Bought a 3.5mm headset. :(

[hool10]

I bought a Platronics 377 headset today and I expected them them to be epic for $50: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16826265065 Then when I opened it up, the connectors were 2 analog cables. :x My previous headset had a USB and all I had to do was plug it in and I was good to go. With analog though you have to make sure they are plugged in the right area, change settings, and your good.

While the audio sounds great (great for Bad Company 2) the mic is shit. My experience with analog headsets is that the headphone portion is great but the mics are utter shit. My voice barely is recognized on Ventrillo, high amounts of white noise, and my voice is all garbly. In fact I sound like one of the tards on a CS server with a cruddy mic.

Now what is disappointing to me is that all 3.5mm jack style headsets sound like this but I'm operating on a new computer now since my last 3.5mm style headset. My on-board audio card has hi-definition audio from Realtek.

What am I doing wrong here though? Reviews are saying all around it's a great headset with superior mic.

 

[No Limit]

Something is obviously jacked with your settings. What operating system do you have? Under audio options you will see input settings for the microphone, make sure that is turned up all the way.

 

[Stigmata]

I was going to say you should turn down the mic, if you're getting a lot of white noise it's probably picking up too much from the background.

 

[hool10]

The mic boost is probably creating the static. If I lower it though, I cannot pick up my voice at all. Ventrillo in fact shows values of 0 when I monitor the mic.

 

[No Limit]

Turn microphone (the one at "7") all the way up then lower the microphone boost all the way. If people have trouble hearing you increase the boost in small incriments until thye can hear you.

The boost being all the way up and the actual volume being all the way down if your problem.

 

[Vegeta897]

There's nothing inherently wrong with 3.5mm mics. The most crucial part of good mic sound is the boosting part. This means your sound card.

 

[hool10]

Ya I boosted the mic setting to 91 and mic boost to 10+db and it works now. The only thing I hate is that mmmmmmm sound in the background but you get that with most mics.

 

[Vegeta897]

If you're getting a humming sound, make sure the cable isn't near or touching any power cables. That's where hum comes from, usually.

Or it could just be your sound card again, picking up hum from something in your PC like a fan.

 

[Sedako]

A $50 headset is not something I would think of as epic. If I had the money to burn, I'd go for these:

http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/4/A40-Headset/

 

[Vegeta897]

"Pro gaming equipment"

Blehggh.

 

[Sedako]

"Pro gaming equipment"

Blehggh.

Exactly, not for music. Currently living in an apartment so I can't blast my speakers when playing games. This would be the best alternative, considering the comfort and sound quality have been raved about in multiple reviews.

 

[Vegeta897]

It's overpriced shit.

 

[Sedako]

It's overpriced shit.

And your professional suggestion would be?

 

[Vegeta897]

Sennheiser, for headsets.

"Pro gaming" brands just target gamers because they're clueless enough to shell out money on anything that appears to be for them. And they see the high price and think "oh shit it must be so good" It's a consumer buzz word.

 

[Sedako]

Sennheiser, for headsets.

"Pro gaming" brands just target gamers because they're clueless enough to shell out money on anything that appears to be for them. And they see the high price and think "oh shit it must be so good" It's a consumer buzz word.

Sennheiser has a professional gaming line of headsets as well... some of which are more expensive than the A40s. I'm not lying when I say the A40s have been well reviewed:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pc-gaming-headset,review-1471-8.html

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2299763,00.asp

We have often warned about the fleecing of gamers here at ExtremeTech, lamenting the vast number of products that are slightly modified from normal consumer gear, given a "gamer" visual makeover, and marked up to unreasonable prices. In this case, we can honestly say that you're not paying big bucks for just a marginal difference in quality. This is one high-priced gamer product that, for once, gives you what you pay for.

http://kotaku.com/5409375/astro-gaming-a40-audio-system-review-sound-advice

Read some of the comments in the last one.

Honestly, I'm not considering these headphones based on marketing alone. I research, ask questions, and even go out of my way to demo before making an investment. You may claim they're overpriced shit, but based on what criteria? Is a high end quality home theater system overpriced shit? Taking it further, is a BMW 328i overpriced shit compared to a Ford Focus? Sure, I can spend less for an average quality headset, but they would not exactly be my definition of "epic".

 

[Vegeta897]

I just don't trust anything branded as 'pro gamer'. What about is makes it pro gaming equipment? It just doesn't make sense to me. It's all marketing. If i'm buying audio equipment I want stuff by a pro audio company. Not one trying to get the gamer market.

I'm sure there's good stuff out there, and I'll admit it's possible that those are worth the money. Those review sites are gaming/misc tech sites though, not pro audio sites. Pro audio doesn't just mean music.

 

[Viperidae]

Pro gaming equipment increases your headshots per minute. Didn't you read the reviews?

Also, hearing Rick Astley over mic for the 10000th time boosts adrenaline more effectively with crystal clear headphones.

 

[Krynn72]

I just ordered these. Kinda pricey for what I've paid for headsets in the past, but they should be really good. Gotten good reviews and they're Sennheiser.

How does the usb connection compare with plugging them straight into the soundcard? Will I need extra drivers and etc, and does it have better/worse quality usually?

 

[Stigmata]

It'll be comparable and about equal to a standard built-in soundcard, and you'll have to run one driver to use it. I had a pair of really crummy Antec headphones that were USB, and I didn't notice any performance decrease on a pretty mid-low-end PC at the time.

 

[Asus]

I like 3.5mm sets just because I plug them into the volume dial for my desktop speakers and control it from there. Plus the audio seems to be boosted by a headphone amp vs plugged in directly to the back of my PC. For gaming I just have a sennheiser set similar to the one Krynn linked to.

 

[CyberPitz]

For some reason, every headset+mic combo I buy has the mic breaking on it within a few months of ownership. I don't have any idea WHY they would.

When I'm not using them, I set them up away from anything. I don't drop them/slam them/run them over with my chair.

The only thing that ever breaks is the mic, nothing more.....so I just bought some $15 desktop mic. Screw it

Good to know your shit is working, Hoo'

 

[hool10]

For some reason, every headset+mic combo I buy has the mic breaking on it within a few months of ownership. I don't have any idea WHY they would.

When I'm not using them, I set them up away from anything. I don't drop them/slam them/run them over with my chair.

The only thing that ever breaks is the mic, nothing more.....so I just bought some $15 desktop mic. Screw it

Good to know your shit is working, Hoo'

That's because of what I found what happened to my last mic. That "convenient" mouthpiece that goes up and down is a big NO-NO. Each time you do that, you rub the cable against the pivot point. Then eventually it goes through the cable and it's broken. So try not to move it. I also found out my problem. I was having a lot of feedback according to people on Vent and a humming noise like this kid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFW0yf1svcw

Initially I didn't think my audio drivers would have any impact. So installed them and there was noise suppression, etc. Well the problem went away with humming and my voice sounds great. So when in doubt always install/update your drivers even if it's a headset. *Oh and there is a setting for surround sound in a headset. So now Bad Company 2 sound loads better (like a $200 headset).

 

[Viperidae]

(like a $200 headset).

What would that qualify? Where do you get that analysis? How many times does Vegeta have to explain that price has little to nothing to do with quality?

 

[hool10]

What would that qualify? Where do you get that analysis? How many times does Vegeta have to explain that price has little to nothing to do with quality?

Some people say there is a difference and there may be. Let's face it though, your not going to be recording music or doing something that the audio requires your job with.

 

[Vegeta897]

Quality means more than the sound. Build quality, the thing that makes the price worth it, where you don't have to buy a new set less than a year or even half a year later.

 

[Viperidae]

your not going to be recording music or doing something that the audio requires your job with.

What? I do record tons of stuff with a pretty decent mic, thank you very much. That's why I have some decent IEMs that don't have +20dB bass curves.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Sennheiser, for headsets.

I can vouch for this. Sennheisers are amaaaazing.

 

[Remus]

Currently living in an apartment so I can't blast my speakers when playing games.

Same situation here. I bought my headset 3 years ago and have constantly used it for gaming and music. After using them for 3 years straight my ears are toast. It got so bad that around Christmas last year I got severe vertigo from an inner ear infection.

My point is, you should rather disturb your neighbours by blasting your speakers, then using a head set.

 

[Viperidae]

Or, get some kind of sound isolation so you don't need nearly so much volume.

 

[hool10]

Well this headset is still giving me loads more problems now. The drivers helped a bit but not much. My voice to me sounds normal but people in vent say I sound distorted, in a box, static, it's bad. Then recently my computer kept on crashing. I found out it was the headset and if I didn't plug in the mic portion, my computer wouldn't crash. I'm gonna get a desktop mic that is USB this time. :hmph:

 

[Kyorisu]

The only thing that ever breaks is the mic

The cable breaks. Stop moving your mic so much. I had a desktop as a temporary solution once, never again.

Anyway gaming headsets...pfft. Don't spend huge money on these things.

My gaming Headphones: Steelseries 4H $50AUD or something (won em recently, mic works well enough). These things lack bass big time.

Headphones I sort of recommend: http://www.medusa-uk.com/medusa-nx-stereo-gaming-headset-p-786.html. Heard good things about their 5.1 version but 5.1 is overrated for headphones.

Headphones I recommend and have personal experience with (build your own Amp, USB sucks). http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/computer/gaming-headsets/gamecom-777

Not real 5.1 don't be fooled (not that you need it).

If you play games, listen to music and watch the odd movie on your PC spend less than $100USD or whatever that translates to in your currency. Spending more than $100 without a good power source (soundcard and amp) is going to suck.