Looking for reccomendations on a high end headset for music, gaming.

[Internetlad]

Hey guys, I'm on my quarterly computer upgrade spree, and i'm considering bumping up my headset to something of higher quality.

Running right now with a Turtle Beach X17 (IIRC, i'm not at home right now) and it's OK, but the bass is somewhat weak (I think that's more to do with the way it holds to my head, because if I push the sides flush, the bass is great.

I'm not really an audiophile by any means, but I do use my PC a great deal for gaming, including music based games and listening to music (often only high quality MP3s from AmazonMP3)

Honestly, I don't mind the unit i'm running right now except for 2 reasons:

1: It was made as a pc/xbox hybrid, so the cord is like thirty feet long and often gets caught under my chair, around me, knocks stuff over on or under my desk, or gets caught in the side rollers on my keyboard tray. I'm not saying full wireless is necessary (But I wouldn't be adverse to it)
2: When the volume is turned all the way up on the headset (Necessary at times to get even average volume out of the headset, even with the audio in windows maxed) it produces a nearly unbearable whine, akin but higher pitched to that produced by old CRT TVs.

This was a 40-50 dollar Amazon special for my last birthday, so I've had it a while. I think it's time to upgrade though.

I'm open to suggestions from pretty much any brand, and i'm not against either adding a sound card, or splitting the headphones and mic, so long as it's in budget.

My budget is anywhere between 50-150 bucks depending on price/performance.

Suggestions?

EDIT: Warranty is a big plus. a 2+ year warranty would be a big mover, as my headsets always seem to take a dump a month out of warranty (usually the mic)

[Michael]

PC 360 Sennheiser's are always a great bet.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-360-Headset-Gaming/dp/B003DA4D2U

I do recommend using an amp with them, though, for the full experience.

[Internetlad]

by "amp" do you mean one of the ones built into most high end sound cards, or something more fancy.

at 210 it's a bit above the prospective budget ( I just dropped 300 on a video card a few months ago, so I gotta convince the wife that this is a necessity lol)

That does look like a solid set though.

If I were to get a sound card, it'd probably be a 30-50 dollar Xonar. I'm running off onboard sound now, as everything I've heard and read says there really is no difference anymore.

EDIT: reading the specs now. I have a family so that open audio thing would be cool because my wife is always mad at me about how I never hear her with a headset on.

With that said, this does seem above my needs.

[noisyturtle]

If you really insist on getting a 'gaming headset' over an amp and headphones, Astro makes some of those and could be considered high end comparatively. 
http://www.astrogaming.com/a50/

[bavman]

I would get a good pair of headphones and modmic:
http://www.modmic.com/

AD700s are good for gaming, but it doesn't really have bass. Usually bass-y headphones (cheap ones) suffer from receded mids so it doesn't make them as ideal for gaming.

[Atakp]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-3-11-13-lcd2-entry-updated

This is a good read for all things gaming headphone/headset. I think that a good headphone and stand alone mic trumps a gaming headset in all aspects

[Internetlad]

Only problem I have with one of the non-headset stereo mic things, is that my son's "Play" room is in the back room with me, so i'm worried that background noise from that will carry in. Minimal in most instances, but I don't want to tick everybody on the other end off.

Can anybody weigh in on whether I should consider internal sound card, external sound card/amp (like the mixamp) or just don't worry about it?

I would get a good pair of headphones and modmic:

That's a pretty cool product! Thanks for pointing it out!

If you really insist on getting a 'gaming headset' over an amp and headphones, Astro makes some of those and could be considered high end comparatively. 
http://www.astrogaming.com/a50/

I'm not insisting on anything, i'm open to any and all suggestions. Really the only thing I don't want/need is a whole stereo setup on my desk.

[bavman]

Unless your getting headphones with an impedance of more than 80ohms then you don't need an amp. I'd say for your budget just focus on getting the best headphone/headset you can, a sound card won't make a difference right now.

[Internetlad]

Unless your getting headphones with an impedance of more than 80ohms then you don't need an amp. I'd say for your budget just focus on getting the best headphone/headset you can, a sound card won't make a difference right now.

In all honesty, I can live with the x17x12. Would anything for what i'm looking at be a real upgrade over what I already have (it works absolutely fine for my needs at the moment) or should I save up several hundred dollars and get a really nice pair that will last me a long time and sound great?

I kind of hate buying crap that will just get replaced in a year over and over, i'd rather get something that will last me 5+ years for 5 times the cost. Maybe I'll just go that route. I'm not seeing anything in the 100 and under area that is piquing my interest much.  I can live with the crappy long cord and the whine only occurs with the volume cranked on the x17x12.

With that said, should I still consider getting an amp or other goodies as sort of a "futureproofing" or "upgrade path" that i'd need later?

EDIT: I think i'm wrong on the model, X17 doesn't seem to be an actual headset. I think they're x12s.