Xbox One X / PS4 Pro headset

Associate
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Hi people,

I'm possibly in the market for some surround sound headphones for the Xbox One X (I'm not sure if you can get them to use on the PS4 Pro too but would be bonus if they would) - what ones should I be looking at?
I’ve been looking at quite a few but I’m just getting lost with all the options and variations.
Chatting on them isn’t a big deal for me but I would like a really good sounding, quality set.

Cheers.
 
Soldato
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Stoke on Trent
The easy way of doing this and I know it won't be popular, is to just use any wired headset or headphones plugged into the controller. That's what I use and I can swap between ps4 and Xbox one in about 1 second with no need to sync. I'm only sat there anyway when playing a game so the wire is no trouble at all.
 
Caporegime
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you want to buy a mixamp which is wired. then buy a spare set of wires for your other console (USB and Optical). then buy your preferred set of headphones depending on your preference.

this is where it becomes purely subjective.

do you want competitive focused headphones. wide soundstage but lacking in bass so you can pinpoint footsteps?

do you want immersive headphones which have good bass so you can feel explosions?

do you want all rounders?

the cheapest option is hyperx cloud II's and use USB. by using the mixamp will give you faux surround sound.

surround sound headphones are crap. the real ones anyway. they use tiny drivers and the smaller and more drivers you use quality goes out the window. otherwise you would have a headphone which costs £5000 and nobody buying it because it's too expensive.

so forget surround sound headphones (as in more than 1 driver per ear). you want a good quality set of stereo headphones (1 driver per ear) with a wide soundstage then something sending a faux surround signal to them like a astro mixamp.

sennheiser USB headsets again would be another cheap all in one option. the more you pay with sennheiser the better the headset.

personally i would go with AKG K712's and a astro mixamp. or AKG K702's. unless you want a lot of bass then it's likely to be fidelio x2's or something with even more bass.

The easy way of doing this and I know it won't be popular, is to just use any wired headset or headphones plugged into the controller. That's what I use and I can swap between ps4 and Xbox one in about 1 second with no need to sync. I'm only sat there anyway when playing a game so the wire is no trouble at all.

that would go against everything he is saying in the OP. he wants quality. the port on the controllers is absolutely crap. probably due to the cheap amp and DAC used within them. i've used the ds4 built in jack and having heard DAC's and AMP's from £10 all the way up to £800 this was one of the worst I have ever heard. i think it's further complicated by the original ps4's having a terrible bluetooth chipset within them but newer ps4's have a much better BT chipset which may have solved a lot of the crap i was hearing.
 
Associate
OP
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I'm really sorry for the late reply as I have been away.

Anyways while I was away I was having a good look around (I was in Florida so asked a few people in GameStops etc) and I think I am swaying towards the Arctis Pro Wireless headset. Apparently you can use this headset on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro along with phone and other bluetooth devices.

Has anyone used these before or have any input on them? I was looking at the A50 wireless headset but I'm not sure I like the look of them? The Steelseries ones look quite sleek and don't have loads of colourful things printed on them which I'm not bothered about.

One thing that I didn't originally write is that I'm not really bothered about the mic and if it has one whether the quality of it is amazing. Online chat isn't something I do (I'm a Wiganer, no one wants to hear this accent) so open to suggestions of any headset without one.

Thanks a lot.

John
 
Associate
OP
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Location
Auckland, New Zealand
you want to buy a mixamp which is wired. then buy a spare set of wires for your other console (USB and Optical). then buy your preferred set of headphones depending on your preference.

this is where it becomes purely subjective.

do you want competitive focused headphones. wide soundstage but lacking in bass so you can pinpoint footsteps?

do you want immersive headphones which have good bass so you can feel explosions?

do you want all rounders?

the cheapest option is hyperx cloud II's and use USB. by using the mixamp will give you faux surround sound.

surround sound headphones are crap. the real ones anyway. they use tiny drivers and the smaller and more drivers you use quality goes out the window. otherwise you would have a headphone which costs £5000 and nobody buying it because it's too expensive.

so forget surround sound headphones (as in more than 1 driver per ear). you want a good quality set of stereo headphones (1 driver per ear) with a wide soundstage then something sending a faux surround signal to them like a astro mixamp.

sennheiser USB headsets again would be another cheap all in one option. the more you pay with sennheiser the better the headset.

personally i would go with AKG K712's and a astro mixamp. or AKG K702's. unless you want a lot of bass then it's likely to be fidelio x2's or something with even more bass.



that would go against everything he is saying in the OP. he wants quality. the port on the controllers is absolutely crap. probably due to the cheap amp and DAC used within them. i've used the ds4 built in jack and having heard DAC's and AMP's from £10 all the way up to £800 this was one of the worst I have ever heard. i think it's further complicated by the original ps4's having a terrible bluetooth chipset within them but newer ps4's have a much better BT chipset which may have solved a lot of the crap i was hearing.


Thank you for the in depth reply.

I just want a good sounding headphone really. I'm no competition gamer or anything, just a casual gamer who wants a decent sounding headset but don't want to pay £50 for one and make do. I think I have a budget of around £300 if they are decent enough, and all rounders will be great.

As I said above I am not bothered about a mic as I don't do a lot of online chat, that doesn't bother me at all.

I will go and have a look at your suggestions now.

Thanks again.
 
Soldato
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I have a pair of the wireless Astro A50's. They're completely wireless for the PS4 and need a chat cable to go between the controller and headset for the Xbone. You just need to get 2 optical cables to use them between consoles. It's these that I have.
 
Caporegime
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38,372
Thank you for the in depth reply.

I just want a good sounding headphone really. I'm no competition gamer or anything, just a casual gamer who wants a decent sounding headset but don't want to pay £50 for one and make do. I think I have a budget of around £300 if they are decent enough, and all rounders will be great.

As I said above I am not bothered about a mic as I don't do a lot of online chat, that doesn't bother me at all.

I will go and have a look at your suggestions now.

Thanks again.

I can give you 2 solutions then

Creative Sound BlasterX G6

or

Creative sound blaster X7

I'd go with the G6 personally as it's half the price but if you want to add speakers later down the line then the X7 is the one to go for.

Then pair this with a good set of headphones. Again headphones are purely subjective. As in what sounds good to me will not sound good to everybody. I can give you a list of some of the best ones.

AKG K702 - £100 ish - probably one of the best all rounders, has a wide soundstage
AKG K712 - £175 ish - better version of the above but most people don't think it's worth the extra £75 only you can make the decision - it has better bass
Fidelio X2's - Overpriced but a very good all rounder - I wouldn't buy them at this price but if you want good bass and good soundstage these are the ones to go for. They are what most noobs would probably like the sound of as they are a very fun headphone to use which is why I am suggesting these.
Any decent sennheiser headphone - great clarity, amazing for music and good for gaming too however there are so many within their range you will need to research which will suit you.

Closed headphones - Beyerdynamic DT770 - these will get hot in longer gaming sessions but they will also block out background sound and not leak sound so others can hear it. They are probably the best closed headphones for gaming with no real alternatives without spending stupid money.

Basically - get on here

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mad...0-25-2018-creative-aurvana-trio-added.534479/

and start reading to define which headphone you want.
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
I'm really sorry for the late reply as I have been away.

Anyways while I was away I was having a good look around (I was in Florida so asked a few people in GameStops etc) and I think I am swaying towards the Arctis Pro Wireless headset. Apparently you can use this headset on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro along with phone and other bluetooth devices.

Has anyone used these before or have any input on them? I was looking at the A50 wireless headset but I'm not sure I like the look of them? The Steelseries ones look quite sleek and don't have loads of colourful things printed on them which I'm not bothered about.

One thing that I didn't originally write is that I'm not really bothered about the mic and if it has one whether the quality of it is amazing. Online chat isn't something I do (I'm a Wiganer, no one wants to hear this accent) so open to suggestions of any headset without one.

Thanks a lot.

John

Stay away from gimmicky gamer headsets. They don't make decent headphones. They are marketed at gamers rather than audiophiles so the quality in terms of sound reproduction is terrible.

You will be paying £200-£300 for a headset that is worse than a £75 pair of headphones.

They do however offer wireless which is there only redeeming quality / feature.

Wireless when it comes to headphones is a no-no. They can't compete with wired for sound quality and cost double the money for worse sound.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
27 Oct 2005
Posts
1,170
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
I can give you 2 solutions then

Creative Sound BlasterX G6

or

Creative sound blaster X7

I'd go with the G6 personally as it's half the price but if you want to add speakers later down the line then the X7 is the one to go for.

Then pair this with a good set of headphones. Again headphones are purely subjective. As in what sounds good to me will not sound good to everybody. I can give you a list of some of the best ones.

AKG K702 - £100 ish - probably one of the best all rounders, has a wide soundstage
AKG K712 - £175 ish - better version of the above but most people don't think it's worth the extra £75 only you can make the decision - it has better bass
Fidelio X2's - Overpriced but a very good all rounder - I wouldn't buy them at this price but if you want good bass and good soundstage these are the ones to go for. They are what most noobs would probably like the sound of as they are a very fun headphone to use which is why I am suggesting these.
Any decent sennheiser headphone - great clarity, amazing for music and good for gaming too however there are so many within their range you will need to research which will suit you.

Closed headphones - Beyerdynamic DT770 - these will get hot in longer gaming sessions but they will also block out background sound and not leak sound so others can hear it. They are probably the best closed headphones for gaming with no real alternatives without spending stupid money.

Basically - get on here

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mad...0-25-2018-creative-aurvana-trio-added.534479/

and start reading to define which headphone you want.

Great post again mate.

I am just listening to reviews now of the AKG K712 headsets. They are ones I have seen the past but never considered for gaming purposes. They look amazing too which I have always liked.

I don't think I need to add speakers down the line as I am happy with my surround sound system at the minute and just want these to keep the house quiet for the missus and dogs when they are around so I am also going to listen to reviews for the X6 which apparently you can use over all the gaming consoles.

Thanks again.
 
Associate
Joined
22 Dec 2013
Posts
1,467
Stay away from gimmicky gamer headsets. They don't make decent headphones. They are marketed at gamers rather than audiophiles so the quality in terms of sound reproduction is terrible.

You will be paying £200-£300 for a headset that is worse than a £75 pair of headphones.

They do however offer wireless which is there only redeeming quality / feature.

Wireless when it comes to headphones is a no-no. They can't compete with wired for sound quality and cost double the money for worse sound.

Off topic but can you add microphones to headphones like these? Want a good set of cans for my PS4 but needs to have a microphone..
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
Off topic but can you add microphones to headphones like these? Want a good set of cans for my PS4 but needs to have a microphone..

Yes you can but you will need a astro mixamp which you plug the headphones and mic into then your headphones and a clip on mic.

Mic's range in price and quality from 48p from aliexpress to £35 to an antlion mod mic. There is another company which does microphones in drops but you need to wait for them to happen which may be a month or two away.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-mini-mic?utm_source=linkshare&referer=6HW75F

I have the above linked mic and it's just as good as the mod mic for half the price.

the link also has a video comparison of them both
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
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Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Well I went for the AKG 712 pro and Soundblaster G6 setup and so far I’m really impressed. I think I need to tweak a few bits but the missus is a bit happier me using these rather than having it all blasting in the house.

 
Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
Posts
15,764
Off topic but can you add microphones to headphones like these? Want a good set of cans for my PS4 but needs to have a microphone..

I use a pair of Sony WH1000 XM3, with a V-Moda boompro inline microphone. Works great, and the Sony's kick ass
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
Well I went for the AKG 712 pro and Soundblaster G6 setup and so far I’m really impressed. I think I need to tweak a few bits but the missus is a bit happier me using these rather than having it all blasting in the house.


You have pretty much a top end set up for gaming that is impossible to improve upon without spending at least £1k.

I have the q701s which are similar but look amazing in lime green
 
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