Are Gaming Headsets Good For Music? (And are there Differences?)
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You need a gaming headset to play your favorite game, but maybe you also want headphones for listening to music. What if you could have both in one headset?
The question then would be:
Are Gaming headsets good for music? It is important to note that gaming headsets are not designed for music; hence, they may not have the balanced audio profile required for listening to music. However, if the gaming headset is of exceptional quality and comes with drivers that are great for music; you may be able to enjoy good music with it.
However, if the reverse is the case, then the music quality will be very low; hence, your music experience with such a gaming headset will be poor. Therefore, the quality and drivers of gaming headsets play pivotal roles in deciding whether they will be good for music or not.
Differences Between Gaming Headsets and Regular Headsets
To further explain why you may or may not have a good music experience when using a gaming headset, it is important to consider the differences between gaming headsets and regular headsets. By understanding the difference, you can understand why these headsets are often designed for specific purposes.
Differences in Their Looks
When compared to regular headsets, gaming headsets are often more aesthetics as they are designed in such a way that makes them more attractive. Furthermore, a microphone is usually attached to a gaming headset and this often differentiates it from other types of headsets available.
For regular headsets, a microphone is usually absent. However, for a gaming headset, a microphone is an important feature. This is because the microphone allows you to communicate with other gamers – whether they are your friends or strangers you are meeting online. In fact, some gaming headsets come with noise-canceling microphones that will ensure that you do not get distracted by background noises when playing your favorite games.
To know more about how a gaming headset looks like, check this out or watch this video to learn about how gaming headsets are designed for the optimal gaming experience.
Although there are some regular headsets with microphones, the audio quality of the microphone is usually lower than what you will get when using a gaming headset. Resultantly, you may not get clear and seamless communication when playing games with such a headset.
Differences in Their Surround Sound
The surround sound refers to the sound effect that makes you feel as if the audio is coming out right in front of you. For gaming headsets, this is a regular feature that most manufacturers prioritize when designing the headsets. Although the quality of surround sound differs based on the quality of the gaming headset, most gaming headsets put you in the rhythm of the game you are playing with this wonderful feature.
Apart from immersing you into the game, the surround sound also helps you when playing competitive video games. For instance, if you are fighting an enemy who is not currently within your sight, the surround sound will provide an audio clue of where the enemy is. Therefore, you can sense the danger and attack the enemies or dodge them even without seeing them at all.
Nevertheless, this is not the case for the music headset. In fact, you can hardly find a music headset with surround sound because the feature is not usually useful when you are listening to good music.
Differences in Their Size
In comparison to music headphones, gaming headsets are usually bulkier. Well, the bulkiness is basically due to their main purpose and design. Notably, gaming headsets usually have an over-ear design; hence, they tend to look and feel bigger than the other ones. Furthermore, the microphones also add to the bulkiness. Nevertheless, bulkiness may never be a problem if you need a gaming headset because you will not play games at the gym, or on the road or even at your workplace.
Music headphones, on the other hand, seem to be more portable. They come in different models – over-ears or on-ear types. However, irrespective of the models, they are usually designed with lightweight materials that do not feel or look bulky. The portability of the regular headsets offers you a chance to carry them with you anywhere – at the gym, on the road and lots more.
Differences in Their Audio Profile
Gaming headsets are mainly about one thing which is to give you an explosive and immersive gaming experience. In view of this kind of experience, the bass is very important. Hence, it is entirely normal for you to notice that your gaming headsets have a more bass-heavy audio profile when compared to your music headsets. In most cases, the audio profile of gaming headsets is not balanced as other sound profiles are sacrificed for a bass profile.
For music headsets, things are entirely different. They usually have advanced drivers that are capable of producing a wider, better frequency range. In addition, they tend to offer a real reproduction as well as a wide soundstage. The audio profile is also balanced; therefore, giving you a wide range of sounds that can please your ear. Music headsets have lows, mids, highs, and bass that will treat you to a nice time when listening to music. As long as the audio profile is concerned, you can count on music headsets for better audio quality.
Differences in their visual features
Most gaming headsets have visuals that are targeted at differentiating them from the other types of headphones available. Sometimes, you can find a gaming headset that features LED lighting. This lighting may be for the coordination of the particular setup of your gaming activities. You can also expect a gaming headset to have bright, easily noticeable colors, brand logos and other additional features that will make them distinctive.
However, branding and other features of music headsets are usually more subtle. Similarly, you can hardly find a regular headset with LED lighting.
If you would like to learn more about the differences between gaming headsets and music headsets, take your time to check out this thread on Quora.
As an alternative, watch this video to understand the differences between these two.
Differences in Their Price
Considering the differences in their audio quality, it is only normal to expect that music headsets will cost more than gaming headsets on average. Also, the difference in price may be due to the fact that music headsets serve a bigger customer base when compared to gaming headsets. However, the quality of the headsets and brand may make a gaming headset to be expensive than a music headset in some cases.
Can you use a Regular Headphone for Gaming?
Of course, you can use it. However, do not expect maximum effects that a gaming headset will give you. Games usually consist of different types of sounds including speech, background music, shots, explosion, wind, noise, steps, and lots more that make users have immersive and lifelike experience. When using a standard music headset for gaming, it is possible that such effects will be lost; thus, reducing your gaming experience.
Having said this, there are a handful of high-end music headphones that can offer you the best gaming experience that any gaming headphones can ever provide. Such headsets have high-quality, specialized drivers that ensure that you can use them for listening to music as well as gaming. Some of the premium music headphones come with a microphone while others do not have. So, you may have to invest more by buying a standalone microphone to optimize your gaming experience. If you need a headset that can do both activities effectively, read this post.
Are Gaming Headsets truly Worth the Hype?
In recent times, there have been so many talks about gaming headsets, especially among a lot of gaming enthusiasts. Therefore, this brings to whether the gaming headsets are worth the hype or not. Well, as long as you are going to be using the headsets for gaming, gaming headsets are truly worth it. They provide hyper-realistic sounds in different formats; thereby, ensuring that you enjoy every bit of your gaming activities. Also, some of them do not cost an arm and a leg.
Therefore, if you can get one that is affordable and functional, you will enjoy gaming more than ever before. Check out a few of the best gaming headsets here. Alternatively, take a look at these ones.
Final words
If you have decided to use a gaming headset for listening to or recording music, you must not expect such a headset to offer you premium music experience that you can get from a high-quality music headset.
This is because gaming headsets are specifically designed for gaming, not music. Therefore, take your time to consider what you will be using your headsets for in most cases before choosing one in the market. If you are into music, get a music headset and if you like playing games, you should opt for a gaming headset that can serve you effectively.
