This would be a good one for under $10: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BMG9TB/

I've used AKG K52, AKG Q701, Audeze LCD-2 Classic, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HiFiMan HE400i (the revision), HiFiMan HE500, HyperX Cloud, Koss Porta Pro, Monoprice Monolith M1060, Philips Fidelio X2, Philips SHP9500, Sennheiser HD598, Sennheiser HD700, Sennheiser HD800, Superlux HD662 EVO, Superlux HD668B, Superlux HD669, Superlux HD681 EVO, Tritton Pro+ and Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven for gaming, and my recommendation is AD700x, regardless of budget. Attach an Antlion ModMic and you have a headset.

Setup:

The mic attaches magnetically to a base that you stick to the left or right earcup.

To connect the headphone and mic to the controller or other devices with a headset / single TRRS jack, you need a TRRS Y-splitter. They have three black rings on the connector.

You can connect the them to the USB port on PS4 by using an audio USB adapter.

It's also possible to use an Astro MixAmp Pro or a Turtle Beach Elite Pro TAC.

Sound:

AD700x has a huge soundstage, excellent imaging, separation and clarity, and great detail retrieval. Soundstage and imaging constitute positional audio. Soundstage is produced by the headphone and is how you perceive space and environment of sound, like virtual surround sound. Imaging is inherent to the audio content/mixture and is how accurately the locations of sounds/objects are reproduced. Separation is how you discern individual sounds from a range of overlapping sounds.

AD700x has subdued sub-bass and no emphasized mid-bass. Sub-bass is how deep the bass goes and is where rumble comes from. Mid-bass is where the loudness of impact from grenades, explosions and such come from. For competitive shooters, you want as little bass as possible because it can overpower/mask sound cues.

Regarding virtual surround sound...

You don't have to go far before you come across a lot of stereo elitism in audio enthusiast forums. Virtual surround sound isn't bullshit or a gimmick. That's coming from someone who generally prefers stereo much more than virtual surround sound and has bought Q701, AD700x, DT990, Fidelio X2, HD598, HD700 and HD800 in pursuit of bigger and better soundstage and imaging to get the same three-dimensional space and environment of sound that virtual surround sound produces.

Virtual Surround sound varies a lot from DSP (digital signal processor) to DSP, e.g. CMSS-3D, Dolby Headphone, SBX, etc. How you perceive virtual surround sound compared to stereo also depends on the soundstage and imaging properties of the headphone and how well games are mixed. No matter how large the soundstage is and how good the imaging is, stereo doesn't sound fully three-dimensional as virtual surround sound at all times. Dialogues and very loud sounds like tanks, jets, collapsing buildings, etc. near you tend to sound very intimate and dominate in either ear when you don't face them.

Virtual surround sound has its drawbacks too: it compresses and degrades the sound quality. I find it most noticeable with rain, waterfalls and splashing water; they sound akin to white and pink noise. Subtle details become faint or not audible. When headphones already have decent soundstage, imaging and separation, I find that virtual surround sound diffuses the positional audio and the ability to pick up audio cues. For competitive shooters, I only use stereo.

I've used Dolby Headphone and SBX personally and listened to several others through videos on YouTube, and I prefer SBX from Creative when it comes to sound quality compared to Dolby Headphone and positional audio compared to all of them.

ModMic 4 has great quality for voice chat and casual streaming. You can actually judge for yourself by listening to recordings on YouTube.

Build, comfort and features:

AD700x is open-back (as you can see with the grills on the earcups), so sound passes freely through, unlike closed headphones which isolate sound from passing through to some extent. The sonic benefits of an open / semi-open design are generally a larger soundstage and better imaging. AD700x has a durable and very lightweight build with a light clamping force. It has no flimsy or squeaky parts. The earpads are large and have decent depth for average sized heads. They're very soft and use smooth, non-itcy velour that breathe well. The self-adjusting head pad design doesn't work well on my head, so I recommend using a headband like this or a rubber band if the headphone slides down and rests on your ears. This makes it one of the most comfortable headphones/headsets I've used.

ModMic 4 has very good build quality. It uses a very strong magnet and adhesive. It has a flexible neck and can be tilted up and out of sight. It can be bought with and without a mute switch. It doesn't have a volume control, but you can use gadgets like these: adjustR, BENGOO, Fosmon, Insignia, Lucid Sound AdjustR

There's also ModMic 5, but I haven't used it.

I bought this $10 adapter based on a recommendation on this sub:
USB Sound Card Adapter BENGOO External USB 2.0 Audio Stereo Sound Card Converter with 3.5mm Aux

All I have to do is plug an aux cord from my PO into the mic port of the adapter, then plug the adapter into my Mac's USB port. Then just record into a DAW (I use Reaper or Garageband) and you're good to go!

Here you go.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BMG9TB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you have a wooden desk, the Lepai amp has mounting hardware which can be used to screw the amp into the underside of the desk. It can be mounted towards the desktop's edge towards you off to the side so you can access the dials. Then, most of the speaker wiring will be under the desk and will come over the back or through a grommet to the desktop only where the speakers are.
The only thing is the amp will be upside down. I have that Lepai amp mounted sideways on a wall in my office. It's not that distracting. You just turn dials toward 10 to turn up the treble or bass.
For the headphones, I would suggest a USB DAC to have the headphone always hooked up, so you don't have to plug it in. Using a USB DAC makes the headphone/mic a separate output/input source. Then, you can toggle audio outputs and inputs using the windows speaker icon, or use Voicemeeter Banana or some other mixer, whether physical or virtual. I really like voicemeeter - useful for muting idiots on Discord and having both speaker and headphone on, etc.
Here are some cheap cable management things to help manage the cables under the desk:

1. cable clips or these cable clips
   
2. grommet drilling supplies if you have a wooden desk
   
3. grommets
   
4. Toilet Paper Holder screw one of these under the desktop and hang the always-plugged in headphone there.
   

I ordered this a few minutes ago, I think it will be good for on the go Cubase work now. Thanks for the help! https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-BENGOO-External-Converter-Headset/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

When your own computer manufacturer tells you he's a moron, take his word for it.

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-External-Desktop-Windows-drivers/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1502677304&sr=8-6&keywords=usb+sound+adapter+linux

Work around the problem. There is no driver. It's proprietary. You're Fked.

Just get a 1/8" male to 1 /4" female converter and a usb to 1/8" female and you'll be set.

Such as:

USB Sound Card Adapter BENGOO External Audio Adapter Stereo Sound Card Converter 3.5mm AUX Microphone Jack for Gaming Headset Earphone PS4 Laptop Desktop Windows Mac OS Linux, Plug Play https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_OvTWBbSKNAWJK

And

Mobi Lock Gold-Plated 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) to 6.3mm (1/4 inch) Male to Female Stereo Adapter and Audio Jack Connector (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CEZJJYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_taa_4wTWBbMQ8VMY9

I'm doing something similar with one of these for discord and sound effects. (although what BangsNaughtyBits suggests is probably better)

If you're doing more than just the skype call I'd recommend 2 separate sound cards so you can record each in their own track (if that's what you want to do, IDK what your mixer supports)

No problem, if your PC/Laptop doesn't have the correct ports (like mine) I would suggest this as an adapter (since you will have two plugs for voice/sound)

That adapter also has the benefit of allowing a 2nd person to plug into the call, I use it for sales coaching with my mentee's.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BMG9TB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm a bit new to a lot of this, and I've been doing a lot of reading while helping a friend troubleshoot his computer, as it appears like the on-board sound card in his MOBO just up and died, lots of crackling/hissing in one ear, extremely low audio, device manager can't even recognize the hardware nor can it install drivers for it.

So I've been looking for alternatives based on his needs, whether that's an internal sound card he could install in his desktop (unlikely), or an external USB one. He owns a Bose QC15 and a HyperX Cloud headset, so for his needs he needs something with both 3.5mm in and out plugs, and can function on his desktop and on his PS4 console. Originally, I thought something cheap would work in the interim, like this Bengoo External USB Sound Card. However, after much reading around and some further research, I found out that the HyperX headset actually has a higher impedance, of 60 Ohms, than I expected, and he doesn't have any sort of DAC or AMP in his setup, and he's complained a bit about low audio quality/volume for them, and I see that it would benefit him if he had some kind of solution that provided for his fix for lack of a working sound card for his desktop, but also provided a bit of a needed boost for his headset.

I happened upon this Syba Sonic SD-DAC63057 that appears to solve all the above problems: It's a functioning sound card to replace his dead one, has enough of an amp to power his headset, comes with 3.5mm in and out plugs, and fits his low budget. Am I on the right track, as far as what I'm understanding, and would this work? Or is there a more recommended solution by the community?

Edit: I realize neither of these work on a PS4, which is fine.

I see what you're saying about the G430, he almost sounds like he's a jet pilot with it.

The ZM1 in the youtube clip you sent me sounds fantastic, so much more clear than when I use mine. He mentions using a usb audio adapter is why his is so clear. Would something cheaper like this give me the boost I would possibly need to get rid of the static, or would I need to spend more. Would love to get away with only spending $20-$30 max if possible.

I'd try using a small audio mixer (something like this, for reference), so you could send multiple inputs to one output (headphones/AMP), along with the ability to tune the volumes for each individual input. You'd have to make sure your mixer model supports the features of your headphones (stereo vs surround sound, frequency range, etc.), but I imagine you could find something decent for >$100.

For connecting to the PC, I'm assuming you'd either be using a dedicated sound card with a cable from it to the mixer, or use a USB adapter cable from it to the mixer. For connecting your PS4 to the mixer, you have a few options; optical cable, GameDac, USB Audio adapter, or HDMI Audio Extractor. It's up to you.

It sounds like a bit of a janky solution, but if you're already using an external AMP and you're only looking for stereo audio, the only extra piece you'd be getting at is the mixer itself. All of the other wires/boxes involved are what it take to connect your devices to your headphones either way.

is there anything cheap? around the 10$?

what about this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFFTFVWWDVPMEE5UUsmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0Njg1NTExNk84WEowUkwzMUcyJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA4Nzg0MTIyWUhNQ0dHU0ZKQTJRJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsMiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

​

im not searching for something crazy, just make it a usb connection

Sorry for late response.

MDR-V6 are a very easy to drive pair of headphones. Something like this won't allow them to work their very best, but they'll work pretty well.

This one is 7$.

Maybe try a usb sound card.

Something like this

Or maybe the usb card that comes with hyperx headsets.

Edit: nevermind, I misunderstood how that one works. I would not get it. Was under the impression it could switch between devices. It's just a splitter.

Would maybe look at something like this: https://www.amazon.com/BENGOO-External-Converter-Microphone-Earphone/dp/B072BMG9TB/

I don’t think you can get sound when plugged into the xim. I bought myself a cheap usb sound card and plugged that into the PS4, that’s how I got my sound.

https://www.amazon.com/BENGOO-External-Converter-Microphone-Earphone/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=asc_df_B072BMG9TB/

Get one of these for $10 US.

Well, TBH I'm not sure if I'm even using whatever soundcard I have. I needed to get one of these for a volume boost since none of the headphone outlets on my PC changed the quality of sound when I switched between front and back of the machine.

My budget is kind of low right now since I bought the PS4 along with a few games. Do you think something like this would help a little? or maybe a usb adapter? Maybe I could find some better through black friday sales.

Edit : or maybe something like (this)[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BMG9TB/ref=psdc_3015427011_t2_B01DLY3IW8). I know you might not be an expert. Sorry for so many questions.