is there anyway to get subwoofer sound quality through a gaming headset?

[knighttime]

i dont mean to the point where it can damage your ears or hearing but are there gaming headsets that you can buy that have the same sound quality as a subwoofer? as we know not wearing gaming headsets create the most enjoyable and realistic gaming experience. i currently have razer kraken gaming headset they are good but im not sure if they can produce subwoofer type quality gameplay such as, realistic gunfire, explosions, etc etc. what im trying to say is my gaming headset sounds realistic but not as realistic as my speakers and subwoofer.

[WarmedxMints]

Yes but I would recommend looking at good headsets and not anything labeled as a gaming one. Look at studio headsets.

[RGX12]

To get the same effect as through a decent subwoofer--absolutely not, for the simple reason that part of the experience of listening through a full audio system (for example, a 5.1 or 7.1 surround system) involves variables (e.g., directionality, width, subsonic effects, etc.) that cannot be duplicated (although they can be "emulated") through headphones. With deep bass, like you'd get through a subwoofer, this difference is even more pronounced as a great part of the listening experience is due to what is felt as much as heard. So with headphones, you miss out on the "room shaking/ body moving" sensation of LFE's and much of the subsonic frequency range.

All that pontificating aside, you CAN get *very good* bass quality through headsets, if you shop wisely. The best headsets in this area aren't inexpensive, however, because although you can find cheap headsets with "loud" bass, they often suffer from muddied sound and varying levels of distortion. Check Crutchfield's online store, as they have a pretty wide lineup of studio-quality headsets with deeper bass. Apropos of this topic, I also received an email earlier today with a link to this article:
http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/best-pc-gaming-headset-1322675

I think you can get some very good ideas from there as well!

[Revelene]

Well, if you want quality... Then go for quality. Stop buying into gaming toys. Buy proper audio headphones.

When you are looking at headphones, you want to find out what the sound profile (response curve) is and see if that suits you. A subwoofer projects bass; the low frequencies. You'll want to find something that has emphasis on bass. A good positive dB curve around 10-250hz is what you are looking for.

Do be aware that you still want mid range and don't want it to be negatively affected, so be sure you are not dipping down below baseline with mid range, specifically in the lower mid range up to 500hz. Usually with more bass heavy headphones, you'll naturally lose or have mostly at baseline for the rest of the mid range up to 2000hz.

You cannot make a terrible pair of headphones sound good, so keep in mind to look for this information before purchasing. Using a EQ to modify the source audio is not a replacement or fix for the hardware's response curve.

For bass, my personal favorite is the V-MODA M-100. As a basshead, these headphones satisfy my love of bass. They have a V shaped response curve. However, they require good amplification to really shine.

Most bass heavy headphones need some amplification to shine, so keep that in mind when you come up with a budget.

[Kaihekoa]

Subwoofer type bass right in your ear drums is a bad idea for long-term health, don't go crazy with the bass.

[Revelene]

Originally posted by Kaihekoa:

Subwoofer type bass right in your ear drums is a bad idea for long-term health, don't go crazy with the bass.

You only live once :)

As long as you don't turn it up too loud, it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Bass frequency isn't a problem, but the dB at which you listen is.

85dB is considered safe for 8 hours at a time, which most people won't listen to headphones much higher than that.

In my car, before I removed it, I used to have a subwoofer setup that could reach 150dB. Yes, it shook my car apart and is one of the reasons I decided to get rid of it. Not because of hearing damage... Cause, like I said... You only live once :)

[RGX12]

Originally posted by Kaihekoa:

Subwoofer type bass right in your ear drums is a bad idea for long-term health, don't go crazy with the bass.

With respect to listening to headphones, earbuds, etc. at high volume levels, It is not the bass which has the potential to damage hearing, it is the mid to high frequency range. Most consumer-level headsets simply do not have either the low frequency response or sufficient SPL's (mainly because they are such small drivers) to be a danger.

That said, there IS a bit of evidence that hearing can be affected by subsonic frequencies when pressure levels are high enough, i.e., environmental noise, not from miniscule headphone speakers: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/sounds-you-cant-hear-can-still-hurt-your-ears