The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
1) You want high sound quality, because you care about listening to music more than anything. If this is the case, you want a pair of entry-level audiophile headphones. And you have the option of either full-size headphones (over-the-ear), or canalphones (inserted into your ear)
If you want over-the-ear full headphones, the best bang-for-your-buck in this category will be Audio Technica ATH-A700 or Sennheiser HD555 headphones for about $125 each. If your hard limit is $100, then you'd do well with Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones.
If you want portable canalphones that fit in-ear, you want Klipsch Image S4 headphones for about $90 new / $50 used. You can do all the research in the world. But it will all bring you to the conclusion that Klipsch Image S4 canalphones give you the highest sound quality and value under $100.
2) If you care about gaming and surround effects more than anything, then you'll want to look at the Corsair HS1 USB headset (not the HS1A analog version) for $60 or the Logitech G35 for $90. I have a slight preference for the Corsair HS1 USB headset, because every review site that has reviewed them praise them for their high sound quality and comfort at their MSRP of $100. The fact that they can be bought for a street price of $60 just sweetens the deal.
And before you ask... no, there isn't a way for you to get awesome music-listening and awesome surround sound in gaming for under $100. You need to choose headphones that excel in one area, with the drawback of just being merely competent in the other area. In order to have the best of both worlds, you're looking at spending at least $200+ for that kind of gear.
I recently purchased the Plantronics GameCom 777 for $85NZD might be cheaper in your region. But they are going very well so far. I use them to play Modern Warfare 3 and other FPS and they are fantastic. Music wise they are crap but are amazing for games. You can hear every footstep and crunch.
When I was looking for headphones my choices were:
1. Corsair USB H1
2. Plantronics GameCom 777
3. Logitech G35
I just went for the cheapest one because You can't go wrong with any of the headsets for gaming.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
