The EPOS Sennheiser GSP 601 Gaming Headset made me realize that EPOS has truly mastered the art of producing attractive products and hopefully put an end to their boring range of bland-looking headsets.
Plenty of Thought Put into It
The GSP 601 is truly a work of art. It’s significantly different than its predecessor, the GSP 670. In the latter, a couple of design changes were made to make sure the headset comes off as flashy, which it did. However, the former is nothing less than eye-candy. It features a range of colors, grey, black, white and bronze, all sticking to a well-thought-out color palette. It is also sleeker and lighter than the headsets that came before it. The fact that it comes with bronze plates and extra white plates in the box shows how much EPOS now cares about aesthetic. The white plates match the body of the headset while the bronze ones form a beautiful contrast.
I am thoroughly impressed that EPOS took their most common critique about their headsets’ dull aesthetic seriously and gave us this beauty. The addition of extra white plates enhances their product’s beauty and shows the effort they’ve put in aesthetics-wise. I loved that, looks-wise, I got two completely separate headsets for the price of one. Looking at where they started, the GSP 300, and how far they’ve come with the design of the GSP 601 is impressive.
Passive Noise Isolation as Good as ANC
All right, I know that’s a big claim to make and some of you won’t even believe me. But trust me on this one; the passive noise isolation that the huge earcups of the GSP 601 provides right away is far better than the ANC on some cans. The padding is generous as always on both the earcups and the headband. The cups are designed ergonomically and feature foam instead of heat-inducing leatherette. This is slowly starting to sound like a description of Sennheiser’s high-end cans, the GSP 670, but I can’t help it. Both headsets came through with the same snug fit, ergonomic build and immense comfort.
The body of the GSP 601 is durable and looks very reliable. The headset clearly looks like it could last a lifetime. Despite having a sturdy body, it isn’t heavy at all. Sure, it may look and feel a little bulky, but since most professional gaming headsets are manufactured this way, that’s not much of a problem. Audiophiles who are into music might not be fans of the body, but then again, they’re not the cans’ target audience.
Audio Realism
This part truly blew me away. I have read ‘audio realism’ a number of times in the product descriptions of various audio peripherals. However, I’ve never really experienced it until I tested the GSP 601. The clarity with which the sound was delivered to my ears was exceptional. It was as if the headphone drivers have been inserted somewhere deep inside my ear canal. There was a great amount of depth, detail and precision to every thump, blast and gunshot. Low frequency sounds such as footsteps, breathing sounds and my teammate’s voices also retained that seemingly flawless audio quality. The sound helped orient me so well in-game by informing me exactly where my enemies were situated, all thanks to the 601’s positional audio feature. Every action taken by the characters within the game felt like it was happening in the room with me.
EPOS stayed true to its simple navigation rule with nothing but a volume wheel and an audio cable port on its earcups. However, just like in the GSP 670, the volume wheel was way too tight. I don’t understand why EPOS repeated this detractor in two of its headsets. It’s so tight that I had to shift my focus off the game so I could rotate it. It was as an almost forgivable flaw in the 670s. However, I’m compelled to deduct at least half a point for it this time.
Across The Board
All in all, I loved the GSP 601. It offers a big step forward from its predecessors in terms of both looks and audio. It has an equally vibrant color variant, the GSP 602. I highly recommend checking that out too in case you find the color scheme prettier than that of the 601. Considering the economical price, I can’t think of a single reason why the GSP 601 shouldn’t make a great addition to your gaming setup.
Is it Hardcore?
Without a doubt.
I just had to deduct half a point for the exceptionally tight volume wheel. Apart from that, the GSP 601 thoroughly impressed with its audio realism and striking design.
