This is my third headset review for EPOS. In the past, I have checked out the GSP 370 which I found was good but some core features were not active within the Sennheiser Gaming Suite and the sound level was a little disappointing. Then I reviewed the GSP 670, I wished they allowed for onboard profiling and more battery life, but overall an amazing wireless headset, one of the best I have used and owned. Now I get to review the new EPOS I SENNHEISER GSP 601, a wired gaming headset, which comes with some improvements over the GSP 370 and GSP 670. I also have the new GSX 300 Gaming Series External Sound Card to test with it. Will the sound card offer improvements over my onboard Realtek sound card or nothing at all, let us find out, but first the unboxing, sales and first look.
So first Up Sales
How a company sells a product means everything, as it’s the first port of call for a consumer. The website must contain all the info they need, or if the consumer is wondering around shops then the packaging must be just as good and informative, so the consumer can make the right decision. Some consumers already know what they want, brand loyalty being one of them, but sometimes, there is always something better on the market. So how does EPOS I SENNHEISER sell the new GSP 601 Gaming Series Wired Headset to us?
On the front they do showcase the headset in all its glory, you can see the size of the ear cups, the thickness of the headband, the style of the microphone and the headset’s design. The key sales points they want you to know for this headset from first look are the following
Closed Acoustic- which is great for gamers, as it fills their world around the ears, no sound is lost and no sound gets in and most of all impactful bass.
Multi-platform – Yes this headset works with all the following platforms Mac OSX, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC / Soft phone, PS4, Xbox One, Switch. However, a lot of the special features only work the EPOS Sound Suit.
HI-FI Audio- High fidelity (often shortened to hi–fi or hifi) is a term used by listeners, audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts to refer to high–quality reproduction of sound.
Moving to one of the sides you get some tech specs and a sweet view of the parts used to assemble to ear cups.
- Frequency Respose – 10 – 30.000Hz
- Cable Length – 2.5 m PC /1.2 m Console
- Wearing Style – Headband
- Impedance 28 Ω
- Weight 395g
While on the other side you find out what platforms the headset will work with and what’s inside the box.
Moving to the back EPOS I SENNHEISER discuss a few features in a number of languages these features include the following;
- Engineered for exceptional audio clarity in games
- advanced noise-cancelling broadcast quality microphone
- Adjustable contact pressure on the headband for a customized fit
- ergonomic ear pad shape for a full noise-blocking experience
- solid metal hinge system for outstanding durability
And most of all EPOS I SENNHEISER offer a two-year warranty on this product. If you are unsure if you are purchasing an official/ genuine product on the bottom side of the box there is a sticker with a QR code, scan to give you peace of mind.
If you are purchasing this headset online you are going to want to know that your new peripheral will arrive safely, you will be happy to know as always with EPOS I SENNHEISER, your new headset is well packaged.
Inside, you will find two cables one for PC which is 2.5 m long, with two AUX connections one for Mic the other for headphones. The other cable is for all other devices with a length of 1.2 m.
When viewing the headset, I found it to be similar in design to the GSP670 as it also shines when it comes to looks. Starting with the headband, solid plastic with the branding clearly marked on both sides. The headband offers extra tension with sliders on the top, and can also expand to fit many head sizes offering a nice tactile bump with each mm you take. If you are up for it, you can remove the sides of the band and replace with a set that comes with the headset or maybe with a 3D printer or purchase online, try Wish and Etsy. There is also a good amount of cushioning on the headband, so it will rest upon your head with grace and dignity, or should I say, comfortably. The ear cups are also exceptional, leather on the outside to help with noise isolation and a velvet material on the inside for that little extra comfort, and I must admit, I much prefer these over pure leather ones. There is plenty of flex and movement around your head and ears thanks to good design choices, like the hinges that allow the earcups to move in and out.
When it comes to controls, you only have mic mute which is done when you move the mic up, and volume console which is a dial on the right ear cup. There are NO in-line controls anywhere to control anything else like maybe chat mix, I think EPOS I SENNHEISER forgot about this option for PC users.
That is not a bad thing as it is rare to see chat mix on headsets gamers normally just turn down the in-game sounds. The best thing about this headset is that is plug-n-play and even works with spacial sounds like Dolby Atmos for Headphones. There is one thing I must make you VERY AWARE OF, push the cable into the headset all the way, if you have not done this correctly, you will experience issues like sound only coming from one ear cup.
So as this is plug-n-play how does the microphone perform without any software to help it out, a microphone that is not detachable or retractable. You pull it down to use and push it up when you wish to either mute or not use. It is a rather bulky microphone to what I am used to using.
Here is a raw test.
Audio Player
It’s not too bad, right? Or am I hearing something different to you, maybe it based on our listening device, personally it’s OK. Though Microphones and Ear cups are not everything, you need GOOD QUALITY SOUND, and if you know about EPOS I SENNHEISER , you would know that they are renowned for creating a soundscape for their headsets that are beyond exceptional, the question is does it stack up?
Without the use of the GSX 300 you are at the pure mercy of build quality and sound drivers, and your systems sound cards. Using it on PC, you have the use of your own personal sound cards like Realtek, Nahimic 2 and spacial sounds like Dolby Atmos and Equalizers to perfect the sound. On a mobile phone, you have less, and on a console, you also have less, but I can tell you now. I have used these on my mobile phone which has Dolby Atmos the Samsung S9 and the sound is exceptional. I also used these headphones on the Nintendo Switch, which Is capable of surround sound and these headphones perform admirably replicating a 3D soundscape.
To truly test out a headset you can use https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php, just remember your age can seriously impact what sound Hz you can hear up to. For me, I started hearing highest frequency at 20kHz right up to 8kHz, The wiring on the headsets are perfect with left and right channels producing sound within the designated drivers only.
But playing games, listening to music is a joy to behold with these headphones, however, the level of excellence increases with the use of the EPOS I SENNHEISER GSX300 External Sound Card.
Incomes a custom sound card that outstrips onboard sound cards and offers up EPOS I SENNHEISER custom 7.1 and 2.0 sound solutions, pre-loaded EQ’s as well as the option to create your own, as well as a shed load of microphone features.
When it comes to sound control, you have 2.0 and 7.1 sound options and you can set the Reverberation levels which allows you to change how it feels in the physical space. I felt that this option adds too much echo and this is something I truly disliked. You can also choose from a set of preset sound modes or create and save your own preset with the Equalizer.
7.1 Virtual Surround Sound was epic, there are NO complaints at all from me. I played games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Torchlight 3, and Forza Horizon. The pinpoint crystal clear clarity when it comes to the Virtual Surround Sound is spot on, just as good as any other software I have used on the past.
The headset offers impressive bass with mids and lows when needed. However, do not expect the headset to work with Spatial sounds like Windows Sonic and Dolby Atmos for Headphones while using the GSX 300 Sound Card.
The Microphone is the next biggie to talk about as you really need a good quality microphone, with good noise suppression, so on to the Microphone tests which are all controlled with the EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suite.
The recording below starts with the microphone set to off with any voice enhancements, then moves to warm then clear, I much prefer warm over any other settings, as always how you hear this recording will be down to your sound device.
Audio Player
When it comes to features we have options like;
Side Tone – is the audible feedback to someone speaking when using a handset or headset as an indication of an active transmission.
Gain – This amplification of your voice, in many cases to more than 1000 times their original strength.
Noise Gate – is how quickly the filter reacts to basically unmuting your mic once the sound level goes above the opening threshold.
Then you have noise cancellation.
Overall this Microphone performed admirably, just as good as the GSP670.
So that’s about it, overall what do I think of this headset?
The EPOS I SENNHEISER GSP 601 Gaming Series Wired Headset offers a lot and delivers on everything. A good quality microphone, impressive soundscape even without the use of the GSX 300. Works with loads of devices from PC, Consoles and even mobile devices. I do feel that CHAT Mix feature should have been considered as an in-line option or added to the ear cups like not the GSP 670.
The EPOS I SENNHEISER Gaming Suite offers enough for any gamers to be happy with, and this time everything works as expected. The microphone is amazing, with great noise cancellation even though I very rarely used it within the software to be more aggressive. The three-voice enhancers really do improve the performance of the microphone, and I found myself using warm over off and clear, clear was simply not the greatest choice.
You have a headset to listen to music, play games and much more and I can tell you now, I use these for a very long period of time with little to no discomfort, I also did not get hot and sweaty in and around the earcups. Throughout my whole experience, I never had a single issue, from playing games, listening to music, watching films, everything sounds sublime. This headset is possibly my No1 choice for a wired gaming headset, only because it’s so good and it works for loads of devices, what more can you ask for?
Well, there are a few things chat/mix control would have been nice as an inline function or attached to the headset earcups like the GSP670. While not really required, I would love to be able to save my PC profiles to the headset somehow and use these settings on all devices, maybe there is a way of doing this in the future?
You can grab this head here for £199.00
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