Sennheiser GSP 303 Need for Speed Edition Headset Review

Accessories Featured Hardware Reviews November 17, 2017

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Sennheiser has been known for the better part of the last century for making quality sounding products, so it is no surprise that they have a rather robust lineup of gaming accessories at this point. One of the newer products is the Need for Speed branded headset which bears the company’s GSP 300 series brand. While not the first company to make a game branded headset, TurtleBeach instantly springs to mind, it is odd that a headset of this grade would release a tie in set as we; mainly because it would sell on its own right.

The first thing that anyone would notice about the set is that the sound is almost entirely on a different level than most “gaming grade” devices. It was arguably the cleanest sound I had heard from anything aside from my surround sound system, which costs vastly more than the asking price of this device. When I had first put the headset on I meant only to do a quick test with a movie, but ended up sitting through the entire two-hour feature with them on I was so impressed. Considering how clean and crisp everything was the entire experience honestly sounded better than it had any right to.

The microphone itself is also responsive and decent for a built in deceive. The only problem I experienced with it was that I went from a several hundred-dollar set up (used to record the MyGamer YouTube Videos) which picks up everything in my general area if I am not careful, to something that was designed to only have enough reach to pick up a single player. The only problem I did have with it is that the microphone is fairly close to my mouth, although I do wish to point out that I have a fairly large head and this may not be a problem for anyone who does not have this rather unique issue. This is probably isn’t the device for a streamer, but for any gamer or skype user it is almost overkill.

The positive things to say about the head, though, end at how it sounds.

The headset itself, even when adjusted to the proper size fits very tightly at first and must be broken in; something that is odd and I haven’t experienced before with this style of headphones. Once they are broken in, say after watching a full-length movie and playing a game afterwards, they are perfectly fine –they just aren’t anything overly impressive either. It is the first couple of hours of discomfort with them that is kind of odd and offsetting, and almost a feature that carries through to the rest of the product.

The headset is made of a strange kind of plastic as well, which I only bring up because it made the entire thing never feel right; and never was easy to adjust to after some time of using it. The wiring was made of the same material, and did not have the almost industry standard braided cable, and would twist and bunch up in weird ways. It also had the weird “new plastic” texture at first, but that did go away after about a week.

The main issue with the Sennheiser GSP 303 headset is that it almost feels like the headset part of the device was designed as an afterthought. If I could take apart the insides, stick it inside of a much more comfortable device, and just use that it would beyond anything on the market. But that simply isn’t something within my skillset to do, and the headset ends up simply feeling OK at best after it is broken in. The GSP 303 is entirely possible to wear for long periods of time, but unlike the same priced Kingston models the user won’t forget that it is on—it won’t be uncomfortable, but the presence of the device will always be known.

Parts of this might have sounded overly harsh, but the fact is that there is still a good headset mixed in with odd choices. What everything boils down to is that this is a headset for audiophiles at an amazing price. This set is made to get lost in an experience, but not to marathon a game. Although if Sennheiser can figure out just a handful of small things with the next model the rest of the industry might as well pack it up because they have clearly won.

Key Feature Benefits:
– Closed acoustic gaming headset
– Sennheiser sound quality with improved bass performance and acoustic clarity
– Superior comfort and fit due to split headband
– Long-lasting durability secured by extensive testing and high-quality materials
– Intuitive volume control on right ear cup for on-the-fly adjustments
– XL memory foam ear pads for the best-in-class acoustic seal and comfort
– Broadcast quality noise-cancelling microphone
– Automatic microphone mute by raising the boom arm
– Compatible with PC, Mac, PS4™ and consoles with the PCV 05 combo audio adaptor
– 2-year international warranty