This summer, Sennheiser released their first wireless gaming headset with the impressive GSP 670 Wireless Gaming Headset. While we loved it, the $349 price put it firmly out of the reach of many gamers. This season, Sennheiser is back at it with the GSP 370. It brings back much of what we loved with the GSP 670 plus a massive 100-hour battery life. At $199, is this the headset for you? Join us and find out!
Specifications
- Current Price: $199.95
- Connection: Wireless
- Frequency response (Headphones): 20-20,000 Hz
- Transducer principle (headphones): Dynamic, closed
- Sound pressure level (SPL): 117 DB
- Frequency response (Microphone): 100-6,300 Hz
- Ear coupling: Around Ear
- Cable length: 1.5m charging cable
- Battery Life: 100 hours (usable while charging)
- Microphone: Noise-cancelling
- Pick-up pattern: Unidirectional
- Microphone sensitivity: -41 DBV/Pa
- Weight: 285g
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When I heard that Sennheiser was releasing a more affordable wireless gaming headset, I was excited. The GSP 670 was one of my favorite headsets of the year but at $349, it's also one of the most expensive on the market, even amongst other high-end wireless gaming headsets. The GSP 370 comes to market at $199 and carries with it many of the same features and design language of its bigger brother. With a $150 price cut, this could potentially be one of the best gaming headsets in its price bracket.
Right off the bat, the similarities are stark. The GSP 370 ships in a very similar white and blue box and, unboxing it, feels extremely close to the 670. The design language is identical, though the 370 is more than 100g lighter. This alone is a major improvement as the GSP 670 had a tendency to make the top of my head sore after a few hours of use. In my several weeks of testing, these headphones never made the crown of my head hurt.
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Despite being so much lighter, the GSP 370 feels very solid and well-made. It still has the internal metal frame for extra durabilty and the earcups also have a nice solidity to them. The one thing I don't like is that the cups don't rotate, so when you need a break you can't lay them flat on your shoulders/chest. I'll often hang them around my neck but they're big enough to get in the way when turning my head, so it's best just to take them off when not in use.
Big features making their return are the excellent microphone and volume wheel each earcup. I really like the feel of the volume roller. There's enough resistance where you can make fine adjustments without sudden spikes in volume. The microphone also continues the "flip to mute" functionality where you can silence yourself just by raising the arm. I also like that it's adjustable to position in front of your mouth but it's a little hit or miss with whether it will stay in that position. The memory wire inside the arm could use a little more tension to make sure it doesn't ease out of wherever you've placed it
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The microphone is very good. We've seen a revolution in wireless headset mics this year with options that retain the full body of your voice without sounding overly nasally and compressed. The GSP 370 is definitely one of the better wireless headset mics you'll find on the market today. It's crisp and clear to make sure your teammates will hear you in the fray. The unidirectional design cuts down slightly of the low-end of your voice but also does wonders for filtering out background noise, like the clicks of your mechanical keyboard.
Another high point carried through from the GSP 670 are the excellent cushions on each ear cup. They're memory foam and trimmed in dual materials. Where they touch your face is fabric that's very soft to the touch and breatheable. The outer edges are trimmed in leatherette for better noise isolation and bass response. They work wonders in sealing out the outside world, so if you're looking to slip away into your favorite game, this is the headset for you. They do grip fairly tightly, though, and that's on my smaller head. Even adjusting them out, I wasn't able to get them completely where I'd like them in the squeeze department.
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When it comes to sound, the GSP 670 delivers full-bodied, cinematic sound. Compared to the GSP 670, the frequency response is limited to 20 - 20,000 Hz (the GSP 670 was 10 - 23,000 Hz). The extended frequency response on the GSP 670 acts to prevent distortion at the outer edges of what you can actually hear, but the GSP 370 performs admirably. The sound stage is slightly tighter to my ear and the overall tone slightly warmer but the differences are minor and I wasn't able to hear any distortion. This is subjective, of course, but the big point is that it really doesn't feel like you're sacrificing all that much in the sound department.
I love how big the sound is from these headphones. Even in stereo mode, they have a real "cinematic" feel to them which makes explosions and bombastic moments in games sound big and powerful. Out of the box, the low-end did overwhelm the mids slightly, but thanks to the equalizer in Sennheiser's software suite, I was easily able to round that out.
The software really opens up the possibilities of the headset. With the equalizer, you're able to tune the GSP 370s to exactly your taste. I was very impressed by how resilient the drivers were to EQ. I was able to jump the bass almost to max without hearing any distortion, which was impressive (though I wouldn't actually leave them that way). Instead, I went for a more traditional audiophile tuning which raises the mids and highs to bring out the fine details in music and games, as well as draws out important audio cues like footsteps.
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The software also allows you to use virtual 7.1 surround sound. This widens the sound stage substantially and definitely helps with positional audio in competitive games. I also loved that Sennheiser included a dedicated reverb knob. Every virtual surround sound solution should have this. Too often, companies "enhance" their surround algorithm with caked on reverb that destroys positionality and makes what you're listening to sound like it takes place in a locker room. With this control, I was able to turn it up to actually enhance the sound stage without becoming overblown. Very well done.
One of the most surprising improvements with the GSP 370 is the battery life. It clocks in with an incredible 100 hours of game time. After charging it the headset for the first time, it's conceivable that you wouldn't need to charge it again for a month at 20 hours a week, even with volume above 50% (the usual level for these ratings). That's impressive.
Connectivity is also great. The headset connected automatically the first time and I was able to walk a good 15-20 feet away before it started to cut out. There's no Bluetooth for dual connectivity like the GSP 670 but given the price difference, I'm alright leaving that to the side.
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Final Thoughts
The GSP 370 is an excellent the headset. At $150 off from the top-end GSP 670, what you're sacrificing actually feels minimal. When it comes to wireless headsets, this is absolutely one of the best of the year.
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Pros
- Big, cinematic sound
- Customizable EQ (with reverb control)
- Great wireless mic
- Lightweight and comfortable, if a bit tight
- Incredible 100 hour battery life
Cons
- Even though it's cheaper than the GSP 670, it's still quite expensive
- Grip might be a bit much for larger users
