Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
Over the past couple of years, I’ve tested my share of gaming headsets from multiple manufacturers. I’m a picky person not only with performance, but also ergonomics. Rarely do I find one that checks all the boxes, and I wasn’t sure where the Sennheiser GSP 300s would land compared to others. Thankfully, I’m quite impressed with how much quality is packed in here given the budget price.
Most high-end gaming headsets nowadays come with a variety of parts in the box and at least one piece of software gamers need to install to get the full experience. This is not the case with the Sennheiser GSP 300s. The box contains only the headset with its 2 m cable, an audio adapter to convert the two 3.5 mm connectors into one, and some documentation. The setup consists of plugging the headset into your PC or 3.5 mm compatible console. At most, you might have to fiddle with your system’s sound settings and select the proper input and output device, but that’s it. The Sennheiser GSP 300s don’t even utilize the Sennheiser Gaming Suite software.
Most Sennheiser headsets I’ve tried recently have been just a tad undersized for my preferences, and this trend continues with the Sennheiser GSP 300s. This isn’t an issue with all Sennheiser headsets, though, as I have the Sennheiser GSP 500s, which fit perfectly. It’s not that the GSP 300s are too small, they're just hugging the line for anyone like myself who might have a larger head. An inch added to the overall extendability of the headband would do wonders.
That said, this headset does fit. The ear pads fit over my ears and the headband doesn’t dig into my scalp. The ear pads are made of a memory foam material, but I didn’t find this to be any better or worse than other materials often found on ear pads. The headband is split and covered in a soft material to make sure it doesn’t cause discomfort and carve out a bald spot. It's not the most comfortable headset I've ever tried (that would be the GSP 500s), but it's not nearly the worst. It was middle of the road for me.
If I have one physical beef with the GSP 300s, it’s the 3.5 mm cable. It’s made of a rubber material instead of being braided, and it tends to tangle and bend in ways that make it seem far smaller than the 2 m length it supposedly boasts. This thing annoys me every time I use the headset and it gets tangled in my lap. I’m not sure why a braided cable wasn’t used here (like the braided cables on the GSP 500s), but this headset is worse off because it wasn’t. Maybe this is one of the concessions Sennheiser made to lower the price point, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying on the user. It will straighten out over time, but it will never be ideal.
Like all headsets I review, the Sennheiser GSP 300s got a lengthy workout in Destiny 2. That’s a game filled with sounds no matter what you’re doing. From the quiet conversations of NPCs in the Tower to the ever-nearing footsteps of your enemy in the Crucible, this headset captures it all with its closed-ear design.
For those not sure, a closed-ear headset often blocks out sounds from your surroundings, causing you to hear your own voice in your head when you speak. With open-ear, you often hear things around you as you also hear in-game sounds. I prefer an open ear, but that’s strictly preference. I find that closed-ear is better for catching the smaller details in games, like footsteps in PvP. The GSP 300s hold up well here.
For my purposes, the Sennheiser GSP 300s sounded fantastic. They boast similar specs to other Sennheiser options, although the fact sheet doesn’t get into a lot of detail beyond frequency response, impedance, and sound pressure level. If you’re an average user, you won’t be able to tell the difference between this set and most others on the market, which is a win for a budget headset like this. It sounds great not only in-game, but also while chatting on work calls or listening to music.
The GSP 300s also feature a noise-cancelling microphone that can be muted simply by raising the boom arm, which is convenient. The mic sounds great for basic purposes like Discord or TeamSpeak during your gaming sessions, or even for work calls during the day, but the noise-cancelling technology does mean a slightly mechanical sounding voice. This is common with noise-cancelling mics, and it’s not a point against the GSP 300s. Just don’t go thinking you’ll be called out for your amazing voice on Twitch while using this mic. Don’t expect your voice to be cut off, either. I had zero trouble with this mic picking up my voice and could use it in gaming sessions with confidence.
Some folks might not think that $99 USD ($129 CAD) for a gaming headset is considered a budget option, but it is. Headsets these days can climb up to the price of buying a console and beyond. Sometimes buying a budget headset means taking some hits in quality, but that’s not the case with the Sennheiser GSP 300s. The sound quality holds up quite well compared to more expensive options, and my only complaint comes from the 2 m cable used to connect the headset to my PC. The mic stands its ground compared to other headset mics, and if you don’t try to use it for high-end content creation, you’ll be rolling. If you’re in the market for a no fuss, 3.5 mm compatible quality gaming headset, the GSP 300s should be on your short list.
This review is based on a GSP 300 review unit provided by Sennheiser.