Stereo Gaming Headphone Headset with Microphone (Blue)

I got these things back in 2014. They were my first pair of real "headphones" and I remember them arriving in nothing but a plastic bag. I think it was just white with one side transparent, not even a logo on the packaging. I used them for everything from video games to YouTube videos, and to this day they are still working just as I unpackaged them almost 10 years ago. Actually insane for a sub-20 dollar headset.After using them this long the reason I haven't felt the need to upgrade is because of one thing- the sound quality. The Chinese company that builds these must have put all their r&d into the speakers or outsourced the units because these things should not sound as good as they do at this price point. I once thought I had broken the mic on these things (I hadn't) and decided to buy a razer kraken for $60. I immediately returned them because they somehow had subpar audio quality to these, even with razer's audio drivers installed. Normally I browse the web at around volume level 20, which is perfectly sufficient. If I really want to blast music I bump it up to 50. The headset (in my experience) has no problems with it, despite other reviews saying these are quiet. The bass on these things is quite honestly ridiculous. You do have to turn it up a little bit to really "feel" it but these things are BUMPIN. There is no static in the line, no crackling. It's very smooth.The only other headphones I use are my gen 2 airpods with my iPhone, and I can say with confidence that this headset has comparable audio. Not kidding. There are some slight sound differences, mainly the airpods being "louder" with slightly better bass but one was built in 2014 at cost of probably $10, and my airpods came out in 2019 at $150.The mic is good enough to get the job done. I've got flamed plenty of times for having a "walmart" mic but since then I've bought an antlion aux mic. Also they are certainly durable like others have mentioned before.After this long things just wear out on it. The padding on the ear covers eventually flakes off, the padding on the headband gets cracked and ripped, the Y cable junction has tears and I've wrapped I up with duct tape. Sometimes I need to twist the line in on my PC to make sure audio comes out of each side evenly and stop crackling. Once it's in position though it works fine. But lets be honest, most people would've thrown these out long before those problems became an inconvenience.All in all, I would certainly recommend these to someone who waned a risk free entry as their first gaming headset. I use these daily, they've really stood the test of time. I know that I'll be using these till the speakers completely quit.

Before you continue, note that I got mine new. If you buy used, your outcome may be different. It's dirt cheap though, so no excuse to get it used unless you're living in the Projects.For $15 (before shipping) you can't really go wrong. Of course, if I could I would vie for a Turtle Beach since i've used a few pairs in the past and they were absolutely awesome, but I just son't have that kind of budget yet. So I decided to say "why not?" and take the risk on a cheap headset like this. Fast forward about 2 weeks later...Shipping was on time. Upon opening the package, the Sades box itself was encased in an airbag and some bubble wrap. They definitely took their time protecting this; even the jacks had plastic caps. Packaging: Pass.The build quality doesn't feel too cheap, feels relatively sturdy. I'm sure that a drop from a few feet would takw a chunk out or cause a crack, but I handle my equipment with care so I don't see that in the forseeable (I think that's how it's spelled) future. The ear cushions are pretty comfy, and they fit around my ears perfectly. Top cushions also make this thing feel practically weightless. All of them are a little stiff due to being new, but after just a day I can feel them getting more comfortable by the minute, so wearing in shouldn't be too bad. The cable is about 2 meters (roughly 6 feet) long, which gave me ample room to wire into the back of my computer. The jacks aren't shorted or broken, and there's no crackling. All the controls feel nice and sturdy, and are very responsive. Construction: Pass.Once plugged in, I decided to test it on some music before heading over to the gaming aspect. I tried some bass-heavy songs (Seek and Destroy by Metallica, original pressing of Holy Wars by Megadeth), and they sounded crisp and clear. Same for the more mid-scooped songs like The Frayed Ends of Sanity or Psychotron. Music: Pass.Now for what you all want to hear: how is it for gaming? Two topics covered here: Headphones and Microphone.Headphones:I decided to test a game with an absolutely perfect sound engine: Red Orchestra 2/Rising Storm. Let's just say that even on crappy headphones this game gave me flashbacks.But these? Even better. Footsteps, gunshots, explosions; everything pops and pans really well. Nothing sounds muffled unless it should be because of the game. I'd say the speakers in this headset are equal to the pictured Sony MDR-something-somethings, which were my primary headphones before the Sades. We also paid $60 or $70 for the Sonys. Gaming Audio: Pass.Microphone:This is where the "cheap" aspect comes in, but it's still very good. Construction isn't a problem. Even the audio isn't a problem; it picks up my voice perfectly, and noise cancellation is decent (especially considering I've got a 16 inch fan 3 feet away and it doesn't come through the mic at all). But don't expect a Shure, especially at this price. It's much better than the Sony MDR's in-line mic, I will say that. Microphone: Pass.Like I said, for $15 you can't go wrong; then again, I'm not terribly picky. For a first headset (coming from a guy whose first headset was a Turtle Beach X12, so many years ago), I'd definitely recommend this. Or if you need a cheap replacement, or something to hold you over until you save up a bit more (as am I) this is perfect. Not much to say that's negative, other than the shipping being over half the cost of the actual headset, nearly doubling the price, but what can you do?