Headphones recommendation

[Bishop149]

Recently (in part due to a change in living arrangements) I have take to playing my games using headphones, far less annoying for anyone who might be sharing the room with me!
Currently I have just plugged some earbuds in to the 3.5mm jack of my speakers but TBH I find wearing an earbud for any length of time to be uncomfortable. So I thought I should upgrade to a proper set of headphones / headset.

However, I also don't want to be completely antisocial isolated in my own little game world. I frequently have to pop in and out of games as other more important things make demands on my time. So currently I tend to just wear just the one earbud so I can still maintain an awareness of my surroundings audio-wise.

So I would ask for recommendations either for a single sided headphone (of which I can't find many) or a more traditional set in which it is comfortable to slide one set off to the side, requirements other than this:
- Plugs in with 3.5mm jack.
- Comfortable
- Not too expensive, I'm no audiophile so don't care too much about uber sound quality. (~£50? maybe a bit more?)

[Kapakio]

I would recommend either Jabra or Sennheiser headsets. I've been using them at work for the last couple of years. There are not too expensive and not bad quality.

For your requirements, those could work:

- Sennheiser PC 2 Chat
- jabra evolve 40 jack

If you are willing to invest a little more (like 100 pounds) I would try a wireless version. It's really a change to get rid of the cable

[pjknibbs]

I use one of these at work:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plantronics-Bl ... 00001W0F4/

They're comfortable enough, although I tend not to wear them all the time because my job isn't one that requires me to be constantly answering the phone. No idea how well they'd work for games.

[BugMeister]

- those little single ear-piece sets you can get for the XBOX, are cheap and work OK.. (in mono, natch!)

- at home I use a monster pair of wired USB phones from Logitech - bit heavy and hot at this time of year, but fab sound..
- also I have a standard plug-in set of folding Sennheiser's, small enough to fit in a coat/jacket pocket, for when I'm on the move..
- great for the Microsoft mobile..

[Bishop149]

I like the look of the Jabra, I might try those.
Thanks guys.

[OmegaKnight]

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x -link to review-

A bit over budget but the last pair of headphones you'll need to buy.
Gaming, music, all day use, everything...

[Morkonan]

I use one of these at work:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plantronics-Bl ... 00001W0F4/

They're comfortable enough, although I tend not to wear them all the time because my job isn't one that requires me to be constantly answering the phone. No idea how well they'd work for games.

Just a plug for Plantronics. I have no idea in regards to sound quality, but I have always enjoyed Plantronics headsets and have used them in general gaming, usually multiplayer though.

I would recommend against earbuds, in general. They're less safe than headphones, IMO, in regards to potential pitfalls with hearing loss. And, either way, any sort of headphone system is going to cause increased risk in that regard.

[Stars_InTheirEyes]

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x -link to review-

A bit over budget but the last pair of headphones you'll need to buy.
Gaming, music, all day use, everything...

I have these, highly recommend. Though I do notice a difference using a dedicated sound card compared to plugging it straight into the motherboard audio ports. Bit pricey too.

One important thing OP hasn't mentioned-- do you need a microphone?

In terms of value for money you can't get much better than the HyperX Cloud II

[ATTACK_HAMSTER]

I have used these Panasonic headphones for donkeys years and they provide a decent output, although I’m no audio expert, they make everything sound good. Cheap and cheerful at £13 and come with a 3m cable, but the most important feature for me is the easy access volume control on the cable.

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/5340882

[Ezarkal]

I've had this Logitech headset for a couple of year now and I'm pretty satisfied.

It's super light and comfy, so there's no issues with wearing it for a few hour at the time (or more), the build-in micro works well, and you can pivot the ear cuffs so it stays decently comfortable if you wear a single headphone. Add the fact that they have been dropped a considerable amount of times and are still intact and working perfectly.

Plus, I found it a decent mixture of sound isolation vs environmental awareness. It will always depend on the volume on which you're playing, of course, but at moderate sound levels with both cuffs on, you may not understand if someone is talking to you, but you will still be aware someone is speaking. (Or you'll still hear your oven timer telling you your cookies are ready.)