It has been some time since I last reviewed a headset, in fact, I think it was for the Sennheiser GSP 370 Wireless Gaming Headset, a headset that offered a lot for its price but had issues with the software, I gave the headset a 9/10. It’s now 2020, we are thick in a pandemic around the globe ‘Corvid-19’ and the UK is slowly coming out of lockdown, but most likely going back into lockdown towards the end of the year or sooner.
For now, I will keep going and in this review, I shall be looking at the EPOS |Sennheiser GSP 670 Gaming Series Wireless Headset.
But before we move to the review, why the name change? I have never heard of EPOS, and why Sennheiser call their Headset Range ‘EPOS | Sennheiser‘, So I went online and found some info.
EPOS is part of the Demant group – a world-leading audio and hearing technology group that offers solutions and services to help people connect and communicate with the world around them. The Demant Group operates in a global market with companies in more than 30 countries, employs more than 14,000 employees, and generates an annual revenue of around DKK 14 billion
Demant A/S and Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, has previously announced that their joint venture; Sennheiser Communications A/S, will evolve in new set-ups. During 2020, the joint venture will end and while the business segment of Mobile Music headsets will be part of the Sennheiser Consumer business in the future, Enterprise Solutions and Gaming headsets will evolve as a new independent company, EPOS, under the global audio and hearing technology group Demant. EPOS will manufacture and sell the existing Sennheiser Communications portfolio for Enterprises and Gaming co-branded as EPOS | SENNHEISER products, while also introducing a new EPOS branded portfolio.
It seems I live in a small bubble, not knowing about EPOS since they are a world-leading audio and hearing technology company, but we learn something new all the time.
So Moving forward, to Sales and Unboxing
If you were to purchase this headset from your local retail outlet what would you learn just from the box?
This is the first key sales tactic for all peripheral manufactures, as they need to sell their products to us consumers. Providing just the right amount of information for us to make the right decision.
On the front of the box, you get a good look at the headset, the branding and finding out that the headset is wireless. There are three key features to note on the front of the box, these are the following;
- Low Latency Connection,
- 20 Hrs of Battery Life,
- and Bluetooth Technology
Moving to one of the sides you get some technical Data
- Frequency Response – 10 -23.000 Hz
- Wireless Range – 10m
- Low Latency Connection – Yes
- Battery Life (Low Latency) – 16 Hrs
- Battery Life (Bluetooth) – 20 Hrs
- Weight – 398g
Then on the other side EPOS | Sennheiser lets you know what’s in the box and the systems the headset will work with.
Contains:
- GSP 670 Headset
- GSA 70 Wireless Dongle
- USB Charging Cable
Works with
- PC
- PS4
- Smartphone
Moving to the back EPOS | Sennheiser discuss the headset a little more, in a number of languages, they mention the following
- Low Latency Technology and Bluetooth for full wireless Flexibility
- Sennheiser Sound performance with closed acoustics
- Sennheiser Gaming Suit PC Software with extended customization (Which is now EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suit)
- Separate audio and in-chat ear wheels for on-the-fly volume control.
And that is everything from the sales point of view, was there enough for you to decide that this is the headset is for you, or do you think they needed to add more info about the earcups, microphone, headband ETC?
But do not fret the headset does come with a 2-year warranty.
Now the headset, first thoughts
If looks could kill this headset would do a damn good job, just have a look at the headset in the box, being well protected from those delivery people that just love to throw our devices around in their vans.
The EPOS | Sennheiser GSP 670 Gaming Series Wireless Headset 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 create your own unique version (See PIC 3 and 4 below), 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 earcups 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. You can even remove the earcups and choose an alternative material, from an online selection if you so wish.
On the right earcup, you have the volume dial, the chat mix dial (Here chat over in-game sounds or visa versa) and a button to choose different presets within the EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suite, on the left earcup you have the microphone, charger port and connection rocker. Everything is conveniently placed for your gaming needs. You can download the EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suite here.
The microphone is not detachable or retractable, it is constantly attached. 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. I have nothing as big as this, so I wonder why it is so bulky, we find out why a little bit further down when I do some sound tests.
Earcups are not everything neither is a microphone, you need GOOD QUALITY SOUND, and if you know about EPOS | 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?
After my first attempt at installation, I would say NO, they do not stack up, they where rubbish, EQ did not work, 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound did not work, microphone calibration, nothing worked, why you ask? I installed it using my own Bluetooth connection. This is a MASSIVE mistake as all you need to do is plug-in the small dongle that comes with the headset and that’s it done, turn on your headset, and away you go. OH yeah, don’t forget to download the EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suite, that is paramount, as this will update the headset’s firmware if there is any and allow you to play with all the settings, like how the microphone performs, sound presets and equalizer.
There is one annoyance, the software and installation of the headset requires a system reboot, which I must admit I ignore and just boot the software and play, and everything seems to work just fine.
After my first failed attempted and then actually reading the instructions everything worked like a charm, music sounded amazing, gaming with 7.1 Virtual Surround Sound was epic, there are NO complaints at all from me. I played games like DOOM, Witcher 3 (yes still I play it) and a few odds and ends. 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. Apart from Dolby Atmos which adds another level of immersion not found currently in many headsets apart from the Plantronics RIG 800HD.
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 to 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.
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, as they are blocked through the EPOS | Sennheiser Gaming Suite once installed. I asked why this was and got told this ‘The Software has its own Surround Processing. Adding additional surround processing such as Windows Sonic or Dolby Atmos would only deteriorate audio quality.’
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. For these recording I have set the microphone to Off, Warm and Clear within the Voice enhancer and here are the tests below.
Off
Warm
Clear
We have some more microphone 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, even better than my top choice the Clearcast from SteelSeries. Though I doubt the noise suppression would be as good as the Clearcast mic if this headset was used in a games convention.
So that’s about it for Microphone, overall what do I think of this headset?
The EPOS | Sennheiser GSP 670 Gaming Series Wireless Headset is certainly better than its little brother the GSP 370 just lacks the 100hrs of battery life this one only comes in at around 20hrs. I managed to get around 17hrs with the headset volume around 75% – 80%, as I never use a headset at a max volume not good for the ears I have heard.
The EPOS | 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.
I was also able to connect the headset via Bluetooth to a number of devices and use the headset without issue, however, you do not get all the bells and whistles that come with using the headset on PC. So maybe EPOS | Sennheiser should allow for onboard profiles.
Then I also found out the headset auto turns itself off when not in use, this is simply done with onboard software. If there is no movement or sound the headset will auto turn off after around 10 to 60secs, then auto turn on when it senses movement or sound, what a great feature.
I was able to play games 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 apart from the first installation, playing games, listening to music, watching films all sounded great, I am finding it hard to put in a single complaint in apart from maybe better battery life. This headset is possibly my No1 choice for a gaming headset, and I have used a lot of headsets.
I would score this a 9.5 but IGC does not allow for .5 in their scores, so I am scoring it 10/10 as I do feel the headset is worth it, however, I do feel somethings need to be looked at. Mainly onboard profiles, better battery life and maybe allow other surround software to work with the headset.
If you are interested in this headset you can purchase it here for £279.99.
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EPOS | Sennheiser GSP 670 Gaming Series Wireless Headset
The GSP 670 is the premium wireless gaming headset for the demanding gamer. Customize 7.1 surround with the EPOS Gaming Suite and adjust chat and game audio independently. Intelligent battery management preserves battery life and Bluetooth lets you switch seamlessly between your game and phone.
Product Currency: GBP
Product Price: 279.99
Product In Stock: SoldOut
5
EPOS | Sennheiser GSP 670 Gaming Series Wireless Headset
The GSP 670 is the premium wireless gaming headset for the demanding gamer. Customize 7.1 surround with the EPOS Gaming Suite and adjust chat and game audio independently. Intelligent battery management preserves battery life and Bluetooth lets you switch seamlessly between your game and phone.
Product Currency: GBP
Product Price: 279.99
Product In Stock: SoldOut
5
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