You would think that a company known for tasty audio equipment would make some sweet sounding gaming headsets. And you’d be right, the Sennheiser gaming headsets both myself and my editor (Hiya, Ed.) have reviewed over the years for various other publications have sounded almost uniformly amazing. EPOS|SENNHEISER GSP 670 continue that particular tradition but is also a case-study in why producing beloved gaming headphones is about more than delivering a pleasant vox.
Initial Perceptions
EPOS|SENNHEISER GSP 670 wireless headset is an absolute unit at almost 400 grams. Adorned completely in black and grey and styled very angularly, they scream ‘gamer’.
GSP 670 is definitely one of the largest headsets I’ve mounted on my head in a long time. Especially when compared to their wired cousin Sennheiser PC373D which has been this reviewer’s daily driver for years. Accepting their gaming nature is easy but building up the neck strength to hold these on your head for extended gaming sessions will be a minor workout unto itself.
While I don’t mind the gamer look, a few colour variations would have been a nice addition. If you inspect the sides of the headset we can see that Sennheiser have some customisation options by way of removable cover plates.
The plate covers can be bought separately for about €12. However the only two decals I could find were Dota 2 and SK Gaming-branded. Currently it looks like a design choice made to offer branding opportunities rather than add personalisation options. Sennheiser GSP 670 are new to market so hopefully they’ll add more in the future.
Build Quality and Quality Fit
All that weight isn’t just for some extra gamer flaps. That heft gives the headset a robust feel, as if GSP 670 ready for those angry gamer moments. The hinge system is made of metal, and has the standard 2-axis motion. The headband, made mostly of flexible plastic, allows an at-first worrisome amount of bend before rebounding reassuringly back to shape.
EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 670 comes with a handy headband-mounted tension slider. With this you can adjust the pressure exerted on your head but it didn’t do much for me. I found them a little tight even at their loosest – but your mileage will vary.
Admittedly, this reviewer has sensitive pinnae and has had long-standing difficulty finding headphones that don’t start to hurt during extended gaming sessions. But for most of you, the cups will be deep and wide enough with ample room for your normal-person ears.
Function
EPOS | SENNHEISER GSP 670 has all the functions you’d expect from a premium wireless gaming headset. A dedicated volume control that acts as an on/off when clicked past zero, a quick mute with the mic boom and a bluetooth pairing flicker that doubles as a battery checker.
For streamers interested in a new headset or those with an obtuse audio setup – Windows 10 requires the headset be set as your ‘default audio device’ to avail of certain features. Firstly there’s a not-so-handy chat-audio control knob which I found limited use for. And a more thoughtful addition, a Smart Button that can be set to toggle between stereo and surround or to cycle through presets.
Sound
The closed back sound adds to immersion in games and movies. This sound profile can sometimes take away from competitive gaming though. Without turning on 7.1 or increasing reverb, the soundstage feels too small. For movies and music this is great, but I’m not a fan of it for gaming.
Whether you prefer an open or closed-back driver, it’s hard not to appreciate the quality and responsiveness of GSP670 dual drivers. Even with the headset’s slightly boosted bass, trebles are crisp.
It’s worth noting throughout the weeks of gaming I’ve had with them, they’ve never lagged out or lost connection either.
Micro-mo-phone
EPOS | SENNHEISER advertises GSP670 mic as studio quality with a frequency response of 10-7,300Hz. So we compared it to the Blue Yeti Pro, with a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz.
Surprisingly, after tweaking a few settings in Sennheiser Gaming Suite, testing showed very little subjective differences between both microphones beyond the missing upper frequencies. The noise cancellation does a commendable job removing background din while the Voice Enhancer gives you some minor control over the vocal signal. The only thing I feel the mic is missing is a limiter for when forget to use your indoor voice.
Software
If you’re not happy with the flat EQ set by default, Sennheiser Gaming Suite will help those with a PC but PS4 players will have to go without. They did a great job with the presets, giving 4 standard presets and allowing users to add their own custom sets. Changing from Stereo to Surround can be done through the app too, with some welcome mic settings to boot. Voice enhancer, noise cancellation, gain, sidetone and even a gate.
Battery life, two to three days for me, with the headset warning me on day 3, so basically I ended up charging them every two days. Rated for 16 hours with the dongle and 20hours on BT. If set as default on Windows 10, there is a sleep mode available which would help when I forget to switch them off. This really should be an on-board feature though.
That said, you can use Sennheiser GSP670 while charging and with 7 minutes of charge giving you 2 hours wireless usage. Accidentally draining them isn’t the end of the world.
PS4 You Say?
While GSP 670 are compatible with Playstation 4, console purists might be be disappointed. All of the software features mentioned above don’t work, because there’s no app for PS4. But you do still get chat audio volume control, which is something.
Specifications
- Connector: USB cable
- Frequency response (Microphone): 10–7,300 Hz
- Frequency response (Headphones): 10–23,000 Hz
- Sound pressure level (SPL) 112 dB
- Weight: 398g
- Range: 10 meter wireless
- Pick-up pattern: Bi-directional ECM
- Microphone sensitivity: -47 dBV/PA
- Bluetooth: 5.0 SBC
- Supported operating systems: Windows 10
- Battery time: 16-20 Hours
The Next Best Gaming Headphones of 2020
At the time of writing, GSP 670 retail for €319 from the official Sennheiser Store, EPOS. With the inevitable price-drop, I can see them being popular given gamers’ inclination to spend good money on worthy headphones.
While I would only give the title of ‘Best Gaming Headset’ to an open-backed pair, Sennheiser have provided us a solid entry into the upper echelons of wireless gaming headphones. A little heavy and angular for my taste but they’ll take a beating and provide well-rounded audio in multiple situations, all while keeping you cable free.
