The boots theory is an economic theory that people in poverty have to buy cheap and subpar products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
The boots theory is an economic theory that people in poverty have to buy cheap and subpar products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
Gaming headsets.
Kept buying whatever I could for ~60-70€ at the time, and they kept breaking within a year. Bought proper headphones for 120€ which lasted me 8 years.
I’ve been burned several times by products that had the word “gaming” attached to them. Gaming chairs? A fucking scam. Gaming headsets? Overpriced and either overbuilt or poor quality. Gaming mice? The only one that hasn’t disappointed me is the G502.
And on the topic of headsets, allow me to introduce this wanker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_gf8TZ1M6g
I bought the Samson SR850, which is a budget studio headset, after watching that video, and compared to my previous HyperX Cloud Flight (the good HyperX before HP bought and ruined the brand), it’s a massive improvement in sound stage and audio quality both in music and games. The construction is dead simple - wired, no built-in mic or volume knob, which might be a deal breaker for some - but it’s a lot sturdier than the Cloud Flight. The only thing I don’t like is the velvet-covered ear pads that soak up head sweat and grease like a sponge.
Even those are mostly overpriced.
I used to just use Sennheiser headphones, but now they’ve partnered with some microphone company and sell them under the EPOS brand-name.
Except for a weirdly bad volume knob they’re awesome. And should last essentially forever
I buy a mic that sits on my desk so it is separate from the headphones. This kind of mic can be better quality and last longer that one attached to a headset.
This is the way. I dabbled with a modmic but even that developed a cable issue after a couple of years. Now everything I have is modular and all of their cables can be just swapped out.
100% what I used to do with Sennheisers.
But legit, check out EPOS. It’s one of the best microphone companies in the world, teaming up with arguably the best headphone company (Sennheiser). And they cost the same as shitty gamer headsets.
I made the switch maybe 6 months ago
Interesting. I will check them out. You think they’re significantly better for the same price?
ETA: This them? https://www.eposaudio.com/en/us
Yeah.
I went 558 to H6pro.
Just for the headphone part: For gaming it’s a lateral move, and I don’t expect music would be as good. But in this case “lateral move” is still better than the best headsets.
But they cost less then regular Sennheisers without a mic.
So I wouldn’t recommend them as audiophile quality headphones if you’re super into music, but if you are you likely have multiple sets already and wouldn’t mind dropping $100 on a set just for gaming.
When listening to music/movies, even single player games, just keep using what you’re using now.
Pretty much anything “gaming” branded won’t be worth it. These days it seems to just mean “cheaper quality with RGB”.