rip|TEAM

Mine has a short ...I have an xfi fatality soundcard and heard 5.1 is the best?   should I get another headset that uses 5.1 analog? or go the usb route?   should I go stereo?  I'm looking for the best positional audio for bf3?  Any recommendations?

I'm loving my Corsair HS1 (usb). I like it better than my old Zalman surround set.

Just to be clear there is no such thing as true 5.1 headsets. They just emulate it, you still have 2 speakers. I have gone through Razor, creative, plantronics, and logitech and to this day my favorite set still is the logitech G35 headset.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104281&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Headsets+and+Accessories-_-Logitech-_-26104281

Just to be clear, My (and i believe ripper's) old Zalmans actually do have 3 speakers per side, rather than 2 ...

(http://images.sudhian.com/review/audio/Zalman%20Theatre%206/b2.jpg)

as do my even older MedUSA's from Germany...

(http://www.pcgate.geomerx.com/grfx/MediaVault/LTB-HEADPHONE.jpg)

... however, with encoding tech like Qsound (http://www.qsound.com/demos/3d-audio.htm) or Dolby Headphone (http://www.dolby.com/uploadedFiles/zz-_Shared_Assets/English_Flash/Consumer/Dolby_Technologies/ce_cd_0310DHandDVSdemo.swf), 2 speaker systems can sometimes be more effective at creating a surround or '3d' soundstage. Multi-speaker headphones were an idea worth trying out but ultimately not really effective.

I like my Sennheiser

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/pro-gamer-headset-usb-pc-skype-voip

Good to know I just assumed most manufacturer only have 2 speakers and emulate surround then slap a sticker on it. Even the MedUSA's i would not consider true surround. Each channel needs to have its dedicated speaker. Looks like they try to mix LFE and FR or FL in that picture.

True they tend to work out as 5.0-ish ... but they do have multi-speaker setups and accept true multichannel input (6 channels analog, thru three two-channel 1/8" plugs).

I was just demonstrating that not all 'surround' labelled phones "emulate" with "2" speakers only. Clearly the market offers  somewhat more complex options than that.

Anyway, the Corsair, Logitech & Sennheiser suggestions are all pretty decent imo. Probably it comes down to price, microphone quality, durability and comfort.

I have been using a Sennheiser PC-350 headset with a headset amp (FiiO E5) to boost the output of my laptop to take advantage of what the headset can handle for the past month.  I really do like the sound and build quality of the PC-350.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Sennheiser-PC-350-PRO-Gaming-Headset_Peripheral_review



Buz,

I also had a Medusa 5.1 Headphone setup for years...  I got the duel amp (with two headsets) and had to order it from a place in the UK.  This was before the US site was up.

It really was a stunning headset for the time, and the 5.1 passthrough to my external external speakers was just brilliant.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/headsets-gamers-can-love,review-1368-2.html

 

They were pretty nice yh :) I was using them in my BF1942 days. Sometime toward the end of the BFV era the amp died on me and that was when I gave the Zalmans a shot, which were also good in their way.

So far though I think my Corsairs are probably my fave. I think the directional stereo processing aspect of sound cards has come a long way in recent times.