Question About Headphones/Set

I've been looking to get a headset (or headphones) for gaming. My main requirements are that it's comfortable, wireless, and has 5.1 or 7.1 (preferably 7.1) surround sound. And of course, I'd also like it if had great sound quality for when I'm listening to music which is why I've been considering getting a pair of audiophile (as much as my budget allows) headphones with a separate mic rather than a gaming headset.

However, I haven't been able to find a pair of headphones (tried Sennheiser, Audio Technica, and a few others so far) that are advertised as being surround sound, and this is a very important feature to me because I'm really good at listening to the direction of a game's sound effects and using that to my advantage. So I'm wondering if I would be able to use a USB sound card in order to emulate surround sound through a pair of audiophile headphones? If so, which USB sound card do you guy's recommend for light music listening and heavier gaming? If not, then which headphones do you guys recommend that do have surround sound? Or lastly, are there any headsets out there that will impress me just as much as a pair of headphones will?

Oh, and my budget is around $150.

 

Firstly, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to have actual 5.1/7.1 surround sound on ANY pair of headphones. It is a gimmick. You are only able to get 2.0 surround sound from headphones as there would only be two directions sound is coming from i.e. left and right cups. In order to get true 5.1 surround sound, you would need 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer. This is impossible to build into headphones as you would need to have multiple drivers in each cup. Even then it would be incomparable to actual speakers. The best you can do is emulate it (which is what the advertising on supposedly "surround sound" headphones is about). But then again, you are very unlikely to notice this with headphones.

Secondly, wireless connection for sound is very likely to lag and not recommended (especially with your budget).

Therefore you are better off just choosing a pair of headphones that you feel comfortable with (sound-wise and comfort-wise) within your budget.

 

Concepts of Surround Sound in Headphones

Surround sound in headphones is all done through software algorithms. There is no such thing as "real" surround sound in headphones. Not in 2.0 stereo headphones, and not in headphones with multiple drivers in each ear cup.

A true directional sound enters one ear slightly before it enters the other, and echos off of surfaces (floors, walls, earlobes, etc) in unique ways. Your brain interprets these slight differences in timing + echo as directional sound. That is why a home theatre surround sound speaker setup for producing convincing directional sound.

You don't get this in headphones, because the sound from one headphone earcup will never enter the other ear. The closest you will ever get is a software algorithm that takes a 5.1 / 7.1 source audio signal, calculates what the left & right ears should hear, and then sends that processed sound into your headphones.

Sometimes that software algorithm takes the form of a seperate breakout device (like a Dolby Headphone processor). Sometimes it is baked in to a pair of gaming headphones. And if done well, it can be pretty convincing.


What should you get?

Well, here's what you can have. Pick any 2 of the 3 (but you can't have them all):
(a) Convincing Surround Sound for Gaming
(b) High Audio Quality for Music
(c) Costs under $150 and is wireless.

If you want a wireless 5.1 / 7.1 surround sound gaming headset that costs under $150, get the Logitech G930. It will be great for those purposes. But music quality is going to be relatively low.

If you want a setup that will give you convincing 5.1 / 7.1 surround sound emulation using hardware that will also give you a great music experience, then you will want to go with audiophile-level headphones and a dedicated sound processor. The entry level for this will be Audio Technica ATH-A700 headphones ($125), a Zalman ZM-1 clip on mic ($8), and a Creative Labs X-Fi SB1090 USB sound card ($55). Basically plug everything together, set all of your audio settings in Windows and games to 5.1 / 7.1, and let the Creative Labs CMSS3D Headphone Mode processing do the work of converting that 5.1 / 7.1 surround sound into something that will be pushed into your 2.0 stereo headphones.

 

Logitech G930 is probably the closest thing to what the OP wants.

Wireless, pretty comfortable, virtual 7.1 surround, and cost about $150

 

Thanks for the replies. I already know that headphones don't have "real" surround sound, only virtual. But I still know I want this virtual surround sound, because I've used it before (back when I had a desktop with a dedicated sound card paired up with some cheap headset which didn't have a working mic) and I loved it.

So if I'm understanding this correctly, I have to decide whether wireless functionality or audio quality is more important to me? If wireless then the G930, which I've read a lot about and seems like a great headset. Or if I go with audio quality then Kent's comprehensive solution of a USB sound card, separate mic, and decent audiophile headphones.

Hmm, I'm torn. On one hand, the latter is a solution that I'm familiar with, as I did it before but with a PCI sound card and cheap headphones, so I know the surround sound will work great. Plus this time I'll have even better headphones so the sound quality will probably be the best I've heard in all my life, seriously. (To be honest, my idea of good sound is my iPhone earbuds and great sound has been anything with a subwoofer.) On the other hand, I really dislike having a wired headset because I'm a restless gamer, I constantly get up and move around during gaming sessions and not having to take the headphones off my head each time seems so much more convenient to me.

On a slightly different note, just for information's sake, what are your thoughts on USB sound cards? The only one's I know of are the Creative ones. I've used a Creative sound card before and it worked great, albeit their software is overwhelming. But the reviews for the X-Fi Go and the X-Fi Surround 5.1 seem to be lukewarm at best so I'm not sure.

 

1) If your idea of good sound is iPod earbuds, then get the Logitech G930 wireless 5.1 / 7.1 surround sound headset. You'll be happy.

Going with the audiophile route of sound card + microphone + audiophile headphones is a little overkill for what you need, since it sounds like top-end audio quality for music is a lower priority than gaming.


2) USB sound cards are fine, as long as you know what you are getting into. Those little cheap <$30 USB "stick" shaped sound cards just give you very basic 2.0 stereo sound output, and mic input. They are not much better than onboard sound.

Creative Labs also has a bunch of X-Fi USB sound cards (starting with model# SB109x) that cost $55 - $100 that add in X-Fi sound processing capabilities. This includes things like analog 5.1 / 7.1 speaker outputs, digital sound outputs (optical / RCA digital). The important thing is that it offers CMSS3D Headphone processing, which will downmix a 5.1 source --> 2.0 headphone virtual surround signal. If you ARE going to go with separate components for an audiophile-level pair of headphones, then the Sound Blaster X-Fi USB SB1090 for $55 is what you want to get.

Some people also prefer options like a USB DAC (digital-to-analog converter) like a Fiio E7. I would not recommend you buy an audiophile-quality DAC. They are intended for people whose top priority is listening to music, and will only process 2.0 stereo sound. They do not include any of the 5.1 --> 2.0 downmixing processing that you will need to get surround sound in games.

 

Y'know, it's weird. I actually have very sensitive ears. I listen to my TV at the lowest volume levels, I can hear things from long distances, and I'm great (or at least much better than anyone I know) at deciphering sound direction, but I've just never been one to rightfully distinguish great sound quality from cheap sound quality. Maybe I just don't have much experience comparing the two. *shrug*

Well, I'm still undecided but at least I'm more informed. I really appreciate the help Kent. I'm gonna give it some more thought, especially budget wise because a USB sound card, mic, and headphones will put me close to or above $200. I'd also love to try out the Logitech G930 and any pair of good audiophile headphones (like the Audio Technica ATH-A700) in some electronics store. Unfortunately, I don't know any that have a good selection to demo. If anyone knows any in NYC, do tell.

 

This is not me trying to be a jerk, I just seriously wouldn't spend the money on the A700s and a DAC and all that crap if you think the Apple earbuds are good. I bought a pair of Klipsch Image S4 earbuds (by no means top of the line) and the Apple earbuds are so bad comparatively that I can't even use them any more.

A good pair of headphones and a good USB sound card are going to put you well above a decent gaming headset and you probably won't hear a difference. I would really hate for you to waste your money. Personally, I have the Plantronics GameCom 777 (pretty much on par with the Logitech offerings) and it sounds great for gaming.

 

If you're in New York City, then what I would recommend is:

* Buy a pair of Logitech G930
* Buy a pair of Corsair HS1 USB headphones (not the HS1A analog version)
* Buy a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A700 headphones

Buy them all from Amazon.com. Return the two that you don't like.

 

This is a good idea.

 

If you're good at knowing where sound is coming from then a decent set of headphones will make a huge difference. Sound stage is something that really divides cheap headphones from the others. And headphones pretty much fail at sound stage compared to a good set of speakers.

 

I hear what you're saying hockeymass, and honestly, I wish I could reason like that. But the thought of not getting the best sound quality irritates me a little, even though it'd cost a little extra and wouldn't be wireless. However, I'm also considering the fact that I might buy a USB sound card for my laptop regardless to hook it up to a pair of speakers.

Agreed. I'll give this a try if I can't find some local store that has a good selection.

That's what has me undecided. It could just be that if I do get a good pair of headphones, I'd love 'em and finally put down my iPhone's earbuds. And yeah, my reaction time is subpar for playing twitch competitive games. But I usually can do pretty good in the less "twitchy" ones, like Gears of War 3, due to awareness, both tactical and audio.