The horror, the silence!

[flakbait]

Ever tried playing a game at 4am with no sound? Maddening I tell you! My old headset (axis 502 from labtec) finally conked out with a busted wire between the headset and the volume/mic switch box and I need a replacement. Pretty much anything under $30 will work, as long as its got a mic and stereo headphones. I've been eyeballing two namely: a Labtec Premium Stereo Headset and the Plantronics Audio 90. The Labtec offering is pretty much identical to my old 502, while the Plantronics looks like it comes with better speakers.

Any thoughts on those or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High

[Tarmac]

I won a Plantronics Audio 90 at the con.  It's a very nice headset.  Squaddies say the mic sounds better than my old one, and the speakers are good.  In-line volume adjustment and mic on/off is a nice feature too.  

I still use my old headset a lot though, since I usually run sound through my PC's normal speakers.  I use it as just a headset mic, without using the headphone sound.  The Plantronics set isn't as good for this, since its mic boom isn't as adjustable it doesn't rest over my mouth when the headset's earphones aren't over my ears.

[San]

I recommend the plantronics .Audio 90s also. Great headset very comfortable and the sound is very good as well. Newegg has them here for 23 with free shipping
 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=1&submit=Go&description=Plantronics%2CAudio%2C90

 Bestbuy also carrys them for 30 and for an extra 5 bucks they will do a free in store 2yr replacement.

They are nice headphones but not the most durable. I had to replace a pair in less than a year so if you decide on these option two might be a better choice.

[Wanker]

For a little more money, I recommend the Logitech USB headset 300. You just plug it in, and it works in WinXP. No drivers to install.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?page=products/details&CRID=103&CONTENTID=6337&countryid=19&languageid=1

[flakbait]

Thanks for the input guys!


banana, I can't use a USB headset cause my sound card is bordering on "museum piece". It's an old SB PCI128 card I picked up for $15 to get rid of the onboard AC97 audio. I thought about an Audigy 2, but I don't have much use for a card that'll do everything short of sound studio work. Still, thanks for the link! Turns out I was wrong about the Labtec Premium; it's actually a Logitec (Oops!).

I have to admit, I'm thinking hard about the Logitec since it comes with a 2 year warranty. The Plantronics only has a one year, and after reading past posts about it being somewhat flimsy, well.....


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Flakbait [Delta6]
Delta Six's Flight School
Put the P-61B in Aces High

[JB73]

i suggets if you want real good sound do something a bit different:

if you have desk space get a regular pedestal mic for a pc (higher quality and better response),

then goto a good musical instrument store nearby and get some Koss sealed recording headphones ($60-$150 depending on how quiet you want the outside world)

these usually have about a 12-15 foot cord (so they can reach the back input on your PC) and have sound quality better than most PC speakers.

you wont hear the telephone ringing next to you while flying but hey who needs to

another slightly cheaper way to go is get to radio shack and pick up some of their high end headphones (about $40).. they'll do the trick about 2/3's as good.