Good headsets for around 50$

[Venctin]

What are some good gaming headsets for around 50$? Mic is not required.

I might be able to stretch to 60$, but just barely.

[Don Julio Anejo]

Do you want to listen to music on them? If so, eBay and Sony MDR 7506 are your best bet for anything musical. If not Sony, any decent set (which means absolutely no Skullcandy), such as Sennheiser will do (although can't recommend specific models, I'm more familiar with their higher end ones). Games aren't really all that demanding when it comes to sound quality - you generally want good lows and not too much bass. Also, buy diaphragm headphones (what most people refer to as "DJ headphones," or headphones where each speaker covers your entire ear, rather than just the canal or an earbud). The above mentioned Sony are diaphragm ones.

Ideally, walk into a high-end electronics/music/audio/whatever store or Sony store with your iPod and try a bunch of headsets in the $100 or so range. They will generally be on eBay for around $40 (ex: the 7506 used to retail for $150, the 7509 for 220, you can get the first for $50, the second for $90).

Edit: if no eBay, Sony MDR V150 or V300 aren't too bad when it comes to the price and one of them should fall into your given price range.

[Venctin]

I'm thinking about getting Razer Carcharias (http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Carcharias-Gaming-Headset-Black/dp/B001PTH0VW).

Oh, and these will be used mainly for listening to YouTube videos, and gaming.

[UserClone]

My Logitech one was like 35 bucks and sounds great.

Also @ Don Julio:

Two words, Canuck:
TIM THOMAS!

[Don Julio Anejo]

I'm thinking about getting Razer Carcharias (http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Carcharias-Gaming-Headset-Black/dp/B001PTH0VW).

Oh, and these will be used mainly for listening to YouTube videos, and gaming.
No experience with this particular brand or model, but spec wise they seem okay. Limited at 200mw power which means they won't be very loud should you need them to be, but quality will be decent. I'd say go for it if you want the mic. If not, a better deal would be Sony MDR V6 (http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-V6-Monitor-Headphones-Voice/dp/B00001WRSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1307919913&sr=1-1) (pretty much the same thing as the above mentioned 7506).

But either way, both will be more than sufficient for gaming or youtube videos.

Oh, and UserClone: two words. "Four" and "shutouts." which don't go together with Tim Thomas :tongue:

[Mando Knight]

Oh, and these will be used mainly for listening to YouTube videos, and gaming.

I don't think most YouTube videos have high enough fidelity to justify buying more than a $10-30 Logitech headset...

(Also, how many audiophiles (http://xkcd.com/841/) does it take to change a lightbulb?)

[Venctin]

Yes, most youtube videos don't have very good fidelity, but I want something that will last a while and feel comfortable.

[dromer]

Logitech Clearchat USB Headsets. These are the best things since sliced bread.

[Xyk]

For gaming and youtube, you really don't need to spend more than $15. I like Sony's cheap earbuds. It's gonna be more economical to get new cheap ones every 8 months or so (depending on how violent you are with your listening instruments) than to get the more expensive durable ones.

[grimbold]

i really like my skullcandy and my friends like their skulllcandy headphones
mone cost 40 euros which suggests they can be bought for 40-50$ in the states

[Don Julio Anejo]

Warning: wall of text ahead. Summary: don't buy earbuds or Skullcandy, they're bad. Buy a good dedicated headset, which will have higher quality, be more comfortable, and more durable.

1. Earbuds are bad for you. It's fine if you wear them for an hour a day while you're out jogging, but using them for a few hours straight will deafen you in a few years. I learned this the hard way. Luckily I stopped more or less in time and my hearing was able to recover, but still. It's because they're actually *inside* the canal and as such put a lot more force on your eardrums than headphones which go over your head.

2. They are also usually very uncomfortable if you wear them for a long period of time, like you often would when playing games.

3. Skullcandy are pieces of crap. The only thing going for them is, well, all the "cool" skulls on them, which works well for marketing to teenagers. But sound wise they're absolute crap. They're also fairly uncomfortable when compared to Sony, Sennheiser and especialy Bose. And often they go overboard on the bass, which is, again, cool when you're 15 but hurts your ears and is usually done at the expense of highs so violins or altos and sopranos sound very muffled.

4. I do recommend making an investment into a decent pair that's comfortable and has good sound. For games and YouTube it won't make _that_ much difference (although I can still hear the difference for a lot of YouTube videos between (my) Sony V500, MDR7509, midrange speakers+subwoofer combo, netbook speakers, laptop speakers and cheap headphones like the default iPod earbuds), but you can also use them to listen to music pretty much anywhere and from anything.

5. Comfortableness is a big issue. For example, one of the best things about Sony is a coiled "telephone" cord - while the cord itself is something like 3 meters long, it's coiled to a pretty comfortable 1.2 or so meters that doesn't get tangled up or stuck in places.

6. In the long run, a high end or even a midrange pair will be more cost effective than cheap disposable earbuds. In high school I used $30 earbuds that I replaced every 6-12 months or so as the wires broke or came loose. About 3 years back I got myself a decent midrange pair (Sony V500DJ, didn't know any better). They're still in perfect working condition with only a few cosmetic scratches after almost 3 years of daily use for 3-6 hours a day (I listen to music any time I'm alone and away from home). So far they've been more cost effective - I would have used at least 4 pars of earbuds by now, for a total of $120, while I paid $100 for the diaphragms.


(Also, how many audiophiles does it take to change a lightbulb?)
None, they prefer old hand-cranked Victrollas for their unparalleled faithfulness to original vinyl recordings :tongue:

[Fan]

For comfort, mid range sound quality, durability, and mic quality. Look no further. (http://www.amazon.com/Force-Amplified-Stereo-Gaming-Headset-Pc/dp/B002I0J5CO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308153329&sr=1-2)

They also happen to be good for PS3, Xbox360, and Mac.:smallwink:

[Venctin]

I was able to bump my budget up to 80 dollars.

Also, portability does not matter to me, in any way shape or form.