Other than the fact that USB connection sucks major ass (static interference due to congested I/O, pops and cracks)... no. The Frost Blue sounds like the normal V2 USB.

There's also been plenty of reliability issues with Steelseries headsets... but I'd rather put that in the "depends on your luck" and "how you use it" category.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Mar 6 2013, 01:42 AM

You can try getting a USB expansion slot (without any PCI-E/PCI interface) with a cable passthrough that connects to any of your mobo's USB headers.
This should eliminate static a little bit, but not entirely.

USB just sucks for headsets/headphones, period.

Asus Xonar DGX + SteelSeries Siberia V2 (non-USB) - RM150 + RM279.

This would be a pretty good bang for the buck, simply because decent headphones in Malaysia are jacked up and way overpriced. You can expect some pretty decent positioning cues with Dolby Headphones.

Alternatively, if you can wait for Creative's Soundblaster Z to come out in Malaysia (should be this month), then get the Z instead. Will be more expensive though, but it is a much better card than the DGX.

Oh I read it wrong, I thought he said mic was necessary.

@myniie
Yup, if mic isn't a requirement then the Superlux 668b is leaps better than the Siberia V2.
A second hand AD700 can be gotten for under RM500 too, which is highly regarded as one of the best open headphones for the price. Precisely what you want for positioning cues.

The AD700 with a SoundBlaster Z will definitely be a good choice, better than the DGX at least.
Dolby DSPs are good for movies, but stupid for gaming due to how they are designed.

But where do you find a SBZ in Malaysia? Have they gone on sale officialy yet?

Don't waste money on the Zalman clip-on mic. While the voice quality is decent, it's stupid that it doesn't cancel any background noises... AT ALL.
Even if you are tapping on your mousepad, your friends/opponents WILL hear it. Ridiculous.

My option is going for a DX clip-on mic... a China no-brand but much better than the Zalman. The voice quality is better, it doesn't pick up background noises as much (people will still hear you typing though if you're on a mechanical kb) and best of all? It's $2, yes $2.

You do have to add a little bit of mic boost through your windows sound settings/soundcard to get your voice loud enough though.

Here: http://dx.com/p/mini-clip-on-microphone-7080

Free shipping to Malaysia.
Only problem is that shipping takes like 3 weeks.

In comparison the Zalman mic from Amazon is $9 and you'll have to pay for services fee + shipping fee, for a worthless product.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Mar 17 2013, 01:30 PM

Not like the mics on the Siberia V2 or Kraken are that great anyways.

A $2 DX Clip-on mic is better than the ones on the afforementioned headsets.

Personally tested and I can assure you it is better.

Superlux 668b = RM150
DX clip on mic = $2 (RM6) + free shipping

You do the math.
If you think it is worth paying another RM150 for a Siberia v2 for whatever reasons, go ahead. I do have to stress though, the Siberia V2 ARE a lot more comfier than the Superlux 668b.

Don't forget, USB connection = cult to all popping, static and harmonic distortion.

So don't complain if you move your mouse and you hear static in the headset.
Also, those pleather pads on the Rosewill will peel very easily. Even easier than most other faux leather.

No it doesn't happen to a USB DAC/amp obviously because the headphone would be connected to the DAC/amp, not the I/O on the PC.
It DOES happen to an in-line USB amp, exactly like the one you see with the Rosewill headset.


Yes, really. And the more USB sources you have connected to your I/O, the more static, hiss, pops or cracks you'll hear.

If ONLY between these 2, Siberia v2.

Happens immediately, the more USB sources there are... the worse the interference is.
You can get a USB bracket and connect it to a free USB header on the mobo, then slot the bracket onto a free expansion bracket on your case as far away as possible to your GPU.

This does somewhat alleviate the interference issues quite a bit. I did this, but personally I still hear the constant hissing from USB headsets.

Finally, the other major factor why I despise USB headsets (or even headphones believe it or not, there are USB headphones... for whatever stupid reasons) is because there's no way to use the DAC from a soundcard. DSP effects can still be applied, but what's the point when there are so much interference on a USB connection.

I think you're a little bit confused over something here.

USB DAC/Amps has very, very little interference (yes, they DO HAVE interference but isn't enough to be noticed by most) because all the USB connection does is feed power to the DAC/amp.

But IN-LINE USB ampliers that comes with headsets like these on the other hand;

Turtlebeach PX21
Steelseries 5h V2
Corsair Vengeance 1500

They have interference and they're very noticeable. Just think about it, the stupid little amplifier has to provide current to amplify whatever signal is coming through from a digital interface (USB). Not only that, it has to put up with features for the mic and how the signal goes back out to the computer as well.

If the in-line amplifier has any sort of DSP on board as well, it'll also have to provide it if enabled.
Let all that sink in and think, how can a little piece of amplifier does so much with already a crowded USB signal in the first place? How much money and development time do you think went into these in-line amplifiers? Lol.

I'm tired of people asking the same questions on which USB headsets are better and what not when they do not know how much they're getting ripped off of their money.


To summarize:
In-line amplifiers on headsets = bad, period.
USB DAC/amps = good, that's it.

Uhm not really.
I'm going through this way:

PC > FiiO E17 + DSP effects by X-Fi XtremeMusic > Headphones (Sennheiser HD558)
I have both a USB and an analog mic.

Connecting the analog mic to the soundcard just works, no settings required.
For the USB mic, I just need to go to Windows Audio Options > Recording Devices > USB Mic Input (name will vary).

Works for me.

Innitially, the issue is that the person in that thread has his mic muted is because the USB DAC takes over any sound processing from Windows. So Windows automatically expects you to connect a mic through the USB DAC in order for the mic to work.

Unfortunately, not all USB DACs have dual in-line inputs.

Here -

The Astro A40 2013 and A50 has so much issues that I'd suggest you stay the heck away from.

If you really need a gaming headset, the only one I can suggest is a Sennheiser PC360 + the Astro Mixamp (or, go for an FiiO E17).

Yes they do.
http://www.astrogaming.com/mixamp-pro-2013-edition

The mixamp only does around 70mW at 32ohms though. So you might want an amp (which I assume you have?) to help drive higher impedence cans.

Well, if you're willing to give other external DSPs a look... the Turtle Beach DSS2 or Creative SoundBlaster Recon3D USB are good alternatives.

Otherwise, you can probably ask someone on the Services Board on the forum to import it for you?

Anyways, my opinions on external DSPs are:

Astro Mixamp - Dolby Headphones
IMO, Dolby Headphones has never been that good for positional cues. But they're really more "immersive" due to how their concept is based on — a 5.1/7.1 home theatre setup in a room.
Great for movies, great for single player games. Not so good for MP, particularly FPS.

It's really the go to external DSP for many because it supports a wide range of platforms, which is always a plus.


Turtle Beach DSS2 - Proprietary 5.1 VSS (it sounds pretty similar to Creative's CMSS-3D though)
The previous DSS was using Dolby Headphones, was a really good DSP. In fact I'm still sticking to it because of DH for single player games. But TB, seems want a need for change and with that... I'm sort of bumped that its proprietary 5.1 VSS is bad for SP games, because of how close it sounds to CMSS-3D.

Positional cues I think are better than DH, but there's an impact on the entire mid-range frequency, made them a lot more recessed than they should be. Bad, because characters sound like they're talking in a tin box.

In terms of driving headphones, it's even better than the Astro Mixamps — 90mW@32ohms IINM. Not sure of its output impedence though, but I think it's <5 ohms.


Creative SoundBlaster Recon3D - THX TruStudio Surround
A very hate it or like it thing. A lot of people hate THX TruStudio Surround because positional cues are non-existant, which basically defeats the purpose of having virtual surround sound in the first place. I find that THX TSS is picky on the type of game and the source of audio.

For one though, it doesn't have an impact on the mids like how TB's DSS2 does. But also being at least as "immersive" as Dolby Headphones if not better (again, it depends on the source). I'd really only use THX TSS in movies though.


Both the DSS2 and SB Recond3D USB can be bought in Malaysia with warranty.

For the A40 2013 edition, there has been numerous reports of generally bad QC.

Problems ranges from:

- Mic not working (very common)
- Firmware updates completely kills the headset outright
- Included Mixamp simply doesn't work (headphone amp on it just died right out of the box)
- USB cable doesn't provide enough current to connect the Mixamp to another device (they've fixed this though)

These are just the main common quality issues the A40 2013 has. And I haven't even gone down the part of how it sounds when one is gonna pay $250 for it....

If you have the budget of going for an A40, you have such a broad variety of audiophile headphones that simply just blows the A40 out of the water... both in terms of sound quality and built quality.

The Mixamp 2013 is still a decent external DSP + portable amp. Depends whether you want to use it other than on a PC environment or not, if you're planning to connect to a console then yeah the Mixamp 2013 is a pretty decent choice.

It does however has notably more hiss than the previous Mixamp though, you may or may not notice it but for me I did. Not a deal breaker personally as it is unnoticeable when you're actually PLAYING, but I know people who absolutely do not tolerate any type of hiss in their audio equipment.

Otherwise, if you're on a PC... get a soundcard. If you do not want any DSP effects, even better... go all external, get a DAC + amp.


True indeed. Otherwise, those who can't cough out so much for a mic can always look into the Blue snowball mic as well, needs a pop filter though.

One last thing, the Mixamp 2013 drives most headphones up to 80ohms pretty well.
Anything higher and you'll probably need additional amping.


A big fat HELL NO.