Buying a new headset sucks....

So I'm in the market for a new headset. I have an old pair of Sony Gold Wireless that I would love to still be using, however I laid down on them while I was drunk and broke them. Whoops. Now I'm trying to find a replacement and its tough out there. I hear gaming headsets in general aren't very good quality but I want an all in one solution and it has to be wireless. I really liked the the Sony Gold's I had as they cost me a 100 bucks and sound good enough for me, and the dongle worked quite well. I would have easily just bought that new Pulse 3D headset, but it has the same arm design problem that bothers me about the Steelseries Arctis Nova 7's I was eyeing and saw a pile of broken arms in Amazon pics. I'm trying to spend no more than 200 bucks(can be more--waiting for sale, anyway) and be able to use it for PS and PC.

I've looked at a bunch of different stuff from HyperX to Logitech to Sennheiser etc. Why are so many designs so flimsy looking? I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations based on their own experience or audiophile friends current likings. Durability with decent sound and mic.

EDIT: A few I've considered are the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless and the Logitech G Pro X and G733 Lightspeed Wireless

I just want to say that I also just broke my Sony Gold Wireless headset! For me I left it on the floor and tripped over it!

I wish Sony still made them.

@bigsocrates: Bummerrrrrr. Were they also the excellent gen 1 model that actually folds up as well? I hate that the new ones don't seem to do that.

@spacemanspiff00: They were. They were. RIP rest in peace Sony Gold Headphones.

@spacemanspiff00: I bought the Epos H3 Pro Hybrid Wireless not long ago. I think I paid $229 for them at the time, on sale. Steep, but I really like them. Sound quality is excellent--Epos is Sennheiser's gaming line--battery life is good, uses usb-c for charging (or for wired connection), has 3.5mm connector, bluetooth, and a proprietary dongle that works with both PS5 and PC. I actually bought a second dongle so I could just connect to whichever of those is on, and it works flawlessly. Mic quality isn't terrific, but it's more than serviceable, and on PC I've been using Nvidia broadcast to further clean it up. Here's the amazon link, but you can definitely find them elsewhere:

Amazon.com: EPOS Audio H3PRO Hybrid Wireless Closed Acoustic Gaming Headset (Sebring Black) : Electronics

Sennheiser makes really great high quality headphones if you're in the market for above-average sound, but it will be expensive. I use HD650s for composing music because they don't add or take away much to the sound, whereas the majority of headphones boost frequencies (Also I live in an apartment and high quality monitors will get me kicked out). Also, I like the idea of listening to a song how an artist or engineer intends for it to sound, as it's already been mixed and mastered.

I was looking at Sennheiser(EPOS) and they are a little more money than I want to spend. I should have mentioned I live in Canada so my dollar isn't going as far. the H3 Pro's are 250 on sale. I'm trying to buy on Amazon since I got a gift card for Christmas. That said, I don't intend to use them all the time either. I just want something decent for when I need or want to use them. I just doubt a 100 bucks today is gonna get me the bang for the buck those Gold Wireless were.

The HyperX stuff seems decent for the price but very feature bare. I'm not as keen on the Logitech as I hear the mic's aren't very good and the console experience leaves much to be desired(another win for the gold's). Seems that on the lower-mid end of things you're likely making some big concession, at least in the wireless category of headsets. We're on the cusp of the new year so maybe the Pulse 3d's will get a refresh or something. I did like the sound profiles for individual games and the wireless worked well. At least in that price range I get some extra Playstation features. I miss my Golds...(and the fold)

Asking for cross-platform support is a tough one if you don't want to constantly fiddle with it. I realize this may not be economically viable but I've settled on a system where I have a separate wired headset on the PC and another one, wireless for anything that comes out of the TV. And then I have a Bluetooth set for travel, but which works just as well at home for listening to music or podcasts from the phone.

The Astro A50 is really, really good because it has a base station that handles charging and inputs, but may be out of your budget unless you find it on sale. And it's software is sketchy but you won't have to touch it all that often.

Since the Playstation and Xbox controllers both have audio jacks, you may consider if it's basically as good as wireless since you can walk around the house with the controller in your hand. The HyperX Cloud 2 (wired version) for example has a really convenient design where it has a short cord that detaches from a longer USB cable that connects to the PC. So I could unplug it from the PC and stick it into an Xbox controller in a matter of seconds and the cord would be short enough not to get tangled in.

You could check out the Razer Blackshark v2 Pro. I think the dongle it comes with works on PS5, but I don't know for sure. It was the headset I used prior to the EPOS H3 Pro. I switched primarily because while the Blackshark is very light and comfortable, I found that the earcups would frequently move slightly because of the adjustment system it has. They do sound good, but need some eq adjustments to really shine. I think the mic might be slightly better than the EPOS, and it is removable, which I find to be a requirement of any headset I use. It's down to about $120 US right now.

I've been using the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless and you can believe the hype about the battery life. I use them for hours every day and only charge them maybe once a month. The only thing is the battery status it reports doesn't update until the next time it's plugged in to charge, so I kind of just have to guess how long is left. Not really an inconvenience since they practically never run out of charge, but something to be aware of.

Good sound quality, the detachable mic arm is stiff but flexible.

In my opinion, fancy headsets are a waste of money, unless you're in an active gaming community where you chat a lot to your members, friends, or both. If you're just playing video games solo and don't do any talking, then you main priority should be headphones that sound good, whether they are wired or wireless. Then you'll have to choose between close-back and open-back headphones, I know some people like in-ears but, I personally think over-ears are much better for home use. I have a Sennheiser HD6XX, which is pretty much a custom turned HD650 you can get from Mass Drop for half the price of the original model. It still just as good in quality which is why its a very popular headphone among so-called audiophiles. I also have an HD599, which is also a good headphone that provides more bass, but is not as detailed. You can look on websites like RTings.com to find the kind of headphones you'd like. I'm more into neutral headphones, but you might be a bass head. Either way, there is something for everyone's ears.

I bought the Steelseries Arctis 7P+ recently and I'm pretty happy with it. Pretty comfortable even with my gigantic head. Good battery life.

I sorta forgot about making this thread lol.

So I ended up with a pair of Razer Blackshark V2 Pro's. It was largely between that and some Steelseries Arctis Nova7p by the end. Logitech and HyperX don't play as well with consoles, and despite accepting that the Arctis arm design might be fine, Its audio quality seemed to get criticized more over the Blacksharks, which I also don't think are amazing either. But I know what I'm getting myself into with these types of solutions. My biggest criticism of the Blacksharks, so far, is how quiet they are and less punchy than I expected. Especially when folks we're saying they were punchier than the Nova 7's. I have to turn everything up to max and even then they don't get unbearably loud, even when wired. On PS5, with the volume maxed through the console, I can crank the headset volume all the way and its not super loud. I will say that the wireless holds up well and the build quality seems ok.

I actually still have the Sony Gold Wireless(original model) I broke the arm on somewhere and might dig them out just to compare since they were 100 CAD new back then and the Razer's retail for 250 in Canada right now( I didn't pay that). I'm even considering waiting for a good sale on the Nova 7's and maybe just picking them up to compare then return them if its a bust. They do have more on board features than the Razer's. I knew this was gonna end with me not totally happy. I wish there was an easy way to try this stuff. So many options and so many opinions out there. I'll be back with further thought's on the Blacksharks and see how they fare against the Gold's.

Edit: If I had a desk I would totally just get good headphones and a mic but I connect my PC to my TV and game on PS5 a lot more these days. I'd also bet that maybe there are just as good and cheaper options that are either slept on or from random chinese brand #37 rather than trying to find some likely overpriced middle ground. I wanted a cheap pair of earbuds last year and snagged these and they're pretty fantastic for being under 20 dollars. The bass is surprisingly good and I'd say they rival the Razer's.

@spacemanspiff00:thanks to one of these threads i ended up gettiing my fiancee an Arctis 7P+ for his b-day back in nov. since hes always complaing about family ( grandma n my mother) going back n forth n being loud when he wants to game or watch stuff. they seemed pretty solid , when he got it all hooked up the first time the settings werre on the lower/mid side n i could hear stuff across the couch when he had them plugged into the pc , ps5 also seemed to work well too. i hate over the ear headsets personally cause earcups usually bother n overheat my ears , n while i didn't wear it long when i was helping tweak his settings a bit ( hes not the most tech savy ) i found them to be suprisingly comfortable , and the noise cancelling seems to work pretty well as a wearer since he couldn't hear me at all when i was asking him how they were setting them up.

all n all i think it was a good purchase and would recommend them , in his case i just wish he'd use them more hes too worried someone will see him tear up at games n he won't here them coming to use them -_-

@styx971: Lol @ your fiancee. Ya I'm honestly more curious about the Nova 7's now and how much rests on certain brand loyalties and just personal hearing. They are 30 bucks cheaper than the Blacksharks. I think the exchange rate really sucks right now because it gives the appearance of a more quality product. 250 really does seem like a lot for the Razer's. They're 180 regular in US. I also don't wanna go on some buy and return spree trying to find "the perfect set" of cheaper headphones.

@spacemanspiff00: yeah i totally get that not wanting to deal with a spree of returns., we just built him a new pc a few weeks back n thought we were gonna have to return everything after we couldn't get it working after installing nvidia drivers on 2 different mobo and CPUs ,... thankfully after we'd tore everything down the last time n boxed it all us for a massive set of returns i stumbled on a reddit post the last min that was similar enough to our issue... turned out nvidia drivers for 30 n 40 series cards don't play nice with sony TVs... changed the hdmi setting to vrr n it worked fine ..this was after a week+ of headaches.

as for razer i have mixed feelings about them. i had a molten naga (mouse) some years back that died faster than any other mouse i'd had at the time and since , plus it felt a bit too large? in my hand. fast forward to a month back he'd gotten me that ps5 wolverine pro controller hoping it would be a good alternative to the dualsense since it causes me hand pain .. unfortunately that controller for 250 was argueably worse , not only was it massive in my hands ( i have average ones n feel it was Ment for larger hands) but your forced to use a damn phone app instead of a pc to set button mapping , and on pc you can't even set the extra buttons to keyboard bindings at all just face/pad buttons. it had no vibration at all i didn't expect the facy kind but none seems a bit nuts? i get its a 'pro' controller so i guess the usual market might not care about that but still , for the price point i expected a bit better than we got , returned it for a refund but it cost us to ship it back ...... needless to say i don't think i'm like razer's products for their price points very much at all.

The solution to the low volume problem is to get a headphone amp. You don't even need to get a super expensive one. Not only will it solve the low volume problem, but your headphones will sound overall better in sound quality. And it seems like you're a bass head, so try and find one that is known to enhance the bass.

@styx971:That sounds like quite the headache for something that ended up being such a simple fix. I hate that lol. Gotta love connecting PC's to TV's. As for Razer, I've been using a Razer Deathadder Elite mouse a friend recommended for the last 4 years and change and haven't had any problems. Granted, I don't game with a M+KB since I don't sit at a desk. I know Razer isn't the best stuff but I figured this headset would be better than it seems to be. The Mic seems ok and its not like the sound itself is terrible but its range and performance aren't much better and in some cases worse than my 20 dollar earbuds I plugged in to compare when listening to music. Sucks to hear about the controller issues. I've personally never felt like they justify their pricetag. That Dualsense Edge looks so overpriced. I'm also not cool with software customization that could easily be implemented on the regular controller(like on Steam) behind a paywall. Boourns.

@av_gamer Needing to buy an amp would defeat the purpose of what I'm looking for. Also, it seems to be more of a problem with the headset itself. My 20 dollar earbuds get way louder and have some better bass frequencies when testing with music, while the Razer's are boasting 50mm drivers that seem kinda gutless. And I'm almost certain that the Sony Gold's I broke performed noticeably better as well. I still have to test that one out. I wouldn't even call myself a bass head but I do listen to a fair bit of minimal and lofi music which often come with a lot of layered bass tones and such. I'm willing to bet that its a Razer problem. Can't be good at everything, even if they pretend they are.

Well, turns out I was wrong about my Sony Gold's sounding better. I think they might get a bit louder but the bass and overall sound is definitely worse. So that makes me feel better. Still not sure I'll keep the Razer's but at least they are a confirmed improvement. I've got till Feb 20 to issue a return so maybe I'll try out some other stuff in the meantime.

Still taking suggestions from anyone that's used the Blacksharks and found something better in the same price range.

@spacemanspiff00: glad their other products have held up for you , its possible i just had a dud , i don't game with a keyboard either always felt too awkward dex wise but i use a mouse plenty since i have a makeshift desk next to the bed , still i'm a console gamer at heart so controllers are my go to . those controllers are definately overpriced but since ppl pay for them it is what it is sadly ... as for the headphones if you can spare the expense i'd just say try out that steelseries model n if they're both the same to you return the more costly option , otherwise keep whichever is better? everyone is different so its one of those things that even if something is great for another others will always be a different case anyway

I feel like everytime I buy a new pair of headphones, I’m gambling to actually get a pair that I like. I’ve been using the same headset for around a year or two, the Logitech G933. I’ve been pretty happy with the audio quality that they produce, but problems started to emerge that made them more annoying to use. Once the mic started to break, I decided to buy a new headset. After waiting a few days, the HyperX cloud alpha came in today. After some troubleshooting, I used them for 5 minutes, then unplugged them because despite paying $100, it sounded muffled and over produced. Some music sounded fine, but when watching videos, sound effects and tunes sounded muffled, and everyone sounded like they were recording from a muffled mic than the much clearer and better sounding voices from my previous headset...

I understand that sound is suggestive and some people would prefer the cloud alpha than the G933, but the problem is that it’s hard to find a pair of headphones or headset I like when most of the ones I wouldn’t like are rated nearly the same as the ones I would like, and the companies don’t have good marketing terms to tell consumers what the headphones will sound like. And this wasn’t the only time I was in a scenario where the new headphones/headset I bought sounded worse. Back when my G930’s were starting to wear badly, I bought a Corsair VOID ELITE, and had somewhat similar problems to the cloud alpha. [was also gonna put an example for Philips headphones, but after researching I found out the “new” ones were open back while my “old” ones were closed back. They still sounded bad.] https://vidmateapp.win/

I think I’m just tired of buying headsets over $100 and then not liking the audio quality and having to lie to amazon to return it, all while using a headset that’s a ticking time bomb of whenever it will die.

OK. I'm gonna take a wild swing the other way and think about just investing in a set of good headphones and worrying about the mic situation later. I'll take wireless off the table here as well. @dooz and @av_gamer you each mentioned essentially the same set of sennheisers, the HD650/6xx. I'm currently looking at the 6xx on sale for 229US(10 dollar sign up credit) which would cost me 306 in maple bux(CAD). Sell me. These things seem to have a hell of a rep already. I think Linus from Tech Tips said the 650's are his daily driver in a video I watched recently. What are they like for gaming on the PS5 if you have tried it? I've also never tried open backs before. I was also looking at the Sennheiser 58x Jubilee on Drop as well and it might be a better option for someone that wants a bit better bass and works better with no amp as its half the ohms.

I've already set up a return on the Blacksharks I got cause 250 msrp is nutty for those things and if I'm gonna look at that price range why not just get something proper. I'll take any other suggestions people have. I've looked at Audio Technica M50's, Beyerdynamic 770's and 880's, some Sennheiser 560's. They all seem pretty close in price ranges.

Edit: I should mention that Ihave also read a bit about amps and dac's but its not something I'm looking into getting for awhile so I'd just be plugging them into the hp jack on my PC and I guess the Dualsense.

@spacemanspiff00: The difference between open-back and close-back is open allows for a better soundstage, making the sound quality more open, almost like the sound you hear when not wearing a pair of headphones and listening through speakers. The better the soundstage, the more this effect is present, which can sound really nice. Close back sound is more compact and in your ears, so bass for example is a lot more present. Both Sennheiser headphones you mentioned are great. And yes, the Jubilee does have more bass compared to the 6XX, as the 6XX is more neutral of the two. Also with the Sennheisers, you will NEED a headphone amp of some kind to really drive them. I use a tube amp for my 6XX.

If you don't want to deal with this, then low impedance headphones like the Audio Technica M50x, the Beyerdynamic 770, the classic Sony MDR-7506 which a lot of studio pros have been using for decades now are good options. If you really want to go Sennheiser, but again want to avoid dealing with amps, then the HD599 and the HD560 are good lower impedance options. Both sound better with amps, but unlike the HD6XX or Jubeliee, you don't need one. Also look into the Momentum series. Great headphones that focus on delivering a nice bass response. And heck, if you really want to go cheap but get a decent sounding pair of headphones, there is nothing wrong in getting the Koss Porta Pros. Very good price to sound ratio with a life time warranty that is honored. Most people own a pair just because.

Hope that helps.

I wouldn't say that you need a headphone amp, but it can help them sound better, as an audiophile. If loudness is the only concern, then Windows' audio can be changed. If it's still too quiet, then a cheap amp would be a solution. If there is unwanted noise or static, an amp will help with that.

An amp can also help enhance the sound more to one's preference but I think that's more of something that someone doesn't really need to worry about without really spending some time and understanding what they're working with. That's more of a step 2 for the curious.