Best gaming headsets for Rift S

[Steel Jaw]

I have a HyperX Cloud but it doesnt fit over top of my Rift, what are the best options for this please? Need a mic on the headset. Thanx.

[squid509]

dose the rift S not have a built in mic? i thought it did or is it not good enough?

[dburne]

dose the rift S not have a built in mic? i thought it did or is it not good enough?

 

On mine the mic is rather spotty, oftentimes dropping out in middle of game play. Don't know if that is a widespread thing or not with the Rift S.

I simply added a desktop USB mic and set it as my default mic.

[streakeagle]

I use a Corsair HS60 Pro Surround headset with my Rift S. It fits fairly well over the Rift S. The mic works very well and when my son damaged his by bending it back and forth too much, I was able to get an equal or better aftermarket replacement mic for a fairly low price on Amazon. I chose this particular headset because when I went to get one, it happened to be on sale. I got two for less than the price of one. While the USB sound adapter works as well or better than a motherboard audio chipset, I am using my motherboard sound: one less thing chewing up USB bandwidth. The Realtek HD audio on my motherboard works just as well with the headset using an adapter to split the connector into conventional mic and headset jacks, including the option to simulate 7.1 sound through the 2-channel headset if you are into that sort of thing.

 

If you decide the HS60 is a good option for you, but you can't find it at a low price and want to save some money, I think the HS50 is pretty much exactly the same headset without the USB audio adapter.

 

I needed a headset because my Rift S mic drops out whenever it is being used by an app, such as Vaicom Pro or SRS. The only way to reset it after it drops out is to unplug the USB connector and plug it back in, though it also resets whenever there are firmware updates to the headset. If I reset it, but don't use it for anything, it might stay working for weeks. But as soon as I use it, there is a risk that it will stop working at any moment. Sometimes, it will make it through an entire DCS World play session, but drops out as soon as you exit the game. Other times, it will drop out within a few minutes of starting a mission. One time, after a firmware update, it worked well for weeks, then the next firmware update knocked it out again. Oculus support was worthless for this problem. They acted like they had never heard of it before, suggested basic fixes like unplugging the cable, assumed it was an end-user issue, and never provided a permanent solution.

 

Beyond solving the mic issue, the audio on the Rift S is horrible. You have to use high volume settings to hear it well, which causes some distortion. If you just cup your hands over your ears, the Rift S audio is much louder and sounds ok with the volume level set lower. But for a huge price in bulk, weight, and comfort, the headset provides far superior audio. Despite the increased weight and extra cables (I keep a TrackIR Pro Clip mounted on the headset), I won't use the Rift S without the headset even when I don't need the mic.

 

I have the original Rift CV1, too. If the Rift S had kept the audio setup of the CV1, I would never have bought a headset. Hopefully, I like the HP Reverb G2 audio and mic so I can abandon having to wear an additional headset in VR, as it should be.

Edited September 7, 2020 by streakeagle

[Lange_666]

It also depends on your form/size head.

Used to use a smaill on ear Sennheiser which was good. Bought (by mistake) a Logitech G635 over ear which fits fine on the Rift S but gave way to much pressure on my head when used without Rift S.

Went for an Corsair HS70 Pro (over ear) which gives a lot less pressure on my head when used without a VR headset but then just barely fits the Rift S.

[Mango]

I have the same problem with the HyperX. Rift S's crappy sound is a HUGE factor in my wanting to upgrade.

[Svsmokey]

I'm using a Razer headset over my S without problems .