Over the years, we’ve seen a decisive shift
in PC displays from standard (4:3) to widescreen (16:9, commonly) aspect
ratios, so much so that widescreen has become the new “standard.” And many
enthusiasts have taken this one step further, flanking their primary widescreen
LCDs with matching screens on either side. We’ve come this far largely in
pursuit of a more immersive experience, whether that’s storming through
Borderlands 2, viewing “The Avengers” for the n+1th time, or watching the
Keyboard Cat play ’im off on one very wide keyboard.
That’s all well and good, but surrounding
your eyes with all that visual splendor is only half of the equation; you won’t
truly be in the middle of the action unless your ears are there, too. For that,
it’s premium audio hardware to the rescue. You can use the old standby of
discrete surround sound satellites, if your power user cave’s physical space is
agreeable, or shrink such a setup down to a headphone form factor and strap it to
your noggin.
It’s easy to cite games and movies as the
main reasons to have a good set of cans or an outstanding speaker system, and
they are good reasons, after all. But let’s not forget about the other big
reason: music. Long gone are the days of horrible, lossy, low-quality MP3s. As
hard drives have increased to gigantic capacities, with multi-drive NAS devices
offering the potential of even more storage, it’s easier than ever to store
your music in a format that leaves the original quality intact. Leading digital
music vendors have stepped up, too, often making tracks available at bit rates
of 256Kbps or a sky-high 320Kbps. Now that it’s possible for audiophiles to
move their collections to the PC, top-notch speakers or headphones are
essential to enjoy tunes the way they’re meant to be heard.
Speaker City
PC speaker systems can be truly
impressive—discrete satellites with powerful drivers, subwoofers with Floyd
Mayweather punch. Like any component, though, speaker systems are a diverse
bunch. You have speakers that act just like virtual surround sound headsets,
tricking your ears into believing your sound system has rear satellites. There
are plenty of speakers that clip to your monitor bezel when desktop space is
tight, as well as portable units designed to pick up the slack when your only
sound source is your laptop’s rinky-dink drivers. This buyer’s guide features a
little of this and a little of that. We have high-end units capable of
producing crystal-clear sound and specialty speakers built for a particular
niche.
Check Your Head
Headsets are more or less the de facto
choice for multiplayer gaming (because really, when was the last time you saw
anyone using a desktop mic to give orders in Team Fortress 2?), so the market
is teeming with companies vying for your hard-earned gamer bucks by offering
cutting-edge headsets. Lots of headsets, especially those made to excel in
gaming, now have drivers capable of producing a virtual surround sound effect,
and some go so far as to incorporate a series of smaller drivers in order to
create a more authentic surround sound experience. Either approach will put you
directly into the action in a way the headsets of old could only dream of
doing.
Many of the headsets in this guide will
please the tweakers in the crowd, offering custom software that lets you
fine-tune your headset, create audio profiles, and more. Although most of the
headsets in this guide connect via USB cable, others opt to go wireless with
either a Bluetooth or RF signal. Add in bonuses such as flexible mic booms and
in-line control pods, and you have a diverse collection of headsets; there’s
something for everyone.
Sounds Good
Every time we build or upgrade our systems,
it’s usually at the expense of our speakers and headsets. Let’s buck that trend,
starting now. In this buyer’s guide, we’ve included a number of excellent
options suitable for a variety of budgets. (Prices marked with an asterisk [*]
were current online prices at the time of this writing.) It’s time to chuck
those pathetic speakers you’ve used for your last three systems and get
something that will take your audio to the next level. Your ears will thank
you.
Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1
Gaming Headset
Price: $149.99
Website: www.corsair.com
Why You’ll Dig It: The Vengeance 2000
wireless gaming headset gives you realistic multichannel gaming audio and
play-for-hours comfort. Wireless freedom is key, with the Vengeance 2000’s 10
hours of battery life and 40-foot range, you’ll never get tangled in cables and
you’ll run out of steam before your headset does. Realistic multichannel gaming
audio is great because it helps you find your enemies before they find you. And
at the end of the day, sound is about quality, and with the Vengeance 2000’s
large 50mm drivers, you’ll hear all the details and experience deep, satisfying
bass without distortion or overload. Thanks to the headset’s noise-cancelling
mic, you can issue clear commands to your clan without fear that they’ll hear a
garbled mess.
Who Should Apply: Vengeance 2000 is the
wireless headset for gamers who care about audio. It offers exceptional
multichannel gaming audio and is comfortable enough for hours of gameplay.
Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz
Connector: USB (wireless, 2.4GHz)
Corsair
Vengeance 2000 Wireless 7.1 Gaming Headset
Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500
High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System
Price: $249.99
Website: www.corsair.com
Why You’ll Dig It: Building a great PC
speaker system is more than about giving you room-shaking power. The Gaming
Audio Series SP2500 is the product of a design philosophy that embraces the
importance of clean, detailed audio reproduction not just for games but for
movies and music, as well. The digital signal processor and dynamic digital
crossovers provide sophisticated processing and equalization effects for a
listening experience that simply can’t be matched on ordinary analog speaker
systems. Each two-way satellite has discrete digital amplifiers for both the
specially developed 3-inch midrange driver and the custom-designed 1-inch Ferrofluid-cooled,
silk dome tweeter for accurate reproduction.
Who Should Apply: Gamers who demand
high-fidelity audio, great stereo imaging and dramatic bass performance If your
PC is your primary jukebox, these speakers are practically a must-buy.
Frequency Response: 35Hz to 20kHz +/- 3dB
Total power: 232 watts total power
(measured via FTC “RMS”method)
Corsair
Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System
Thermaltake Tt eSPORTS CHAO DRACCO
Signature
Price: $110
Website: chao.ttesports.com
Why You’ll Dig It: Finally, headphones that
look as good as they sound. Available in red, black, or white, the Tt eSPORTS
Battle Dragon roars on the CHAO DRACCO Signature’s earcups, which house 50mm
drivers that also roar. Other design touches, including an aureate gold finish
and hand-sewing texture on the headband, make these headphones some of the most
stylish we’ve ever seen. The earcups swivel 180 degrees and are designed for
up-and-coming DJs who intend to use the CHAO DRACCO Signature headphones for
monitoring purposes. Tt eSPORTS also includes an aviation adapter for
jet-setting enthusiasts. The high-performance gold-plated 3.5mm-to-6.5mm plug
makes it easy to switch the CHAO DRACCO Signature from your laptop to
professional-grade audio equipment.
Who Should Apply: According to Thermaltake,
the CHAO DRACCO Signature studio headphones are designed for professional
monitoring and mixing. We think they’re perfect for anyone who wants a
sharp-looking pair of headphones that are capable of producing astonishingly
good sound.
Frequency Response: 10Hz to 22kHz
Connector: Analog
Thermaltake
Tt eSPORTS CHAO DRACCO Signature
