Looking for a wired gaming headset (preferably with mic) that works for many ear piercings
I game a lot, and I have many ear piercings (the troublesome ones are industrial and cartilage and for ear buds, both tragus, but I'm looking for just normal headsets). Most headsets make my ears ache after 20-45 minutes. I can almost pick out how much they're going to hurt when I try them on, and nothing at my local Best Buy has anything available that feels right. Additionally, many are heavy and sit on the top of my head like a brick - before I completed my ear decorations, that was usually my peeve.
Currently, the only headset I adore is SteelSeries Siberia (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SN9RN8). I can wear them for hours. Sadly, I cannot get a replacement. I tried their Arctis 5 and immediately sent it back. The Siberia does not have a mic, so that's basically the only reason I am wanting to get another set.
If anyone can recommend something with the following characteristics, I'd be willing to drop a pretty penny on them... not that I can afford to, but it'll be an investment if it lasts as long as these Siberia have!
- Preferably cloth ear surface texture;
- Preferably something that doesn't sit heavily on the head - though the ones I've tried that clamped for staying on my ears would give me headaches as well;
- Must be wired. No bluetooth. Caveat: if it has a usb dongle, could be doable. (My computer does not have BT capabilities.) I hate things running out of battery though, so it will have to be good;
- Must have extendable head band up top, if its method is not gripping on your ears without head support;
I'm sure I've missed something, but if there's a fellow ear-pierced gamer whose had issues with many headsets but found the perfect one, please recommend! Thanks!
Have you considered getting a separate mic? That would expand your options of headphones to pick through, and find something that suits you. I have a nice pair of headphones that I like, and an Antilon Modmic attached with a little included magnetic sticker. Ziptie the cables together at regular intervals to keep it all neat.
I have, and it's just a pita imo. The original Siberia I had came with a mic, but it wasn't attached. I kinda broke the headset rigging up a hanger that'd hold the mic.
I do not require any need for one of those bigass mics that many podcasters use and whatnot, just something small. But all the smaller options I've attempted to use just suck.
Get a pair of headphones and a modmic. I've got an ATH-700X with a modmic and it works great for me even after wearing them for 4+ hours. I don't have any crazy piercings, but if nothing else, the modmic will expand the list of possibilities.
So today I learned about a modmic. Sadly, adding that price onto a set of headphones isn't what I'm looking for. Just looking for an all-encompassing option. I will keep this in my back pocket though, as I've ordered a few options for Prime day and will be returning them if I don't care for them.
Edit: I did like the ATH-700X's top head piece!
If you end up trying the ath-700x, I found that there isn't quite as much clamping force as I'd like and I stuck a rubber band between the two arms of the head piece to help pull them together a little tighter. As with all of this stuff, ymmv.
Thanks for the heads up.
A budget, and what platform you're on (PC, or Console) would be super helpful.
I'm personally firmly in the camp that you're usually better off avoid "gaming" branded products.
You might end up happier getting a seperate USB mic, and then figuring out something for audio that doesn't hurt.
A friend of mine recently switched off of Astro A50s to the Shure se215 pro in ear monitors. The headphone band was causing head pain, and I think she has piercings too.
You could probably find a USB mic for pretty cheap, assuming this is just for talking with friends. I think the Snowball is supposed to be decent, and it's not terribly expensive.
Here are a couple recent posts on similar topics, but wireless:
edit: Grammar + I got the product name wrong
I'm on PC. Not interested in just getting a mic, sadly. I've been down that road many times. And I'd prefer headphones, not earbuds (due to the tragus piercings, but technology has gotten a lot better. I still can't wear anything for hours on end without suffering though).
Edit: Monies are negotiable if it works.
I’ll throw my two cents in. I have really fallen for the EPOS PC38X headset. It’s often recommended to those adamant on a Headphone plus mic combo. It may be better quality overall to go separate with audio and mic, but I think the PX38X does a fantastic job for its price, especially right now at $129.00 USD on Amazon.
It’s very lightweight, comfortable, has an adjustable head strap and tilting pads to fit the head. The headset comes with two detachable cables, a 2.5mm pc cable and a split 3.5mm audio/mic cable. It’s also open back, this may be a downside to some, but I love hearing my surroundings and being able to talk with my voice bouncing around in my head lol. It also does a great job at emulating surround sound.
This looks doable; I'll be trying one for Prime day.
A pair of DT770s with a USB mic will get you much better audio quality, for a similar price to a nice headset.
These look closest to what I would think would work, just by visuals. But I want one with the mic attached, sadly.
you can get a standalone USB dongle for $13, and because of the standardized nature of Bluetooth it should be interoperable with any Bluetooth headphones. (most, if not all, Bluetooth headphones won't include a USB dongle, since the most common use case is using them with a phone)
some around-the-neck phones like these might work? they're basically earbuds so they'd avoid most piercings, and the around-the-neck part houses the battery and microphones, so they should have better battery life and sound quality than Airpod-style earbuds.
I have a pair that I'm wearing right now, but I generally use them for podcasts and not gaming, so I don't have first-hand experience with the microphone quality.
the recharging can definitely be an annoying factor. if you have the budget for it, one option is to buy 2 pairs, so that you always have a freshly-charged pair you can switch to.
Yeah, you touched on the exact reasons I don't really want unwired and why I want a headset, not behind the neck. I've tried a few neck options and never really liked them in general - both the setup in general, and I have a thing with having stuff around my neck. Even my hair. Always gotta be in a pony tail or cut short.