I had been shopping for a new headset for several years. After a long search and hours of research I purchased two new headsets as well as a DAC. I wanted to do a review of the products and my experiences. Now my review is tailored towards a different set of issues than a standard unboxing or review of the product itself.
In my research for headsets, particularly these I noticed a lot of concerns that may not be fully founded that I wanted to speak to with my experience and potentially give other shoppers more food for thought in their product search.
Product reviewed: Sennheiser GSP 500
**SPEAKING TO THE AUDIO QUALITY:
I recorded this in January 2019, 3 times. My camera started having shutter issues and for take 1 I did not notice it stopped recording until I looked at my footage. Takes 2 and 3 were me fighting with keeping it working.
As such I was constantly interrupting takes and moving between the camera and the "set". In that movement and messing with the camera my mic and shotgun mic were moved so they were not set properly causing some audio quality issues. I did what I could in post and cutting between takes and various audio sources to capture the gist but all I can say is I'm sorry, the content is there just the audio killed me thanks to the camera issue.
I did re record a scripted version on a separate camera several months ago, however I was not pleased with the feel of it. I like to think over some bullet points and then wing it for usually more heartfelt honesty that the 4th take did not capture so far down the line and after so many takes. Ultimately I am disappointed in the quality here but again the information is sound and I do not want to scrap the overall video series.
This vid was very insightful, thanks for making it.
Thanks for watching!
Great review! I got these in today and I'm really amaze with the sound.
Thank you and glad you like them!
@@Ripskin16 it sounds somewhat of an in between a close and an open back. With very good bass for a open back. I got the extra earpads from the 600. It solves a lot of the comfort issue. Much easier fit and it reduces the pressure from the bottom of the ear. Highly recommend. If u r spending hours a day on this pair, it's totally worth the 30bucks.
@@sickdead Everyone's head and ears are different. I had some pressure in various areas as I adjusted them but I finally got them dialed in perfectly for me and have no pressure and they dont wiggle around unless I snap my head forward. My ears are fairly flat against my head so the foam cups are fine for me after 4 to 5 hours of gaming, videos, editing etc. I was VERY tempted to pick up the ones you did but after a few months and dialing mine in I have no need. My house is fairly quiet at that time of night with my PC under the desk and everyone in bed. I dont play much during the day so hearing whats going on around me is priority. But I love that they have that option and that it not only is more comfortable, expands the user base but can improve sound for the environment. Very happy with mine and glad your's are working out!
Good review. Thanks. I bought it as a second headphone for meetings at work. There were also problems when the cable was first connected, I even thought it was a marriage. But with a lot of effort, everything worked. The headphones are very comfortable for me. I liked the sound more than in the gsp 600, and I even put aside my main fostex t60rp headphones and listened to the gsp 500 all evening. I even think about using them as the only headphones, as they are good for communication and games and are very musical.
Awesome, thanks for watching and glad you like them! Yeah I was scared of breaking the probe and socket trying to shove it in more. Glad I never need to take it out again lol.
Hi,very nice review but i wonder how is the sound stage in FPS games?did u try to play Battlefield games with the gsp-s?Thank You.
I have not played Battlefield since 2, 1942 and the Desert Combat mod were the ultimate for me, everything after just had too many issues as the COD'd the game and released new versions too quickly after 2. Anyway in FPS games it really comes down to the game supplying the sound. I played Ring of Elysium, PUBG, CS:GO and TF2 with the GSP 1000 and found each to be a bit different. TF2 and CS were close both being on the same engine builds really. But the game output could be processed very differently based on your settings in the GSP. So in PUBG the footsteps almost vanished if I wanted to hear the world really well. If I wanted to hear the footsteps the world faded away. I couldnt find the "right" balance. It was good but ehhhhhhhh. ROE was similar but overall more balanced. Footsteps were a bit too loud IMO. TF2 the environment was a bit too much, could hear things too far away but everything was balanced. CS was similar. I stand by the statement of it is a good device, you can probably get it dialed in fairly well, better than my 3 to 4 weeks of playing with it. But ultimately if you have a good onboard sound card I would say save your money. If you are stuck with single output / laptop audio this will be a good device if paired with the right headset.
Awesome review, and I couldn't agree with you more regarding the other reviews out there. My only question is then do I need to get a amplifier\dac if I am going to use these on my ps4? Where I live I can get a set of GSP 500 for R1999. which is about $138, or so, bit the amp(which they don't even have stock of ) is an additional R2499, approx. $172. So now I'm at R4500 ($310) which is almost the price of the Astro50's and they're wireless, and can be changed from open to closed back. Looking forward to your reply
Thank you! The output on the PS4 from all of the reviews I read did not have enough power to push the drivers on this headset. Now, that could be due to them not having the cable plugged in properly as described in my video. I do not see them putting much of an AMP into the PS4 and as a test I just hooked these up to my phone and played the last file I streamed off my NAS. Some Trans Siberian Orchestra from Christmas. I turned the volume on the phone to the max and left the headset where I keep it on my PC. It was as if I had turned the volume down to 4 from 8 out of 10. To be fair the audio was not worse, just much more quiet. I could hear the clarity of the song there, just very quiet. Cranking the headset up higher on its end would have helped to a degree but it shows how much of a difference an AMP makes. Pulled the same song up on my PC and played it again and it was a very difference experience. Partially from the sound card processing but doubling the output volume to the drivers made a huge difference. While a solid headset I would personally wait and see what the PS5 offers (if you plan to upgrade) in the way of audio output since solid headsets are much more common for the consoles now or look at another brand with either smaller drivers that respond to lower power or come with a power supply to amplify the sound and will work better for your application. If you plan to use these elsewhere on devices that can drive them and nothing else in the price range really compares they should work but you'll have to turn the volume up across the board to move them and it may leave untapped potential in them.
excellent presentation. I wonder, though, if I could talk my boss into providing those headsets to replace the ones we have at work? Larry Bickford, Montreal, Quebec.
Thanks and hah, don't think so
My cable did go in without any problems and it comes out again easy enough.
Mine may have just been sticky but I was surprised how hard I had to push on it hah.
I’m currently divided between the GSP 500 and the Astro A40. Not sure which one is better for me (PC gamer). I saw really good reviews from both but none comparing the two. Do you have any experience with Astro’s?
Unfortunately I do not. I recall looking at a potentially older model of those. I believe I did not like the way the headband connected to the cups, looked like a weak point that can wear out or fail. Now the a40's look a bit stronger than what I had looked at but similar method. I also am not sure how they are "gaming" other than aesthetics. Not to say they are bad, just seems like an odd moniker to apply with nothing to back it up. I believe the customized fitment options on the Senn's and potentially better drivers make them a better option but fitment is very subjective and audio quality can vary wildly as not everyone will hear the same. If you can get them with a good return policy I would give both a try. I did that between the two I was very interested in and it took no time to know the Steelseries had to go back. Again I cant say the a40's are bad, but while good looking the fit seems off and a number of weak points that may break. If you are careful like I try to be you may have no issues. Sorry I cant be of more help!
My headset is VERY quiet in comparison to my corsair void pro. Think it may just be issue with the connection?
It is possible, I was really surprised at how hard I had to push on the connector to seat it into the ear cup. What is driving it off the motherboard? If its bone stock on board it is possible that the motherboard does not have enough power going through the port to make it come alive.
Ripskin16 potentially! I figured my z270 MSI pro motherboard was strong enough lol. May need to buy a DAC if the cable isn’t the issue.
@@jakev227 Double check your board model, Min X99 board I think is older for 5th gen Haswell and it has the onboard Audio Boost. By the 270 chipset I think they were on Boost 3 or 4. May have it and just need to locate the switch on the board to enable it as well as if you need to plug any additional power source into the board to supply that boost. Its not a lot but it makes a difference!
I have a lower end 80 dollar motherboard and I’m one of those people that were underwhelmed by the audio of the headset. Now I’m in a dilemma because I want to get the gsx1000 but it’s not compatible with consoles but I’m a console and a pc gamer. Hmmm
Tough choice to be sure. If you don't plan to push the mic beyond voice chats then my issues with the recording quality of the GSX wouldn't apply on that front. The profiles were good, but I didn't like having to keep switching around depending on what I wanted to hear. May just be a limitation to the DAC without a proper EQ such as the Steelseries had or another may provide as well as some auxilliary inputs allowing limited console compatibility perhaps. Adding consoles to the mix though does make it a bit of a challenge for current gen. Hopefully the next batch as they push further into generalized PC parts and such will be more open to other options. I believe Sennheiser has a cheaper 300 or 400 series headset with smaller drivers that would require less power to drive and may work decently with consoles.
Thanks, I think I’ll just commit to my pc and get a quality amp. Like you said hopefully the next batch of consoles that come out are more pc friendly.
Love the content, very well done and explained. Didn’t have any problems with the audio btw... One thing though I find hilarious is the name RipSkin...brings up phallic images of tearing foreskin, lol! (No offense) Could just be my warped brain tho...🤪
Thank you for watching and commenting! :) Lol no worries, I get that a lot. The real source is getting my leg caught in a rototiller at age 14 so no less graphic just from a different angle lol.
Can I run these with ps5 and Xbox series x or should I get the sennheiser pc38x?
You can run them with consoles, the cautionary warning I would give is that they may be too quiet unless the output from the new consoles has some amplification behind it. My motherboard has some extra power delivery to the audio port to boost the power output so they sound great for me. Straight plugged into a phone or non amplified jack they may be weak or quiet.
@@Ripskin16 thanks for the info. Maybe I should stick with sennheiser pc38x, I current have the sennheiser pc37x and they are good. Im hearing Fidelio X2HR is good too with vmoda mic.
@@Ripskin16 i picked up some fidelio x2hr for 120.00, more fun sound i guess for immersion will be better.
@@david029014 Nice, they look pretty good. Interested in how they do off the console. They say they will sound good without an Amp and I would hope that with the popularity of the use case now the newer consoles pump a bit more power down the output.
@@Ripskin16 that would be good, my fidelio x2hr are coming in tomorrow, im still interested in hearing the sennheiser pc38x...
You should review the audio technica ath-g1, I'm thinking about getting those but all the reviews are just like woah this headset is amazing and not nearly as honest as yours, it's almost like they're dick riding the brand rather than giving real information