I don't want to give up, but I still have that stupid desktop mic that came with an old computer.
whisp
October 13, 2008 at 5:10am
I have a few different recommendations I could give, but none of them are anything special when it comes to quality..
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
Skiplives
October 10, 2008 at 2:38pm
If you want a good stand mounted mic, go for something like the Blue Snowball - B&H offers it as a kit with a stand, shock mount, and pop filter. You can also get a wide choice of clip-on mics. Go to a music store rather than a computer store for this. If you are an instrument/gear-head, take a breath and don't walk out with a pro ADC and boom for your new Neumann U87. :p
TheMurph
October 10, 2008 at 3:10pm
The Snowball, eh? Last I checked, that didn't work on Vista whatsoever.
killerxx7
October 10, 2008 at 12:49pm
you missed out the zalman 5.1 headset brialiant headset for the price!!
whisp
October 13, 2008 at 5:12am
I contacted Zalman and they told me the headset was no longer being supported really and had nothing new to send.
I forget "exactly" what they said, but it was something along those lines..
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
Velcrow
October 10, 2008 at 12:33pm
I had a pair of the Creative Fatal1ty's and loved them. Damn cat ate the wire. But I'll be ordering another pair for sure. They were very comfortable and sound was good for the price. Mic picked up everything I said well. Can get a pair of the analog version for around $45 on Amazon. I prefer analog since it runs directly through my sound card.
sirphunkee
October 10, 2008 at 12:32pm
"...flush against your shoulders."
"...flush with the headband."
It's "flush", not "plush"
