3d headphones?

netburnr

I'm looking to replace my headphones, and looking to step up to 3D ones. If not for Jumpgate Evolution, for other games that can use it.

What I need are:

USB or stereo jacks
Inline volume
Long Cord (prefer a thick heavy cord as I tend to mess em up)
Build in Mic

Does anyone currently own a pair of 3d headphones like this, if so, where did you buy it?

ELPIRATA

I dont own one and hadnt tested/tried them, but far as I remember, Saitek had some models available. I'm happy with my old 5.1 home theater to provide me that (its nice being alone in my apartment for a change).

ELP

Harvester

Here's a nice roundup for ya-

Turtle Beach
Ear Force AK-R8 (USB)
Ear Force HPA2 (3 stereo jacks +1 mic) (chanel-specific inline volume) (amplified)
Ear Force X52 (3 stereo jacks +1 mic) (chanel-specific inline volume)

Zalman
Zalman ZM-RS6F (3 stereo jacks OR USB) (NO MIC)

Razer
Razer Barracuda (Very similar to the TB Ear Force HPA2)

SpeedLink
SpeedLink Medusa (USB OR 3 stereo jacks +1MIC +USB-powered amplifier)

Saitek
Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Headphones (NOT RELEASED) (USB ONLY)
That should give you some options.

Jonboy · 03:40 AM

This isn't 3D but.... it is wireless...

(warning - annoying music...but there is a mute button on the flash)
Jabra BT620s - Stereo Bluetooth headset for music phones and iPod, MP3 players

You also would need a USB/bluetooth adapter for your PC...
Jabra A320s - Bluetooth stereo adapter for wireless music streaming from your PC

I decided to get one because I have killed a lot of headset/mics, by sitting with my chair on the cable. I also get neck cricks from being unable to pull a short cord so that my head tilts fully.

I've been meaning to give a mini-review of the BT620s...

It's nice. I prefer to use it over normal headset. But it's not without issues.

The behind-the-neck design is not my favoured design, as it usually means it clamps to your head at the earpiece using the hard over-the-ear section - as in this case. It's moderately heavy, and i don't think it's meant for many hours use, although i do. It is heavier than normal headset, as it has wireless parts and battery inside the earpiece. Again, this is not perfect for a behind-the-neck design.

As stereo headphones, the sound quality is quite good. Good enough to justify the price-tag? possibly. Certainly better than you'd get with $40 headset. But with the dongle, it costs around $100. But you are paying for the wireless part too.

The wireless technology is more than I hoped for, I can get up and move around the room without having to garotte myself when getting up. Also, it is tidy. Yes! Tidy! You put the set down, and there's no wires everywhere. There's nothing to clean around. However, it is short range wireless technology, so line-of-sight becomes an issue. I do have a wooden desktop, and part of a PC, between the set and the dongle and it works fine, with occasional short blanks in the play - annoying, but not horrifyingly so. The charge in the battery is a ~6-8 hrs, and it takes 2 hours to recharge via USB cable or from mains. You can recharge from a PC on standby mode.

It feels fairly sturdy. I've dropped it a couple of times now. Its center of balance is funny, tho. If you put it down the wrong way up, it looks like it could roll off the table, due to the behind-the-neck design.

It's designed for use with a phone. I don't use a cell-phone so... i can't review that part.

But, my biggest gripe is trying to use it as a mic... It is a headset with a mic, but it's designed for phones, and so the voice and sound quality in this mode of use is only as good as you would get on a cellphone.... I'm fairly sure this is partly an issue with the technology, there may be no protocol for stereo headphones with mic at high quality. When you do use this mode, WoW may even be mono. So I end up either only listening to ventillo and wow, and not using a mic, or connecting my old mic up

. I've yet to use Blizzard's new VOIP with it yet, but their test doesn't work :/.

Your PCs software will have to be directed to use the headset, and that can be a fiddle, WoW is a particular pain. But that is not the fault of the headset retailers, but of microsoft or of Blizzard, as far as i can tell.

Occasionally, the dongle doesn't connect with the PC and it needs to be pulled out and put back in again. But apparantly, the dongle can be used for other secure bluetooth fun, like file transfer to another bluetooth(ed) device.

The've started selling an over-the-head design which should fix some issues. If I didn't have the 620s, I would get these.
JabraBT8030

netburnr

Thank you both for all that wonderful information.

Jonboy, I think you are dead on about the over the ear headsets, they plain suck! I had a pair and after a few hours, the tops of my ears where the plastic was was very irritated, I'll never buy another pair again.

As for the wireless stuff, I've had nothing but bad experiences so I think I'll stick with wired.

I'm deciding between these two

Ear Force HPA2 - In Detail
Medusa-USA : SpeedLink Medusa 5.1 ProGamer Edition V2

Can anyone tell me pros vs cons of these two?

Also, any way to tell frequency response or wattage on either one, neither site gives those details.

Harvester

If you really have set your sights on just those two candidates, then I would definately go with the HPA2 set, simply because it draws power straight from the wall as opposed to a USB port. USB power is not exactly the cleanest power source for audio, but there are other ways of getting clean power to the headphones.

Here's some of the specs on the Medusa's (still tracking on the HPA2's)

Surround speakers (centre/rear): dia. 30mm x 2; 32Ω 20Hz-20kHz
Front speaker: dia. 40mm x 2; 64Ω 20Hz-20kHz
Subwoofer: dia. 32mm x 2; 8 Ω 20Hz-20kHz

netburnr

20-20k is the important part, its telling me that it is able to hit the low down bass. What is also important is the dB rating as this tells you how loud it is capable of doing so.

Just about any pair of headphones you buy has these ratings on the box...which is making me iffy on these products since they are not giving said important information.

Just like you never buy a subwoofer that doesn't tell you its range and dB ratings.

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	netburnr I love everyone Pilot Name: netburnrol Faction: Pirate Joystick: X52 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Austin Posts: 2,161	3d headphones? I'm looking to replace my headphones, and looking to step up to 3D ones. If not for Jumpgate Evolution, for other games that can use it. What I need are: USB or stereo jacks Inline volume Long Cord (prefer a thick heavy cord as I tend to mess em up) Build in Mic Does anyone currently own a pair of 3d headphones like this, if so, where did you buy it?


	ELPIRATA Moderator Pilot Name: ELPIRATA Faction: non-aligned Joystick: Saitek X45 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Carolina, PR Posts: 1,421	Re: 3d headphones? I dont own one and hadnt tested/tried them, but far as I remember, Saitek had some models available. I'm happy with my old 5.1 home theater to provide me that (its nice being alone in my apartment for a change). ELP


	Harvester Recruit Pilot Name: Harvester Faction: non-aligned Joystick: MS Sidewinder FF 2 Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 23	Re: 3d headphones? Here's a nice roundup for ya- Turtle Beach Ear Force AK-R8 (USB) Ear Force HPA2 (3 stereo jacks +1 mic) (chanel-specific inline volume) (amplified) Ear Force X52 (3 stereo jacks +1 mic) (chanel-specific inline volume) Zalman Zalman ZM-RS6F (3 stereo jacks OR USB) (NO MIC) Razer Razer Barracuda (Very similar to the TB Ear Force HPA2) SpeedLink SpeedLink Medusa (USB OR 3 stereo jacks +1MIC +USB-powered amplifier) Saitek Saitek Cyborg 5.1 Headphones (NOT RELEASED) (USB ONLY) That should give you some options.


	Jonboy Member Pilot Name: Jonboy Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 315	Re: 3d headphones? This isn't 3D but.... it is wireless... (warning - annoying music...but there is a mute button on the flash) Jabra BT620s - Stereo Bluetooth headset for music phones and iPod, MP3 players You also would need a USB/bluetooth adapter for your PC... Jabra A320s - Bluetooth stereo adapter for wireless music streaming from your PC I decided to get one because I have killed a lot of headset/mics, by sitting with my chair on the cable. I also get neck cricks from being unable to pull a short cord so that my head tilts fully. I've been meaning to give a mini-review of the BT620s... It's nice. I prefer to use it over normal headset. But it's not without issues. The behind-the-neck design is not my favoured design, as it usually means it clamps to your head at the earpiece using the hard over-the-ear section - as in this case. It's moderately heavy, and i don't think it's meant for many hours use, although i do. It is heavier than normal headset, as it has wireless parts and battery inside the earpiece. Again, this is not perfect for a behind-the-neck design. As stereo headphones, the sound quality is quite good. Good enough to justify the price-tag? possibly. Certainly better than you'd get with $40 headset. But with the dongle, it costs around $100. But you are paying for the wireless part too. The wireless technology is more than I hoped for, I can get up and move around the room without having to garotte myself when getting up. Also, it is tidy. Yes! Tidy! You put the set down, and there's no wires everywhere. There's nothing to clean around. However, it is short range wireless technology, so line-of-sight becomes an issue. I do have a wooden desktop, and part of a PC, between the set and the dongle and it works fine, with occasional short blanks in the play - annoying, but not horrifyingly so. The charge in the battery is a ~6-8 hrs, and it takes 2 hours to recharge via USB cable or from mains. You can recharge from a PC on standby mode. It feels fairly sturdy. I've dropped it a couple of times now. Its center of balance is funny, tho. If you put it down the wrong way up, it looks like it could roll off the table, due to the behind-the-neck design. It's designed for use with a phone. I don't use a cell-phone so... i can't review that part. But, my biggest gripe is trying to use it as a mic... It is a headset with a mic, but it's designed for phones, and so the voice and sound quality in this mode of use is only as good as you would get on a cellphone.... I'm fairly sure this is partly an issue with the technology, there may be no protocol for stereo headphones with mic at high quality. When you do use this mode, WoW may even be mono. So I end up either only listening to ventillo and wow, and not using a mic, or connecting my old mic up . I've yet to use Blizzard's new VOIP with it yet, but their test doesn't work :/. Your PCs software will have to be directed to use the headset, and that can be a fiddle, WoW is a particular pain. But that is not the fault of the headset retailers, but of microsoft or of Blizzard, as far as i can tell. Occasionally, the dongle doesn't connect with the PC and it needs to be pulled out and put back in again. But apparantly, the dongle can be used for other secure bluetooth fun, like file transfer to another bluetooth(ed) device. The've started selling an over-the-head design which should fix some issues. If I didn't have the 620s, I would get these. JabraBT8030
		Last edited by Jonboy; 11-12-2007 at 03:40 AM.


	netburnr I love everyone Pilot Name: netburnrol Faction: Pirate Joystick: X52 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Austin Posts: 2,161	Re: 3d headphones? Thank you both for all that wonderful information. Jonboy, I think you are dead on about the over the ear headsets, they plain suck! I had a pair and after a few hours, the tops of my ears where the plastic was was very irritated, I'll never buy another pair again. As for the wireless stuff, I've had nothing but bad experiences so I think I'll stick with wired. I'm deciding between these two Ear Force HPA2 - In Detail Medusa-USA : SpeedLink Medusa 5.1 ProGamer Edition V2 Can anyone tell me pros vs cons of these two? Also, any way to tell frequency response or wattage on either one, neither site gives those details.


	Harvester Recruit Pilot Name: Harvester Faction: non-aligned Joystick: MS Sidewinder FF 2 Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 23	Re: 3d headphones? If you really have set your sights on just those two candidates, then I would definately go with the HPA2 set, simply because it draws power straight from the wall as opposed to a USB port. USB power is not exactly the cleanest power source for audio, but there are other ways of getting clean power to the headphones. Here's some of the specs on the Medusa's (still tracking on the HPA2's) Surround speakers (centre/rear): dia. 30mm x 2; 32Ω 20Hz-20kHz Front speaker: dia. 40mm x 2; 64Ω 20Hz-20kHz Subwoofer: dia. 32mm x 2; 8 Ω 20Hz-20kHz


	netburnr I love everyone Pilot Name: netburnrol Faction: Pirate Joystick: X52 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Austin Posts: 2,161	Re: 3d headphones? 20-20k is the important part, its telling me that it is able to hit the low down bass. What is also important is the dB rating as this tells you how loud it is capable of doing so. Just about any pair of headphones you buy has these ratings on the box...which is making me iffy on these products since they are not giving said important information. Just like you never buy a subwoofer that doesn't tell you its range and dB ratings.

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