Ultimate Surround Gaming Headset For M11x???

I recently purchased an Alienware M11x laptop and am now searching for the ultimate gaming headset to go along with it. PLEASE read this entire thread before replying!!!

I would like a surround sound headset of the absolute highest quality as price is not really an issue. I will be using the headset almost entirely for gaming (some movies) hence the surround sound. I already have some in-ear headphones (Klipsch S4s) for music that I am content with.

The reason I mention the M11x is I was thinking a USB headset would be the smartest purchase considering my mini gaming rig. I'm assuming the soundcard isn't bangin'. I have heard great things about Sennheiser's plus a seperate mic... but with my M11x I was thinking they would be the wrong road to go down.

Now... this leads me to the headsets I have been considering (in no particular order).... Razer Megalodon ... Logitech G35 ... Steelseries Siberia V2 USB ... and the headset I've been leaning toward most recently but have found less information on due to newness... the Steelseries 7H USB

I should note that what I have watched/read/translated on the Steelseries 7H USB has been very promising. Especially this Youtube video ... but I can't find much on the USB sound card produced 7.1 surround sound which I've heard so many mixed reviews on with other headsets (e.g. The Megalodons).

Also, I have heard some gripes that the "artificial" 7.1 sound is a gimmick altogether ... and was checking out the "true" surround headsets with multiple speakers (Turtle Beach, Trittons)... but there I seem to run into my USB issue. With that said I'm open to other headset suggestions.

As I'm sure you've realized this purchase is important to me and I've already put a lot of time and thought into it. I hope your replies reflect that... and thanks ahead of time for any USEFUL info provided.

 

I was in a similar situation to you last month. The only difference is I have a M17x. I bought and tried the following headsets:

Logitech G35
Astro A40 w/mixamp
Turtle beach X41
Sennheiser PC350
Tritton Ax Pro
Psyko Audio 5.1 headset
Turtle beach HPA2
Astro A30

Each headset has it's flaws so I guess it boils down to what you want the most. The Logitechs are good at blocking outside noise and they feature Dolby headphone. Dolby headphone basically distorts the sound somewhat so it sounds like things are actually behind you. The G35s had good bass but I wasn't too pleased with the surround effect and they cannot be used with the PS3 or Xbox.

The second set I tested was the Astros. The A40s are nothing to write home about but the mixamp is a winner. The A40s are very comfortable though. They were pretty light on the bass but IMO, that's good because if you are into competitive gaming, you should need less bass to focus on the other directional sounds. The problem with this setup is that you will need a sound card that outputs Dolby digital live in order to get the full potential from the mixamp. The only USB sound cards that I have found that output Dolby digital live is the Xonar U1 and the Sondigo Callisto. I ordered the Callisto and found that it doesn't work with Windows 7 so I decided not to keep this setup.

The Turtle beach X41 is great in my opinion even though they are wireless. I decided to keep these even though I am not using them for my alienware. I use these in the bedroom when I am playing at night while laying down. I didn't want a long cord going across the room that my wife or son could trip over. They feature Dolby headphone too and they work really well for me. They were also very comfortable too but lacking in the bass department.

The Tritton Ax pro and the turtle beach HPA2 are the ones that have 4 speakers in each ear cup. The Hpa2s have very great sound quality and really great bass. The Trittons were average to me. The problem with these headsets are that the speakers are so close to your ear, that it's hard to tell where things are coming from. Think about being in a real theater...When a sound is played from the left speaker, you hear the sound from both ears even though the sound arrives at your left hear sooner since it is closer. With these headphones, you are not getting the same effect since the speaker is so close to the ear. Also, the turtle beaches very very tight on my head. So much that I tried to stretch them out overnight. I also didn't like how my ears touched the speakers either. Bother of these should be able to hook to the 5.1 card of the M11x.

I really wanted to keep the Psykos but in the end I returned them. The directionality were spot on and you can easily tell where things were coming from. They were also comfortable too. I won't go off into the tech with this so I advise you look at their website to see how they work. There are a few problems with these though. First, the speakers are not of the best quality so they don't sound as good as the other headsets. Secondly, the drivers are in the headband so you will need to turn them up pretty loud to get a good effect. Because of this, these things are freaking loud to anyone in the same room with you! I remember there was one night that I was gaming across the hall and my son and wife both woke up because the sound was so loud. I am not exaggerating either. You could literally sit these things on the table and use them as a small speaker. That's them main reason I returned them since I cannot use them without disturbing others. Another problem with these is that you will not be immersed when playing single player games. These worked good for multiplayer games but when I tried games like Metro 2033 and crysis, I just felt disconnected from the whole experience. It's kind of hard to explain but if you ever use them, you will see what I mean. You can tell anyway by the way they are advertised. These are for competitve FPS games only IMO.

The Astro A30 imo is very sexy lol. They are comfortable, not too big, and work for anything. When you get them, they come with cables to use for the astro mixamp, pc, and even you cell phone. These are cool because you can game on these and then walk outside with them on without looking like a tool. These fit on the ear instead of over the ear like the A40s. The bass on these are better than the A40s and IMO, the A30s are much better for music and movies. I decided to keep these since they are so multi purpose. Astrogaming has them on sale right now for $99 so I advise you to pick up some if you can.

The Sennheiser PC350s IMO are the best of the bunch for PC gaming, they are comfortable as hell too. They do a good job of isolating outside noise and you really feel immersed in the game. From the moment I heard these, I knew I was returning the Psykos. These can also be used with the astro mixamp so it is a win win there too! There is a mod online that you can do to increase the bass on these but I don't have the balls to do it yet! There are supposedly some other good Sennheisers out there like the HD 595 but I never got a chance to try them out.

So what's the point of this whole wall of text? It's because there are so many headsets out there and you have to find what works for you. Also, I bought an external sound card so I can take advantage of CMSS-3d which is Creative's version of Dolby Headphone. This combined with the PC350 gives a very good surround sound experience. Most people will tell you that a good set of stereo cans will out do a pair of 5.1 cans anyday. I was pretty close to picking up the Steelseries 5HV2 but never got a chance to. The new ones you posted look interesting and I will try to get my hands on those to test them out. I don't see anything that says that the steelseries use dolby headphone so they must use some kind of technolgy created by steelseries.

 

Thanks very much for the informative reply thetruth1983... I'll take that all into consideration. Did you get a chance to check out the YouTube video I linked? The guy seems like a true audiophile and he specifically says he likes the 7H's more than the PC350s. But he doesn't discuss the surround sound much. I'm still quite torn and will update when I make a decision.

 

The 7hs seem like they may be good but I would not buy them based on one review. I found a review here at SteelSeries 7H USB : 5 Gaming Headsets Reviewed that said that they were uncomfortable and the mic quality sucked when using the USB dongle. I also wonder what kind of algorithm they are using for the 7.1 surround sound since they don't mention Dolby headphone anywhere. You could always try the steelseries 5hV2 since those have gotten good reviews. Also you mentioned that price is not too much of an issue. If that is the case, you can grab the Sennheiser PC360s that are pretty new although they are kind of expensive.

 

Which sound card are you using?

 

Whatever comes onboard the M11x...It was actually one of the things i didn't check prior to ordering it. Once again thetruth1983 thanks for the info. I must admit i'm disappointed because i'm even more torn now haha but I trust that site. They did seem to like it without the USB but eh...

 

Have the PC350, G35, MMX300. Prefer the G35 / MMX300 for gaming over PC350. I dunno whether thetruth tried those in a bunch of relied on memory, but as a simultaneous owner of both, my experience between the PC350 and the G35 is kind of different. The Logis have more impact, and let's face it - stereo isn't exactly completely accurate as a means of position fixing. The Dolby adds an element of space and depth for gaming which I like, and the Senns can't offer. The Senn is comfortable though, that's for sure - but it's hardly immersive in terms of its isolation (and that's why it's comfortable, cuz it doesn't clamp as much as the Logi or Beyer).

 

PC Perspective - Psyko 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones Review

 

I have heard good things about the psykos but idk if they're really worth the price. I'm now wondering about possibly the non USB 7Hs... How good is the onboard sound of the M11x? I've always kept the G35s in the back of my mind as well. Still undecided...

 

The Razer Megalodon..... Basically with the M11x's sound card.... (I can't imagine its the best) your gonna want to boost your bass output for a much fuller sound.

Razer Megalodon - Put Sound In Its Place | Razer | For Gamers. By Gamers.™ |

 

Today, I will be ordering the Logitech G35s and the Steelseries 7Hs for direct comparison. Whichever I like the most I'll be keeping. With my poor decision making abilities I figured this would be the best decision to make. I appreciate all of your input and will let you know how my purchases go and which headset I think is the best.

 

Looking forward to hear about it

 

how about writing a review in the 7hs even if you dont pick em...theres not alot of reviews out there for them...or maybe a comparison review bewttween the 2?

 

My M11x should be in by the 12th at the latest...and I would be more than happy to do a head to head / dual review of both the Logitech G35 and the Steelseries 7H. I'm mega-pumped so wish me luck.

 

Where are you getting your 7Hs from and how much are you paying? If you ever consider the Psykos, you can get them from compsource for 239 with free shipping and no tax. Only downside is that they charge a 15% restocking fee if you return them.

 

The 7Hs are coming from Buy.com for about $140...you can get them for about $30 cheaper elsewhere but the sites were sketchy and a lot of them had 1 left in stock and things like that that just made me uneasy. Yeah if for some reason I didn't like either of these headsets (which would suck) the psykos would seemingly be the only other way to go. I'm wondering if Psyko will ever release a 7.1...

 

Actually the MixAmp works as a USB Sound card. Just plug it in and it supports surround sound similar to Creatives's CMSS-3D.

In terms of portability the mix amp isn't a good combo with the little M11x though.

 

I'm aware that it can be used as a USB sound card but the problem is that it will only send a 2.0 signal over USB when connected to a PC. In order to get the best sound from the mixamp, you would need to send Dolby 5.1 over optical or over coaxial to the mixamp. AFAIK, the only way to do this on a laptop is to get a sound card that supports dolby digital live. This should only apply to gaming because movies should pass through 5.1 over optical just fine without DDL.

 

Look at the New (as in released today) Logitech G930. Basically wireless G35. But awesome.

 

Have you checked out the Roccat Kaves. They look freaking silick!!

 

Other than being wireless... I don't see any significant differences between the G35s and the G930s. The mic in the G930 goes up to 75khz instead of just 10khz (frequency response). That and the drivers are supposedly "laser-tuned".

 

I understand wireless headphones for console gaming but I don't see the point of wireless pc headphones because I think my gamers are within arms reach of their pc when gaming. Maybe this is for the people who hook their laptop up to their tv and play from across the room. I would be interested in seeing how these sound versus the wired version though.

 

Well I personally prefer wireless at my desktop, because my chassis is under my desktop and sometimes the wire goes and stucks under my chair during high tense gaming. And again i never play intense games with my laptop's keyboard.

 

They work great. And its not so much the no cord while sitting at the desk but the ability to get up and wander to say, the kitchen while using them. Or laying in bed and watching a movie.

 

75khz?

Sure it's not 7.5khz?

Anyone see the new Senns by the way? Built-in Dolby just like the G35, and priced to compete, apparently. I'm liking that this market is hotting up a bit at the >$100 and decent sounding end.

 

Considering a healthy human being can only hear up to around 20KHz, I'm betting they meant 7.5...75 would be pretty much useless if you're not trying to broadcast voice communications to bats.

 

Yeah it seemed like one of those pointless inflated stats that really makes no difference. I'll find where I found it real quick...

Logitech G35

Logitech G930

If you examine the Specifications page it does say 75Khz which is probably a typo.

 

Those senns look slick but they are priced at 280 for the open back ones and 320 for the closed back. Maybe amazon will sell them cheaper when they get them. From my experience with the pc350, I'm sure these new ones should be all that and a bag of chips lol.

 

I very much doubt it. This is how much it's selling for in the UK for example.

Sennheiser 333D 3D gaming headset [PC 333 D] Headsets 7.1 Gaming Headsets

I'm pretty happy with what I have so I don't plan to buy any new sets, but it seems like it's worth comparing between the G35 and these - as they offer basically the same things.

 

Yeah I found them... the Sennheiser PC 333Ds. They do look amazing although I think Sennheiser's sh*t is ALWAYS overpriced. Theyre not available in the US but I'll keep my eyes peeled

 

I got the Astro A40. It'll be arriving at my doorstep tomorrow afternoon. I'll test it with some games on my laptop, PS3 and 360.

 

Okay, I just felt I needed to fix this statement. The Razer Megalodons are a USB headset, and as such they do NOT use your computer's soundcard. Instead they use a sound card which is integrated into the wire, inside the box where you can also adjust the levels.

Having owned this set for about a month, I'll give
my thoughts on them. First, they have no problems bass-wise, the bass isn't overwhelming, but it's present. They are some very nice cans both in terms of sound quality and the 7.1 virtual surround sound effect. There's 2 main modes, one for stereo listening and one for 7.1. Stereo output doesn't sound quite right coming from the 7.1 mode, but it's a quick press of a button to switch to stereo. The stereo mode's sound quality is superb for a gaming headset, comparable (though maybe a bit inferior) to my Grado SR-80s, and Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. In 7.1 mode, having played a lot of TF2 recently, I can tell you, it's very easy to hear what direction that soldier fired his crocket from, or where that spy is uncloaking. The mic also works really well, producing a nice clear sound provided you have the mic volume set to an appropriate level (I initially had mine set far too high).

The only downside I'd have to say was the driver update process. There's an annoying process you have to gothrough to update the drivers 'inside' the sound card. There is also some sort of glitch I had on my version of Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit), which resulted in me having to update the drivers using an old Windows 98 computer I had lying around.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the Razer Megalodons, although I sadly cannot compare to any other 'virtual' surround sound headsets (I have used the Medusa (True) 5.1 Surround Sound Headset, and the Megalodons are much better for sound quality, with the same surround sound effect).

 

I have some turtle beach hpa2's showing up at my door on the 19th. I'll try to remember to put my 2 cents on them into this thread