Showing posts with label game accessories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game accessories. Show all posts

Saturday, February 23, 2013

SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size Gaming Headset (White) Review

SteelSeries Siberia V2 Full-Size Gaming Headset (White)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
These headphones are by far the best I have ever used or owned. I mainly use them for PC gaming. The sound quality is very good and the comfort level is high. You can war them for hours without any discomfort. I highly recommend these for gaming.

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Monday, January 7, 2013

Sennheiser PC 350 Collapsible Gaming Headset with Vol Control & Microphone Mute Review

Sennheiser  PC 350 Collapsible Gaming Headset with Vol Control and Microphone Mute
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've owned a few headsets in the past 10 years, including Logitech, Altec Lansing, Sony (without a microphone) and a lower model Sennheiser about 5 years ago. I am an avid computer gamer and often go late into the night at stretches of 8 hours at a time or more. And this is the best headset I've ever used in almost everyway.
First impressions on removing it from the packaging (which I had no trouble with, following the directions on the box) were of durability and a solid build. It's well put together, nothing seems flimsy or cheap, but its also surprisingly lightweight. The wire is quite heavy duty, unlike the Altec Lansing and Logitech headsets I previously owned. Not to mention robust strain relief where the wire connects to the headset, the control pod, and the jacks.
The control pod is perfectly positioned and lightweight, so even if it's dangling you don't even feel it, unlike the bulky control pods on some other headsets. In terms of fit, the ears swivel almost 45 degrees in each direction, and extend from the head-bar with solid clicking intervals. The headbar and ears are both covered in comfortable velor padding which unlike faux-leather on my previous altec lansings, don't cause your skin to sweat and stick to it. The earpieces swivel slightly in and out, and if you push firmly on them they will collapse inward with a snap - don't be afraid, it just prevents them from collapsing on accident, which I was concerned about when I saw them folded inward in the pictures.
They collapse solidly but will not do so by themselves. The microphone is adjustable, but not overly so - you have to bend it firmly to adjust the position and it won't bounce back on its own. It descends down from its perch vertically along the headset with a moderate degree of resistance, so it won't flop up or down on its own. And if you want to move it halfway up and leave it there, it won't flop back down, unlike my old headset, which either had to be all the way up or down. Hopefully it stays this way.
In terms of comfort, its extraordinary. Many headsets I've owned claimed to be circumaural, meaning they surround you ears and don't sit on them or in them. But most either never intended to actually follow through on that promise or they are made for people with ears the size of quarters. Even my old Sennheisers sat right on my ears, and my Altec Lansings, while a very nice headset, had padding large enough to go around my ears, but the speakers inside the earphones themselves pressed up against my ears, which became extremely uncomfortable after periods of time.
These earphones are ACTUALLY circumaural. The padding surrounds your ears but never touches them. The only pressure is on your actual head; your ears are never in contact with anything. The velor is soft and the pressure is almost unnoticeable. At first they seemed a bit tight but a little adjustment of the head-bar and a couple hours and they seem to break in a bit. the velor padding on the head-bar rests gently on the top of your head and the whole thing seems to distribute the weight of the headset evenly so you barely feel it.
Now for sound - Everyone knows Sennheiser is one of the premier names in sound quality, and these are no disappointment. Now these are probably not the headset you want if you're just listening to music in a studio or something - but for a combination of a microphone and comfort and audio quality, I doubt there's any better at this price. I began by watching a DVD of Band of Brothers on my computer. At first I thought something was wrong! It sounded like there was some kind of noise coming from somewhere else besides the DVD, when I realized I was hearing things I've never even before heard on my speaker system!
Every sound, especially the mid's and high's are exceptionally clear and sharp. And for a headset that is not a 5.1 headset, the directionality of the sound is amazing. Some here have complained that the base is not heavy enough, but honestly, if you want to have more base than this, you're not looking for audio quality and accuracy, you're just looking for ridiculous base. The base was excellent and sharp, not booming or echoing. Explosions sounded realistic and surprising, without any buzzing or crackling. For sound quality, these are better than my Klipsch Promedia speaker system, and that's saying something.
These also have a closed headset design, and I was initially worried about the sweaty-ear syndrome from this type of headset, but I was suprised and happy to find that after 4 hours, I didn't experience any overheating or sweating of my ears. Maybe in the summertime that would change, but if anything the headset just got more comfortable over that time.
The microphone quality, while it is hard for me to tell myself, I've been told it's excellent, although I had to turn my gain up a bit on my microphone, because apparently its a bit quieter because of the filter on it.
My only con with this set of headphones is the cord I think could be a bit longer, but that's not a big deal, for me anyways. Also, I think a carrying bag might be nice to go with these headphones.
Overall, if you're looking for a headset with superb audio quality, comfort, durability, longevity, and a high quality microphone, not to mention incredibly stylish looks and a classic and understated appearance, you CANNOT go wrong with these for the price. Forget the 5.1 channel headsets with bulky, powered control pods for surround sound and brightly colored headsets, get this one for a lifetime of quality and enjoyment.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Saitek PH06 Cyborg Speedlink Portable 5.1 USB Headset Review

Saitek PH06 Cyborg Speedlink Portable 5.1 USB Headset
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I saw this gaming headset advertised in a PC Gamer magazine and have been interested in purchasing ever since. I ended up buying these for Christmas and just received them today. I was a bit concerned prior to buying because of the one review that was already posted on here, but I decided to take a risk and try it for myself.
The headset is NOT as small as the previous reviewer would have you believe. I compared it to my previous headset (the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000) and found them to be almost the same exact size--in fact, this Saitek set seems to be a BIT wider on the head. This set doesn't press against the sides of my head as much as the Microsoft headset did, which is a huge positive.
The Saitek has three input plugs: one USB and two analog (one for mic and one for headphones). The USB is only necessary if you want to use the 5.1 surround feature; otherwise, for normal stereo listening you can just plug the analog plug into your headphone jack in your soundcard. What isn't made clear is the microphone connection--the microphone DOES work through the USB connection, so the analog plug for the mic is only necessary if you're using the stereo analog plug for the headphones (you can't listen in stereo through USB connection).
Installing on Windows Vista seemed smooth. I plugged the USB cord and Vista installed the headset without ever prompting for a disc or saying that correct drivers couldn't be found. However, just to be safe, I ended up using the included software and reinstalled.
Your experience might be different, but be warned that when the headset first installed on my system, the volume defaulted to maximum level--so do as the manual advises and press the Volume (-) button until the volume is all the way down...it'll save your ears.
First I tried listening to music using the headset through the USB connection. The music sounded very nice and crisp, and the bass sounds quite good for a headset. The sound configuration tool that gets placed in your system tray is moderately helpful--it allows you to choose different equalizer settings (the Soft-Rock preset sounded best to me) and the number of speaker channels you want to hear (2, 4, 6 or 8).
The fact that this headset boasts TRUE 5.1 surround sound (as opposed to virtual surround) was one of the reasons I was interested in this headset. To be honest, I don't hear a major difference between this 5.1 and virtual surround. The rear channels just sound dampened and softer as opposed to coming from behind. With mini-speakers placed in the headset earpieces, you'd think it would be more effective than that. However, since this headset didn't cost more than virtual surround headsets, I wasn't too upset.
The "removable boom microphone" is only decent. The sound quality is not nearly as good as the sound I had with my Microsoft LifeChat headset. In fact, I had a lot of trouble getting the microphone to work at all for awhile. I ended up disabling the microphone input from my default sound device (Soundblaster X-Fi card), which isn't an intuitive thing to do. Because the microphone is removable, it works through an analog plug connection, which is THE reason why the sound quality of the microphone is so poor compared to the all-digital LifeChat headset I had before.
Overall, this is a nice headset. Music and audio SOUND fantastic, but the microphone is sub-standard compared to all-digital headsets out there. Set-up seemed a bit more tedious than it should've been, and the included instructions are poor. The Saitek website has no support for this headset yet, so if you get frustrated, you'll probably be more likely to return this set than keep on trying to get support.

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The Cyborg 5.1 Headset from Saitek is a true 5.1 headset with three drivers per ear and USB connection for true digital 5.1 sound. Also connects to 3.5mm sources for stereo playback.

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

SteelSeries 5H V2 USB Gaming Headset with Virtual Surround 7.1 Sound (Black) Review

SteelSeries 5H V2 USB Gaming Headset with Virtual Surround 7.1 Sound (Black)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Let me start off by saying, for gaming i don't think there is a better headset out there. The virtual 7.1 works flawlessly and the mic on this thing is crystal clear. Its relatively comfortable, although I start to sweat around my ears around the 1 hour mark. Also if you are considered one with a small head, i might go try it on first. I have what you call a large head with some hair and i have this thing cranked all the way down. Works for me but not so sure about others.
Music - Very mediocre. i know it is optimized for GAMING but i still feel it fell short in this department. don't expect to be blown away or even satisfied if you want to listen to music a lot on headphones.
All in all its a solid headset, and is well worth the money if you are into gaming.
UPDATE:so it has been 4 days and the right side of the headphones has stopped working. i am very surprised/annoyed because i handled these things like a baby and still went out on me. i thought it was something funky with vista so i turned on the "flip sound" so the left side plays on the right and visa versa and no sound still. plugged it into a friends computer and same thing. not very happy that i spent $100 on these and they fail within such a short amount of time.

Click Here to see more reviews about: SteelSeries 5H V2 USB Gaming Headset with Virtual Surround 7.1 Sound (Black)

The SteelSeries 5H v2 USB soundcard offers a consistent sound experience allowing gamers to always play with the exact same sound and settings, no matter where in the world or at what computer they are playing. This product was designed for gamers with onboard soundcards and/or gamers who regularly find themselves playing at third party computers. The USB soundcard supports the following systems: Win XP/Win 2000/Win 98/Win ME/Mac OS/Windows Vista SteelSeries 5H v2 USB is one of the most popular gaming headsets on the planet. This headset has been used by talented gamers to win major international events like Electronic Sports World Cup, World e-Sport Games, World Series of Video Games, Kode 5, World Cyber Games, Samsung Euro Championship, ESL Extreme Masters and many others. When wearing the SteelSeries 5H v2 USB you'll immediately notice the enormous full-size ear cushions which gently fit around your ears and reduce background noise. The comfort is something that has to be experienced first hand, either at a friends house or at one of the many LAN-centers and Internet cafées that offers the headset to their customers. The headset features a custom-engineered soundscape designed to enhance performance and immersion in FPS-games. This headset was developed and optimized specifically for in-game sound frequencies found in the most popular shooters - making in-game sounds like footsteps, alerts and gunfire especially clear. You will be able to hear and pinpoint the location of your opponents, often before they hear you. Thanks to the USB soundcard you can boost and lower frequencies of your own choosing, allowing optimization for your favourite games. The SteelSeries 5H v2 USB an easily be dismantled into 3 separate parts, that easily fit into a bag or a carrying case. This makes transportation of the headset both easy and safe. The pull-out microphone is practically invisible when not in use.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Corsair CA-HS1NA Gaming Audio Series HS1 USB Gaming Headset Review

Corsair CA-HS1NA Gaming Audio Series HS1 USB Gaming Headset
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've worked in studios and have demo'd TONS of audio gear over the years. I know what a good DAC (Digita-Analogue Converter) sounds like, and I know what a crappy one sounds like. Music is probably the hardest source material to be objective about when it comes to the listening experience -- everyone has their opinion, but almost nobody but studio rats really "get it" in terms of true flat response. Do these have perfect response? No. It's just not hyped sound -- there's no built in "smiley face" EQ or any nonsense coloring the sound. Well, actually, there is, but it's made to flatten the output as well as it can -- and it does. People complain about "harsh highs" listening to music with this headset...THEIR SOURCE MATERIAL IS LOW QUALITY! Of COURSE an over-compressed MP3 file is going to sound TERRIBLE on any halfway decent DAC. Throw in a good recording of something recently done on a CD or something of equal quality (nice M4A at 256kbps or equivalent) and you're golden.
That's just music. I mention this first because that was my ONLY CONCERN buying this unit. I read review after review of "harsh highs" and "not enough bass" which makes me sick. The bass is there, it's just instead of anything past 500hz was normally smeared all down the spectrum making it indiscernible from the rest of the noise your noggin was bogged down with all these years.
The problem I have with this headset is all that dolby headphone simulation stuff sounds HORRID. Any time you turn it on its like it takes the beautiful bits sound and turns them into bigger, less precise blocks of noise. Yes, it DOES sound like its in a bigger room, or directionally correct based on how you set it, it just sounds horrible. Leave it on 5.1 or 7.1 surround with none of those buttons turned on and it sounds GREAT! Even for stereo source material -- it just processes it better. Another thing you definitely want to do is go into your sound settings and set it to 24 bit audio 96khz output -- the converter is actually decent at these rates.
The mic does a decent job of filtering out noises without putting a hard and fast reducer algorithm so it still sounds natural, and you can hear noise in the room, its just lower. You can set that to 16bit 48khz, as well.
Theres TONS of volume on this thing -- just keep it at a reasonable level and it'll treat you right. Use the mixer on windows 7 to your advantage. Set the output on the programs (itunes, skype, video games) to max (or close to it) and mix the sound in using the control panel -- definitely the way to go.
I could go on (as you can tell), but suffice it to say, this is worth at least double the price in terms of usefulness, it doesn't seem like it will ever break, the audio is WONDERFUL (but you won't be used to its precision if you've never taken audio seriously before).
To the reviewer who said this was not for audio purists, I submit it ONLY suitable to audio purists, and to those not afraid to venture deeper into the audio world for extracurricular activities.
This is a great one-stop-shop for a laptop audio solution.
Windows 7 64bit, btw.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Corsair CA-HS1NA Gaming Audio Series HS1 USB Gaming Headset

The Gaming Audio Series HS1 USB Gaming Headset is designed for gamers who are serious about audio. Massive 50mm drivers deliver serious gaming punch, without sacrificing the sparkling sound quality you need to enjoy music and movies.Dolby Headphone surround sound gives you a competitive edge, and the noise-cancelling microphone ensures that your teammates and opponents hear you loud and clear. Extra-large earcups and fabric covered memory foam earpads provide a firm fit and excellent noise isolation without binding or pinching, so you'll keep your cool and keep your head in the game for hours of playtime.The extra-large inline volume and microphone controller is easy to grab when things get fast, and the HS1 is designed and crafted with high-quality materials for years of use.

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