Looking for a 7.1 USB headset for mounting the TrackIR pro clip

[Tom25briklebritt]

Any recommendations?

[Bando]

https://www.google.com/search?q=7.1+USB+headset+for+mounting+the+TrackIR+pro+clip&rlz=1C1GIGM_enCW566CW566&oq=7.1+USB+headset+for+mounting+the+TrackIR+pro+clip&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

[Bando]

I was not sure to.

But at least he has a list now....

[AeroMechanical]

I've got a pair of Razer Tiamat 7.1 headphones.  Unlike the USB headsets, they do require a sound card with 7.1 output (or, 5.1 is fine really), which most motherboards will have onboard and is fine.  The sound quality is pretty good.  They have 8 separate drivers as opposed to using a virtual surround setup with two drivers (a lot of the "surround sound" USB headsets will really only have two drivers). I'm not a big fan of Razer products in general, but these are pretty decent.

 

ON THE OTHER HAND, it is my understanding that virtual surround sound is pretty good these days.  Considering the cost of something like the Razer Tiamat 7.1's, you may well be better off buying a decent quality set of stereo studio monitors and using the virtual surround option.  The Tiamat's cost about $150USD, and for that money you could get some very nice stereo cans and then use the virtual surround feature of your sound card.

 

I don't know much about USB headsets, but I'm sure there are some quality options there too.

Edited April 23, 2014 by AeroMechanical

[SeriousFox]

Logitech G35, Pro clip fits perfectly, virtual 7.1 is really great imo. 

[OBT-Psycho]

logitech G930, just like the G35 but without the cables.

[Tab]

IMHO virtual surround might be quite good these days, but no amount of software trickery will beat proper hardware implementation.

 

Virtual surround tries to fool you into believing that the sounds, coming from two drivers, are actually arriving from different positions.

 

If you actually have 8 separate drivers there's no fooling needed, the sound actually is arriving from different positions.

we only have two ears, only two audio inputs. That's why 2 sound sources are sufficient if virtual surround is modelled properly (it's actually pretty easy to model it properly, done it myself). Tricky part is calibration, because it depends strongly on the size of the head. Anyways, 2 good drivers are way better than 8 small drivers placed in a weird way in headphones, making them heavy. If you have at least decent headphones check that for surround using only stereo output:

[Tab]

The problem is that good surround hardware and headphones do not work together. There is simply not enough space there for multiple proper drivers. You might get a good feeling of positioning, but only very poor audio quality.