Have to buy new headphones for Group Play - Are Stereo Sets good enough?

SpAEkus · August 2016

I broke my expensive pair of Sharkoon 7.1 surround headphones a few weeks back and have been meaning to get something new to finally start trying some group play.

The Surround Sound and microphone was excellent but they were actually a bit tight and heavy for extended play.

So..is ESO a surround sound game natively? There aren't any specific surround settings in the GUI that I recognize. If it isn't then its all the soundcard/headphones that are moving positional sounds to different drivers correct? Or am I just confusing this.

Bottom-line there are some better quality/cheaper stereo headphones than some of the touted 3D sets and I'd like to know if 3D phones are an absolute must or not for best group play?

cjthibs · August 2016

Personally, I use a set of Harman Kardon headphones and a Blue desk microphone.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-NESSIE-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00BUIA362

I can't find the exact model of the headphones, but they were around $60 at Fry's.
So for the mic and headphones, I spent around $160 and have way better sound quality than any gaming headset I've ever used.

The gaming branded stuff is typically stupidly overpriced and not as high of quality as other things you could get.

SpAEkus · August 2016

So Stereo just fine? Or are those surround?

cjthibs · August 2016

SpAEkus wrote: »

So Stereo just fine? Or are those surround?

'Surround sound' on headphones is usually emulation anyway...there are real surround sound headphones with discrete speakers, but those are usually much more expensive. If I am playing and I want surround sound I take off the headphones and use my actual speakers.

If you just want game sound and clear voice comms the set up I mentioned works fantastic.
If you want surround sound at the same time, then you are probably stuck with a $250 headset.

HuawaSepp · August 2016

I have a >2k $ 7.2 system and use a 40$ Stereo Headset for gaming on PC...
The difference is the missing 7 surround sound sources and the (infinite) surround bass and the missing low frequencies (no feeling < 16Hz and not linear > 16Hz) when using a Headset.

Robbmrp · August 2016

I use a Corsair Gaming H2100 Dolby 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset for my ESO experience. It's a great head set and I love it. Here's a link to one.

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gaming-Wireless-Headset-CA-9011127-NA/dp/B00N803C7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472052289&sr=8-1&keywords=corsair+2100+headset

Asmodean · August 2016

Actually, 2.0 headphones/sets are typically higher quality than the 'surround' counterparts. Which 99% of are emulated surround. Which actually negatively affects audio quality.

Saying that: if you've had the surround ones for a while, I expect you've gotten used to it, and 2.0 might sound weird for a while if you got them.

If you're looking for quality - when choosing a new pair: keep an eye out for headsets where the audio is connected via input jack (vs usb), and the mic is usb connected.

My personal preference is to actually just get a proper pair of headphones, and a mic separately. I'm not a fan of headsets, personally.

attackjet · August 2016

I use turtle Beach's.

The x420's

P3ZZL3 · August 2016

I thought the whole "Must have 77.78 Surround sound dolby fx digital omg reflex audio kickback headphones all came from the whole CS Scene where "hearing footsteps was vital".

I've always used 2.0 headsets and now have Turtle Beach - TURTLE BEACH Earforce Z60 7.1 Gaming Headset and honestly can't really tell the difference

Nestor · August 2016

SpAEkus wrote: »

So..is ESO a surround sound game natively?

Played through a good sound card (I have a Sound Blaster, not on Board) the surround sound cues in this game are amazing. And, helpful for combat. Although, the middle of dungeon brawl with multiple players and mobs, it kind of all gets muddled.

I have a Logitech Headset with Surround Sound that does a pretty good job of giving the surround sound effect. I don't know if they are discrete speakers or some matrix emulation that do it. However, I will say that not playing this game in Surround Sound is losing out on the great environmental cues that are available to you.

cjthibs · August 2016

P3ZZL3 wrote: »

I thought the whole "Must have 77.78 Surround sound dolby fx digital omg reflex audio kickback headphones all came from the whole CS Scene where "hearing footsteps was vital".

I've always used 2.0 headsets and now have Turtle Beach - TURTLE BEACH Earforce Z60 7.1 Gaming Headset and honestly can't really tell the difference

...honestly I can't tell much difference between 2.0 and virtual surround either. Except it all just sounds a bit more muddled together. I definitely don't hear footsteps behind myself in FPS'es or anything useful like that.

It's 90% gimmick as far as I'm concerned, and I'd rather just have quality sound rather than expensive gimmicky sound.

Miszou · August 2016

Logitech make some really nice headsets. I have the G35, but you can get the exact same audio hardware in the lower end models that aren't wireless and don't have all the pointless extra buttons on them. The only reason I went wireless is because "convenient on-cable controls" are always located exactly where my chest meets the desk and are not actually convenient at all...

Also, wireless is awesome when you type "bio" in group chat and forget to mute the mic.

http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/gaming-headsets

The only issue I have is when I first plug them in, Windows freaks out for a moment and tells me there's no audio drivers installed. But I just need to select "playback devices" from the audio settings and then it's all like "oh yeah, we restarted the audio service for you bruh" and then works flawlessly.

smtdbplus · August 2016

I had used 3 setups.

1. Tiamat 7.1 - not very comfortable, the true surround sound is alright, but the headset drivers lack precision. Positioning is the worst in these 3 setup . I gave it to my friend.
2. Sennheiser Game Zero + razor surround sound emulator (free version) - the surround sound is quite artificial but very wide, good positioning, clear sound signature, not for bass head, good isolation and the mic is excellent. Very comfortable even for a 8+ hour session and the headset is quite heavy. My main setup.
3. Razor surround sound emulator + Panasonic mid range DAC + Angie in ear headphone + a crappy external mic - I was shocked when i first tried this, i closed my eyes and listen to the siegings (pvp), 3 on my right and 2 on my left with extremely accurate position presentation. I then realized zos did put in much effort into the sound engineering which was underappreciated . I do this sometimes just for fun.

Mojmir · August 2016

if you need a mic as well, corsair
No mic,polk audio

SpAEkus · August 2016

Thanks All for the suggestions. I'll have to do some homework.

Chew_Magna · August 2016

I use a cheap Plantronics usb headset and it does perfectly fine for me. I think I paid $20 for it, and it's the best sounding and most comfortable headset I've had in 20 or so years (compared to many that were far more expensive).

Shimmer · August 2016

I go through headsets like candy. Literally anything that CAN be done to a headset, ive done it.

I am using logitech G35 headset and its surround and it sounds nice. I also have a button that lets me speak like a gnome (squirrel) thats pretty entertaining :P