Gaming headset recommendations?

I actually recently looked into headsets.
Personally I like the Hyper-X Cloud II (which is what I bought).
Pretty comfortable, good sound, has surround 7.1 thing (fake surround like ambidot says but it's what all the headset-manufacters call surround) and mic isn't bad either.

I`ll give you my suggestion on it. Don't buy a headset. Get a pair of headphones and a good mic.
What I did was to buy a Logitech UE6000 Headphones and a V-Moda Boom Pro Mic. Total of ~100$.
The headphones are great, but any detachable cord Headphones will work, but the Mic is awesome. I recorded some lets plays and tutorials on it for my youtube channel. Have a hear to get an idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1TczNd5oc

http://i.imgur.com/uSrYwV2.jpg

I love my HyperX Cloud II

Just don't buy those Razer Kraken headsets that everyone wears they're badly built and they hurt after wearing them for too long and the sound isn't even that good. They are cheap though. I personally would just buy really good headphones that aren't just for gaming, then buy a separate mic. That way you get more bang for your buck.

id advise good quality Stereo-headphones + a seperate mic. Better sound and better quality for talking for the same money

for example Sennheiser HD 449 headphones & SL-8703 table microphone.

Separate headphones and mic.
Zalman mic for ~$10, and then some good Sennheiser or Audio-Technica headphones.

Do not buy G930 ever.

As has been said several times, if you're going for separate headphone and mic, Sennheiser is the way to go.
They have headphones at just about every pricepoint that isn't rock bottom, and relative to other brands, it's better quality for the same price, or a lower price for the same quality.

Don't get one branded 'Logitech' because it dropped to pieces like the shockingly cheap piece of tat that it was in a frighteningly short space of time...

I'm using a Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset. It comes with a mic and has 2 3,5mm jacks to connect to your soundcard. It has volume control, is very comfortable after long periods of wearing it (had it for 20 straight and didn't feel no discomfort at all). And a huge plus is the rock bottom price, bought it for 35€. And they're still great after 4 years of usage.

I have the HyperX II. I really can't see the point of the Surround sound. It's okay but not a killer feature. All "Gaming" branded headsets are most of the time crap (as far as sound quality goes) so I bought them only because of their build quality (metallic adjustment bar, real leather ear pads and extra Velvet Cushion ones).

I'd characterize them as comfortable, they have good noise cancelling, a decent mic and as I said above a good build quality. Yet somehow I wouldn't recommend you buying them unless it would cost you bellow 80$ or so.

First of all, I suggest you listen to built-in mic quality tests on Youtube. They generally sound horrible. Most table mics selling at ~5$ sound better. If you really want a mic attached to your headphone, there are options to do this, I suggest you check this video.

Also, from my personal experience, I can tell that open-back stereo headphones reproduce more natural and realistic sound than the "gaming" ones (I'm wearing Grado SR125e at the moment of writing this). Open-back means that the headphones have no isolation - the outside plates leak sound. The sound waves produced aren't trapped in your headphones - they reach your ears and then go out. The downside of this is that you can hear what's going on around you pretty well and others can hear you.

Finally, the suggestion. Audio Technica ATH-AD700X are one of the most praised headphones by gamers. Why haven't you heard about them you ask? Because they weren't created for gaming. Those headphones have a very big soundstage, in fact, so big that listening to music on them is not very pleasant. However, they are great for gaming. There are plenty of reviews online, check them out.

If you want some quality and you have a good budget -> http://www.head-fi.org/f/
But don't ask them "which is the best blablabla", show them you did some research

I would go with good headphone + mic.

I personally love AKG K240 or similar. I use to mixing and mastering, but love for gaming as well. I don't do research on this for a while now, but with AKG, Audio-Techinica, KRK, Senheiser you can't go wrong most of the time.

For gaming, just look for semi-open/open headphones. Buy a separate mic and its gg.

i've just read this article, maybe can help
http://www.pcgamer.com/we-tested-23-mainstream-gaming-headsets-to-find-the-best/7/

I have the Creative SoundBlaster Tactic3D Alpha and I gotta say it's awesome!
With a price of 40€ it has anything you want a headset to have (yes even voice modulation). The sound is just awesome and at least in CS:S I could hear people loud and clear coming around corners or waling behind walls. Positioning and 1 shotting with deagle wasn't that hard anymore when you know from where people come and when they start running :D owned some kiddos on 1vs1 so hard that they started to flame I was hacking xD
anyway.. I am even using this headset for playing electric guitar since my amp sucks badly in comparison. The bass of it is strong enough to make the headset itself shake a little bit which is great for metal tracks or electronic music.
It is beautifully designed yet simple and the comfort is second to none! Can wear it four like 5-6 hours straight until my ears slightly start to hurt. The mic quality is very good too. My current one i am using since almost 2 years and IF it should break I definitely will buy it again :) The only negative thing I could say about it is that the cable is flat and leaves the impression that it can break easily. Just watch out for it to not roll over with your chair and you'll be fine!
9.5/10 because there is no perfection in anything man-made ;)

edit: bought the Logitech g430 first but didn't keep it longer than 2-3 days because it sucked in terms of comfort and sound. It's worth about 70€ and the Creative headset worth 40€ did beat it by far!!!

View attached image.

From what I understand, HyperX Cloud II is very popular. I have those as well. I barely use headphones for anything though so I can't vouch for them. Don't think or analyze the word "surround" so literally. It just changes the sound somehow. You like it or you don't. Doesn't really matter what it's called. Also, remember that you can turn it on and off as you wish. Or you could buy Sennheiser's Orpheus.

Had a Cloud 2 since last week. Couldn't get surround sound to work with Source/Unity games properly(feels rather bland and difficult to get directionality data from). Haven't tested other games so far and only used the faux-leather pads, it could be different with the velour ones.

With surround off(and using Source's headphone HRTFs) it's rather decent, although it's somewhat difficult to distinguish whether a sound is in front or behind you.

Chose it mainly because of build/microphone quality(haven't gotten past $10 made-in-china headsets who had terrible mics and tended to fail on me after about 2 months of use), so if it lasts 2 years it's already a return on investment.

I don't use headset so...BUMP

Cheap ones aren't too bad - the Logitech USB gaming is nice. About AU$49.
Recently the kid broke mine - weak plastic on it - and My mother-in-law bought me a new one (she was sick of my Speakers while her shows were on) - Yoga - AU$20 - most comfortable I've ever worn - but no volume control - USB so plugs into my keyboard.

I am using this for 1 year+

Amazon is currently having a 50% discount right now, I highly recommend this.
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-7-1-Channel-Surround-Gaming-Headset/dp/B001O5CCQK

Pros:

• Virtual 7.1 surround.
• 3 programmable keys, plus volume control, Microphone on/off, and virtual surround on/off.
• Covers whole ear (unless you got big ears). Very comfortable, even when used for long hours.
• Very good sound isolation.
• Microphone is decent. Not top-notch, not really good for studio recording or professional YouTuber. But is good enough for gaming and voice call.
• Optional feature: Voice changer, used for online voice trolling.
• Replacement pads are easy to find, are cheap, and easy to replace.

Cons:

• USB only. Windows only. You can't use this on your iPod.
• Sound isolation is too good, I can't hear outside sound when listening to loud music, could be dangerous when there's a fire. :P

Other notes:

• It will add a new "playback device" into your Windows. If you also have a desktop speaker, you might find yourself switching default audio device very frequently. But it can be tweaked in Windows settings to make both produce the same sound.
• The virtual surround is very nice for movies, but if you use the virtual surround on games, the surround effect is a bit off. For instance, in some games, I throw a grenade directly in front of me, the virtual surround produced an explosion slightly to the left. I recommend turning off the headset's virtual surround sound, and use in-game surround sound setting. Most AAA games supports this, just go to the in-game Audio setting menu.
• Contrary to popular beliefs, even though it is a "virtual" surround sound, the surround effect is very good on this one. I tried turning off the surround sound and watch a movie with gun shots (in stereo). Next, I turn on the surround sound and rewatch the same scene (in 7.1 virtual surround). My conclusion: Yes. The surround effect is there. It is worth it. YouTube vid explaining about virtual surround sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPQG9qOr6nw
• There are some bad reviews about this model, or about Logitech brand in general. For me. I've been using many different brands of IT gears, some are good some are bad, but Logitech never disappoint me before. Since a year ago, almost all my stuff are Logitech now. Perhaps the brand quality and customer service quality differs by country, or perhaps I am just lucky.
• I would advise getting the wired one. Don't get a wireless headset. Wireless headsets are easily interfered by WiFi.
• It's a bit pricey compared to other brands with the same spec. But with the ongoing Amazon discount right now, the product is way worth the price. Since you're american, you even get the free shipping! Normally I will buy directly from Amazon instead of 3rd party merchant: go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001O5CCQK/?f_new=true , scroll down and find Amazon as seller, and add that to cart. I trust their refund/return policy better, even when they price isn't the best.