Looking for a All-purpose gaming/music headset

Hey Notebook Review Forum,

I would like some assistance finding the perfect headset. I'm in the market for a gaming headset that has to be able to do all of the following:

1)Interface with the PC and allow me to voice chat

2)Work with MP3 players, basically it has to have a 3.5mm jack or adapter

3)Detachable mic for when i use it in public as to not look like a total dork

4)Have excellent sound quality. i'm not a total audiophile, but i know a bad pair of headphones when i hear them

5)Great audio separation. i use headphones as my primary way to play PC games so that i can pinpoint enemy positions

*optional*) Can work with an Xbox 360, because I lost the headset my 360 came with.


I would prefer an on-/around ear design. Noise cancellation is a plus, but not needed, and i have a fairly large budget ~$300

NOTE: I've already tried the Astro A30 Audio System, but I got a pair with a bad boom mic port. I tried getting it replaced, but Astro has horrible customer service and didn't seem to be in a hurry to get my headset fixed, so i sent it back. Great headset, horrible customer service. Would've been perfect if the boom mic attachment worked.

Should i give the A30s another go, or do they normally have bad boom mics?

Thanks in advance!

 

I recommend the Plantronics GameCom 377. Although its name would indicate otherwise, it sounds excellent in all manner of music, not just games. I used my pair as my regular music headphones for a while. The only problem was the microphone cord just hanging there since I couldn't plug it into my iPod.

The microphone is not detachable, but it does fold inconspicuously into the frame of the headset, so you can't really tell there's a mic when it's stowed away.

Spoiler

So, for your list of qualifications:

1) It interfaces with a PC with no trouble, and voice chat works great. Mic quality is great.

2) It has standard 3.5mm jacks for the headphones and mic, works with any MP3 player.

3) Not detachable, but foldable/hidden.

4) I think they sound great. Look around the web; many reviews will say they sound like headphones in much higher price ranges.

5) They're not surround sound (although they do make the 777 for that with virtual 7.1), but I never had any trouble discerning sound location in stereo. In short, the directional sound is about as good as it is for any stereo headset/headphone.

Optional) It can't plug into the 360 on its own, but you could configure it with the right adapters, I'm sure.

 

That looks like a great headset, but i don't think i'd be comfortable wearing something with GAMECOM engraved on the headband on the bus. Thanks for the help, though!

 

It's more subtle than the stock photo makes it look. You'd have to be trying (and your head would have to be sideways) to read it.

Spoiler

If I were you, I'd get some electrical tape (the rubbery black kind) and just put a strip over the logo if it really bothers you that much.

 

Those photos make it look like a more viable option. though i dont think i would tape over the logo, lol

 

I use em, the GameCom isn't all too visible except under direct light. What IS visible is the red fabric inside the earcups and the bright orange plantonics printed on the band. The wire sheathing is pretty durable and comes with a clip for your clothes.