Drop + EPOS / Sennheiser - PC37X Gaming Headset

senheisser pc37x or pc38x are the gaming headset you want they're standout from all the razer, logitech, steel series of the world as senheisser is an actual established audio brand. And these headsets on their own are just good which you can easily look further into

There is a bit of a balance there. Even in the Audiophile "gaming" headphones. What gamers are looking for generally aren't in there. The Beyer's are great headphones, but outside the DT1990v1 Beyers don't have the greatest sound stage and imaging. The only one I know that is a gaming headset that does what people are actually looking for in gaming is the PC38x (and to a lesser extent the similar driven ones like the PC37x, the HD6pro). As for the OP he probably has the best headset south of the 800s, for gaming. Would recommend anyone looking at Fresh reviews on youtube and looking at his list before getting any quality headset/phone or IEM with an ear towards gaming.

Sennheiser PC37x or PC38x off of Drop. Been using the PC37x for like 4 years? Maybe 5? Don't remember. They're spectacular for the price.

I personally used the the pc37x back then and they were great for gaming and just about anything else I did with them at the time. If the pc38x is anything like them then it should be a great headset

tl;dr: Hyper X headsets check the cheap and comfy boxes and have a mic attached to them, but I don’t think most headsets would be anywhere close to what you have now. Depending on what people are looking for in a headset. If someone is insistent on a headset instead of a dedicated headset instead of separate headphones and mic, then I usually steer them towards Sennheiser PC37x or PC38x for a flat sound and build quality. Hyper X for cost, comfort, and features. And Astro for a jack of all trades, master of none kinda headphone (Not really too familiar with their QC since they were acquired by Logitech though). None of these headsets sound exceptional, which is why most users try to steer people towards dedicated mic and headphones if they can. But headsets still have a place and some people just prefer them. The only gaming headset I’ve heard with good imaging is the Sennheiser PC37X and PC38X (also known as the EPOS Game Zero and Game One), but the 490 is still vastly superior in most ways. Imaging in headphones is hard. Whether we like it or not, headphones are stereo. So in the end, it entirely depends on the game engine and devs to determine whether or not they are going to emulate surround sound for headphone users. Some do, some do not. It’s a crapshoot. So most of the time, well imaging headphones are still only accurate on the stereo axis because games don’t simulate 360 audio. One more edit: Headsets that advertise 7.1 are using software emulation too. As I mentioned above, headphones only have stereo channels (L/R). I have NEVER heard an out of engine emulation that sounded good. They all sound bad (except ATMOS, but that’s a whole different can of worms that we won’t get into). Don’t use them.

Cheapest headset with an actual mic I would actually recommend is the Sennheiser PC37X. That's way beyond $15.

Sennheiser PC37x for $80 (or PC38x). A hard truth that most gamers don’t know is that “gaming headsets” are mostly mediocre headphones with a cool enclosure, some tacky features, and a microphone. The PC37x (and similar) actually have good drivers and the mic is really good too. Even expensive gaming headsets don’t reach the same level of clarity. Do your research and don’t shell out money for meh, bass boosted sound quality.

return them and get pc38x or pc37x

I got a [Xonar soundcard](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HCX1NY9) for my desktop as a joke it was like 28$ on sale. Such an improvement over onboard for me. In the 6 years or so Ive used the PC38x and PC37x I've gone through 3 pairs. One of which failed at the mic after 3 years from flipping up to mute constantly (50+ times a day) and the second... my dumb ass stepped on. I use them 10-14 hours a day tho every day. If you dont need the mic tho, definitely recommend going for non-gamer headphones.

Hey OP, I just bought the Audeze Maxwell and while they seem like good quality, I don’t know if I can stand the weight of them compared to my Samsung wh1000xm’s (I don’t use these for gaming, but you could). If you are looking for wired and open back, I cannot recommend enough the drop x sennheiser pc37x. At the price point, I think they are great, the mic quality is solid, and they are less than half of the Maxwell, $130ish I believe. They have mostly great reviews and have been around for a while, and other subs used to recommend these all the time, maybe still do. There is a PC38x version now, but I haven’t used those and I’m not sure that sennheiser is involved in those. Edit: Guess I responded to the wrong person but it was still pretty relevant to your post. I would disagree pretty strongly with needing a separate mic. Why pay $50-$100 more for something that is in no way necessary. I have never had a single complaint against the mic on the pc37x (using them for ~6 years now), and I doubt anyone on the other end would ever complain about lack of clarity barring some actual issue. I also have multiple friends who have these and I have never had any issues hearing or understanding them. Yes, you can get better, but I strongly feel the return for the money spent at that point is really minimal and frankly, unnecessary. It becomes much more hobbyist and how much money do you want to sink into it to have the best or to match the streamers (all this coming from a guy who was the pc37x, wh1000xm2, dt770 pro with a schiit dac and amp, and just bought the maxwells). Just my opinion though. If OP has the money, and space, go ahead and get what you enjoy. If these are his first real “gaming” headphones and OP is budget conscious, then I standby the PC37x.

Not as much as you might think, but mnostly because there really aren't "audiophile" wireless headsets in the $100 range (at least not over-ears). Most headphones in that range are going to be consumer tunes, rather than audio-focused tunes. The same is true of MOST but not all headphones aimed at the gaming market. The exceptions are things like the Epos/Sennheiser PC37x/PC38x or Audeze Maxwell. If you're willing to spend $150, the Fiio FT1 is your best bet. Get a cheap mic to pair with them.