Fans of online shooters know very well how much more pleasant it is to use headphones instead of speakers. A good external speaker for gaming is at least a 7.1 audio system, which will not be cheap, while quality headphones will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the action at times cheaper.
But how to distinguish quality headphones from low-quality, and how to choose the right headset to dive into imaginary worlds by listening to soundtracks from slots available at play Amo real money online casino Canada? We’ll talk about this in today’s article.
What Is the Difference Between Gaming Headphones and Music Headphones?
If you have a separate microphone, then any high-quality music headphones will be good for gaming. But still gamer models have significant differences. Their emphasis is on sound positioning in space and comfort in use, rather than the detail and richness of the sound. Positioning helps you better navigate the battlefield in shooters when you can see exactly where the shooting is coming from or which side the enemy is sneaking up on. Comfortable headphones allow you to wear them for many hours without straining your ears or making your head tired.
Also, all gaming headphones are equipped with a microphone, which makes them a headset. However, the quality of the microphone varies greatly from model to model, and even in many premium devices, the voice is often not clear enough. So ordinary non-game headphones, but with good neutral sound, pumped with a software virtualizer for three-dimensional effect paired with a separate microphone, will work even better. But they will probably cost more and are not always comfortable.
How Important Are Sound Characteristics?
For a gaming headset, music playback quality is not too important. But that does not mean that you can ignore the characteristics at all. The wider the capabilities of headphones, the more information you can get on the battlefield, otherwise you will only hear the direction of the shots, and the other effects will not be detailed enough and will be mixed in mush. So it is worth understanding at least a little bit about the characteristics.
First of all, pay attention to the impedance value (ohms): the higher it is, the deeper sound the headphones can produce. But there’s a trap here: you need a powerful audio interface for models with 100 ohms or more to be fully functional. And if you’re going to plug your headphones directly into a computer or smartphone, it’s best not to go beyond an impedance value of 48 ohms.
The diameter of the diaphragm (driver, transducer, etc.) is also important: high-quality sound begins at 40 millimeters. As for the frequency range, the required minimum of 20 hertz to 20 kilohertz today fulfills all the headphones. And for gaming, this characteristic is not too important.
In-Ear or Over-the-Ear?
Many people believe that over-the-ear or full-size headphones always sound better than in-ear headphones. However, the two categories are completely different. The fact that in-ear headphones are inside the ear canal makes it easier for them to deliver quality sound without interference. That is why there are gamer models among the in-ear (or in-canal) headphones. But apparently because of this prejudice, they are not in high demand, and therefore represented in the market poorly.
However, only full-size headphones can have maximum sound insulation (we are talking about full-size covering, not overhead with small ear cushions). Sound isolation cuts off all extraneous noise and lets you fully immerse yourself in the game or in listening to music.
Wired or Wireless?
In general, wireless headphones always sound worse than wired ones and have at least minimal but lag. In addition, wireless models always cost up to twice as much as their wired counterparts, even from the same manufacturer’s lineup.
Still, there are a few tweaks and aspects that make wireless headphones a better choice than wired ones. The most obvious is convenience. You can keep the wireless model on at all, even when you step away from your computer or console, and continue to listen to music or even talk to your teammates. In addition, all wireless headphones have a built-in audio chip, which in quality models makes a sound much nicer than raw, especially if you don’t have a good separate audio board. The Realtek lower-end built-in sound chip (with a three-digit model ID) still won’t do you any good, even with the best-wired ones.
However, if you have a quality audio card, you have a good understanding of sound, and will use the headphones for listening to music, not just for games, it is still better to prefer wired. As we said above, wired always sounds better than wireless, but only under normal conditions.
How Are USB-Connected Headphones Different From Regular Headphones?
While all wireless headphones have a built-in audio chip, wired headphones have it only on USB-connected models. That is the main difference. In our experience, even inexpensive USB headphones have better sound quality than the Realtek built-in version (the most common). But again, if you have a high-quality separate audio board, it is better to use headphones with connection via a classic 3.5-millimeter mini-jack.
Is the Built-in Microphone Suitable for Recording Videos or Streaming on Twitch?
Not for recording YouTube videos, definitely not. For TV shows the sound is even more important than the picture (just remember how many times you shut down the video if the sound is hoarse). And for streaming the built-in microphone can do, if it doesn’t distort your voice. In broadcasts on Twitch, the viewers’ attention is usually focused not on the depth or beauty of your voice, but your game. So, it’s enough that there is no unnecessary noise and your voice sounds clear, but the microphone doesn’t need to be able to capture all the tones of your voice. The latter is more necessary for videos.
We hope that our analysis will be helpful for you and you will find the best headphones that will suit you!
