Price, link? These look pretty good though. I have been looking for a good solid pair of cans that also have a mic and i may just have to get a pir of these now. The one si have noew feel like im stiffing pebbles into my ears..
one thing u chaps might be able to clear up is that I have a Xfi card and use an almost identicle plantronics headset that connects to heaphone/mic out on my card. If I use a USB headset surely I am bypassing the soundcard and the associated benefits, just a thought :D
Everywhere I read about these USB headsets being ideal for gaming, as they´re portable with their own integrated soundcard, so youll get the same experience no matter on which computer you play. But what about the effects? If I for instance already have an Audigy and I plug the headset through it I'll be able to use the OpenAL-drivers and/or EAX 4.0-effects implemented in the game. They won't be present in a USB-headset, or am I'm missing something? And if it's so, then I don't think I'll use the USB connection on my home computer for games (I always use headphones when gaming), so how can it be ideal for gaming?
I'm looking into this headset business right now, and try to find out if the extra cost is worth it... Beside the ability to run different applications through differents sound devices, and the 'soundscape portability' between systems (which I won't be using), are there any other advantages with USB?
I use to use this program called read and write, to read Bit-Tech review while I write essays. The weird thing is just yesterday I lost the capability to use the program and headset. Now Bit-Tech reviews.
It is a great product, most place do over sale this product. In Canada I have seen most places sell this headset for about $100
I cannot recommend enough headsets by platronics I have a set myself and they are great good sound quality and good mic quality you really get what you pay for with these even using the normal cs:s codec in game voice is clear compared.To my mates 14 quid one which is only clear on teamspeak.Just after I got them I had a 3 hour stint on cs and it was like they wasn't even there so they won't feel like pebbles :) :D
yup have to say ther epretty good but compared ot the seinheizers which are amazing and last longer, the DSP ear foamy bit comes off after a while i've found the glue they use doesn't last that long and you end up glewing them back on but apart from that there quite nice
There is also another choice - do you want something with just a jack on the end, or do you want it as USB? If you're running a desktop or a laptop, you will almost certainly have headphone out and mic in jacks running off your soundcard, whether it's a X-Fi or simply integrated motherboard sound. This is a fairly uncomplicated method of setting up your sound ins and outs. However, what if you want something a little more sophisticated?
More sophisticated? If you've got a decent sound card (ala X-Fi) and are using a USB headset, its time to shoot yourself in the foot.
Of course, there lies the problem with all USB headphones/headsets. You're stuck. You can't use your shiney sound card thats going to waste. Most people in the market for something are going to know that but its always good to make things perfectly clear. In terms of quality, USB is not where its at. Advantages with connectivity of negatable. Swapping plugs? Spend $2 on a pass-through or switch (better yet, mod one yourself). Plug in a USB headset and go play FEAR. Then do it on an X-Fi card sans the USB.
I honestly can't see where the USB headset market really developed toward gaming applications. It'd be great for a mobile device like a laptop or a Mac Mini that lacks conentional connectivity. However, every gamer I know is after the best quality and highest performance possible.
The other problem with USB headsets (as I understand it) is the sound processing take place in software using the CPU and ram. This can upset performance by using resources.
If I'm wrong or misinformed about any of the above, let me know so I can re-evaluate my responses. I don't like distrobuting incorrect information.
Do yourself a favor and don't buy plantronics headphones, they break really easy, and have shoddy craftsmanship. I have been through about 20 different sets of different plantronics headphones in my gaming life, a while back I bought a pair of Sennheisers from CompUSA and I've only had 1 problem which was solved by ordering a new set of wires.
Not to mention these things are uncomfortable after a several hour long gaming session. Trust me, I cannot stress this enough these headphones are crap.
Plantronics is willing to sell you a pair of headphones they make so cheap they can RMA you set after set without losing a profit.
Sennheiser however is willing to sell you a great set of headphones with possible upgrades and replacement features for more money.
It all depends on how much money you have to spend, but if your plantronics DSP500 breaks you're screwed on sound and headphones till you get a box in the mail. I will say one thing about Plantronics there return speed on RMA's was about 2 days for me on average.
Edit: And you actually have to pay shipping back on DSP series, the other series they dont even care about, people have been known to fake RMA's to get free headphones from Plantronics. I know personally they've sponsored a few CS teams in my day. :)
I agree with valium. I've never liked anything plantronics.
My friend has the DSP-400's, and they're absolutely crap. He's had to RMA them five or six times, and they still don't work right (sometimes windows will see it, other times it won't). My cheapy $20 sony headphones have better sound range and quality than the 400's. Plus they're extremely uncomfortable for anybody with slightly larger than asian (yes, it's racist, get over it) ears.
Right now I use my xb-live USB adaptor (it's by madcatz and will work on PC/xbox/PS2) along with a plantronics MX150 (it's the only one I could afford at the time). I still have the game sound and whatever going through my main speakers, but for ventrilo (a VOIP program) I use my headset so I can still clearly hear voice over the other stuff going on.
I've just found that voice and loud explosions and gunfire coming out the same speaker just doesn't work all that well. Plus other people in my apartment think that I've got a party going on every night with a bunch of people over.
I used to have a friend who ran a lan cafe that used plantronics, I cannot even begin to tell you the amount of headphones he had to send off for to replace faulty sets.
Plantronics simply makes horrible quality products. I had read a couple bad reviews about them, but had decided to buy the headphones anyways and chance that those bad reviews were fairly isolated occurences. But, guess what, mine broke. Yes, they have pretty good sound and mic quality, but the headphones break extremely easily. Neither the speakers nor the mic work on mine now and I did not even bother with an RMA because I knew I would only be getting more horrendous quality headphones back. I would seriously remove the "recommended by bit-tech" logo.
Platronics have been both recommended by custom pc which made me go with them and now bit-tech but obviously they don't use them for weeks which is the flaw in reviewing products like these.Like I said in earlier posts no problems with mine and ive dropped them nurmous of times.
Any places in US that sell these and will take paypal. I had some logitech ones nice but have family that broke them by just droping them on the ground.
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Ice
Ice
I'm looking into this headset business right now, and try to find out if the extra cost is worth it... Beside the ability to run different applications through differents sound devices, and the 'soundscape portability' between systems (which I won't be using), are there any other advantages with USB?
It is a great product, most place do over sale this product. In Canada I have seen most places sell this headset for about $100
http://www.evocal.co.uk/index.cfm?event=catalogue.product&productID=17546&categoryID=1038
Link to mine but they aren't usb.
Morgan.
More sophisticated? If you've got a decent sound card (ala X-Fi) and are using a USB headset, its time to shoot yourself in the foot.
Of course, there lies the problem with all USB headphones/headsets. You're stuck. You can't use your shiney sound card thats going to waste. Most people in the market for something are going to know that but its always good to make things perfectly clear. In terms of quality, USB is not where its at. Advantages with connectivity of negatable. Swapping plugs? Spend $2 on a pass-through or switch (better yet, mod one yourself). Plug in a USB headset and go play FEAR. Then do it on an X-Fi card sans the USB.
I honestly can't see where the USB headset market really developed toward gaming applications. It'd be great for a mobile device like a laptop or a Mac Mini that lacks conentional connectivity. However, every gamer I know is after the best quality and highest performance possible.
The other problem with USB headsets (as I understand it) is the sound processing take place in software using the CPU and ram. This can upset performance by using resources.
If I'm wrong or misinformed about any of the above, let me know so I can re-evaluate my responses. I don't like distrobuting incorrect information.
Not to mention these things are uncomfortable after a several hour long gaming session. Trust me, I cannot stress this enough these headphones are crap.
Plantronics is willing to sell you a pair of headphones they make so cheap they can RMA you set after set without losing a profit.
Sennheiser however is willing to sell you a great set of headphones with possible upgrades and replacement features for more money.
It all depends on how much money you have to spend, but if your plantronics DSP500 breaks you're screwed on sound and headphones till you get a box in the mail. I will say one thing about Plantronics there return speed on RMA's was about 2 days for me on average.
Edit: And you actually have to pay shipping back on DSP series, the other series they dont even care about, people have been known to fake RMA's to get free headphones from Plantronics. I know personally they've sponsored a few CS teams in my day. :)
My friend has the DSP-400's, and they're absolutely crap. He's had to RMA them five or six times, and they still don't work right (sometimes windows will see it, other times it won't). My cheapy $20 sony headphones have better sound range and quality than the 400's. Plus they're extremely uncomfortable for anybody with slightly larger than asian (yes, it's racist, get over it) ears.
Right now I use my xb-live USB adaptor (it's by madcatz and will work on PC/xbox/PS2) along with a plantronics MX150 (it's the only one I could afford at the time). I still have the game sound and whatever going through my main speakers, but for ventrilo (a VOIP program) I use my headset so I can still clearly hear voice over the other stuff going on.
I've just found that voice and loud explosions and gunfire coming out the same speaker just doesn't work all that well. Plus other people in my apartment think that I've got a party going on every night with a bunch of people over.
Ive found Sennheiser worse in my experience in sound quality and comfort.