If you are a casual or pro gamer, a good headset or headphones play a vital role in your gaming experience. Whether you’re looking for an immersive experience, better isolation, or good communication, choosing between gaming headset vs headphones and mic combo can be critical.
Gaming Headsets
Unlike regular headsets used in call centers, gaming headsets are designed specifically for gaming. You get a better mic for communication, noise isolation, immersive sound, and enhanced comfort to make for an enjoyable gaming experience.
Gaming headsets also possess features geared toward gaming, such as retractable mics, spatial surround sound, and tactile on-headset buttons. This all-in-one solution benefits gamers looking for convenience and portable solutions in one device.
Some of the best gaming headsets you can check out include Razer BlackShark V2 and HyperX Cloud II. For a wireless option, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7P Wireless. Check out the best Sennheiser headphones for gaming. Please read through our gaming headset buying guide to help you choose.
Headphone and Mic Combo
Headphones and mic combo means using regular headphones and a separate mic. Headphones are used traditionally for music enjoyment. However, some headphones have good characteristics like spacious soundstage and imaging, detail retrieval, immersive sound, and comfort, making them great for gaming. For those interested to make an informed decision when buying a pair of headphones jump into our headphones buying guide.
However, because headphones do not come with a mic, you will need an external mic to help with communication. A gaming mic can be an attachable mic like the V-MODA BoomPro or Antlion Audio ModMic, or a desktop mic like the Blue Yeti X.
An excellent example of a professional gamer who uses headphones and a mic setup is Ninja, famed for streaming PUBG and Fortnight. Ninja uses the Beyerdynamic DT990Pro headphones; for the mic, he uses the Audio-Technica AT2035 Cardioid Condenser Microphone.
Gaming Headset vs. Headphones and Mic for gaming
Which setup should you go with? Here are some factors to guide you in choosing the best for you.
Sound Quality
Many factors improve a gaming experience, such as graphics, storytelling, or combat system. However, one element that ties everything together is the sound quality. Good quality audio can be the difference between success and failure for competitive gamers.
Headphones usually have better sound quality compared to headsets. The reason being headphones design are specifically for music. Audiophile headphones, for example, are designed to reproduce sound without as many colorations as possible. If you are a solo gamer, the soundstage you get with open-back headphones is spacious, making for an immersive gaming session.
Gaming headsets, particularly the cheaper ones, sound muddy, artificially heavy, or have bright treble responses. Being one of the main reasons why on average, headphones sound better.
However, there are some aspects, such as virtual surround sound, that gaming headsets excel at. The built-in software that simulates the soundstage or special effects, such as PlayStation 5’s 3D Audio technology, makes this possible..
However, an excellent open-back headphone can beat gaming headsets by naturally reproducing the soundstage and imaging.
Versatility
When not gaming, a pair of headphones and mic combo can be repurposed for podcasting, making YouTube videos, or even home recording. One can also use it to listen to music or watch movies at home.
Gaming headsets, on the other hand, offer little to no versatility. This is primarily due to their design and build quality. Gamer-inspired aesthetics, such as RGB lighting, render some headsets useless for other activities. Cheap gaming headsets might also lack a retractable mic, limiting their usage.
Price to Performance
Generally, there are cheaper gaming headsets and headphones as well. When starting, gaming headsets offer a more reasonable and budget-friendly option instead of getting headphones and a mic separately. This is great for a beginner gamer looking to get set up quickly with the least resources.
If you’re looking at the price-to-performance ratio, headphones are best to go at any time. For example, buying a pair of headphones worth $150 and a mic worth $50 is better than a gaming headset worth $200. With a pair of headphones, you also get better sound quality as the price goes up compared to gaming headsets.
Gaming Mic Buying Guide
If you’ve chosen to get headphones for gaming, a good mic goes a long way in improving your communication with teammates. Here are some things to help you select a gaming mic.
Connectivity Options
There are two primary options for connectivity, wired and wireless. Wired connectivity means your gaming mic is going to plug into a jack. This is especially useful when using a laptop or PC for gaming. Wired connectivity minimizes audio data loss through signal interference; thus, you get better audio.
A high-end option is a way to go if you want a wireless gaming mic. This is because cheaper wireless mics have higher latency and other quality issues making communication more challenging. Wireless mics are great for casual. However, it is better to go for a wired or a high-end gaming mic where speed and accuracy are critical for competitive gaming.
Form Factor
The form factor also plays an important role when choosing a mic for gaming. You can select an attachable mic or a desktop mic. Whichever you choose boils down to your preferences. Do you prefer a mic on the desk with a cable out of the way but taking space or a cable running down your shoulder and in your way?
Unidirectional Vs. Omnidirectional
The polar pattern of a gaming mic describes the area where it picks up sound. Gaming mics can offer several polar patterns, while others only have one.
Unidirectional or Cardioid mics are the most common and well-suited for recording, speeches, and gaming because they eliminate background noise. Omnidirectional mics are the opposite of cardioid mics in that they pick sound from all directions; thus, they are less helpful in gaming.
Inline monitoring
Inline monitoring or sidetone is a feature in some mics that allows you to hear yourself on your headphones or a gaming headset. This is a helpful feature for gamers with a chaotic voice channel. This feature lets you listen to your audio lag-free, minus any effects applied or compression. See our roundup post of the best gaming headsets with sidetone.
Gaming Headset vs. Headphones and Mic Combo which one should you get ?
Getting a headphone with a mic combo is the best way to guarantee the best sound quality, versatility, and price-to-performance.
However choosing between a gaming headset and a headphone and mic combo also depends on your personal preferences and priorities. Gaming headsets offer convenience, specific gaming features, and decent sound quality, while headphones and mic combos provide better sound quality, versatility for other activities, and better value for the price. Ultimately, the decision should be based on individual needs, budget, and desired gaming experience.
