I need a Great pair of sound proof Headphones, with a built in Mic! (gaming and video Headphones)

I use a pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones that I got on Craigslist for $50, and I must say that they're certainly the best headphones I've ever had. Pair up good headphones with a Creative X-Fi Notebook and you my friend are in business.

If worst comes to worst, just buy some inexpensive quality headphones and strap that high quality mic of yours to your forehead.

Sony MDR-V6

 

I think that it is not about the "good" warranties, rather I think your parents just want things done fast. Forgive me, but I'm reading impatience from your parents from the way you describe them, and I think it runs in your family, haha. There's nothing wrong with receiving a product that is damaged or you didn't like and sending it back. Most online sellers have liberal warranties just like storefront retailers.

Another pair of cans you might want to look at are the AKG K240. My old roommate had these cans and they are warm with a balanced signature. They aren't quite as active like my 595's, but they still give you a front row feeling, especially with FPS games and rock music. Also, these cans are semi-open if you are looking for that extra sound stage while minimizing outside noise and keeping most the gun shots inside the earcups.

 

Actually, it does make a difference - although how it sounds in-game differs in simulated 3D sound using the likes of CMSS.

I've tried multispeaker surround headsets, and they do actually work in changing the direction source of the sound, but there are 'sweet spots' in locating sources of sound and if the source of the sound isn't in those spots, then the location is not always clear.

The stereo simulated 3D using CMSS on the other hand - and I've done this all the way from an HD280 to an Orpheus - does transitions very well, but locating the exact source of the sound without a visual cue can be very difficult.

Personally of course as an all-rounder I'd prefer a stereo set. But the better-reviewed (by non-nerdophiles) surround sets may not be as gimmicky as they appear.

Right now I use a Beyerdynamic MMX300 as my primaries (among a few others) as a throwaround pair of phones for PC use. If the price doesn't make you choke, it's a decent bet for a closed headset. It'll do pretty much everything asked of it, and it's highly unlikely you'll need to replace it for a long time.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-MMX-300-Premium-Microphone/dp/B001BYMZ5W

And also unlike some postings here, a good mic does actually make a difference - there may be heavy compression in-game, but the fact is that if you have crud audio input, then you get crud output regardless of the compression.

The Senneheiser PC350 is of course another good choice - has anyone mentioned it in the pseudo-Stereophile stampede?

 

Hey vicious And Soviet... I just wanted to say after actually reading your posts out loud and in depth I realized just how logical you were... Especially vicious you speel on tonal curve, direction and dsitance... I am defintely going with the A700 and the zalman mike

 

Good choice, MrButterBiscuits. We'll be looking forward to your video review on the Novint Falcon. See you on the battleground.

 

Yea I'm actually going to hook up my mic to play with you lol... so I can ANNOY YOU! no lol but I can't find the specs as far as Mic range on the Zalman attachment

http://www.xoxide.com/zmmic1.html any idea?

 

I don't know the range on the mic, but I'm sure it should be able to cover human vocal range just fine. It is just a $6 lavalier mic, haha. Just put some foam over the mic as a windbreak and you're good to go.

I used to use a pair of old Apple earphones as my microphone on my old laptop before. I didn't use the integrated mic on my laptop because it was located on the left palmrest. My left wrist was always blocking the receiver making the output really silent unless I lift my wrist or put my face next to it, which is really dangerous during an important Counter Strike scrim.

 

Ok I found these on the actual Zalman site... does anyone know what kind of hertz range these have?

Sensitivity -40 ± 3dB
Impedance Max. 2.2 ㏀
Standard power supply 2.0 V DC
Current consumption Max. 0.5 mA
Sensitivity reduction Within-3dB at 1.5V
S/N More than 58dB
Directivity Omnidirectional

 

It's probably in the typical 80Hz to 12,000Hz range. You shouldn't worry about the frequency range for that microphone unless you're an extreme countertenor that can sing three octaves higher than Michael Jackson.

 

that's very nice.. or I can hope since that is a very good range... I just ordered!

 

Like I said its just a $6 mic, good for voice chat and games. Its not a recording mic. its convenient because it clips on your headphone cord. Try to put it high up and talk near it and it will serve you well.

 

Hell If I can do let's play videos with it I'll be happy

 

The zalman mics do the job but take care with the cable... Is a bit weak (next time i will try to use some zip ties lol).

BTW good choice on the headphones, audio technica a700 r really great (i prefer open phones and i prefer sennheiser audio signature but i have to admit that A700 is slight better than HD555).

 

Considering my whole life I have used crappy ear buds... I think I'll be blown away no matter what!

 

Just a tip: start thinking about lossless format for music from now

 

? what does that mean?

 

lol, different formats of music. When you get higher quality speakers you can start to hear the imperfections in music files.

So people that are serious about music (more serious than me) use lossless formats for there music. (lossless meaning no quality loss from the original source)

Me personally I am ok with a well encoded MP3, but my favorite is AAC. AAC is more than quality enough and still well supported on devices and doesnt take up a lot of space.

I use H264 AAC combo for video encoding, but most of my music is already mp3 format so encoding it again to AAC would only hurt it.

 

Just great, see what you did, BIGX333? You made him all confused now, haha.

It's pretty much self explanatory: lossless formats do not lose quality, while lossy formats do. However, lossless formats will output larger files. I use ALAC for archiving and AAC 320kbps for my iPod. Personally, I can't tell the difference between MP3 320kbps, AAC 320kbps, and the reference with my 595's with a dedicated amp and DAC.

 

Except the AAC should be smaller than the MP3, I find AAC to be much more efficient at the same file size, its basically the evolution of MP3.

 

TBH i can notice difference between MP3 and FLAC and my musics r 100% FLAC now, FLAC with embedded cuesheet is beautiful (i love to have a entire CD in a single file with the lyrics and cover ).

BTW... I want i could use a head amp, i want some HD-650 but having it without a good amp is worthless and or the amps r way too big for my use or they r too expensive (hard to justify $400-5k :x).

But I'm pretty happy with my HD595 low impedance + Dedicated audio interface (while i would like a HE90... ).

 

$20 says you can't pass an ABX test with MP3 320kbps and FLAC.

 

I already did one in studio (O2 ftw ) with 20 trials i think and was pretty easy.

 

What references did you play?

Also, how long did you have your 595's?

 

TBH i can't remember anymore. We did it 4fun between some recordings in studio using the Stax O2.

This HD595 is my second pair already, have 1.5 year++ and will need a replacement soon lol, maybe someday i get crazy and buy a hd600 and buy an amp later who knows :x