Headphones -- Any one with Advice?

[Sssith]

So I need new headphones.  They come cheap and go all the way up to stupidly expensive.

They come with mic and without.

They come in regular stereo, 7.1, and virtual 7.1.  I have heard that 7.1 comes with the equivalent of multiple earbuds and that that is a bad idea.  Those same people say virtual is the way to go.  I have read the opposite.  7.1 sucks if virtual.

I am mainly looking to get one for gaming.  I don't really need a mic but maybe one day I will learn to be social and would like to have one for yelling profanities at people I don't know.  Corded or not is not that important but in theory no cord sounds nice.  Comfortable and good sound (what a novel concept) is important.

Any of you people have any good advice?

[maxbeedo]

I use Corsair Gaming H2100 wireless headphones.  They've got about a 30 ft. range although certain walls in my house block the signal, but it's long enough for me to get up from my desk and go to the fridge while still listening to whatever I was watching, which is all I really want from wireless headphones.  They've been very comfy for 3 years or so, although sometimes they glitch out and turn off even while connected with the cord, but only maybe once a week or so, and I just turn them back on and they're fine.

[Pixie]

I haven't used headphones in a while (yay, one of the side effects of getting divorced meant I could hook up a rockin' set of 5.1 speakers and turn my PC into an entertainment center LOL), but when I did, I tended toward Logitech ones which always seemed decent enough for the price (I stay in the $50-100 range). I have a lot of friends who swear by Sennheiser for a good mix of sound quality and comfort.

I do know that the one "virtual 7.1" set I tried was horrible. YMMV.

[narsica]

I use the Logitech G430s (wired, with mic). They're decent, although the mic is cracked at the elbow from them falling off the stand. Not the most comfortable for long periods, but definitely serviceable.

Sennheiser make the most comfortable headphones I've ever put on my head.

[Sssith]

Interesting that you said that about Sennheiser as I am replacing Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and while they are ok comfort wise I didn't love them.  Pretty good sound though.

So after tons of research this is what I concluded.  Don't get real 7.1 headphones.  Real ones mean that you have multiple drivers in each ear piece.  The common complaint on this is that it is incredibly tough to get them to synchronize correctly.  Virtual 7.1 is a nice thing to have, depending on how it is done.  The good news is that there are a bunch of ways to achieve that.  Sound cards, dongles, the actual headset.  Most gaming headsets have somewhat lousy microphones.  There are a couple good ones according to reviews.  Again another possibility is to actually get a headset without the microphone and then buy one separately.  Again there are a bunch of choices when it comes to getting an add on mic.  The negative, unless you get one that sits on your desk, is that you have a separate cord.  I decided to go this route and start off by not buying a mic.  I will eventually get one if only to handles business calling when I am working from home.

So if I don't need a headset with 7.1 or a mic where does that leave me?  Basically trying to get the best headset from a sound point of view.  Now I still wanted one that would be good for gaming.  People talk about this idea of a 'soundstage'.  The idea is to have really clear sound where you can separate the different things you are hearing.  This translates in game to hearing all different sound queues that the game provides.  One thing that helps with this is if the headset has an 'open back'.  This is opposed to a closed back set.  Open back means that air, and therefore sound, is able to penetrate, and escape, the ear pieces.  By all accounts this leads to a bigger soundstage.  The negative to this is that sound from the outside will get and the opposite is true.  So you can't use these style headphones in public or in a room with other people.

I ended up getting the ATH M50x.  I am a bit nervous as I am getting them refurbished to keep the price down.  I got a closed back because I want to be able to commute with them and my wife sometimes reads in the same room as me.  This set comes with detachable cord.  I am hoping that this will make it convient to commute with.  One cord for home.  One for the train.  One for the office.  Another benefit is that I will use this not just for gaming but also to listen to music.

[Darkness]

I got these to replace my ailing creative headphones.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/500E-Surround-Sound-Headset-sport/dp/B015FXKYRU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1528288888&sr=8-5&keywords=plantronics+gaming+headset

Affordable, comfortable and good quality sound.

[Sssith]

I got my new headphones. HOLY FUCK.  I have been listening to music and what a freakin' difference.  They sound awesome and I am hearing things that I hadn't noticed before.

Comfort wise I am less impressed.  They sit a little differently on my head and I am going to have to get used to them.  They probably need to be broken in.

Now I am starting to wonder what more expensive headset sound like.  I am guessing this is how people become audiophiles.