"5.1" Headset Recommendation?

My room setup prevents me from using 5.1 speakers (I use inexpensive Labtec 2.1, which does what it does well), but I'd like to get a more immersive sound environment, especially for MP stuff. Can anyone recommend a good 5.1 headset? I remember from previous discussions that there were good ones and really bad ones, so I don't want to just hit CompUSA and pick the ones the look good.

Please help me avoid sad 'Bear syndrome!

I'm not sure if there was another thread, but I use the Trittons and I'm quote pleased with them. They take some getting used to and initial adjusting, but they rock hard.

I've been using the X2 headphones . They're not 5.1 and they pretty much suck *ss. This probably doesn't help but I want to make sure anyone in the headphone market steers clear of these!

lol Thanks 93.

I have an online friend who has the Turtle Beach 5.1 headphones, and he likes them a lot. He's pretty heavily into music, so I don't think his tastes are likely to suck too bad. He's mentioned several times that he really likes them. I haven't heard them myself, though.

Just regular headphones do a pretty darn good job of giving you immersion, by the way. When I was apartment bound I played a lot of Counterstrike on my Sennheiser 580s, and I felt the aural targeting was very precise. The 'it's behind you!' feeling comes through pretty well... the brain seems pretty well adapted to figuring out that if you can't see it and it's in the middle of the soundfield, it might be good to turn around.

That said, I haven't used stereo headphones since the advent of true 5.1 sound support in gaming, and real multichannel headphones may work better. I switched from OS X to Windows for WoW because of the multichannel support, which was very, very obvious on my speakers.

Malor wrote:

I have an online friend who has the Turtle Beach 5.1 headphones, and he likes them a lot. He's pretty heavily into music, so I don't think his tastes are likely to suck too bad. He's mentioned several times that he really likes them. I haven't heard them myself, though.

I have the PC version of the Turtle Beach 5.1's. Once you get them dialed in, they are very good. Nice bass response too.

I have stereo headphones, but there are definite limitations to them which I suspect 5.1 would eliminate, at least partially. I just think there must be something better than $30 Plantronics.

I picked up a Pair of LTB 5.1 USB headphones.
They seem to do the trick and were around $50 when I bought them a year ago.

The only problem I've run into using these is my system automagically switching channel output to 2.1 when I disconnect them, but I think that's a problem with my Creative drivers more than anything.

Since my brother broke the headband (his head is frikken HUGE) I'm actually looking to 'upgrade.' But like I said, these have been doing the trick for all my CS:S and other FPS needs.

rabbit wrote:

I'm not sure if there was another thread, but I use the Trittons and I'm quote pleased with them. They take some getting used to and initial adjusting, but they rock hard.

The Trittons look cool. Now I wish I hadn't received headphones for my birthday, especially since TigerDirect has em for $99 with a rebate.

I have a set of Medusa's. Incredible.

Draco wrote:

I have a set of Medusa's. Incredible.

*sigh*

It seems more and more like I'm going to end up with the Trittons despite not being able to find any kind of solid comparisons to any high quality headphones.

The almost total lack of other decent options kind of hurts

I recently got a pair of steelsound 5H v2
This is a very high quality game headset. So if you are into games definitely check this one out. They are fairly cheap too. I found mine on buy dot com for about $60 (I messed up the rebate for it, else it would have been like 30 bucks )

Edit: while this is a headset, but the mic is retractable. So it won't be a hindrance to you when you don't want to use it.

Draco wrote:

I have a set of Medusa's. Incredible.

I second that. They are awesome.

The best thing about the Medusa's is their awesome bass response, which is rare in good headphones.

rabbit wrote:

I'm not sure if there was another thread, but I use the Trittons and I'm quote pleased with them. They take some getting used to and initial adjusting, but they rock hard.

How does the microphone on those Tritons integrate with the Xbox 360 controller?

Draco wrote:

The best thing about the Medusa's is their awesome bass response, which is rare in good headphones.

Methinks our definition of "good headphones" differs slightly.

Headphones with crappy bass respone aren't good headphones. They're mediocre at best. Great mids and highs don't matter in the least if the bottom end is gone or half-assed.

Fear of exactly that situation is what's kept me from going for the Trittons.

I've been fairly happy with my Zalmann 5.1 headset. It was fairly inexpensive and the spacial sensation is pretty incredible. I hear the Medusa's are better though.

Stylez wrote:

I've been fairly happy with my Zalmann 5.1 headset. It was fairly inexpensive and the spacial sensation is pretty incredible. I hear the Medusa's are better though.

I have a set of Zalmann's that's collecting dust. They sound ok until you've heard a good set of headphones. Once you have... you might find yourself wanting to hit the Zalmann's with a hammer in some effort at getting enjoyment out of that money you spent on them.

Arise!

*coughs black fog away*

My ear plugs are almost falling apart after 1.5 years of loyal service, so I'll be needing new headphones soon. It's for my mp3 player, and I want to step away from ear plugs as they are very unhealthy for your ears (or so the doctor says).

Any suggestions for headphones which aren't too gigantic, yet fairly robust (I'm not one to drop them often or treat them like sh*t, but nonetheless they're for on the road, so...) with better than average sound quality?

Thin_J, which ones do you actually use and like?

edit: my budget is +/- €100 (that's 125 dollars nowadays). Is this one okay?

Thanks!

Well, if you didn't mind big ones, I'd point you at Sennheiser 580s, but they're gigantic headphones. They sound amazing, but they're huuuuge. (and a little more expensive than you want, also: usually about $150 new.)

In looking at headphone.com, one of the better sources for info on this stuff, they claim that the PXC 250s sound better than the Bose noise-canceling headphones. That's damning with faint praise, however, as they also say that none of the noise-canceling headphones sound very good.

In looking over their selections, one that stands out is the $50 Sennheiser PX100. That looks like it's probably a good compromise of price versus quality, and it's quite a bit less money, about half your budget.

Another option would be the $70 Grado SR-60. These get raves from all directions for sound quality. There are two drawbacks: many people complain that they're a bit uncomfortable to wear for long periods, and from the picture, they may still be too big. It's hard to tell for sure, but they look pretty large.

The PX100s are cheaper, smaller, and probably more comfortable, but likely won't sound quite as good. For an on-the-road headphone, though, I'd think they'd be fine.... you don't need concert-hall quality.

Yeah, you confirmed what I found after some intranet searching.

Grado isn't available in Europe, unfortunately. I'll probably go with the Sennheiser PX200, as they're supposed to be better in midrange than the PX100 (which is better in bass, but that's less important imo).

It's getting urgent, my damn earplugs are falling apart.

The PX100's are awesome. That's actually the set I use for my own mp3 player. I just got some sennheiser earbuds but I've only had an opportunity to really use them once and it wasn't for a long enough time to really put in any kind of impressions of them. The PX200's are, as you've already researched and discovered, pretty similiar with minor differences in midrange and bass response. Go for it man.

For other listening when I'm at home I have a set of HD280 Pro's that are awesome for the price. Those will be upgraded to a higher end set as soon as I've procured myself a nice quality headphone amp.

Thin_J, if you don't already know this, the Sennheiser 580s are one of the all-time great headphones. They really sit up and sing on an amp. You can go a little further up to the 600s, but the bang-per-buck is lower there... they're the same basic driver, possibly matched a little more closely. And they look nicer and feel a little better-built. But they're quite a bit more, and I'm not at all sure they're worth the extra cost.

The nicest thing about the 580/600s is that they're literally the last headphone you'll ever *need* to buy, as long as Sennheiser stays in business. They're robustly built, but if something does get screwed up, you can order individual parts from the website. They're easy to take apart, too. So you'll never again be forced to upgrade because they're broken... twenty bucks on whatever piece you need and you're rolling again.

And ye gods do they sound good.

I've ordered the PCX200's yesterday, very curious