5.1 Headset for under $50

As the title says, im actually looking for a 5.1 headset that is for less then $50, has decent bass and good sound.. and yes nice grip over ears to exhaust environmental noise.

Wired will be fine but is it possible to get a wireless one for around that price?

 

No. But if you want a basic entry level stereo pair you just might get in under the wire. You're asking for the equivalent of a $200 car.

 

One way you could crack the nut is:
X-Fi Go! Pro USB (<$30) + HD202 (<$30) + ZM-MIC1 (<$10) = ~$60

HD202 is a basic closed phone, rated highly for it's price bracket.
ZM-MIC1 is a crappy clip-on mic which nevertheless works as long as you site it right.
The Go! will provide surround FX - the stick will also improve your audio even for headphones significantly above the level of the HD202.

 

How about Corsair Raptor H5 5.1 ?

 

Might be good. Dunno, never used it. Think of the above solution as a modular version of something like the Raptor tho. Given the bottom-feeding nature of your budget, it might be a good thing to be able to swap out components (i.e. the headphone in particular) later instead of having to toss it all out to upgrade. The Go! Pro is a pretty decent USB gaming / general purpose soundcard that'll scale to >$100 headphones.

 

Eh. I think you're asking too much for your budget.

You can find decent (stereo) headphones for $50.
You can buy decent surround headphones for $80 (Corsair Vengeance 1500 or Logitech G35).

I would not recommend trying to get both decent headphones and surround sound support for under $50. At that price point, you're throwing too much of your money away into poor quality.

 

Actually, I take it back.

Your best shot for surround sound @ ~$50 is a Plantronics Gamecom 780 for $55 ( link)

I can't remember who, but someone on this forum who is a big-time audio guy recommends these for computer-audio use because of their relatively high quality for their price.

 

Yeah that Plantronics is good. It's a closed circumaural design and looks comfortable with a lot of padding and thick headband so it should fit the bill perfectly. Just keep in mind that it is a stereo headset with two drivers (one in each ear) and 7.1 surround sound simulated with the Dolby software. For a pair of entry-level cans that is actually preferable to a "true surround" headset with multiple smaller drivers in each ear. Acoustically it makes no sense to have so many individual sound sources right next to your ears and the surround effect and positional sound accuracy won't be as good, not to mention stereo sources such as music will sound worse due to the much smaller drivers.

I can vouch for the quality of Plantronics products in general. Audio communications equipment is all they do and they're pretty good at it. My father was employed there in the past and I was able to try out a lot of product samples. Audio quality was very good and microphone quality especially was top-notch.

 

On the other hand, everything Plantronics I've had has fallen apart...

 

You need to elaborate more on that one Vogelbung. For example:

I purchased several Slappa products back in February in preparation for carrying my new laptop. The briefcase tension adjustment (simulated metal) clamp broke off and the case fell to the ground ( luckily my laptop wasn't in it at the time).

That was within weeks of purchasing the product and just the second time had used it. However after a year of the daily commuter grind that incident would have been more forgiving. Although never with my laptop in it.

Slappa products are pretty, but their workmanship is equivalent to you sewing a strap on a pillow case when you don't even know how to sew

Conversely, if your phones fell apart after of year of wear and tear, you may just have gotten your monies worth. Especially at that price.