Need a Budget Gaming Circumaural Headset

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 08-20-2012 at 07:23.*

Hey guys,

So basically I narrowed down my choices to the Plantronics GameCom 367, SteelSeries 4H headset and the Turtle Beach Ear Force X11 after speaking with FULMTL about my headset choices.

I'm having a hard time deciding between the two as both have favourable reviews, however, they cost about the same here in Canada:

Plantronics GameCom 367: $29.99 + 13% HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) = $33.89
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=57792&promoid=1043
SteelSeries 4H: C$39.95 + 13% HST = $45.14
http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=025487
Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11: C$33.99 + $10.74 shipping + 13% HST = $50.55
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16826502024
Sennheiser HD 201:
C$26.99 + $7.88 + 13% HST = $39.40 (Expansys)
C$44.99 + 13% HST = C$50.84 (Canada Computers)
http://www.expansys.ca/sennheiser-hd...phones-156103/
http://www.canadacomputers.com/produ...item_id=039558

My absolute budget is $50 after tax and shipping. My question is: is the $5 price difference between the SteelSeries 4H and the Turtle Beach Z11 justifiable? Unfortunately, the Turtle Beach is only sold in Canada by NewEgg.ca and their Canadian counterpart has ridiculous shipping rates, I normally never buy from NewEgg unless either no one else has it or it's free shipping.

Also, I don't really need a microphone either, I usually just use my webcam as my microphone. It has work very well and never once had an issue with it, so I really only need the cans.

Thoughts?

----

Original post:

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltatux

I saw that NCIX has the Plantronics Gamecom 367 on sale for $30. I was wondering if they were any good. If they are then I'm thinking of getting one, if they're not, then I'll just keep my current Philips SHP-2500 headset instead.

I was thinking if I get this Gamecom headset then I can plug the Philips one to my media centre as my family keeps complaining about the volume of my movie watching at night. Since the Philips SHP-2500 has like a 30-feet cable, I was going to use this on my media centre (plus the volume rocker causes the sound to go mono sometimes which is very inconvenient when gaming as I shouldn't be fidgeting on the volume scroller to fix it).

I saw that the Gamecom 367 is very comfy (with the giant padding) and the price is very good, just wondering how it performs. Also, does anyone know if it uses a Neodymium driver or no?

The NCIX page on the Gamecom: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=57...S&promoid=1043

The current Philips SHP-2500 that I have: http://s3.acme.eu/products/010847/documents/1.pdf

deltatux

FULMTL · 08-19-2012, 05:04 | posts: 6,143 | Location: Portland, Oregon

I had the Gamecom 777 with an open ear design, but I assume they are pretty similar. I thought they sounded great for the price, but they will break. Everyone breaks them eventually. The headband broke twice and I glued it back together. Then an earpiece broke, and I just threw it away.
Yes they were really comfortable, and since they were light, I had them on all the time.
I think it lasts long enough to justify the price. I often see them for sale around $26 though.

deltatux · 08-19-2012, 07:36 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by FULMTL

I had the Gamecom 777 with an open ear design, but I assume they are pretty similar. I thought they sounded great for the price, but they will break. Everyone breaks them eventually. The headband broke twice and I glued it back together. Then an earpiece broke, and I just threw it away.
Yes they were really comfortable, and since they were light, I had them on all the time.
I think it lasts long enough to justify the price. I often see them for sale around $26 though.

How long did you have them for? I just want them to last at least like 3 years. I mainly use my speakers but I use my headset for calls and gaming.

deltatux

FULMTL · *Last edited by FULMTL; 08-19-2012 at 08:46.*

No, they won't last three years. I had bought two of them years ago and they lasted about a year each. They are entirely made of plastic, from the head band, to the adjustment part, to the earcups. Everyone breaks them at the adjustment part.

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 08-19-2012 at 16:03.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by FULMTL

No, they won't last three years. I had bought two of them years ago and they lasted about a year each. They are entirely made of plastic, from the head band, to the adjustment part, to the earcups. Everyone breaks them at the adjustment part.

Really? The plastics are that weak? I've had my Philips one for 4 years and it's completely plastic as well, the only thing that seems to be failing is the volume rocker.

How about the SteelSeries 4H Gaming Headset? Any good?

deltatux

FULMTL · *Last edited by FULMTL; 08-19-2012 at 17:25.*

Not familiar with the SteelSeries 4h, but check out the Turtle Beach Ear Force Z1. It is in your price range ($30ish). The reviews are are mostly positive. I might actually pick this up myself too.
http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Beach-F...d_sim_sbs_e_10

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 08-20-2012 at 07:11.*

So I guess I boiled down my choices to the Plantronics GameCom 367, SteelSeries 4H and the Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11. Unfortunately, with shipping, the Ear Force is more expensive as I showed in my original post of this thread.

EDIT: I just saw the Sennheiser HD 201 for C$26.99 at Expansys or $44.95 at Canada Computers, not sure if it's any good. Thoughts?

deltatux

FULMTL · *Last edited by FULMTL; 08-20-2012 at 08:23.*

I have those Senn 201's haha. You made me whip them out to do a direct comparison to my newer stuff.

They are actually highly praised for what they cost. They are really good for rock/metal/orchestra, but not great for electronic/rap music. I'm listening to this right now, it sounds friggin great! The piano to the vocals, are really clear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbbFF2iegi0

The main problem is they do not isolate very well and they leak sound really bad if you listen at high volume. Do not use this at 100% as it has peircing highs. I use them at most at 90% at work. The reasons are the material the earpads are made out of (foam?) and the plastic is really thin. The earpads are also very thin and if you put your hand behind your ear, you can feel a large gap.
I did improve upon the isolation a bit by stuffing the inside of the cups with some tissue. I was debating on filling it in with Elmers glue, since if it doens't do anything, I can just peel it off.
Also I have modified the soundstage even further by making holes in parts of the casing inside. It pretty much sounds like an open design headphone now haha.

Also, the cord is super long and I have yet to break them. I can say for sure they sound better than the crappy Corsair headset I have.

From your list, I would try out the SteelSeries 4H.

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 08-20-2012 at 08:43.*

So you recommend the SteelSeries 4H the most? I don't listen to anything at 100% I'm about 50% most of the time.

EDIT: I'm also looking for good bass too, doesn't have to be amazing, but good enough so that it doesn't sound shallow or flat.

deltatux

Erqury · **Memory**: 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24

Do you care if sound leaks?

deltatux · 08-20-2012, 17:17 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erqury

Do you care if sound leaks?

If a bit of sound leaks it's fine, it's usually only me in my room. I rarely crank up my volume, so I don't think sound leakage is a big deal for these pair because it's mainly going to be in my room, I doubt I'll travel with them.

deltatux

deltatux · 08-21-2012, 00:04 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

I'm still trying to figure out which headset to get, it's driving me nuts here, the Sennheiser, SteelSeries and Turtle Beach all look great ... ugggh lol.

Though, I'm a bit more torn between the SteelSeries and the Turtle Beach a bit more than the Sennheiser as I've read the Sennheiser's cord can break easily and its bass is quite weak, not sure if that's actually true as I'm reading contradictory things based on user reviews.

deltatux

sykozis · *Last edited by sykozis; 08-21-2012 at 01:49.*

I like my AC P301's. I was actually the second person to post a newegg review of them...lol

They sound great and they're cheap as can be. (only 24.99 on Newegg.ca....and obviously requires an unreasonable shipping charge...)

Worth at least taking a look at.

eclap · 08-21-2012, 02:06 | posts: 18,320 | Location: Hampshire UK

why not these? http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-hd668b/

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 08-21-2012 at 04:06.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by sykozis

I like my AC P301's. I was actually the second person to post a newegg review of them...lol

They sound great and they're cheap as can be. (only 24.99 on Newegg.ca....and obviously requires an unreasonable shipping charge...)

Worth at least taking a look at.

I'm a little apprehensive on taking on Arctic Cooling, like their own name suggests, they're more of a cooling component company no? lol. How good are they? I haven't really seen any reviews of this headset. Mind giving me a short of why it's good?

EDIT: Does this headset have Neodymium drivers and is it durable?

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclap

why not these? http://www.headfonia.com/superlux-hd668b/

Doesn't seem to be stocked by any retailers in Canada...

deltatux

GenClaymore · 08-21-2012, 07:17 | posts: 5,077 | Location: Michigan,usa

You have to get them off ebay.ca or amazon.ca

Erqury · **Memory**: 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz 9-9-9-24

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltatux

If a bit of sound leaks it's fine, it's usually only me in my room. I rarely crank up my volume, so I don't think sound leakage is a big deal for these pair because it's mainly going to be in my room, I doubt I'll travel with them.

deltatux

Well if you are using a webcam mic the headphones could leak enough sound for them to make it back into the mic.

eclap · 08-21-2012, 12:38 | posts: 18,320 | Location: Hampshire UK

not really, i can't see any headphones leak enough. I'm using the superlux hd668b, they do leak, but even at max volume they don't leak enough to interfere with my webcam I use for my mic.

GenClaymore · 08-21-2012, 13:16 | posts: 5,077 | Location: Michigan,usa

Superlux HD660 is another good choice, I suggested it to a friend of mine and he enjoying it alot. Tho this was his first non gaming marketed headphones. He couldnt belive what he was hearing.

Samson SR850 suppose to be silmar to the superlux HD668B.

Lycronis · 08-21-2012, 18:15 | posts: 1,037 | Location: South China, Maine USA

I have the Samson SR850's and I love them. They work great with CMSS3D for gaming (good sound stage, with or without CMSS3D) and are fantastic for music and movies as well. I'm not an audiophile by any means and have never owned any headphones costing more than $125 but I'd say the SR850's are the best cans I've owned, especially for the price. And if you need a mic, just pair it up with a Zalman Zm-Mic1 clip-on mic and you are good to go. About $50 for the SR850 and $8 for the mic on Amazon (US).

deltatux · 08-22-2012, 04:58 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erqury

Well if you are using a webcam mic the headphones could leak enough sound for them to make it back into the mic.

Umm, my webcam is too far for my headset to leak so much that it'll be picked up. Plus, I don't crank my headset, I'm not those types of people who do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenClaymore

Superlux HD660 is another good choice, I suggested it to a friend of mine and he enjoying it alot. Tho this was his first non gaming marketed headphones. He couldnt belive what he was hearing.

Samson SR850 suppose to be silmar to the superlux HD668B.

HD660 is not available in Canada even via Amazon. HD 668B is way out of my price range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lycronis

I have the Samson SR850's and I love them. They work great with CMSS3D for gaming (good sound stage, with or without CMSS3D) and are fantastic for music and movies as well. I'm not an audiophile by any means and have never owned any headphones costing more than $125 but I'd say the SR850's are the best cans I've owned, especially for the price. And if you need a mic, just pair it up with a Zalman Zm-Mic1 clip-on mic and you are good to go. About $50 for the SR850 and $8 for the mic on Amazon (US).

The SR850 is about $70 in Canada, that's above my price range.

I've found these and was wondering if they are any good:

Sony MDR-XB300 ($33.10 + 13% tax = C$37.40)
http://www.amazon.ca/Sony-MDR-XB300-...dp/B001RB24R8/

Sennheiser HD 203 ($49.95 + $4.50 shipping, tax incl. = $54.45):
http://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD20...dp/B003LRN53I/

The Sennheiser HD 203 is a bit higher than my initial price range, but not by too much. The question is if the HD 203 is worth the price difference in terms of durability and sound quality. Another down side is that I'm resorted to buying from a third-party seller on Amazon.

The Sony headset looks really interesting but the major downside to it is that it doesn't seem to have any padding on the handle bar/head rest. Plus, it only has 30 mm drivers compared to the others who have 40 mm drivers.

Thoughts?

deltatux

Postalisback · *Last edited by Postalisback; 08-22-2012 at 05:11.*

The HD 203 is a refresh of the 212 Pro, fwir the build quality isn't great (especially for the price) and they can be very uncomfortable for the ears... if that concerns you then go for the Sony XB-300, if I had to choose between those two I would choose the XB-300 in a heartbeat... sound quality is most likely pretty similar as well.

deltatux · 08-22-2012, 05:25 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Postalisback

The HD 203 is a refresh of the 212 Pro, fwir the build quality isn't great (especially for the price) and they can be very uncomfortable for the ears... if that concerns you then go for the Sony XB-300, if I had to choose between those two I would choose the XB-300 in a heartbeat... sound quality is most likely pretty similar as well.

Ok, so out of these which one would you pick:
SteelSeries 4H
Sennheiser HD 201
Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11
Sony XB-300

deltatux

Postalisback · 08-22-2012, 05:33 | posts: 3,569 | Location: pualuiɟ

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltatux

Ok, so out of these which one would you pick:
SteelSeries 4H
Sennheiser HD 201
Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11
Sony XB-300

deltatux

Sony XB-300, personally I think the build quality is above all of the other headphones listed, probably the most comfortable as well.

deltatux · 08-22-2012, 06:03 | posts: 18,761 | Location: Toronto, Canada

Quote:

Originally Posted by Postalisback

Sony XB-300, personally I think the build quality is above all of the other headphones listed, probably the most comfortable as well.

Even without the headband foam? It's the only one listed there without one. I know my current Philips SHP-2500 which doesn't have it will cause me headaches because the headband slowly digs into my skull.

deltatux