EPOS I SENNHEISER GSP 500 Wired Open Acoustic Gaming Headset,

Some history: I've been using Sennheiser's GAME ONE headsets since mid-2015. The audio quality is pretty much exactly what I want out of a headset, with a really good microphone (quality-wise) to boot. However, the GAME ONE has several downsides: creaky plastic / cheap build quality, cheap volume pot (knob) that eventually wears out (static, imbalanced audio, or both), 50 ohm impedance (onboard audio chipsets can only sometimes drive this), a mic that often requires a +10dB boost, and a high price tag. I've gone through four (4) GAME ONE headsets in 5 years due to the above reasons. Put another way: I definitely make use of the 2-year warranty. Last week I discovered the GSP 500s, watched a couple YouTube reviews, and was impressed: they looked like an improved version of the GAME ONE headset in several regards (better build quality, lower impedance, but possibly kept the same mic?). So I bought a pair. Here are my thoughts: * Build quality: better than GAME ONE. Sturdier, and while still made from plastic, it's thicker (and possibly a different type?) -- and I didn't experience any creaking (which drives me bonkers on the GAME ONEs -- it gets so loud at times its picked up by the mic!). The volume pot was significantly improved -- stiff, i.e. hard to turn (good!). But I did notice that turning the pot up/down at low volumes resulted in static (caused by either dust in the pot or something else), which worried me. The overall headphones themselves don't have the exact aesthetic that the GAME ONE and GAME ZERO have -- they look more "gamer-y" and stick out to the sides more -- but I can live with that. * Audio quality: a huge let down. To me, these sounded more like something between the GAME ZERO (which I feel has terrible drivers that sound flat and empty; focusing way too much on mid and highs) and the GAME ONE (but without its smooth "punch" or "depth" at lower frequenices). Specifically: the 80-600Hz frequency range on the GSP 500 was greatly lacking compared to the GAME ONEs. I had to use an EQ to increase these ranges (in a smooth "hump") to achieve the sound quality that the GAME ONE has. How noticeable is this difference? Very, especially with music. This is in contrast to all the YouTube reviews that say the GSP 500 is good for both gaming (I would agree partially there) and music listening (disagree). Finally, as for the volume levels -- because even YouTube reviews say the volume maxes out on the GSP 500 too early -- I agree with those reviews. My on-board audio can drive the GSP 500 no problem, but for older music mixed during days where compression was less of a thing, things were just too quiet. For a $200 gamer-focused headset from the same company to sound worse than its older counterpart was really, really disappointing. * Mic quality: the gain of the mic was substantially higher than the GAME ONE: no more +10 dB boost needed. And like the GAME ONE, no cross-talk (bleeding from output into mic) either. So far so good! However, the mic used in the GSP 500 *is not* the same mic as the GAME ONE in several ways. First, the GSP 500 mic picks up less bass in your voice, making you sound "tinnier" and further away. Secondly, the GSP 500 mic arm is shorter than the GAME ONE. Thirdly (and this was the deal breaker), the mic sensitivity is too high especially towards the high-end: it easily picks up mouse clicks of even quiet mice like the Logitech MX518! The mic is on your left side, so if you're a right-handed mouse user like most people, the GSP 500 mic will pick up every single mouse click. The GAME ONE doesn't have this problem due to having a longer arm (positioned more towards your mouth at the front yet still at an angle) and better frequency/noise filtering. The GSP 500 mic had a lot more noticable neutral/background hiss than that of the GAME ONE (the hiss was higher frequency, which meant they're using a different filter). * Miscellaneous: the GSP 500 uses the same break-out cord as the GAME ONE (i.e. proprietary), so if you already have a GAME ONE you can switch these cans out without having to fool around with wiring. The ear cup area was wider than the GAME ONE, so my ears actually felt less constrained. The headset tension against my head was not too much or too little, but I have an average-sized head. Finally, unlike one reviewer who (like me) shaves his head or is bald, I had no problems with the padding on the top of the headset or on the ears -- it was decent. But as a result of the negatives -- especially the audio quality and mic issues -- I returned the product to Amazon for a full refund. I've said it before (in another review and in long-winded YouTube comments for the GAME ONE and GAME ZEROs) and I'll say it again: Sennheiser needs to take the drivers, the mic, and "EQ circuitry" (resistor series or whatever is used) from the GAME ONE and do the following: lower the impedence (from 50 ohm to ~35 ohm) so that more chips can drive them (and do the same for the mic! It's too quiet!), greatly improve the headset build quality while keeping the GAME ONE/GAME ZERO aesthetic, and increase the size of the ear cup area slightly (maybe 5-8mm in diameter) for more comfort. If they did that, they'd have a gaming headset that easily be worth $200 and blow competition out of the water. Sennheiser, if you want to talk, you know where to find me.