skribs

On further review, I want closed headphones, not open ones.

Oh, and regarding something to allow me to switch between, what would be useful is a hub or amp that I can connect both the speakers and headphones to, which would allow me to flip a switch or turn a knob to switch from one to the other. The ability to control volume through this would be nice, as well.

Gaming is the priority over music. I don't like the earpads on either of the headphones presented. Soft velvet or any other clothy type pads are very bad for me. I need it to have a smoother texture, like leather. Those LSR308s look nice. I will definitely put those on the "most likely" list. The Blue Yeti mic looks nice. Bit pricier for one in black, though (although the color isn't required). I also see suggestions for Audio Technica, so I guess I'll have to read on how they compare to Blue. Thanks for the suggestions so far. I would appreciate a new recommendation for headphones, specifically ones that don't have soft, velvety pads. Edit: this would all be connected to my computer using Realtek onboard audio, which has 7.1 channels. I don't have (or have room for) a dedicated audio card.

Maybe I am trying to do too much with one thread, but here is my situation. I have a budget of roughly $1000 to put towards new sound equipment for my gaming PC. I currently have a set of Logitech 5.1 speakers that I bought about 10 years ago for under $60 that I am using in 2.1 configuration, a Logitech desktop microphone that has since been discontinued, and a pair of Hesh headphones that do a decent job. I am looking to replace all of these. My budget allocation is $150 for mic, $250 for headphones, and $600 for speakers. However, I don’t know much about what brand does what when it comes to speakers and headphones, so I figured I’d post my budget and my needs and see if you guys have some good suggestions. Speakers: $600 I live in an apartment, so volume and bass are not my primary goals. What I want is longevity and clarity. The quieter I can have my speakers while still understanding everything that is being said on that TV show, the better. I only need stereo speakers in 2.0 configuration (a subwoofer is not desired, as I think the thumps it provides are the worst offenders against happy apartment neighbors). While I’m not looking for something that can be heard in the next building, I do want to be able to clearly hear what is going on when I am in the next room if I turn up the volume during the day. I also would like fairly long cords for a desktop computer, with the assumption there are several monitors between them (wireless is a no-no). I prefer black speakers, but the color isn’t a necessity. The price cap should include anything else required to make them work. I don’t know much about audio equipment to know if an amplifier is needed, but if it is, factor that into the cost. Headphones: $250 I’ve heard that open headphones are better than closed headphones, so these are something I would like to try. Once again, I’m looking primarily for clarity. Leather or fake leather pads are much preferred to cloth/foam style pads. Circumaural is my preferred style. The headphones must be wired, and microphone should NOT be included. I am not going to use the microphone on the headphones, so I don’t want to pay for one. Also, I would like a solution to easily change from headphones to speakers, and to control the volume of the headphones. Microphone: $150 I would like to change to something that isn’t taking up desk real estate. I have plenty of room behind my desk that isn’t being used, that could be used for a mic boom. I would like a studio-style microphone with pop filter and a floor stand. Of course, all black. I don’t have a super huge budget hear, because I do care more about what I hear than what others hear. If you can suggest a better way to allocate my resources (i.e. take $50 off the microphone budget to add to the headphone budget) that is fine, but there is a hard cap of $1000. To recap, this thousand would be for: *Stereo speakers with a focus on clarity *Open stereo headphones with leather-style circumaural pads *Recording studio-style microphone with a floor stand I know next to nothing about what brands do what when it comes to audio equipment, so I’d like suggestions on what best fits my desires within my price range. Thanks!