Hi everyone

I’m looking to get a new gaming headset. Really, I’m mostly interested in good headphones as I have a desktop mic I’m fairly happy with. I’ve seen the Arctis 1 Wireless recently and I think they look great. Now that they’ve been out for a bit, the reviews seem good. I’m also looking at the Arctis 7, since it’s the next step up and is currently only $18 more. From what I can tell, the major differences are that the 1s have that usb-c dongle for use with a Switch or other usb-c devices, and the 7s have some sort of surround built in. Both are nice to haves but not deal breakers, if I’m using the 1s with a device other than my PC, I don’t necessarily mind a small aux cable. With the 7s, I already have virtual surround through Razor and don’t know how big of a difference something in the headphones would make.

Is one really better than the other due to factors I might be overlooking? Or is there an even better pair of (wireless) headphones/ a headset around the $100 USD range? I don’t mind going a little over. I also don’t think either of these have Bluetooth, which I’d honestly prefer. But they both seem to have a similar dongle I’m guessing will connect through one of the aux ports on my mobo and am okay with.

I’ll add a giveaway tonight, thanks for any insight or suggestions!

4 years ago

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Which headset should I buy?

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Arctis 1
Arctis 7
Other (please comment with what and why)

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4 years ago
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As promised. Thanks for the input!

4 years ago
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4 years ago
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My usual recommendation is skip those 7 channel surround headsets with their tiny drivers and get a pair of quality stereo headphones plus an extra mic (which you already have). I'm very happy with my Philips X2 Fidelio (they were over 300€ when I bought them). They have excellent sound quality for a reasonable price ($150) and are very comfortable to wear.

4 years ago
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+1

4 years ago
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Solid suggestion, thank you very much! Definitely going to do some more research on these

4 years ago
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I second that. I did quite a bit of research when I was looking for a headset some years ago, and I quickly realized that there are no headsets that come even close to good stereo headphones. I personally use the Sennheiser 660s, which are quite expensive. Drop (formerly known as Massdrop) has the Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee on sale quite often for a really good price (something like 180$, I believe). Those are a steal that price point. A bit over your budget, I admit. But definitely a good choice that you won't regret.

4 years ago
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For sure. The more I read the more I’m thinking of just getting good dynamic headphones rather than “gaming” headphones. I don’t need the mic and I want high quality I can use for gaming and also music. I’ll look into those and maybe just wait an extra month or two for a better pair. Thanks!

4 years ago
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For people from EU, the X2 is currently on heavy sale here

4 years ago
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Those Philips look nice. I had never come across the Arctis line before but I didn't know SteelSeries was into headsets either. Of course, I don't have too much experience with headsets, let alone gaming headsets for that matter but the Sony MDR-7506 have been pretty great for everything I've used them with.

If I went with the Arctis, I would get the wired ones--they're half the price and personally I almost always prefer wired over wireless.

4 years ago
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I’ve seen the wired 1s and think they look pretty nice but I’d honestly like a wireless pair. Something that I can more easily use with multiple devices does appeal to me

4 years ago
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I'm at the almost exact same predicament trying to choose a new headset. Reviews say the wireless Arctis 1 is great for its wireless price but apparently the sound isn't that great cus low price range. The arctis 7 seems to be a better pick with more solid reviews even though the surround is apparently not that great. I also have Razer surround which works decently imo so surround is not a factor for me either. I've done some researching and the result that I've come to is that there isn't an overall great gaming headset+mic yet, every pair seems to have mixed flaws, the best choice might be to get a good headphone w/o mic for the sound and a separate mic of some kind. I'm on the fence in getting the Arctis Pro + gamedac that's on sale atm, I do love audiophile sound, but pricing ... not sure. Might end up with the Arctis 7s myself or beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO.

4 years ago*
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Hah, I’m glad I’m not the only one! I looked at the Pros as well but I just don’t want to spend that kind of money yet. I don’t need top of the line right now, but I want to get something of at least decent quality. I know there’s an element of you get what you pay for but both have a good frequency range and my super cheap 20-20k headphones have served me very well. As long as the stats are good and the build quality is at least medium, I can very much work with the phones

4 years ago
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There's actually a few great headset out there, i can name a few :

Sennheiser Game One

CoolerMaster MH751 or 752

Audeze Mobius Expensive but brings a lot on the table.

That being said, as an audiophile myself i much prefer to get a nice pair of headphones and adds a Modmic on it.

Most if not all headset with 7.1 are pretty crap, if you want the virtual surround you should try Sennheiser GSX 1000 or Creative G6.

4 years ago
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Did you check HyperX Cloud Flight?
I also considered Arctic 7 a few months ago, but since I got Flights during a sale (around 85 EUR). So far I am very happy with it. Of course it does not offer any gimmicks, like 7.1, game mode or similar features and the build design might be pretty cheap (all plastic), but they are very comfortable (probably the most comfortable set I ever had) and the sound quality is very good (I`m not an audiophile, thus do not trust my statement about the sound quality :) )
With disabled LED lightning, I get around 25-27 hours of usage with a single charge and a solid concrete wall is not an issue, in fact it still plays even if I am behind two solid walls (10+ meters from the pc). However, somehow it does not work if a glass is involved. For example if I go to a balcony (around 3 meters from the PC), it does not work anymore even if the only obstacle is a glass door..

4 years ago
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I’ll certainly add them to the research list :)

4 years ago
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Skip on any 7.1 headphones. It's a gimmick. Despite them having so many drivers they are way too close to your ears to make a difference... so it's all simulated through software anyway. Smaller drivers mean worse control and audio range.
Instead go for AKG K550 (or any of their successors) if you want relatively flat sound signature - it means that they're always close to the original sounding of your audio track. However flat response may and will sound "boring" in comparison to other types of headphones and you'll find that the bass is on the lean side of the spectrum. It doesn't mean that they have no bass. No, it's there and it has incredible accuracy and it goes very low but it doesn't do the"ooompffff". AKG k550/k553 are closed type which means that you're well isolated from background noises and may have a hard time at the beginning when speaking through microphone until you get used to it.
If you want something more "fun" go for headphones with "V" shaped response - they have more bass and highs but it may make some sacrifices in the vocals. Listening to music in them is like you're in a cinema - everything sounds so epic. DT990 are V shaped and semi-open back. You can wear them for hours and they won't make you tired but be wary as DT990 are known for their "high" highs - you may not even notice them but if you're really sensitive to that you'll need to spend some days to get used to them or just slightly change the highs in the eq. It may sound bad on paper but in reality these HP make up for it with their quality, huge scene and really tasty bass.

You can also check AKG k7xx (relatively neutral open headphones with plenty of bass), Sennheiser HD600/HD650 for something darker with amazing bass and still somewhat neutral response.

With any of these mentions you cannot go wrong. Also, if you want to go even beyond that you may get yourself some DAC+amp. I've assisted in numerous audio upgrades and the biggest surprise always came when someone got used to their new headphones and tried changing their audio source. Going from integrated sound card to some cheap dedicated DAC+amp combo is a must at some point if you don't want to have any bottleneck in your setup. Especially with those HP mentioned above.

If you want a dac and amp suggestion current top of quality per buck would be JDS Atom and Khadas tone board combo. Each one costs $99 which isn't cheap if you are just starting but know well that they are way cheaper than before. Same quality cost was around $2000-$3000 for once piece and $1500-$3500 for other before these little things came out. It's a real hi-fi quality stuff.

4 years ago*
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If you want something more in a "budget" range - check out Superlux headphones reviews. Their name sounds like some cheap fridge or washing machine brand but don't let it deceive you. They have some really good quality stuff in affordable prices.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAoJ7D0jqo8

4 years ago
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Incredible detail, thank you so much. Have a blue heart

4 years ago
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Agree with most you said, i can tell you know your stuff and you made some good points however i feel like i have to point out that the Khadas tone board isn't a good recommendation here. We're not in audiophile territory, the average gamer ain't going to build that, it's too bothersome for them. A Topping D10 would be a much better recommendation imo.

4 years ago
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Pretty much all of the Toppings are good indeed.

The thing is. I do believe that despite my recommendation it's far too early for anyone picking their first "better" headphones to buy an amp and dac.
It's a next step, a goal to pursue after the initial dust settle down. But then, I wouldn't recommend a Topping D10 to someone who wants to improve their system once again. It's a mere half-step that will consume some money while still giving you some space for improvements. If you are already stuck with DT990, Sen HD650, HE560 or Audeze LCD-2c you don't go and pick a medium class dac if for the same money you can get something better.

But hey, I'm still waiting for their balanced version with the ESS Hump solution applied. It should come soon, with some case this time. At least I hope so ;)

4 years ago*
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I am not an audiophile, just bumping.

4 years ago
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I never heared from the Arctic ones.

As other ones recommended i would recommend you a Sennheiser too.

I use since around 15 years nothing else anymore. The first Sennheiser Pc 151 catched me, and i used it till a few months ago, and now i use a Sennheiser GSP 350 with fantastic Dolby sound. It boosts the quality at all Games, movies and everywhere else extremly [the only excluting from this rule, that i found, is the lootboy site... their sounds are really bad -but they have only 2 or 3 at the site :-D -]

And i advice to always prefer Headsets/Headphones from Audio Specialists (Teufel, Sennheiser, Boose) and NOT from Gamer Equipment companies (Razer and so on).
Quality above the "look" and the gamer stuff are always more expensive IF they are able to reach a similar quality (they don't reach it many times in my opinion)

4 years ago*
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Always going to recommend Sennheiser. I would recommend headphones + mic for PC gaming rather than headset for the most high quality experience, but that's also the most expensive option, probably $200. A Sennheiser One or Zero headset (open vs closed) is probably around $120.

4 years ago
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I've used the Beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro for the past 3 years. My uncle has owned the same pair for over 10 years. It has excellent sound and build quality and is super comfortable, I highly recommend them.

4 years ago
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Closed 3 years ago by Thedogma.