Quboid Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I'm looking for a headset for PC gaming with good surround sound and a microphone. What really interests me is how the system reacts to it - I don't want to have to mess around with trying to get the right wire into the right socket on my sound card (Creative X-Fi), just to take them out when I'm not gaming and I want my 2.1 speakers for menial crap like YouTube. Especially as these sockets are really awkward to reach. Does this mean I need a USB headset? Will Windows (Vista 64-bit) react properly when this is plugged/unplugged and switch the system's sound device accordingly? Reviews don't cover this kind of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 When you plug in the USB Soundcard, you should just be able to change between the active output unit in the control panel which is a 2-second job. I also believe the last connected PnP sound unit becomes the primary selected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbo Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 I would recommend a USB headset. Vista does switch the audio device flawlessly as soon as it's plugged in and switches back when you unplug it. N.B. Some games might not support this though, but as long as you do it before starting you'll be alright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quboid Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Any headsets in particular? Wireless would be nice but probably not worth the extra cash and weight. I'm more interested in sound quality in gaming and surround sound compatibility - I'm reading that the Tritton headsets don't properly support games in Vista, although all these reviews were from over a year ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Plantronics GameCom 777 (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryster Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Logitech Clearchat PC Wireless. http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/webcam_c...26&cl=gb,en USB, Wireless and Light :) With nice volume control on the right hand ear "cup" also a big mic mute button in the middle too. I've got two (one at work, one at home) and love them very much. Extremely good range too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quboid Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 Plantronics 777 doesn't have proper surround sound and only uses a stereo connection. It uses some sort of software emulation, right? Does it matter? Is there any cases were the emulation fails (e.g. older EAX games, Blu-Ray movies, etc)? (This [OC]ModShop review talks about the stereo > surround issues.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quboid Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Has anyone used the Medusa 5.1 Home SL-8796 (reviews here)? It looks ideal as it takes full advantage of my good soundcard while providing me with 5.1 sound. The amp looks quite handy! What is the sound quality like? A few reviews complain of poor bass, I'd be using them for watching war films or playing games so bass is important. These reviews are quite old, possibly newer revisions have fixed their complains - any opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealMySoda Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 From what I've heard they are great headsets. But just slightly fragile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quboid Posted March 26, 2009 Author Share Posted March 26, 2009 Well I'm not going to LAN parties very often. Screw it, it's ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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