INSPIRATION to Get You Through Your Day!

 

 

  

 

 

 

I don't have much going on today but i just thought I could send out a little inspiration to get you through the day! I hope your day is fabulous and full of happiness!

JustFab, created by the beautiful Kimora Lee Simmons, is a members-only online shopping "Shoe Club" website. All items on the site are the same low price of $39.95 (which equals one credit that you can use for one item on the site)! Plus, free shipping. Wow! When you sign up (depending on their current promotions), you get from 20-50% off your first item. What a deal!!!

Keeping up with shoe trends is an expensive habit! JustFab stays on top of the current styles and offers a variety of shoes, handbags, jewelry, jeans, sunglasses, and misc accessories that are all *on trend*! As with any "monthly"-type subscription/club, there is a standard fee for each month. What if you do not feel like spending on shoes and accessories every month? No problem, you simply opt to skip the month and you will not be charged.

If you want to look cute...but don't want to spend a fortune keeping up with current trends, then this site is for you!!! The shoes range from cute flats to pumps and trendy boots and wedges. The jewelry pieces featured are definitely statement pieces and are glamorous and trendy. The bags are categorized into clutches, cross-body, hobos, and totes. No matter what size and style bag you like to carry, they likely have it all! 

When you initially sign up, you will have to take a style quiz in order to create a boutique for you based on your style. Your personal stylist will select some shoes, handbags, jewelry, etc is generated based on your results from the quiz. You can either shop from your hand picked selections, or choose from a variety of other items available on the website.

On a monthly basis, you will get an email from the JustFab stylists which contains your monthly boutique which contains items based on your style quiz. You can either choose to purchase an item or not. If you opt not to purchase, then you can elect to "skip a month" by noting this in the appropriate place on the JustFab site. If you do not tell them you are "skipping the month", then you will be charged the standard $39.95 fee which will give you one credit that you can use to get one JustFab item at any time.

Think about how much you typically spend (or would like to spend) on shoes and accessories...when I do the math, I realize what a truly good deal JustFab is!

Membership Perks: The referral program: (earn free items!)
Besides getting fabulous deals on shoes and accessories, you can earn credits towards free items by referring your friends. When you sign up and become a VIP member (this is what JustFab calls its subscribers), you will get a personal referral code to share with your friends. When your friends sign up and make a purchase,
you can get credits towards free items.

  


Try it today!
www.justfab.com

A Miracle Product for Your Finances

Houzz of Fabulass would not be fabulous without a discussion about your finances. I found a great product that can help you get your finances in check!

Let's face it, today's economy is riddled with insecurity. The economy is still unstable and virtually unpredictable. Credit card use is on the rise and most incomes have not shown a substantial increase in a good while. I believe it is a worthwhile to face your finances head on and find a plan to get them in shape. Too often people have put aside their credit card debt and felt the minimum payments are enough. Most never focus on a savings or a retirement plan which is essential for a healthy financial future. Many people will throw themselves at the mercy of their banks for help and never get it.  It is just awful when you find that all of the hard work to pay your debts have not been fruitful at all. All of the interest is compounding. You haven't established a savings or a retirement plan because there is never any money left. Maybe you have lost out in thousands of dollars in investments because you were unable to track your money effectively.

It does not have to be this way. What if I told you that you can have all of your financial planning at your fingertips? I found a product called VeriPlan Financial Planning Software from www.myfinancialfreedomplan.com. This software gives you a sense of empowerment because it helps you save money and you control your own destiny! What a great way to help you pay off your debt! Imagine having this tool at your fingertips to help you estimate how much you need to set aside for your savings, retirement, your child's college education fund,  or a vacation trip. Imagine how great it would be to have a plan in place to help you gain a tighter grip on your credit card debt. Imagine being able to set up scenarios to help you pay your taxes, track your investments, plan your budget, calculate your Roth IRA,  plan your savings, or even plan for your real estate savings.

The software has sophisticated, automated, and lifetime modeling tools that are fully customized to your needs. Fully personalized lifetime planning scenarios are provided to help you make informed decisions. 

Guys, this amazing! I have seen other software programs out there like QuickenBooks but it is skimpy in comparison to the Veriplan Financial Software Program on www.myfinancialfreedomplan.com for $49.95. I have posted some of the highlights of the software program but you have to go check out this program on their site for yourself to do it justice! There are just too many details to list.

VeriPlan

Simply the Best

Lifetime and Retirement

Financial Planning Software

New version with 15-minute planner now shipping

Download immediately for any Mac or Windows PC with Microsoft Excel

Easy-to-use do-it-yourself home financial planning software

• Plan your lifetime financial freedom and retirement security
• Save money and control your own financial destiny
• Integrate all your objectives into a comprehensive and unified lifetime plan
• Model your particular income, expense, debt, tax, and investment situation
• Focus on decisions, while complex computations run automatically in the background
• Gain clarity through standard projection graphics and data tables
• Follow clear instructions provided in the software right where you need them
• Easily update your plan in the future to track progress and evaluate new decisions

VeriPlan puts you in the financial planning driver's seat

Sophisticated, automated, and customized lifetime modeling tools

• Automatically analyze your lifetime income, expenses, debts, asset returns, taxes, and investment cash flows
• Make long-term decisions based on fully personalized lifetime planning scenarios
• Develop lifetime projections for your particular tax situation
• including US federal, state, and local graduated income taxes; tax deductions; property taxes; short-term and long-term investment capital gains taxes with asset tax basis tracking; Social Security taxes; Medicare taxes
• change any tax setting
• Instantly revise your plan, whenever you change any assumption or input

Standard lifetime financial planning and retirement graphics

An example of VeriPlan's automatically generated graphics

Fully personalized financial projection scenarios

Compare unlimited lifetime financial planning scenarios with VeriPlan's cash flow modeling and retirement planning software

• Change any and all earnings, expense, debt, tax, investment, or savings assumptions
• Adjust for major planned expenses in each and every year
• Automatically estimate the present value of your lifetime savings and human capital
• Model a wide variety of retirement investment, retirement income, and retirement withdrawal planning strategies
• Optimize your taxable, traditional tax-deferred, and Roth account investment strategies
• Model lifetime investment risk and returns with automatic asset allocation and rebalancing tools
• Vary expected asset class returns systematically to test returns projections
• Project portfolio safety margins provided by your cash and bond assets
• Model the cumulative, lifetime impact of excessive investment costs and fees

VeriPlan's personal financial planning software power tools

VeriPlan includes these fully integrated financial planning tools

• Lifetime earnings, expense, and retirement savings calculators
• Income, property, and capital gains tax calculators
• Home purchase and mortgage calculator tools
• Retirement planning calculator and income calculator tools
• Tax-advantaged retirement planning tools
• Debt management calculators
• Asset allocation calculator and rebalancing tools
• Investment cost reduction tools
• Investment returns calculators
• Investment portfolio risk tools
• Investment portfolio safety tools

Fully integrated earnings, expense budgeting, and retirement savings:

Veriplan's lifetime earnings, expense budgeting, and retirement savings calculators

• Project salary, bonus, and self-employment income until your retirement at any age
• Incorporate any other expected income sources before and after retirement
• Make any positive or negative annual income adjustments on a year-by-year basis
• Fine tune your earnings growth rates for each income source
• Easily adjust projected expense inflation rates
• Add major planned expenses in any year, such as home renovations, new babies, elderly parent care, vacations, etc
• Enter positive and negative annual expense adjustments and with different inflation rates in any projection year
• Use as a children's educational expense and college planning tool with adjustments for expected scholarships and loans
• Use as a career education expense planning tool to model the trade-offs associated with returning to school for career advancement

Do all this automatically, while VeriPlan simultaneously projects all of your debt payments, taxes, investment appreciation, and investment expenses!

Completely integrated and fully automated lifetime tax projection software

Income tax calculators, property tax calculators, and capital gains tax calculator tools

• Fully integrated tax planning software calculators automatically project your lifetime tax obligations in eight different tax categories
• Uses the particular federal income tax, state income tax, and local income tax rates and limitations that currently apply to you
• Projects your personal tax exemptions, adjustments, and deductions plus your property and your short-term and long-term capital gains taxes
• Change all tax rates and limits supplied with VeriPlan, if tax rates change in the future

A VeriPlan lifetime tax planning worksheet graphic

Easily change any and all of VeriPlan's tax settings

Through age 100, VeriPlan automatically generates

personalized tax projections using ...

• ... your current graduated U.S. federal income tax rates and limits (that you can change).
• ... your current variable or flat state income tax rates and limits. (VeriPlan comes with state income tax rates for the 50 United States and Washington, D.C. Select any state to develop your projections.)
• ... local personal income tax rates and any limits. (VeriPlan can project: no local taxes, flat local tax rates, graduated local tax rates, or the New York City income tax rates that are provided.)
• ... different levels of taxable income at the federal, state, and local tax levels, if you wish.
• ... the 'Single' or "Married, Filing Jointly' federal income tax filing status. VeriPlan automatically applies the tax rates and tax limits that are associated with either of these filing statuses.
• ... up to 10 tax exemptions for your tax dependents, including age related phase-outs.
• ... up to 6 adjustments to your income subject to income taxes.
• ... your federal income tax deductions, (while automatically applying the more favorable of either the standard tax deduction or your itemized tax deductions in any projection year.)
• ... your applicable Social Security (FICA) and Medicare taxes.
• ... either salaried employee tax rates or self-employment tax rates, as appropriate.
• ... your long-term qualified dividend and long-term capital gains taxes on your long-term capital gains distributions and asset withdrawals.
• ... your cumulative asset class tax basis for assets and asset classes. (VeriPlan projects taxes net of your cumulative asset tax basis.)
• ... your total property taxes, real estate taxes, and other assessed property taxes.

To make better financial planning decisions, you need after-tax

projections that reflect your particular tax situation!

Go here to watch a YouTube video on:

Automated Tax Projection Features in VeriPlan

For up to 5 Homes, 10 Rentals, and 10 Other Properties

VeriPlan's property and real estate calculator tools automatically:

• Project key asset, expense, tax, and cash flow factors associated with owning now and/or purchasing/selling in the future up to 5 homes, 10 rentals, and 10 other properties
• Calculate the cash you need to complete these transactions, including down payments, buying/selling/closing costs, and other settlement cash requirements net of any planned mortgages/debts, while taking into account interim asset appreciation and taxation
• Add new homes, rentals, and other property assets to your portfolio in the future and project future real estate price appreciation, maintenance costs, other expenses, and property and business taxes
• Project the cash flow value to you of future mortgage interest, business, and real estate tax payments as income tax deductions, while taking into account exclusions and income limitations
• Track positive and negative after-tax cash flows related to homes, rentals, and other businesses related to ongoing operations, purchases, and sales
• Manage future expenses to prepare and sell each property, while taking into account projected values, tax basis, depreciation, and capital gains on real estate and other property sales
• Handle current and future debts associated with homes, rentals, and properties including cash flow, deductions, limitations, and accelerated retirement of any debt

VeriPlan's rich set of retirement planning tools with VeriPlan's Social Security retirement estimator, retirement annuity calculator, and retirement pension calculator tools, you can easily:

• Set individual retirement ages and select whether a married working couple would retire simultaneously or in different years
• Adjust your planned retirement living expenses and the expected inflation rate of your retirement living expenses
• Adjust your retirement expenses year by year (For example, you could add the projected cost of an ocean cruise every two years during your retirement.)
• Set your current Social Security retirement income payment entitlement levels and evaluate your decision about which age to accept your first Social Security payments (If you wish, VeriPlan's Social Security retirement calculator tools allow you can scale back the amount of your projected Social Security retirement payments, by a percentage reflecting any concern over the adequacy of Social Security trust funds.)
• Because older workers can face erosion of real dollar wages, adjust your assumptions about your real dollar wages, if you plan to keep working
• Project up to 10 separate pensions and annuities (For each of your pensions or annuities, the VeriPlan retirement calculator with pension tools will automatically project: a) the dollar amount of the monthly annuity or pension payment, b) separate real dollar growth rates before and after the first pension or annuity payment, c) whether annuity or pension payments would begin at a specific age or at retirement, d) the duration of pension or annuity payments, and e) the taxability of annuity or pension payments.)
• Understand better your preparedness for a long life and long retirement, since every VeriPlan projection automatically analyzes the adequacy of your financial resources through age 100

A VeriPlan retirement income graphic

VeriPlan is Simply the Best Combined

Lifetime Financial Planning Software

&

Retirement Planning Software

You Can Buy!

Everything is user-changeable -- No need to buy upgrades!

This software program has my official stamp of fabulosity!

 

FabfitFun Spoiler Alert for Fall 2016

Attention FabfitFun Lovers! We have the first spoilers for the Fall 2016 FabFitFun box! I love FabFitFun boxes because of the high quality products for such a low price! What do you think of the first spoiler? Are you grabbing this subscription?

Bonus: Use code future10 and save $10 off your first box! This makes the box only $40 for $200+ worth of products!

 We have spoilers for the FabFitFun 2016 Fall Box! Select members may make choices now – regular subscribers will receive one of the variations shown.

The Created Co. To Go Coffee Mug
“Joy Comes in the Morning” or “Good Morning Gorgeous”

Modcloth Loch and Key Scarf
Black & White, Black & Brown, Navy & Green or Red & Tan

FabFitFun Coloring Book (Nature or Things) & Colored Pencils
What do you think of the spoilers?

Get this free yoga towel in your first box with code YOGI  or use code WOW10 to save $10 on your first box!

 

Fall Box Info:
Fall Box Billing: September 5
Add-ons open to regular members: August 22
Spoilers: End of August
Fall Box Shipping: Early September
Visit FabFitFun VIP Box to subscribe or find out more!

The Subscription: FabFitFun VIP Box
The Description: FabFitFun VIP subscription box is a quarterly lifestyle subscription box from FabFitFun. The VIP box features a mix of beauty, fashion, fitness, wellness and home products that help you feel good from the inside out. The box includes full-size products and premium items worth over $100.
The Price: $49.99 per quarter

Simple Unfinished Dresser Upgrade Using Moulding

Reposting of an article from Home Depot by: Darnetha Myers of Chippa Sunshine

 

I don't know about you but I love a good weekend DIY project. I came across this lovely dresser upgrade and so many ideas are now percolating in my head! I have this dresser that has been in my home forever and it needs an upgrade.  I love the idea of using molding on the drawers and contact paper for the sides of the drawers to give it a loving touch. There will be a little elbow grease involved but the results are so worth it!

It’s remarkable how simple it is to turn a plain, unfinished dresser into a lovely piece of furniture just by adding a few strips of moulding.

This simple DIY project comes from Darnetha Myers of ChippaSunshine. We asked her to come up with a super simple, and super effective DIY project for our DIY Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog. Our only requirement: The project had to make use of something from the Millwork Department at The Home Depot.

Follow along with Danetha as she shows how she used moulding strips and an paint to transform the look of her unfinished dresser.

How to Use Moulding to Upgrade an Unfinished Dresser

Materials

• Plain Dresser
• (9) ¼ in. x ½ in. x 4 ft. Basswood Tinytrim Rectangle Moulding
• Liquid Nails Adhesive
• 220 Fine Grit Sandpaper
• Primer
• Paint
  (4)Top Plate
• (4) 4 in. Taper Bun Foot
• Contact Paper
• Ruler
• Speed Square
• Miter Saw and Box
• Clamps and tape
• Drill
• Paint Supplies

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Step 1 – Prepare the Dresser

Prepare your unfinished dresser by sanding it smooth and cleaning away any dust and debris.
Since I was going to be adding new legs, I removed the entire base off the three drawer dresser. This was simply done by removing a few screws.

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Step 2 – Dresser Drawer Fronts

To get the dresser drawer fronts ready for the intricate moulding installation, create a guide to place your cut moulding trim.
Using a ruler and speed square, measure 1 in. down around the perimeter of each drawer front.

Now that you have your guide, cut the moulding trim so that each cut piece fits inside the drawn perimeter. For a more professional looking job, miter each corner at a 45-degree angle.
Cut list for basswood tiny trim moulding:
**Your dresser measurements will be different but here are my guidelines
Tip: Measure twice, cut once and have a couple of extra trim pieces just in case.

A – 6 pieces @ 29.5 in. miter

B – 6 pieces @ 6 ¾ in. miter

C – 3 pieces @ 26 ¼ in.

D – 6 pieces @ 2 ½ in.

E – 6 pieces @ 2 5/8 in.

Dry fit the moulding to ensure a proper fit. Adjust the measurements where needed.
Clean up cut edges with 220 fine grit sandpaper.


Using Liquid Nails, adhere cut moulding trim to face of each dresser drawer.
Apply a thin bead of adhesive to cut trim piece. Place the moulding in the desired location and press it in place.

Use clamps or tape in place until glue starts to set up. It took approximately 10 minutes for the glue to set up, but allow 24 hours for it to cure completely.

Have a damp cloth nearby to clean up any adhesive that may seep out before it dries.
If needed, apply wood filler to any gaps, allow it to dry, and sand it smooth.

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Step 3 – Paint

Prime and paint the dresser. You can use a roller and brush, but sine this piece has many crevices from the applied intricate wood trim I used a paint sprayer.


In a well ventilated area, preferably outdoors, spray one coat of primer and two thin coats of paint, allowing appropriate dry times between coats.
My paint sprayer calls for diluted paint. I called Behr to see what their dilution rate is for the paint base 3050.
Here are their specs: 2 ounces of water per quart of paint and 8 ounces of water per gallon of paint.
I used Behr Premium Plus interior semi-gloss enamel in White BL-W14.
Tip: Sand between coats for a smooth finish.

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STEP 4 – Add New Furniture Legs

The legs were boxy and a bit cheap looking on this dresser, but changing out the dresser feet is an easy way to completely change the look of any dresser.
To add new legs, turn the dresser upside down protecting the newly painted top with a drop cloth or foam board. Line up the triangle top plate in each of the corners. Mark holes with a pencil, drill, and screw them into place. Screw on feet and done!
To add extra pizzazz, add some contact paper to the sides of each drawer. It’s a happy surprise every time you open your drawers. There’s a lot of bright, fun paper to choose from. For this project I used the coral floral adhesive shelf liner.


I took the dresser drawer apart for this step. Not every dresser will allow for you to do this, but you can still follow these simple steps.
Measure the sides of your dresser or trace on the back of the contact paper.
Cut the paper to size.
Peel back about an inch of the protective back and apply the laminate to your dresser sides.
Line up and smooth with hand, making sure there are no air bubbles or wrinkles.
Continue to remove the protective backing as you move across the side of the drawer, smoothing as you go until completed.
To finish off your dresser install knobs and style!

 

I’m so happy I accepted Home Depot’s DIY Challenge. Millwork is a little gem of a department. I always had this idea for my daughter’s dresser/ nightstand, but when I started browsing the millwork department I saw all this fabulous tiny trim moulding that suited her dresser. I love it and find myself just popping into her room to look at it!

Decorate the Dorm (or Off-Campus Apartment) in Style for $300

A college dorm or off-campus apartment is a freshman foray into finding one’s sense of style, often on a pretty tight budget. Take comfort in the fact that even the humblest dwellings can feel like an oasis with the right touches and a bit of imagination. For $300 and change, you can transform a nondescript space into something worth writing about.

. 

Smart ways you can warm the dorm or your digs: 

Cinderblock walls you’re not allowed to paint. Floors of tile, laminate or industrial grade carpeting. The cold, hard building blocks of virtually every dorm room. The off-campus apartment? Not much better. It might not feel like home yet, but it can be made quite cozy thanks to the magic of accessories. I personally love accessories to liven up the home. You have to have the right mix or else you can overdo it and the room just looks too busy.

Smart Ways to Accessorize:

1) Soft lighting: Sure, dorm rooms have overhead fluorescent lighting and those little built-in desk lights, but talk about harsh and institutional. A well-placed lamp or two brings both style and soft lighting into your
space.

2) Floor restore: The right rug can do wonders for a room, adding color, warmth and cozy comfort. Tip: Popular high-low rugs are great if you love texture, but they do require more vacuuming. For low-maintenance living, opt for a flat-weave pile or an indoor-outdoor rug that calls for easy “spot cleaning.” 

3) Posh poufs: Part ottoman. Part seat. Totally cute. Popular poufs are custom made for dorm and small space living. Light, affordable and portable, they’re great for the on-the-go college student.

 

4) Plush touches: Likely the dorm bed will be pushed up against a wall. Surround it with a bevy of decorative accent pillows in a chic assortment of colors, prints and patterns.
And don’t forget that comfy throw. 

Additional Creative & Practical Tips: 

Wall decals/temporary wallpaper: The powers that be won’t allow you to paint or even hammer nails to hang artwork. Wall decals are a secret style weapon. Easy to apply and reposition, they leave no marks when taken down. If you’re feeling more industrious, invest in removable wallpaper for an accent wall. They even make blank canvas versions to satisfy artistic cravings. 

Handy adhesives: Have a plentiful pack of 3M Command Hooks for hanging artwork. Don’t forget framed photos from home. For the poster lover, there’s also Dorm Tape (by Mavalus), specifically made to stick on cinderblock. 

Mattress makeover: Sadly, that dorm mattress is looking awfully tired. The solution: invest in a top-quality, ultra-thick foam mattress topper. The good ones aren’t necessarily cheap (a 4-inch one averaging $100), but they’re worth every penny. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips. Now you can turn that boring, plain vanilla dorm room into something fabulass! 

Happy shopping!

Products provided by Ashley Furniture www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com 

The Blind Gaming Headset Showdown

This article originally appeared on GameCrate.

Hey guys!

Today I have a treat for you gamers out there. Finding the right gaming headset is as important as blood to our veins. And as you know for the gamers out there that a headset is the official crowning glory to the Game Gods. I came across a great article comparing gaming headsets. Hopefully, it will shed some light on the gaming headsets that are suited for your gaming needs.

There are hundreds of different gaming headsets available on the market, and companies spend so much money and time marketing their products and trying to make them stand out from the crowd that it can be difficult for consumers to know which headsets are actually good and which ones are just driven by hype. Headset reviews are helpful of course, and should definitely be part of the research process before making a purchase, but reviews aren’t without their own issues. Individual reviewers all posses their own unique preferences and biases, and may have particular brands or styles that they enjoy that can influence their overall impression of a headset, no matter how much they try to be impartial.We came up with The Blind Gaming Headset Showdown as an attempt to address these very problems.

The Method

We recruited six judges with varying levels of familiarity with gaming headsets and varying preferences when it comes to headset features and designs. We then placed different headsets on their heads without the judges being able to look at the headsets. They didn’t know what brand they were wearing, how much the headsets cost, or what they looked like. We kept the headsets in paper bags from Trader Joe’s when they weren’t being judged and only took them out to put onto the judges’ ears from behind.

While wearing each of the six different headsets, the judges listened to the same three clips: THX’s “Amazing Life,” THX’s “Cavalcade,” and last year’s inFamous Second Son E3 trailer. These three short videos cover a wide range of different tones and sound types and show off the surround sound capabilities of the headsets. The inFamous trailer in particular is useful because it includes explosions, dialogue, and music, and we found it to be a useful tool for judging how well headsets presented different sounds.

Judges made notes about the comfort and sound quality of each headset, doing their best to keep the two aspects independent of one another — in other words, their favorite headset in terms of sound didn’t have to be one of their favorites in terms of comfort. After trying all six headsets (and trying some of them again to review and compare) they were then presented with all of the headsets on a table and asked to judge them purely on their visual appearance, without knowing which one had sounded or felt the best.

Once all this was done, we had the six judges pick their Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal-winning headsets in the categories of Sound, Comfort, and Looks. By combining all their choices, we’re able to present the overall winners in these three categories, as well as one Grand Champion. Which headset has the best sound and which had the best comfort when we strip away the branding and appearance factors? And which looks the best when you aren’t sure how it sounds or what it feels like?
Read on to find out what our judges thought!

A Note

Obviously, since the judges didn’t wear each headset for hours to experience the long-term comfort and didn’t judge microphone quality, these ratings won’t tell the complete story of the individual headsets — for that, a detailed headset review would really be necessary. This challenge was intended to provide a different perspective on headsets and to offer some useful information about some of the popular headsets on the market, some newly released models, and some other options you might never have heard of before.

The Judges

Here is a brief introduction to each of our six judges:

Quibian, editor and writer for GameCrate. He has mostly used lower-end gaming headsets in the past, but has extensive experience with high-end headphones for listening to music.
Christopher, who has contributed to GameCrate. He describes his experience with gaming headsets as “intermediate.”

Wallace, another GameCrate contributor. He has extensive experience with gaming headsets, and wrote our review of the Razer Tiamat 7.1.

Tina, of Newegg TV and Arcade. She’s a gamer and has appeared in videos like this Dead Rising 3 Let’s Play.

Rachel, also of Newegg TV and Arcade. She’s very experienced with a variety of gaming headsets, and has been involved in filming and writing headset overview videos.
Michael, who runs the GameCrate Twitter account and Facebook page. He’s a regular user of gaming headsets.

The Contenders

Now let’s take a look at the headsets that our judges got to try.

Headset A: Logitech G930. This is one of the most popular gaming headsets available, and has over 1,300 customer reviews on Newegg. It offers “7.1 Dolby surround sound,” works wirelessly through a USB adapter.

Headset B: Sennheiser G4Me Zero. This is a very high-end option for gaming headsets, and is the most expensive of the six our judges tried. It features a “professional soundscape – specific sound trim for optimized positioning,” noise-cancelling design.

Headset C: Razer Kraken Pro. As you might expect from a Razer product, this is one of the most visually-distinct headsets in our challenge. It has 40 mm drivers and “Neodymium Magnets.”
SteelSeries 5Hv3
Headset D: . This headset sports “a custom-engineered soundscape” and “features a wide dynamic range.” It can also be easily taken apart into three pieces for transport.

Headset E: Astro Gaming A40. Astro Gaming is a huge name in the gaming headset world, and the A40 is a popular choice that features “Dolby Digital 7.1” and is compatible with multiple systems.

Headset F: Func HS-260. This headset features changeable cushions in either leather or velour (we used the velour ones) and “a well-balanced sound image.”

The Scoring

After all the judging was done, we set about determining the overall champions for the areas of Sound, Comfort, and Appearance. To rank the headsets, each first-place vote a headset received from a judge was worth ten points, second place scored five points, and third place was two points.

Sound

The gold medal for sound goes to…

Razer Kraken Pro!

The voting for the Kraken Pro headset was very interesting, as three judges ranked it as clearly the best, while the three other judges didn’t even put it in their top three! The reason for this highly-polarized voting most likely has to do with the powerful bass on the Kraken. It had more bass than any of the other headsets in our challenge, and for those judges who really like bass, it was an obvious champ. On the other hand, other judges complained that they found the bass to be overpowering, and that the mid and high tones were completely lost.

The silver medal for sound goes to…

SteelSeries 5Hv3!

In contrast to the polarizing sound of the Kraken Pro, the 5Hv3 appealed to just about everyone. Five out of six judges picked it for their top three, though only one picked it as their first-place winner. Judges praised it as having “even” and “wide” sound with quality virtual surround sound capabilities. Most found the mid and high ranges to be well-balanced.

The bronze medal for sound goes to…

Logitech G930!

The G930 had an impressive showing for sound, considering it was the only wireless headset of the bunch. Four out of six judges picked it for their top three. A couple of the judges pointed out a lack of noise cancellation with this headset, but those that liked it praised its balanced sound and found it to have decent, but not overpowering, bass.

Comfort

The gold medal for comfort goes to…

Sennheiser G4me Zero!

The G4me Zero headset ran away with this category, and scored the biggest margin of victory of the entire contest. Four out of five judges awarded it first place, while a fifth put it third. The most expensive headset in our challenge also seems to be made of the highest-quality materials, with large ear cups and a well-padded band. The one judge that didn’t rank this headset in the top three for comfort mentioned a concern that it wouldn’t “breathe” with long-term use, but for the other five judges it was a clear winner.

The silver medal for comfort goes to…

SteelSeries 5Hv3!

Five out of six judges liked the 5Hv3 for comfort, though once again it only scored a single first-place vote. This headset is notably lighter and less bulky than the others in our challenge, and that’s something that the judges enjoyed. The cups are smaller in diameter than on the other headsets, and the judges in general found that to be a positive thing, as the headset avoided smothering the sides of their heads or pressing too firmly on their ears or temples.

The bronze medal for comfort goes to…

Logitech G930!

The judges were widely split on the area of comfort, so one first-place and two second-place votes was enough to give the Logitech the bronze medal in this category. It has sizable leather cushions that a few judges liked, though others found them to be too large. Judges were also split on the headband, with some liking it and others complaining that it wouldn’t sit in a comfortable place.

Looks

The gold medal for best looks goes to…

SteelSeries 5Hv3!

With two first-place votes, two second-place votes, and a third-place vote the SteelSeries 5Hv3 was the overall favorites for appearance. The judges liked its simplicity, its smaller ear-cups, and the use of orange inside the ear cups and on the braided cord. The 5Hv3 also features a retractable mic, which was an appealing touch for people who like headsets they can use as regular headphones without a microphone getting in the way.

The silver medals for best looks go to…

Razer Kraken Pro and AstroGaming A40!

We have a tie! The Kraken Pro was just as polarizing in looks as it was in sound, as two judges placed it first and none of the others ranked it in the top three. The same was true for the A40, as the white frame appealed to two of the judges but none of the others. In addition, the Func HS-260 missed making this a three-way tie by a single point, as five out of six judges placed it second or third for appearance.

The Grand Champion

Winning Looks and placing second in Sound and Comfort, the 5Hv3 was the overall favorite of the judges in our contest. With its balanced sound and light construction it performed well and was comfortable to wear, and its simplicity won the day for appearance against headsets that were bulkier and flashier. When you consider it’s low cost compared to the others, their overall quality even more impressive.

Congratulations, SteelSeries 5Hv3!

What We Learned

Branding and expectation have a big impact on how people judge a product like a gaming headset, and taking that away can lead to some surprising results. Several judges expressed surprise when they found out which headsets they had ranked as their favorites for sound and comfort, since they had pre-conceived notions about which would be best and worst based on brand reputation. Additionally, when judging purely on short-term comfort, sound, and appearance, there was very little connection between the price of a headset and how much our judges liked it.

So there you have it! I hope this was informative and will help you make an informed gaming decision.

GAME ON!