“Quality levels amongst gaming
headsets vary massively”
You wouldn’t play ARMA III on the
integrated GPU inside Intel’s processors, so why is it that so many PC gamers
use crappy headphones while gaming? Today’s titles include soundscapes that
could have been ripped from the latest Hollywood blockbusters, with award-winning
composers penning unique scores while audio engineers deliver perfect sound
effects. Listening to these works of art through substandard headphones is a
huge disservice to the thousands of hours of work poured into making our games
sound so great.
Headphones aren’t just convenient, allowing
you to fully immerse yourself in a roaring battlefield without waking your
roommates; they’re also a very cost-efficient way of obtaining high quality
audio. Unfortunately quality levels amongst gaming headsets vary massively, so
we’ve tested five of the newest headsets for you. Read on to see which one
deserves to tickle your ear drums.
Audio Technica ATH-A500X
Price: $149
Unlike the other headsets in the roundup,
the ATH-A500X isn’t brand new. It’s been around for a couple of years now, but
we simply had to include them. These are the reference headphones that PCPP
uses to test all other headsets against, and time and time again they
continually prove themselves to be the ones to beat.
Note that they’re not designed for gaming,
so there’s no microphone. Instead they’re aimed at music, movie and game
lovers, but what they lack in features they make up for with audio quality. Put
simply these are the best sounding gaming headphones at this price point. Their
strength is in the detail; every single sound effect can be heard, no matter
how busy the soundscape. They tend towards the high end, with a slightly crisp
tone, but if you want to hear every footstep or reload cycle, nothing comes
close.
Audio Technical ATH-A500X specs
·
Incredible sound quality
·
Excellent value
·
Very comfortable
·
No microphone
·
No digital processor
Verdict: 10/10
If you don’t mind a bright, crisp
soundstage, these are the best gaming headphones we’ve tested.
AZIO Levetron GH808
Not too cheap, but oh so nasty
Price: $80
AZIO
Levetron GH808
At just $80, these headphones seem like
rather good value. The USB connection used to pair them to your PC indicates
that they include a Digital Sound Processor (DSP); this is basically an
external sound card, built into the headphone. The software for this DSP allows
you to set them to stereo mode, as well as virtual 5.1 or 7.1. A built in mic
on a bending boom sits alongside a volume knob on one ear cup, both handy
features for PC gamers.
Unfortunately, the audio quality is pretty
dismal. Where better headphones clearly separate each sound effect, the GH808’s
smooth everything together into one messy roar of noise. Not only does it sound
horrid, it also makes it hard to determine which direction a certain sound
effect is coming from. Adding insult to injury are the vibrating ear cups,
which pulse wildly along to bass effects, which ends up tickling your inner ear
during particularly wild scenes. Avoid at all costs.
AZIO Levetron GH808 specs
·
Includes DSP
·
Good fit
·
Microphone boom
·
Terribad audio quality
·
Horrible software
·
Lacks positional audio
Verdict: 5/10
We didn’t expect top quality at this price,
but we also didn’t expect them to sound quite so bad.
Corsair Vengeance 2000
Insane value for money
Price: $139
Corsair
Vengeance 2000
Corsair is a very R&D driven company,
and the benefit of this approach is obvious when testing the Vengeance 2000s.
They might not have quite as much detail as our favorite, the ATH-A500X, but
they’re not far off. A much warmer, more natural tone is delivered, which
arguably sounds more lifelike than the Audio Technica. They don’t get
overwhelmed when your game is imploding under the weight of a thousand nukes
going off, and their virtual 7.1 surround is nigh on perfect. Considering
they’re also wireless, with a built-in rechargeable battery as well as a
digital sound processor (they plug in via USB), and these headphones represent
astonishing value. Heck, there’s even a quality microphone on a folding boom.
In all, there’s simply no better way to blow $140 on game audio. Highly
recommended.
Corsair Vengeance 2000 specs
·
Excellent sound quality
·
Great surround effect
·
Outstanding value
·
Lacks a little bit of the high end detail of
other headsets
Verdict: 9/10
If you’ve got $140 to blow and don’t
already have a sound card, the Vengeance 2000 is the headset to buy.
Thermaltake DRACCO Captain
Not the noise you’re looking for
Price: $100
Thermaltake
DRACCO Captain
The quality of a headset is usually
determined by the driver, which is the small speaker in each ear cup. The
bigger the driver, the better the sound quality, and 50mm drivers are not
created equal, as the DRACCO Captains use 50mm drivers yet still sound pretty
damn average.
Swapping from the ATH-A500X directly to
these headphones, we immediately noticed that the high end of the soundstage
disappeared. It was as if the top 30% of tones were simply removed. This is not
a good thing, as it means you won’t hear some of the subtle cues used to help
your situational awareness. They also failed to hold up under the weight of
sustained aural bombardment, with multiple sound effects blurring into one. At
this price we really expected much better performance.
Thermaltake DRACCO Captain specs
·
Comfortable design
·
Looks slick
·
Included microphone
·
Lackluster high end performance
·
Distorts under load
Verdict: 6/10
Considering the Vengeance 2000 is just $40
more, the DRACCO Captain in a poor purchase.
Turtle Beach Ear Force Z Seven
Great quality at an outrageous price
Price: $348
Turtle
Beach Ear Force Z Seven
Turtle Beach has no qualms in charging
insane prices for its headphones, and the new Z Seven PC cans take the cake for
wallet-shock. Costing more than a PlayStation 3, these headphones include a
huge external audio control unit, which is basically an external sound card.
It’s loaded with features, including Dolby Headphone virtual surround,
different profiles for various game types, and detailed chat volume controls.
The headphones are beautifully constructed, with nigh on perfect comfort levels,
even after hours of wearing them. However, in the crucial audio tests we found
these $350 headphones weren’t quite up to the same standards as the much more
affordable ATH-A500X, which you could buy along with a new SoundBlaster
Z-series for a cheaper price. However, if you need an external sound solution
due to a cramped case, this is probably the best option available, provided
you’ve got more dollars than sense.
Turtle Beach Ear Force Z Seven specs
·
Excellent sound quality
·
Powerful digital sound processor
·
Very comfortable
·
Check out that price
·
Lacks a little high end detail
Verdict: 8/10
If money is no object, these are worth
considering if you can’t fit a sound card inside your case.
