Surround Sound Headset

[robodude666]

Hey guys,

I now have a little bit more money and I am thinking of getting a nice surround sound headset. I was thinking of originally getting speakers, but I will be using a headset while in games so speakers would be pointless then. So I thought it would be good then to have a nice surround sound headset. Any suggestions?

I saw the Razer Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headset at a garage sale for about $80 (NEW) and they seem really nice. What do you guys say?

Cheers,
-robodude666

[Dr. V]

i love that Razer headset, thats my input. theyre plain amazing. sound feedback and quality are awesome, and theyre tanks theyll last really well if you treat them right.

also a great price.

[Capper]

I'll always recommend Sennheiser headsets....I've used the P155 and P160 headsets. I don't see the P160 on the Egg, but the PC155s are pretty reasonable

SENNHEISER PC 155 3.5mm/ USB Connector Circumaural USB PC Headset

[robodude666]

Originally Posted by ST!X

i love that Razer headset, thats my input. theyre plain amazing. sound feedback and quality are awesome, and theyre tanks theyll last really well if you treat them right.

also a great price.

You own the razer headset? How long you had it? Ever used it in VoIP programs? Is your mic clear and noise free? I read in a lot of reviews that the mic isn't very good and that the left speakers die after a few days/weeks. Had any problems with them?

Originally Posted by Capper

I'll always recommend Sennheiser headsets....I've used the P155 and P160 headsets. I don't see the P160 on the Egg, but the PC155s are pretty reasonable

SENNHEISER PC 155 3.5mm/ USB Connector Circumaural USB PC Headset

Those seem nice but aren't surround sound I think.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by robodude666

I saw the Razer Barracuda HP-1 Gaming Headset at a garage sale for about $80 (NEW) and they seem really nice. What do you guys say?

Cheers,
-robodude666

I reviewed the Razer headset for HardwareLogic (LINK) and have been using them ever since, but they're not something I'd recommend. There's a serious lack of bass response, unless you set your sound properties to 'headphones.' But by doing so, you lose the 5.1 surround that are the Barracuda's main selling point.

As for the left speaker(s), it's true that they blow very easily. During the review, that's exactly what happened, so I had them replaced. Now on my second pair, I've been extremely careful to keep the volume at a modest level, but the left speaker has again blown.

Another gripe is that the volume controls on the wire sit at an awkward place. You can clip it to your shirt, but you'll have to do it up high at your collar. Otherwise, it dangles and has enough weight that it pulls the headphones on the left side. I've adapted to resting it on my lap, readjusting after sudden movements, and feeling unnecessarily tethered.

On the positive side, the overall sound isn't terrible, the surround works decent, they're comfortable on the head (minus the above issue), and they look nifty. The microphone also works well, maybe even too well - during our CSS/Skype sessions, others have said I'm coming through clear, and they always seem to be able and hear the ambient background noises.

The bottom line is, for $80, you can certainly do better.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Capper

I'll always recommend Sennheiser headsets....I've used the P155 and P160 headsets. I don't see the P160 on the Egg, but the PC155s are pretty reasonable

SENNHEISER PC 155 3.5mm/ USB Connector Circumaural USB PC Headset

Yup, Sens do rock. The cans that Capper linked are solid performers. I've used the HD555's before, and while not used for gaming per se, these things are just about the sweetest headsets you can buy for listening to music with.

[robodude666]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

I reviewed the Razer headset for HardwareLogic (LINK) and have been using them ever since, but they're not something I'd recommend. There's a serious lack of bass response, unless you set your sound properties to 'headphones.' But by doing so, you lose the 5.1 surround that are the Barracuda's main selling point.

As for the left speaker(s), it's true that they blow very easily. During the review, that's exactly what happened, so I had them replaced. Now on my second pair, I've been extremely careful to keep the volume at a modest level, but the left speaker has again blown.

Another gripe is that the volume controls on the wire sit at an awkward place. You can clip it to your shirt, but you'll have to do it up high at your collar. Otherwise, it dangles and has enough weight that it pulls the headphones on the left side. I've adapted to resting it on my lap, readjusting after sudden movements, and feeling unnecessarily tethered.

On the positive side, the overall sound isn't terrible, the surround works decent, they're comfortable on the head (minus the above issue), and they look nifty. The microphone also works well, maybe even too well - during our CSS/Skype sessions, others have said I'm coming through clear, and they always seem to be able and hear the ambient background noises.

The bottom line is, for $80, you can certainly do better.

Thanks for the help :) I thought they were a good headset because it seemed razer made very nice products but guess they need to work on their audio department a bit.

What are some other (good/great) headsets with surround sound for that price? It seems like I may have enough money for a liquid cooling system soon so I may get a new power supply (using stock raidmax 500w) instead of headset but still want to have a nice set on my tobuy list.

Thanks for your help guys :),
-robodude666