Tutorial: Audiophile Headset Mod

Hey guys got something neat for you today. I just did a mod where I transformed my Audio Technica A700's from a pair of headphones into a voice communication headset.

I thought the mod came out good enough to share with others on how to do it and the parts used.

Instead of spending hours taking pictures and writing a tutorial I just banged it out with a 1 cut no retake youtube video using my little Vado HD so quality is not the greatest but it gets the job done.


Mod Cost - ~$15.00

Parts Needed

> Altec Lansing AHS433usb ($10 buy.com or Amazon)
optional - use Altec Lansing AHS423 instead (no USB adapter)

> Velcro


Tools Needed

> Scissors to cut the Velcro

> Wire cutters or similar to cut apart the headset


Tutorial Video


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Note: I forgot to say in the video but something else that impressed me about this cheap headset is that it has a high/low/off switch for the microphone and also a in-line volume control for the speakers (you wont use he speakers for the mod but microphone mute can be handy)

 

Nice mod !! I Like the final product appearance

 

Im mixed, your very versatile yet I cant imagine doing this even if I didnt have any other way of using both audiophile headphones and mic at same time. Theres a reason theres tons of new gaming headsets out there. Either way awesome job!

 

If you had nothing already and were standing in the position to be a first time buyer it makes sense to atleast think about getting a high quality dedicated gaming headset if you know it will fit your needs.

However if your in the situation where you already own some high end headphones worth $100-$1000+ that decision to buy a gaming headset makes a lot less sense.

Again I remind you that within the same price range the quality does not match up. A $150 gaming headset will not even touch upon the quality of some $150 headphones. They really do raise the price a lot just because its a headset.

If your a big roller and have some $500 headphones they dont even make headsets in that kind of range.

Its a zero risk mod though, I can remove the Velcro easy and have the A700s back to the way they were before, or simply leave the Velcro on and take off the mic if I am listening to music and find it gets in my way.


Here is a real life example of the price change from headphone to headset.
Beyerdynamic makes a nice model called the DT 770 found here for about $180.00
they also make a extremely similar headset with the same drivers (speakers) but added a microphone and now its called the HS-200 can cost $330.00 found here.

So the quality is the same but the price goes up.

In other comparisons where the price stays the same ($100 headset vs $100 headphones) the quality is severely cut on the headset, chances are your listening to $40 headphones with a mic attached.

 

I'm using a Zalman ZM-1 add-on mic to my Audio Technica A900's. It's a microphone that clips on to your headphone cable, and acts like an in-line mic. I've been using it for about 2 years, after using a Sennheiser PC-161 headset. The sound quality coming from the mic is excellent - very clear, easy for people to hear me.

 

If you notice I have the same thing and also have used it for a long time, the quality is good but I do not get the volume I need out of it.

People can hear me but I have to talk louder than normal to be nice and clear or they boost my volume on the TS/Vent server.

However in-game chat usually has no volume boost and if I enable the +20db boost on my sound card it causes really bad feedback so I have to leave it off.

I was going to make a boom with a coathanger and use the ZM-1 as the mic, but I ended up doing this mod instead and now I can put the ZM-1 in my laptop bag and use it for my laptop paired with my earbuds.

 

Most laptops have a mic on the screen anyway and it works great so a mic for me isnt really a must when looking for headsets.

 

Ok all your opinions just lost credibility

J/K but serious too, build in mics for laptop monitors are just pitiful. You have to yell at your screen, they often pick up noise and interference from the laptop itself. If you have the volume up even more than a small amount you also get reverb from the speakers. This of course is why most people use headsets in the first place as speakers feed sounds into the mic so you have to use a headphone.

I only used mine a few times and each time nothing good came of it and have tried every laptop I have owned.

 

Yea but you would figure with technology advancements that having mic's that can differentiate the ambient noise to voice wouldnt be that challenging of a task. Plus if you dont need a giant boom mic making you look like a customer support rep when ever any of your family/doorm mates/strangers walk near you is always a plus.

 

Wow that is really cool and inspiring! I'm definitely going to try this out...but with a less expensive pair of headphones first

 

Found a picture I had uploaded of mine

 

Lol... this thread has turned into headphone-nerd/ computer-junkie . I love it.