I have a love-hate relationship and some of the worst luck when it comes to purchasing new headsets. Something always seems to go wrong whether it’s a too short PC cable, uncomfortable ear couplings, or low sound quality. Since my old faithful Logitech G432 was just barely hanging on by a thread, I’ve been in the market for a new headset and had my eye on brands that were focused on quality over sensational features. It’s about time that I stepped out of the trendy RGB lights anyway and really started investing in a product that I’m comfortable wearing. EPOS just so happened to swoop in with an unexpected opportunity to review a luxury item that could save my poor ears: the GSP 601 Gaming Series headset. My main concern was if the quality was up to par to justify a $219 price tag. If you’ve had your eyes on a new headset as well and may be looking for a product on the higher end, keep on reading.
Specifications
- Model: GSP 601 Gaming Series
- Current Price: $219.00 (EPOS)
- Color: White, Black
- Cable Length: 98.43 in/2.9 m (PC)
- Headset Weight: 14g
- Transducer Principle: Dynamic, Closed
- Headphones Frequency Response: 10-30,000 Hz
- Microphone Frequency Response: 10-18,000 Hz
- Microphone Pickup Pattern: Unidirectional
- Warranty: 2 Years
- Multi-Platform Compatible: PC, PS4®, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and consoles with a 3.5 mm jack input
Sound Quality
EPOS specializes in providing high-end audio solutions for both businesses and gamers alike. Naturally, the co-branded EPOS | Sennheiser headsets make a point to highlight their exceptional audio clarity. The standard frequency that a good pair of headphones put out is generally around 20 Hz to 20KHz. The GSP 601 Gaming Series actually lists their frequency output as 10Hz to 30KHz. An increase in hertz doesn’t always mean an increase in quality, but in this case, I can definitely report that it does.
If you saw my latest article, then you know that I’ve been spending a good portion of my time lately traversing Final Fantasy XIV Online’s world. I just recently arrived in Diadem, which almost requires that you have music playing to delay the insanity that comes with the endless grind. I love the music of Final Fantasy XIV, and the EPOS | Sennheiser headset added another layer of depth to that experience that I really enjoyed.
Because it’s so hard to describe the difference in frequency through writing, the best way that I can convey its quality is through feeling. You just know when you have a good pair of quality headphones by how the sound feels. If you’ve ever listened to one of your favorite songs on a great headset, it just hits differently. You feel the waves of rich bass and notice how much more crisp the melody sounds.
If you’re not used to looking for that, one of the best ways I’ve found to compare this difference is by listening to the same song on Youtube as opposed to Spotify. Youtube has gotten better in recent years, but it compresses its sound much more than Spotify does, resulting in a poorer audio experience. Similarly, the increase in frequency with the EPOS | Sennheiser GSP 601 headset just feels right. In-game, the world around me feels that much more alive, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and ambiance. The gentle pressure lends to an all-around noise-blocking experience that completely immerses you in your game.
Comfort and Material Quality
Aside from sound quality, the next features I look for in a headset are the quality of its parts and the comfort of the ear coupling. Coming in weighing at 14g, the GSP 601 has a good bit of heft to it and definitely feels like it was made with durable parts rather than some of the cheaper alternatives out there. Though it creates another weak point, the solid-metal hinge system ends up adding more stability to the entirety of the headset, since it takes most of the pressure off of the headband to adjust around your head. The hinge system also compliments the ergonomic earpads, as they easily pivot around your ears to optimize its closed acoustic design.
The ear couplings wrap completely around your ear when it’s worn, accentuated by what seems to be a soft, faux leather material with a mesh lining on the inside. This combination resulted in an experience that felt luxurious without causing my ears to overheat from prolonged usage. The cushions are replaceable and offer a respectable amount of padding despite their sound-canceling proximity.
The top of the headset also offers an adjustable contact pressure headband for lengthy gaming sessions. These features alone give the GSP 601 an incredible amount of customization. I’ve had plenty of headsets where I just had to grit my teeth and bear it because they were too loose, too tight, or just didn’t have enough flexibility when it came to making adjustments.
After a few weeks of daily wear, I did start to notice a little tenderness in my left ear which may have indicated that I had the headband adjusted too tightly. I wasn’t really sure which way I should adjust the headband, since the only indicators were some line markers that grew from large to small, so I slid them to the lowest markers and was relieved when I did feel a little less pressure on the tips of my ears. Each slide operates individually, giving the user much more freedom to customize its fit.
Can You Hear Me Now?
The GSP 601 offers a simple setup experience as it is both cross-platform and uses wired. connection It doesn’t come with any software and can be used as soon as you plug it into your laptop, console, or computer. The 98.43 in. (2.9m) cable provides plenty of length to route the cable through furniture or assist in cable management for longer tables. The main problem I encountered with my headset here, once it was plugged in, was pertaining to setting up the core sound volume output of my microphone.
Using Discord as my testing ground, I adjusted my microphone in just about every way that I could, but my voice was quieter than it usually is. The GSP 601 does have built-in noise-canceling functionality, so it’s my suspicion that it was working just a little too well for how quiet I am. There may be some other places that I haven’t found to tweak as well, but I gave it my best shot because I really wanted it to work. The lift-to-mute boom arm functioned perfectly and was as close as I could move it towards my face to maximize voice pick-up. The microphone also uses a unidirectional pattern, which may have been another culprit that initially affected my low output. Regardless, with a little more tweaking, I was able to configure it enough to find an appropriate volume that projected my voice clearly and effectively.
Sennheisser Sidesteps the Side Tone
It was also at this time that I realized that this series of headphones doesn’t actually come equipped with sidetone, so that you can hear how your voice sounds when it’s transmitted in a call. After doing a little research, I found this quote from the Sennheiser website:
“From a technical standpoint "side tone" degrades audio quality as it is creating extra noise in the ear piece that is competing with the audio of the conversation so Sennheiser deliberately builds the Telecom headsets to not product "side tone".”
While I’m a little disappointed with the deprecated feature, I can absolutely appreciate their reasoning behind leaving sidetone behind. Sennheiser prides itself on producing top of the line audio clarity, so if they need to sacrifice the sidetone feature to achieve clearer audio quality, I think I can be at peace with that decision. However, as someone with a thick southern accent, I still find myself wishing that I could hear myself a little better so that I could consciously minimize my southern drawl.
Minimalist and Professional Style
Where would we be without our oversized glowing headsets? While it may have been cute when RGB was all the rage, you owe it to yourself to look into a multi-functional headset that sacrifices rave lights on your ears for a sleeker and more comfortable design. When posed with the question of white/black or blue/gold, I wound up going with the white color scheme and am very pleased with it. The white version of the GSP 601 comes with bronze accent plates equipped by default, but they can be swapped out with the minimalist white plates that come included in the packaging.
When being worn, the GSP 601 does look a little wider, but that’s due to how the headband and extra cushion weave into the base of the ear cover to provide a much snugger, quieter experience. Since I’m not streaming, I’m not bothered with this so much, but someone else may not particularly like how it looks. It’s all about personal preference, and if you’re going to pay $219 for a headset, you want to make sure that you’re going to like how it looks if you have to see yourself on a screen for several hours a day. If you care more about the aesthetic rather than your general appearance, the GSP 601 has a solid, clean design that can be used for both work and play. I personally love the minimalistic and more professional design it has going for it, so I’m pretty happy with its general appearance.
Final Thoughts
While the GSP 601 Gaming Series may not be very budget-friendly, I would absolutely recommend it for anyone looking to seriously invest in quality and comfort. The excellent, crisp quality of the audio made for a wonderfully immersive experience while gaming and listening to music. It is one of the best, if not the best headset I have had in my possession to date. Once the two-year warranty runs out (or my luck does) I will be looking into saving up so I can purchase another headset from this same series. With the love and care that was put into choosing quality parts for the GSP 601, however, I may not even need to use the warranty before then.
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