Next-Gen Headset Recommendations

[auntyclimax]

Hi chaps. I'm after something for the ps4 that is similar to the wireless headset for the 360. Any suggestions?

[stefcha]

Hmmm, my amp does something called silent cinema - it reads like a VSS - time to dig out the mosh monster headphones again...

Yeah, that's Yamaha's. Does pretty much what the Astro Mixamp does from what I've read although given you can't switch it off (auto enables when you plug headphones in the main socket - so you might need an adapter) I can't tell what difference it makes really.

[Shimmyhill]

I have found this now http://www.modmic.com

Looking like i will pick up some good headphones and this and see how i get on, can add a mixamp later on...

[F-zero]

It's down to money and what you want from the headphones - i tried my daughters moshi monster branded headphones via my amp and i kid you not the sound they gave was much better than my turtlebeach headset and i would assume the sony set...

But they are not wireless, do not have voice or any virtual surround sound etc. I think i would, if you have the funds, get a decent set of headphones to plug into your amp and either now or later invest in the Astro mixamp to add surround sound if you want it.

From my 10 min test it is pretty clear the drivers in the wireless headsets are pretty crap and very much secondary to the gubbins for wireless/chat/VSS etc

Unsurprisingly i don't have any Moshi monsters headphones to test but i find it hard to believe a £12 set of headphones are better than my Turtle Beach Tangos and my Sony Golds.

Regardless, here's a very nice solution for gamers coming from creative.

http://www.soundblaster.com/x7/

[stefcha]

Unsurprisingly i don't have any Moshi monsters headphones to test but i find it hard to believe a £12 set of headphones are better than my Turtle Beach Tangos and my Sony Golds.

The important bit was "via his amp" so even if they're half reasonable the Silent Cinema processing being done in the Yamaha amp will make quite a difference.

[Shimmyhill]

Unsurprisingly i don't have any Moshi monsters headphones to test but i find it hard to believe a £12 set of headphones are better than my Turtle Beach Tangos and my Sony Golds.

Regardless, here's a very nice solution for gamers coming from creative.

http://www.soundblaster.com/x7/

Interesting, any idea when that is due out and cost - looks quite big and ugly mind!

Regards the sound quality on my TB set - i have the XP400 wireless things, they do a decent job but the quality is pretty poor, as a side note i do not have sound coming from my telly but a high end Yamaha amp and Quad floor standing speakers so naturally the headphones sound vastly worse.

I tired the Moshi monster ones and the sound quality is better, now i didn't know at the time my amp is already doing the VSS and potentially doing it much better than the box my TB uses or an Astro box. By better i am meaning the sound was much clearer, it sounded nearer my amp & speakers than my headset does - it could be my head just heard it was closer and thought it sounded better because of that but on the flip side i am not too surprised a wired set of headphones would sound better regardless of the cost of them - it is clear the drivers in the TB (and i assume Sony) are cheap and suffer from all the loses involved in sending the signal wirelessly.

[F-zero]

Interesting, any idea when that is due out and cost - looks quite big and ugly mind!

Regards the sound quality on my TB set - i have the XP400 wireless things, they do a decent job but the quality is pretty poor, as a side note i do not have sound coming from my telly but a high end Yamaha amp and Quad floor standing speakers so naturally the headphones sound vastly worse.

I tired the Moshi monster ones and the sound quality is better, now i didn't know at the time my amp is already doing the VSS and potentially doing it much better than the box my TB uses or an Astro box. By better i am meaning the sound was much clearer, it sounded nearer my amp & speakers than my headset does - it could be my head just heard it was closer and thought it sounded better because of that but on the flip side i am not too surprised a wired set of headphones would sound better regardless of the cost of them - it is clear the drivers in the TB (and i assume Sony) are cheap and suffer from all the loses involved in sending the signal wirelessly.

Wired headphones do tend to deliver better audio when connected to a decent quality source.

Thats why many people prefer the Astro A40's over the A50's

The only explanation i can think of is that wired deliver full quality while wireless probably compress the stream for bandwidth purposes.

I've also read that the drivers in wireless headphones tend to have very low power requirements (for obvious reasons) and this can lead to white noise. (hiss)

I'm unsure when the new creative is out but it isn't that big and i've seen other pho's that show it with a headphone stand attached which would be a nice addition.

I wonder if your xp400's are single or dual channel wireless, single channel usually leads to quite a lot of interference.

[Shimmyhill]

They are dual channel, i don't get interference as such just not great sound quality - i am comparing it to thousands of pounds of AV tho..

Do you or anyone know if you can just plug a mic into the port on the pad?

I think i am going to get a £100 or so set of wired headphones, this will cover my want for vita and on the mac and i can try them with my amp before i get into ordering a mixamp/tb thing/that creative one but i would still want voice chat some how!

I only went wireless because i thought the cats would eat the cables, they seem to have grown out of this - the recharging and cable into pad are as much of an inconvenience as having to plug the headphones in!!

[Willei]

It's down to money and what you want from the headphones - i tried my daughters moshi monster branded headphones via my amp and i kid you not the sound they gave was much better than my turtlebeach headset and i would assume the sony set...

But they are not wireless, do not have voice or any virtual surround sound etc. I think i would, if you have the funds, get a decent set of headphones to plug into your amp and either now or later invest in the Astro mixamp to add surround sound if you want it.

That sounds about right for Turtle Beach. I had a pair of Ear Force x11s back in 2007 or 2008 that were overpriced, uncomfortable after 15 minutes, had some of the worst sound quality I've experienced from any headphone, and required a spaghetti of cables to hook up. They were such a ripoff of that I swore never to buy another Turtle Beach product, and moreover I'd badmouth them at every opportunity. Like now! Even today seeing things like the review of the Stealth 500p posted earlier in the thread makes my day.

On as related note, I have owned a Yamaha AVR that did Silent Cinema and the Astro A40s. The Yamaha effect was pretty nice and natural sounding but also very suble. The VSS effect on the Astro mixamp is very exaggerated and pretty much is the exact opposite. It has a strong positional effect, but I found the comprimise in sound quality wasn't worth it outside of online shooters. The Mixamp was a great product during the 360 era and I still get use out of it (with VSS turned off), but I wouldn't buy another today if it broke. The actual A40 headset was decent enough but not worth the price tag.

Today I just use a Sennheiser PC360 set with the adapter for the Xbone, plugged into the PS4 pad (I hope one day you can adjust the game and chat volumes separately, but you'll die of old age waiting for Sony to add features), or just directly into the PC. The PC360 itself is great if you can get it around £100 like I did, but not worth the RRP of almost double that. Great customer service from Sennheiser too, they broke once (dead mic) and Sennheiser replaced them free of charge six months after the warranty had expired! If they died at this point I'd probably just get a Modmic and stick it to my great but underappreciated Beyerdynamic DT770s.

[Shimmyhill]

That sounds about right for Turtle Beach. I had a pair of Ear Force x11s back in 2007 or 2008 that were overpriced, uncomfortable after 15 minutes, had some of the worst sound quality I've experienced from any headphone, and required a spaghetti of cables to hook up. They were such a ripoff of that I swore never to buy another Turtle Beach product, and moreover I'd badmouth them at every opportunity. Like now! Even today seeing things like the review of the Stealth 500p posted earlier in the thread makes my day.

On as related note, I have owned a Yamaha AVR that did Silent Cinema and the Astro A40s. The Yamaha effect was pretty nice and natural sounding but also very suble. The VSS effect on the Astro mixamp is very exaggerated and pretty much is the exact opposite. It has a strong positional effect, but I found the comprimise in sound quality wasn't worth it outside of online shooters. The Mixamp was a great product during the 360 era and I still get use out of it (with VSS turned off), but I wouldn't buy another today if it broke. The actual A40 headset was decent enough but not worth the price tag.

Today I just use a Sennheiser PC360 set with the adapter for the Xbone, plugged into the PS4 pad (I hope one day you can adjust the game and chat volumes separately, but you'll die of old age waiting for Sony to add features), or just directly into the PC. The PC360 itself is great if you can get it around £100 like I did, but not worth the RRP of almost double that. Great customer service from Sennheiser too, they broke once (dead mic) and Sennheiser replaced them free of charge six months after the warranty had expired! If they died at this point I'd probably just get a Modmic and stick it to my great but underappreciated Beyerdynamic DT770s.

I am going the route of headphones, i keep looking out for the Sennheiser headsets but there is obv a premium when new as 'gaming' and not many secondhand - do you think a £100 set of headphones would compete with the 350/360 on sound quality?

Good to hear you use them via the pad, i guess you get no surround but the sound and voice works well?? I was looking at that lead as another option - separate headphones and mic into that into the ps4 pad but assumed stereo only?

I have come across Beyerdynamic as a name a few times, i am well out of the loop with headphones - fill me in!!!

[F-zero]

They are dual channel, i don't get interference as such just not great sound quality - i am comparing it to thousands of pounds of AV tho..

Do you or anyone know if you can just plug a mic into the port on the pad?

I think i am going to get a £100 or so set of wired headphones, this will cover my want for vita and on the mac and i can try them with my amp before i get into ordering a mixamp/tb thing/that creative one but i would still want voice chat some how!

I only went wireless because i thought the cats would eat the cables, they seem to have grown out of this - the recharging and cable into pad are as much of an inconvenience as having to plug the headphones in!!

I believe this thread may be of use to you:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/690663/ps4-with-3-5mm-x2-type-headset/345

[Shimmyhill]

I believe this thread may be of use to you:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/690663/ps4-with-3-5mm-x2-type-headset/345

Cheers, having a read now.

[stefcha]

I am going the route of headphones, i keep looking out for the Sennheiser headsets but there is obv a premium when new as 'gaming' and not many secondhand - do you think a £100 set of headphones would compete with the 350/360 on sound quality?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K550-High-Performance-Closed-Back-Headphones-Black/dp/B005CNR7B0

Those plus a modmic might do exactly what you want, I'll be having a look at that modmic thing myself I think.

[Shimmyhill]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K550-High-Performance-Closed-Back-Headphones-Black/dp/B005CNR7B0

Those plus a modmic might do exactly what you want, I'll be having a look at that modmic thing myself I think.

Cheers

Are they comfy for long gaming sessions, also do they leak sound - apparently by turtle beach ones leak sound through to the bedroom.....

Check out the Vmoda boom mic pro - it looks an even better idea!

[stefcha]

They're enormous but not heavy, I find them comfy although they do squash my ears a bit after a while but then this is the first pair of non in-ear headphones I've ever owned so it's not like I'm used to them really. No sound leakage, the lead is non-detachable (so that vmoda thing wouldn't work) and 3m long with a 3.5mm connector plus a screw on adapter for your amp. Not tried them wearing glasses, which I guess would break the seal a bit. They're not hard to drive but can be a bit quiet on the Wii U when plugged into the pad, the Vita is OK because it lets you put it louder anyway and obviously you can just put things as high as you want when running through an amp.

There's more on them in the main headphone thread in Off Topic or ATF or wherever it is, that's where I heard about them and as I didn't particularly need a mic they seemed ideal.

[Majora]

How are you driving the Sennheisers when gaming? My Yamaha amps automatically offer virtual surround when using headphones, so something like that might come into it unless you're just plugging them into the TV or something.

I've literally just been plugging them into my TV. I'm not an audiophile at all tbh.

I tested both my stereo Sennheiser's and Sony 2.0 headset for a bit in Alien Isolation by circling the save points that make high pitched beeping noises - walking towards them, away from them, rotating around etc and I really just couldn't tell much difference. I felt like both sets could broadly tell me where it was relative to me in the 8 compass point directions, and walking away or towards it obviously made it louder or quieter. I didn't feel like either gave me any more information than that.

Maybe my ears are broken or maybe I've been used to a certain type of sound for too long but I find the Sony headphones to sound quite cold and a bit...metallic?

[Shimmyhill]

They're enormous but not heavy, I find them comfy although they do squash my ears a bit after a while but then this is the first pair of non in-ear headphones I've ever owned so it's not like I'm used to them really. No sound leakage, the lead is non-detachable (so that vmoda thing wouldn't work) and 3m long with a 3.5mm connector plus a screw on adapter for your amp. Not tried them wearing glasses, which I guess would break the seal a bit. They're not hard to drive but can be a bit quiet on the Wii U when plugged into the pad, the Vita is OK because it lets you put it louder anyway and obviously you can just put things as high as you want when running through an amp.

There's more on them in the main headphone thread in Off Topic or ATF or wherever it is, that's where I heard about them and as I didn't particularly need a mic they seemed ideal.

Cheers, I have had the same set recommended in the ATF thread - my only reservation is with the cats and kids being able to change the lead is a huge selling point.

[Willei]

I am going the route of headphones, i keep looking out for the Sennheiser headsets but there is obv a premium when new as 'gaming' and not many secondhand - do you think a £100 set of headphones would compete with the 350/360 on sound quality?

Good to hear you use them via the pad, i guess you get no surround but the sound and voice works well?? I was looking at that lead as another option - separate headphones and mic into that into the ps4 pad but assumed stereo only?

I have come across Beyerdynamic as a name a few times, i am well out of the loop with headphones - fill me in!!!

I think a £100 set of headphones would compete or better the PC360 for sound quality. They sound very similar to my old HD555s which I paid about £60 for. Generally the gaming headsets come at a huge premium that isn't worth it when essentially you're paying to connect the headset with a single cable. That said, one thing I absolutely love about the PC350 and 360 is that moving the mic upwards away from your face mutes it with an audible clunk - it's a minor thing but it's so much nicer than scrabbling around for a tiny button on an inline controller.

No surround via the PS4 (or Xbone) pad, but having used it in a Yamaha amp, the Astro Mixamp, and Corsair headsets I've just come to the conclusion that I don't really like the effect that much.

As far as headphones go I've tried quite a few in my time but I'm no audiophile. If I'm on the go then I reach for my Koss KSC75s which are a £10 headphone! The most important thing to me is comfort, and most of the GAMURZZZ branded headsets from the likes of Steel Series, Logitech, Creative, Razer, Corsair, and of course Turtle Beach have been poor for me. The ear cups are just too small and end up creating pressure points that force me to take the things off my head anywhere between 15 minutes (fucking Turtle Beach) and 2 hours (Corsair). Other than the Sennheiser PC360 (which really is just a pair of headphones with a mic attached) the Astro A40 is the only pair I've ever found comfortable over a decent enough for a long gaming session or VoIP call.

For real headphones I like Sennheiser for most things because I like the neutral sound, though some would say it's flat and uninvolving. The majority of Sennheisers are open backed which means they leak sound all over the place. My Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros are fun for most stuff but are definitely on the bass heavy side, though they're closed backed and insulate very well. The reason I'd use them as a PC headset is because they're very sturdy, closed backed (so sticking something on the outside won't affect the sound quality), and have a coiled cable so I'd be able to thread the mic cable through it to make it more manageable.

I don't think I've tried any AKGs yet and I certainly can't comment on the linked pair, but make sure you're okay with the pleather pads before you invest - they should have better sound insulation than velour ones but are generally considered (by me ) to be less comfortable.

[Shimmyhill]

I went to try some headphones out and ended up buying a cheap pair they had knocking around, Sennheiser HD515 - only £25 and while i know nothing of them i saw they went for more than that on ebay and the chap said i can return them inside a week!

Quick try on the vita and they seem comfy - not sure if they will get too warm but i don't feel them on my head, i really liked the TB for comfort but the headband on these is defi more comfortable. I plugged them into my amp and found a tv channel with DD and silent cinema does auto kick in and do VSS so that is good.

Plan is to have a play with these, may try some BF4 tonight and get some sort of mic - will have a read up on the set i have compared to the current range and then ask father christmas for a set.

I think i can safely say the sound is better than my TB already, not as good as my speakers but thats expected!

[macosx]

My px4s arrived today, impressed so far. Was going to get the Sony 2.0s but like the look of the build quality on these

[Shimmyhill]

Woah, i listened to a couple of vids i made of BF4 and had on a mem stick and the sound is in a different league to my TB - no idea how it records the sound but bloody hell the difference is incredible!

[Shimmyhill]

Me again, doing more reading and i don't think you can use modmic et al direct into the pad - looks like i need a mixamp to have headphones and comms unless anyone here can correct me on this or point to a mic that will work in the pad?

[Willei]

You plug the mic and your headset into one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-com-3-5mm-Headset-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B004SP0WAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414581685&sr=8-1&keywords=Headset+Splitter+Adapter

Then plug that into the pad. That's what I do for the Xbone and PS4 now. I am reading vague reports of the Modmic not being compatible with the PS4 for some reason, but I'm thinking that this is people plugging the mic directly into the controller rather than a headset. I didn't get to the bottom of it in the five minutes I spent Googling just now, all I can say is it works fine for me!

[Shimmyhill]

You plug the mic and your headset into one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-com-3-5mm-Headset-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B004SP0WAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414581685&sr=8-1&keywords=Headset+Splitter+Adapter

Then plug that into the pad. That's what I do for the Xbone and PS4 now. I am reading vague reports of the Modmic not being compatible with the PS4 for some reason, but I'm thinking that this is people plugging the mic directly into the controller rather than a headset. I didn't get to the bottom of it in the five minutes I spent Googling just now, all I can say is it works fine for me!

Do you have that one or the sennheiser original, i also guess it's only stereo via that?

I think i will just get the mixamp, it is all pointing that way!!!

I did have a quick go on bf4 with the headphones last night, fook me they are so good - it was overwhelming infact and has settled the way i a going for sure!

Anyone after a cheap wireless turtlebeach headset

[Shimmyhill]

So i did it...

I now have Sennheiser HD515 headphones, Astro mixamp and a Modmic - just waiting on a lead to use the mic but the sound is fucking mind blowing!

I would say on initial testing the mixamp is better than my amp, COD sounds amazing and this is in the pass through mode so no gaming enhancements!

[Meatball]

Sale on Astro stuff at GameStop at the moment.

A40 headset and mixamp for £130... https://www.gamestop.co.uk/Other%20Products/Games/44879/astro-a40-audio-system

Or just the mixamp for £70... https://www.gamestop.co.uk/Other%20Products/Games/45618/astrogaming-mix-amp

Looking at the comments on HUKD they've been going in and out of stock, so check back again later if you want them and they're showing sold out.

I need some new headphones for night time gaming / tv anyway, so I've gone for just the mixamp. For headphones I've seen some cheap Monoprice ones recommended as being very good and they have detachable cable which would let me use this V-Moda boom mic for chat http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headphone-Microphone-Black/dp/B00BJ17WKK.

Think that's all I'd need for PS4 isn't it? Then a headset adapter for XB1?

[F-zero]

Sale on Astro stuff at GameStop at the moment.

A40 headset and mixamp for £130... https://www.gamestop.co.uk/Other%20Products/Games/44879/astro-a40-audio-system

Or just the mixamp for £70... https://www.gamestop.co.uk/Other%20Products/Games/45618/astrogaming-mix-amp

Looking at the comments on HUKD they've been going in and out of stock, so check back again later if you want them and they're showing sold out.

I need some new headphones for night time gaming / tv anyway, so I've gone for just the mixamp. For headphones I've seen some cheap Monoprice ones recommended as being very good and they have detachable cable which would let me use this V-Moda boom mic for chat http://www.amazon.co.uk/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headphone-Microphone-Black/dp/B00BJ17WKK.

Think that's all I'd need for PS4 isn't it? Then a headset adapter for XB1?

I don't think getting your chat to work will be quite as easy as you think.

It might have been better if you had just went for the Astro A40 with the mixamp.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/690663/ps4-with-3-5mm-x2-type-headset

[Shimmyhill]

I don't think getting your chat to work will be quite as easy as you think.

It might have been better if you had just went for the Astro A40 with the mixamp.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/690663/ps4-with-3-5mm-x2-type-headset

I think that is a different issue not related to the current mix amp pros!?

I have a mixamp 2013 - same as the one Meatball has ordered and i use it with a Sennheiser set of headphones and a Modmic and it works fine - the one thing i have had to do is ramp the game/voice mix well over to the voice side and have the volume fairly high to get the chat coming through loud enough - they say 3 o'clock on the balance is about right and it is for me.

The A40 headphones are not meant to be very good, i nearly got a pair when i was having issues with quiet voice so did loads of reading on them - i say that against proper headphones, they are much better than your sony/tb wireless stuff!

[F-zero]

I think that is a different issue not related to the current mix amp pros!?

I have a mixamp 2013 - same as the one Meatball has ordered and i use it with a Sennheiser set of headphones and a Modmic and it works fine - the one thing i have had to do is ramp the game/voice mix well over to the voice side and have the volume fairly high to get the chat coming through loud enough - they say 3 o'clock on the balance is about right and it is for me.

The A40 headphones are not meant to be very good, i nearly got a pair when i was having issues with quiet voice so did loads of reading on them - i say that against proper headphones, they are much better than your sony/tb wireless stuff!

My bad then, btw the Astro's sound excellent, i used them recently and was impressed, good highs& mids with strong bass.

You can also remove the magnetic side plates and make them open back.

The only complaint i would have is that the mic isn't as good as it should be although i think thats more of a mixamp issue.

[Shimmyhill]

My bad then, btw the Astro's sound excellent, i used them recently and was impressed, good highs& mids with strong bass.

You can also remove the magnetic side plates and make them open back.

The only complaint i would have is that the mic isn't as good as it should be although i think thats more of a mixamp issue.

Yeah, i was of course comparing the A40 headset with headphones that cost lots more from top notch brands - bit unfair, i did read that they do get warm and uncomfortable so that was a definite negative.

With the mic if you get to try them again make sure if used on PS4 and not older consoles you get the latest firmware and then go into mic setup and get the mic volume set up, it has to be really low to work well.

I am a complete convert tho, the mix amp is bloody great and i will never go back to a wireless gaming headset - worse still i think i am just a headphone convert now and already getting my next pair for christmas