What makes for a quality gaming headset? Is it a headset that forces you to take notice of it with its flashy design and standout audio, or is it one that blends seamlessly into your gaming experience? The GSP 370 is a bit of an amalgamation of both of these sides, as it features a couple of standout aspects that ultimately help it blend into the background.
Before I jump into the rest of the review, I want to acknowledge that the first GSP 370 headset I received for review stopped working, and I was sent a replacement that has had none of the issues that the original did. I reviewed the headset based on the second review copy, and the issue that I had doesn’t seem to be widespread but is still worth noting.
At first glance, the GSP 370 looks a lot like most gaming headsets that Sennheiser has put out in the past few years. There’s a slide down headset attachment on the left side, a volume control knob on the right, as well as padding on the top and on both ear flaps. Due to the mic attachment, the GSP 370 looks rather bulky, but it is actually quite lightweight, clocking in at 0.60 pounds. This lack of weight makes for a headset experience in which I often forgot that I was wearing a headset, which is a definite plus.
The mic works well enough for gaming and the ability to mute by sliding it up makes it easy to use on the fly. It is quite rigid and only slides up and down, which does limit the different angles you can position it at, but mics shouldn’t be much closer to your mouth anyway. That being said, if you’re looking for a headset that can double as a quality podcast recording tool then you’re better off looking elsewhere. Even the slightest raise in tone creates a popping sensation that isn’t all that noticeable while gaming but is a significant distraction when you’re listening back to your audio.
The power slider is located near the base of the left ear cup, and it requires you to slide it fully to turn it on. Unfortunately, it’s not a smooth slide and it often feels like it’s one bad slide away from snapping off. There is a battery indicator strip located beside the power slider that lights up green when connected, and lights up red when the headset is in need of a charge.
Thankfully, charging isn’t something that you need to do too often with the GSP 370. It’s a wireless headset and it connects via a standard USB Bluetooth dongle. However, what sets it apart is that it boasts a 100 hour battery life per charge, making it one of the longest lasting Bluetooth headsets on the market. To put that number into perspective, I recently reviewed Lucid Sound’s LS41 Wireless Headset and was impressed by its 20-hour battery life. This large battery bank gives the GSP 370 a real sense of freedom, that further helps it blend into the background while you’re gaming. Combined with the impressive range, you can easily walk out of your computer room in between gaming sessions and still communicate with your friends. Not having to think about battery life adds to the overall immersion of the headset, and bolsters the experience along the way.
The other standout aspect of the GSP 370 is its audio capabilities. Its no secret that Sennheiser is one of the best audio makers in the industry, but it’s truly impressive that they were able to retain their quality in a Bluetooth headset. The bass is strong and one of the most prominent of any gaming headset that I have reviewed, and the overall sound profile blurs the line between headset and headphone. For more customization you can download the Sennheiser Gaming Suite Software, which is rather finicky but does offer some customization to your audio experience. With it you can toggle between 7.1 and 2.0 surround sound, as well as adjust your audio balance, but its only available for those with Windows 10. The GSP 370 works with PC, Mac and PlayStation 4 so this is not the headset for you if you’re an Xbox One gamer.
At $259.99 CAD the GSP 370 is a pricey gaming headset, but one that is more than worth considering due to its great battery life and sound. It’s hard to shake the feeling that the GSP 370 is a pair of Sennheiser headphones that was repurposed into a gaming headset, rather than one built from the ground up, but it still manages to impress.
