Gaming headsets under $100?

[Techy]

I was never interested in headsets but recently I used a gaming-oriented one at a store demo and I heard sounds I never heard with my speakers (yes, those sounds were sounds I heard on my speakers before), and were much crisper without bothering anyone around me. I do not remember what brand it was but whichever it was, it got me tempted in buying one now. The ones in question however cost twice of my proposed budget. I figured that there should be a couple of headsets that were under $100. So does anyone recommend anything?

 

[dice1998]

How about these?

 

[LeMansAid]

Do you have any decent headphones already?

An Astro mixamp will cost you around $100, and give you high quality surround decoding that will work with any headphones or headset, and also separate microphones. The beauty is that you might be able to use what you have available now, and upgrade your headphones (with or without mic) or headset later.

The ones that dice1998 linked to also look like an effective and convenient type of option though.

 

[Techy]

Do you have any decent headphones already?

An Astro mixamp will cost you around $100, and give you high quality surround decoding that will work with any headphones or headset, and also separate microphones. The beauty is that you might be able to use what you have available now, and upgrade your headphones (with or without mic) or headset later.

The ones that dice1998 linked to also look like an effective and convenient type of option though.

Nope. I'm using a $10 dollar one right now lol. I don't think I'll need a decoder right now. I just want to hear what the headsets will give me.

How about these?

Those are pretty nice. The cups look pretty big though. Have you ever used them?

Also, I don't have a sound card and I don't have plans on buying one so I'll be using my mobo's audio system.

 

[LeMansAid]

Chances are you will need the decoder to get what you most likely heard in store, and chances are that the linked headset has one worked in. My nephew has a similar type of thing, only a Sony version, and it's pretty decent.

 

[Techy]

I guess I'll consider one then.
By the way, I wear glasses too so I don't want a headset putting too much pressure on my glasses.

 

[Joel]

Steelseries Siberia V2 would be my recommendation. Got mine for $70 at Staples, they're just absurdly comfortable and the mic isn't bad. I've worn them with sunglasses before and they're comfortable but that was only for about a half hour so I'm not sure how it would go for you.

 

[Barra333]

I went through the same decision process not long ago - https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/which-gaming-headset-to-get.288903/

I am happy with the Sony headset - nice and comfortable (don't wear glasses though), sound is good enough for me (better than using the TV speakers).

Just checked and they are $99.99 at best buy, so right on the edge of your budget. I guess over, if you account for the wonky system that adds tax later.

I did find one weird thing though - it has a voice/SFX slider to prioritise one or the other, but when I tipped it past 50:50 towards voice, no one in the GT6 lobby could hear me.

 

[Techy]

Steelseries Siberia V2 would be my recommendation. Got mine for $70 at Staples, they're just absurdly comfortable and the mic isn't bad. I've worn them with sunglasses before and they're comfortable but that was only for about a half hour so I'm not sure how it would go for you.

Those look pretty nice. I actually found these a few days back. I play on-and-off sessions that last a few hours at a time so comfort is a plus here.

I went through the same decision process not long ago - https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/which-gaming-headset-to-get.288903/

I am happy with the Sony headset - nice and comfortable (don't wear glasses though), sound is good enough for me (better than using the TV speakers).

Just checked and they are $99.99 at best buy, so right on the edge of your budget. I guess over, if you account for the wonky system that adds tax later.

I did find one weird thing though - it has a voice/SFX slider to prioritise one or the other, but when I tipped it past 50:50 towards voice, no one in the GT6 lobby could hear me.

Thanks for the thread 👍 The Sony Pulse ones are a bit over in price for me though

 

[Barra333]

Thanks for the thread 👍 The Sony Pulse ones are a bit over in price for me though

The headset I have is not the Pulse one ($149.99), but the cheaper version on this page ($99.99).

 

[Techy]

The headset I have is not the Pulse one ($149.99), but the cheaper version on this page ($99.99).

Oh, thanks for the correction. Those work too, plus they're wireless. The PS branding is a bit weird since I'll be using it on my PC most of the time but that's fine.

 

[Barra333]

Keep an eye on the price too, as the new PS4 headset just got announced so the older versions for the PS3 might drop a little.

 

[Techy]

Steelseries Siberia V2 would be my recommendation. Got mine for $70 at Staples, they're just absurdly comfortable and the mic isn't bad. I've worn them with sunglasses before and they're comfortable but that was only for about a half hour so I'm not sure how it would go for you.

Is it the one with a USB sound card? Does that actually even make a difference? b/c it's 30 dollars more

 

[Joel]

Is it the one with a USB sound card? Does that actually even make a difference? b/c it's 30 dollars more

I don't have the USB sound card, can't imagine it makes a big difference either way.

 

[Techy]

Update: I bought the Siberia headset because of the comfort other people praised it for. Tried it out on games like Witcher and Dirt 3 and it sounds pretty good. I'm gonna try it out for a long timeframe and see how it goes.

 

[Techy]

Sorry for the bump, but I want to plug the headset into my PS3. But I bought the version with 2 3.5 mm jacks. Is there any way to pass audio & mic to my headsets?

 

[LeMansAid]

I don't know if it has on-board processing, or processing via the sound card that it looks like you didn't buy.
Chances are with something like this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-5mm-4-...vision_Accessories&hash=item43bec7b2fd&_uhb=1
..... and:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-5mm-1-...vision_Accessories&hash=item5af1bd9e7e&_uhb=1
..... you will be able to get sound, and hopefully mic through the analogue (red and white) cables for your PS3, but you might not be getting any virtual surround, and certainly not from a surround source. I'm guessing that you probably should have bought the sound card. Remember when I talked about surround decoding?

 

[Techy]

I see. The set I bought was actually pricier than online prices, so I'll be returning those.
As for how it's going with them, I say that it's much better than my old headset. I'm by no-means an audiophile but the Siberia is clearer and reproduces sounds better. The mic's okay. I tried using them for a few hours at one time and it's very comfy, though it takes a bit to "break in" since my old set is on-the-ear type. The headband is pretty new to me too since they gone for a suspended system, but it really contributes to the comfort.
My only problem with it is that a bit of sound escapes the cups. When I crank it high I can hear the sounds a few meters away. That's expected from perforated cups but I prefer little sound to come out of the set. Other than that it's a pretty good headset.

Is the G430 any good? I found it when I was looking for the Siberia and I saw the features to be remarkably similar, but was a bit cheaper.

 

[LeMansAid]

Maybe you could get something like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Turtle-Beac...urround-Sound-Processor-x11-p11-/300884680998

It would give you surround decoding (for a cheap price) via optical cable, and you could choose any headphones or headset to use with it.

I worry about sound via usb because it's much more dependent on support, whereas something that is designed to only output audio will always output audio. ie. The above will presumably work with a PS4 via optical, but usb sound is likely down to a device being supported.

 

[Techy]

I'm not sure about a decoder yet but the link you gave is pretty cheap.