Gaming Headsets

[Deca]

For a while now I've really wanted to get a nice, high quality headset for gaming. However I really don't know much about these things at all, so I'm hoping someone around here has some experience with them and can help out.

I'm primarily looking for something to use with 360, PS3, Wii U and possibly PC. I currently have those three consoles hooked up to an Asus VH236H monitor via an HDMI switch. This is what I'm working with, I audio outputs are SPDIF RCA and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The PC is just outputting via 3.5 to some cheap speakers.

I'd like to be able to use an integrated mic and have the most tidy setup possible, is this going to be possible with my current setup? I didn't know if any headsets had some kind of HDMI passthrough or could use the SPDIF or 3.5, I just know that if I have to go with RCA cables to carry the audio it's going to involve a lot more wires going all over the place.

If anyone can offer some insight and recommend a product or two I'd really appreciate it!

[t0yrobo]

I've never used one myself but I've always heard good stuff about these things
http://www.astrogaming.com/mixamps/mixa ... 13-edition

[Softdrink 117]

I would advise AGAINST any kind of 'gaming surround' headset very strongly. I have yet to listen to a pair that provided any kind of decent directionality without sacrificing massively in overall sound quality.

Broadly speaking, what you'll probably want to do if budget isn't a huge concern is get something like the MixAmp mentioned a couple posts above and use that to connect a decent set of stereo headphones or a decent stereo headset. However, since there are a fair number of options there, I'm just going to link you to a guide written by a guy who has tested dozens of headphones and headsets and comparatively reviewed them for purposes of gaming:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lus ... 2013-added

There's a LOT of info in that thread, and I think you'll probably be able to find answers there. Unfortunately, going this route is not going to be necessarily very tidy. To be honest though, I've never heard of any kind of HDMI -> headphone adapter that wasn't unreasonably expensive due to the digital to analog conversion required in such a device.

Hope this helps!

[Softdrink 117]

I'll admit that I haven't listened to the A40, but my experience of, for example, Turtle Beach and Triton headsets is in line with what I posted above-- they might have good directionality, but often at the cost of general sound quality.

I'll also admit to (more than) a bit of bias, since I'm a bit of an audiophile myself. XD

[Deca]

So I'm still looking around at everything...Gamestop has an A40 combo with the Mixamp for 250. It's a lot more than some of the other rigs I was looking at but...is it worth it to just take the plunge? Like is this the last gaming audio/communication purchase I'll ever need to make?

Also I'd like to know a bit more about the Mixamp and how everything works as I'm a bit fuzzy on the details. It is compatible with PC/360/PS3 as advertised, right? No weird issues here and there with compatibility?

I was looking at pictures of the Mixamp and I see that on the back it has 3 RCA inputs. L/R audio obviously, and the third is labelled COAX. Would I be able to run an RCA cable from the SPDIF port on my monitor (if that's even an output) into that for surround sound? If so that would pretty much be exactly what I'm looking for.

Edit: OK after further research it looks like the Tritton 720+ might be a nice deal...just unsure whether they'll work with PC. I do find it really nice that they seem to come with the xbox360 audio adapter I need to run optical and hdmi simultaneously.