To 5.1 Headset or not to 5.1 Headset

[Smoof]

The gist is this:
With Left 4 Dead coming out soon and the demo being out tomorrow, I plan to play it quite a bit on my laptop. I would be playing it at my girlfriends place and taking my laptop over to a friends place for a LAN party. Coupled with this, I need a new headset as the old Logitech (which I used a lot when I was playing BF2, but not so much anymore) is pretty much shot. So I was pondering, for L4D specifically, should I go with 5.1 or not? It seems natural to want to go with a 5.1 headset that's USB driven (as they have the hardware acceleration in them, since my laptop has wimpy onboard audio), but the problem is cost. I'm not making a whole lot of money right now and the money I want to spend when I get paid will be going directly to Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3. So, would it be worth it to spend the extra $35 on the 5.1 headset or not? Basically, I'm looking at these two:

Non-5.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265065

5.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826235002

I like the idea of only spending $37 and having a hideaway mic, because the cans are likely to spend quite a lot of time being carried around in my backpack. The Trittons have the advantage of having a detachable mic and they fold up really nice. I'm not sure about the Plantronics, but they don't look very foldy-upy. Which makes me think just now: I wonder if the extra $35 would be worth it for a headset that's less likely to get broken, because it can be compacted more...

Hmmm... anyway, how to 5.1 headsets work? I hear they work decent enough, not quite a true 5.1 setup, but they work well enough.

[Shadowstorm]

I'd look around more.

Cons: Oh, where to begin... How about OVERVOLTAGE FAULTS? That's right folks, if you use this headset you will be taking chances with your motherboard. I received 5 overvoltage faults on various USB ports before dumping the headset in the trash.

Loud pops while playing games, a microphone that turns your screaming into a mouse whisper (the mic needs some serious amplification), and a sub-par surround sound experience in games should be enough to make you wish you never heard the name Tritton.

You can hear things very clearly when gaming (when the headset isn't poping or causing faults) but the direction of the sounds is way off. When plaing BF2142 the only way to know where a sound is coming from is to face the object since noises get louder when you face them... and that's it folks.

... this does not make me want to buy their product.

[Smoof]

I'd look around more.



... this does not make me want to buy their product.

Yeah, there are a lot of complaints about the same issue. However, the actual reviews I've seen have no mention of this problem at all and I'm wondering if it's something exclusive to Vista, which means I don't have to worry about it.

[KingGorilla]

I am going to say, going with a 5.1 set cannot be done on the cheap. When I built my rig, I got a set, they worked great. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the model, as my on board sound picked up every bit of possible interference into the head set. I could hear through the headphones when my Hard Drive spun up.

I believe this was my set http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2769343&Sku=T777-1064&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq

Turtle Beach has never steered me wrong, and no added brand price.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/5305-3-medusa-surround-headset
You have to import these, I believe they are only sold in Germany, but I have seen many reputible places(Anandtech, Tomshardware) who have called them the best surround sound headphones they have used.

I would caution against analog stereo headsets, unless you have a quality and properly configured sound card, interference is a bitch.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-JUG-00001-LifeChat-LX-3000-Headset/dp/B000J4WPW8

I have found the Microsoft Lifechat USB headset sounds and broadcasts great, it has nice soft earcups, is comfortable. The drawback is s somewhat shorter than usual chord, I worry that the control module in the middle of the chord may pull loose one day as well. But it knocks the socks off of any logitec I have owned.

[Smoof]

I am going to say, going with a 5.1 set cannot be done on the cheap. When I built my rig, I got a set, they worked great. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the model, as my on board sound picked up every bit of possible interference into the head set. I could hear through the headphones when my Hard Drive spun up.

I believe this was my set http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2769343&Sku=T777-1064&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq

Turtle Beach has never steered me wrong, and no added brand price.

Yeah, I was looking at some from Turtle Beach, but there was something that turned me off about them. Those ones specifically don't have a USB connector, which is what I need, since I'll be using it with my laptop.


http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/5305-3-medusa-surround-headset
You have to import these, I believe they are only sold in Germany, but I have seen many reputible places(Anandtech, Tomshardware) who have called them the best surround sound headphones they have used.

Heard these are great, but I don't have the money or desire to import a set.


http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-JUG-00001-LifeChat-LX-3000-Headset/dp/B000J4WPW8

I have found the Microsoft Lifechat USB headset sounds and broadcasts great, it has nice soft earcups, is comfortable. The drawback is s somewhat shorter than usual chord, I worry that the control module in the middle of the chord may pull loose one day as well. But it knocks the socks off of any logitec I have owned.

A nice reasonable price for me to consider.

I was also looking at these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826504004

Which have been getting good reviews both from Newegg users (it seems that most of the 1-egg reviews complaining about a lack of 5.1 haven't installed the drivers) and from various sites around the net

http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/10668/31/
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/02/04/audio_fx_pro_5_1_gaming_headset/1
http://www.overclockersonline.net/?page=articles&num=1581
http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=432

[KingGorilla]

Smoof, all 5.1 headsets that are "USB Powered" are just that, the speakers draw power from the USB 2.0 port. No data goes over, so you would not be able to use them with most laptops. Simulated 5.1 headsets can come in USB form, but the sound definition is not there generally, though some simulate better than others. Though the software with the set you have there may compensate for the lack of a dedicated sound card.

It is a riddle that PC users have been tryng to crack, true surround or convincing simulated over USB.

You may have to go the Stereo USB route if that is something you need.

I do know that a few months ago the folks at 1Up got some headsets in Tina and Jeff Green tried them out, but I am not sure that any review came of it. Ryan O'Donnell also has a set he speaks highly of, but again no review.

If you are looking for a replacement for a desktop speaker system, do your homework. If you are like me and you need something for Skype Calls and game chat, get the best set you can for 20-30 bucks.

Part of me wants you to pick up that set there just to see if it works like the reviewers say, sadly when it comes to audio game sites tend to sound like wine tasters(flowery bullshit). I almost did a spit take in one of those reivews where the guy said that he can hear a person behind him with a stereo head set. And with the state of sound cards in Vista, an analog option is not viable unless you are very lucky.

Have you considered a speaker system as a solution? Especially with sound cards supporting optical audio out, it can be a good route to go. Or are there courtesy concerns?

[Rogue_hunter]

The Gamecom ones were in the PC freeplay area at PAX. While no where near the amazing Astro A40s (mmmmm), they were still really good. And last I saw, the price was $100, so that price is a steal. The hideaway mic caught me off guard, but the cans didn't seem to have much in the way of rotatability. You'd have to ask Bap about them, as he did a review of them on EvAv in the first week of September. I think he game them 5 evil eyes, which is my thinking as well.

[Smoof]

Smoof, all 5.1 headsets that are "USB Powered" are just that, the speakers draw power from the USB 2.0 port. No data goes over, so you would not be able to use them with most laptops. Simulated 5.1 headsets can come in USB form, but the sound definition is not there generally, though some simulate better than others. Though the software with the set you have there may compensate for the lack of a dedicated sound card.

It is a riddle that PC users have been tryng to crack, true surround or convincing simulated over USB.

You may have to go the Stereo USB route if that is something you need.

I do know that a few months ago the folks at 1Up got some headsets in Tina and Jeff Green tried them out, but I am not sure that any review came of it. Ryan O'Donnell also has a set he speaks highly of, but again no review.

If you are looking for a replacement for a desktop speaker system, do your homework. If you are like me and you need something for Skype Calls and game chat, get the best set you can for 20-30 bucks.

Part of me wants you to pick up that set there just to see if it works like the reviewers say, sadly when it comes to audio game sites tend to sound like wine tasters(flowery bullshit). I almost did a spit take in one of those reivews where the guy said that he can hear a person behind him with a stereo head set. And with the state of sound cards in Vista, an analog option is not viable unless you are very lucky.

Have you considered a speaker system as a solution? Especially with sound cards supporting optical audio out, it can be a good route to go. Or are there courtesy concerns?

The thing is, the USB version of 5.1 headsets don't simply draw power, but actually have the hardware decoder in them which allows them to use the 5.1. They have multiple speakers in them, which gives the illusion of true 5.1 via a speaker system; this is why USB powered headsets are good for laptops that generally don't have a real soundcard in them.