Sindorius

Sounds like I had good information then, thanks guys! Plus I hear Dolby technologies and equivalent Creative Technologies really make true 5.1 or 7.1 headphones unnecessary on top of all the downfalls of the 5.1/7.1 headsets you mentioned above. After looking at what I can afford (I suppose my budget at this point is like $400 --- much greater than I originally planned! All in the name of sound!) I think I'm going to actually go with the Sennheiser HD 558's and the ZALMAN attachable microphone, since I can get much better quality per dollar out of headphones than any headset and the ZALMAN microphone would do just fine for my purposes. I think I'll still stick to the Asus Xonar Essence ST card because I would really be using my headphones most of the time and my speakers are independent of my sound card (HDMI to the video card. Speakers aren't too important to me). I just felt like getting the PC 350 for $140 or the PC350 for like $220 would be a waste compared to what I would get out of something like the HD558's which run like $180.

The Asus Xonar Xense set does look amazing but its unavailability will probably be what ultimately keeps me from getting it. Shame. But I think I might just grab the equivalent sound card (actually the Asus Xonar Essence ST) and headset for about $70 more like you said Fogel. And thanks for the great bit of info! Like I said, I listen to most music but mainly focusing on most varieties of rock, classical, electronica/techno, and soundtrack music (which I suppose would be mostly like classical). The reasons I'm staying away from differentiating gaming and music headphones is simple because it would be a lot more expensive and it's more inconvenient than one pair that can handle both well enough. Another issue I wanted to bring up if anyone had any general knowledge concerning it. I originally wanted to get a Razer Tiamat but after researching I found a lot of people tend to scorn 5.1/7.1 headphones since it's trying to stuff 360 degree audio into speakers that only go around your ear, and they tend to be lower-powered drivers since there are so many in each ear. It seemed that most said virtual positioning audio was good enough now that buying a great pair of 2/2.1 speaker headphones would do more good and provide better overall quality if someone wanted to use the headset for more than just gaming (aka music). Do you agree with that? And if not, why? Would the Razer Tiamat perchance be worth it if I was running it through a strong sound card and amp, or would it still be better to just get a high-quality 2-speaker headphones (running through the same sound card and amp)?

Are you talking about this? Asus Xonar Xense Premium Gaming Audio Set It looks like an amazing set that gives you a wonderful set of headphones and a sound card that are built for each other and knocking off about $100 of what you'd pay to buy the similar versions separately. The only problem is that I'd probably only trust newegg.com and amazon.com to buy such a set and with them being out of stock I don't see them restocking the item anytime soon, if at all. Oh well.

Wow sounds like I'll definitely want to get an amp then! So if that's the case, I wonder if it would be worth it to invest in something like the Asus Xonar Essence sound card that comes with a built-in amp? Hear they're amazing cards. And yeah the PC350 seemed great because it's much cheaper now that the PC360 is out and I really would prefer the closed acoustics just because my environment can tend to get a little loud. But yeah I had the wireless version of the G35 and I liked the audio but they were a bit heavy and I've had 3 break on me from faulty wiring or parts which really turned me off from them, as well as the fact I wanted to get into higher-quality sound. When it comes to music I really do listen to most anything besides rap and screamo-type music. But mostly I listen to Classic and Alternative Rock, Classical, and Electronica/Techno. So I would like decent bass but I wouldn't need anything extraordinary. I wonder how the PC350 is with bass? Again confirms that the PC350s are probably what I'm looking for then with a nice sound card and amp. I feel like I might be having to spend more than I planned for but I think it'd be worth it, right?

Hello everyone. I currently am looking for help in choosing what would be the best headphones/headset for my specific needs. I haven't dabbled in anything beyond $100 or so gaming headsets but want to purchase a set of headphones (and will get a sound card as I hear it's a must) that can deliver great gaming audio as well as music listening for all genres. Really looking for something that's the best bang for my buck. I would LIKE a headset (Sennheiser PC350/360?) but I keep hearing you'll get better headphones for cheaper and can just buy a cheap microphone so I figured I'd do that. Looking for in headphones/headset: Price Range: Under $200 Non-USB Great for gaming audio as well as all genres of music listening Would prefer headset but to get most bang for my buck I'll probably want headphones? Comfortable for a larger head Over the ear Can deliver great audio without the need of amp? (Good idea or no? High impedance headphones a LOT better or would someone like me even notice it?) I've been looking at headphones like the Sennheiser HD558/555/518 and headsets such as the Razer Carcharias at the low end and Sennheiser PC350/360 at the higher end. Looking at other brands like Denon and Audio-Technica I feel like I don't like the looks and design of them quite as much as the Sennheisers, but if you have one that you highly suggested I'd love to look at it. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thank you.