Buying a Mic

Seeing how im playing Counter Strike, TF2, and soon, Left 4 Dead I think it's finally time I got a Head set. I have questions though. Do you only hear the mics through the head set and the game sounds through the speakers? or can you even have speakers and a head set running at the same time? What do you recommend I buy? Anyone have any thoughts? I'd love to hear them.

Just so you know i have a 5.1 setup (all be it crappy) with the Razer sound card (i pick up for $50 off woot.com ).

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Reality has become a commodity.

What the headset can do, and what configurations of input/output you can get will be down to your soundcard. Normally though, in tf2 etc, your mic input isn't played back at you.

I know my voice isn't played back at me but are other voices only played through the headset or the speakers and headset? Does wearing a headset make it difficult to hear your speakers while playing? (Do i sound stupid asking these questions )

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Reality has become a commodity.

The headset acts exactly the same as a pair of headphones with a microphone, so you hear the voices, plus the game sounds and anything else that would normally come out of your speakers. If you want to use your speakers and the microphone attached to the headset, than simply plug in the microphone only. Headsets have two jacks, one for the mic, and one for the headphones.

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Aaron's Stuff

Yea, the only way to have player voices coming in through your headset and the game sounds coming through your speakers separately would be to have two different sound cards (ex. jacks from one sound card and jacks from your motherboard sound chipset) with each their own drivers installed. This is was I used to have (not realizing the problem) And it was kind of a neat effect, but I don't recommend it; there are too many other programs that had conflicts with this (especially if you're trying to have surround sound). You will only be able to have audio coming from either your speakers or your headset not both (with just one set of jacks). And like aaron said,the mic jack is separate.

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

I see, thanks for all the help. Fishy, Aaron, Riven

I think iv narrowed it down to these. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104024

I would have gotten the cheaper pair that look just as good, but it only had a USB connector. I think I should go with the 2 3.5mm jacks instead of the single USb.

Do you guys think $15 pair will do just as well?

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Reality has become a commodity.

Any pair will do I suppose. I got myself a $5 pair (retail, not internet) that I use occasionally and the comfort and mic/sound quality is decent.

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Aaron's Stuff