So I seem to have killed my second headset in the last 6 months or so, and this is a problem as I need my headset for various things. The last model was a Plantronics Gamecom, not sure what model, I remember the retail was $30. I'm pretty sure the mic still works, but the audio is completely dead. I think this one died on my way home from college in my backpack.
So now I'm in the market for another pair. I don't want to pay too much, I think $40 would be about my max for a pair that I was confident I would like. I use it primarily for gaming, but I also use it to listen to music sometimes and frequently to skype with friends. It needs to be able to survive the trip from home to school and back in my backpack. I have a fairly large 17" swissgear laptop backpack, and my last pair was kept in the 2nd-most outside pocket, all by itself, and I figured that would be enough to keep it safe. Apparently not. Comfort is something of a concern, as I wear glasses and I am not interested in switching to contacts. The last pair wasn't particularly comfortable over my glasses, but since I got them for $5 I didn't really care. I don't need perfect audio quality, but decent would be nice. I'm most concerned with durability though, I absolutely hate replacing things that I shouldn't have to. I also prefer good old fashioned 2x 3.5mm connections, it's simple and works with pretty much anything.
One pair that caught my eye on Amazon was the Turtle Beach Ear Force Z11, anyone have any feedback on those? I also was looking at the Creative HS-800 Fatal1ty. Any other suggestions?
Also if anyone has any suggestions as to what the best way to ensure they don't die while being carried around in my backpack would be nice. I always try to set it down so it's leaning on the back to avoid crushing the headset, but it would seem that's not enough. And yes, it is pretty much a necessity to bring it to school. I have 7 hours to kill between my morning and evening classes.
EDIT: Oh, and absolutely no in-ear style headphones. I hate those things with a fiery passion.
Signatures are for scrubs.
Last edited by D3matt; February 17th, 2013 at 04:23 PM.
Sennheiser makes durable headsets. The thin and cheap ones last 1-2 years. The sturdier ones longer (I've had one that lasted for about 7 years, the one I use now is about 2 years old).
The weak point of headsets is usually the connection between cable and headset. Don't wrap the cable too tightly around the headset when you transport it (or leave a loop near the transition) and avoid situations where the weight of the headset rests on the connection (e.g. picking it up by the cable).
Which brings me to an interesting point. This headset has thick plastic sheathes like a half inch long around all connection points, which I would've thought would protect it from that.
I think such sheathes are more cosmetic. To find out how well the connection is protected you'd have to remove them. Sometimes there is just a knot in the cable near the soldering, sometimes there are clamps or grommets which fulfill a similar purpose. In cheap headsets (or those by companies that like to rip you off) there won't be any strain relief.
Whether the cable is the problem can be tested easily by pulling and pushing in the cable a bit while playing back some music. If that is the case it isn't too difficult to repair the headset with a soldering iron (of course they are often designed as one-way items, so it may be difficult to open them up without destroying them).
Well, like I said, I wiggled the cable in every which way at every joint and got not so much as a burst of static. So either it came out completely, while somehow leaving the microphone untouched, or something else is wrong. I'll take a look at it later maybe.
Turtle Beach is alright. The Logitech G35's blew the last pair of Turtle Beach's I had away, though.
Currently trying out the Razer Carcharias, and they're really comfortable. Good sound quality, too, and not as pricey, but you also don't get the "7.1" you would from the G35. I would personally avoid Turtle Beach though.
Personally I think surround sound headphones are a gimmick. Surround sound in headphones should be a software thing. I wouldn't not buy headphones for having it, but I wouldn't really go out of my way to get it either.
Can you recommend something a bit closer to my price range? And maybe a case too, I'm drawing nothing but blanks for headset cases on Amazon. All I can find are bluetooth headset cases.
Signatures are for scrubs.
Last edited by D3matt; February 19th, 2013 at 04:59 PM.
To be honest, I wouldn't buy a single under $40 headset I can find anywhere. If you want something comfortable and decent sounding you need to be willing to spend quite a bit for a headset. Adding a mic into the headphones pretty much doubles the price on headsets compared to buying a headphones-only set.
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Headset recommendations? 
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