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Sennheiser GSP300 Gaming Headset Review

Updated: Oct 19, 2023 11:53 am
Sennheiser GSp300

Sennheiser is well known within the audio industry for being one of the leading manufacturers when it comes to gaming and everyday headsets. The global brand offers a whole variety of headsets that range from high-end to entry-level offerings – all of which showcase great value and fantastic performance. Today, however, we’ll be taking a closer look at one of Sennheiser’s headsets that resides somewhere in the middle – the GSP 300.

The Sennheiser GSP 300 is a fantastic headset that offers pretty much everything you’d want from a gaming headset. It’s lightweight in design, fantastic in the audio department, and has a microphone that will outshine many other alternatives at this price point.

We’ll be putting the Sennheiser GSP 300 through its paces to see how it stacks up in overall performance, price, and value for money – comparing it against market leaders as we go.

So, with that in mind, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it!

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Pros

  • Build Quality – Extremely well-made headset
  • Audio Output – Nicely balanced sound for gaming and music
  • Microphone Clarity – Versatile and clear microphone
  • Lightweight Design – Unlike more premium models, the GSP 300s are lightweight and easy to wear for long gaming sessions

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Cons

  • Comfort – Can be a little tight for larger headed users

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Specifications

Sennheiser GSP 300 Specs
Headphone Frequency Response15 - 26,000 Hz
WirelessNo
Battery LifeN/A
Drivers50mm Neodymium magnets
MicrophoneBi-directional ECM, noise cancelling microphone
Weight290g

Like many other analog headset offerings, the Sennheiser GSP 300s are immensely easy to set up, right out the box. The GSP 300 doesn’t require software to work, meaning you can simply plug them into your device and away you go. The main cable offers a PC splitter connection, having said that, PS4, XBOX, mobile, and tablet users can use the adapter found in the box if they wish to use the headset on another device.

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The box follows the same theme as the other GSP family models, sporting a white color theme with the headset on the front. Inside, you can see a noticeable difference in protective material used when compared to Sennheiser’s premium offerings (GSP 600 and GSP 670). Whilst the material is much thinner, it still provides ample protection if dropped.

Inside the box, we find the following items:

  • Sennheiser GSP 300 Headset
  • Console single jack adapter
  • Manual
  • Warranty Card

Design

The design of the Sennheiser GSP 300 is very similar to the other GSP models – as you would probably expect. That being said, they are much less bulky than both the 600 and 670 – providing a more streamlined, lightweight design which many gamers will love.

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Whilst the headset we got sent was equipped with a blue and gunmetal grey color theme, the GSP 300s do come in red, black, and white too – all of which do look very gamey. The earcups are oval in shape and have an over-ear design which does encase the ear in its entirety. If I was being nit-picky, I’d have to say the memory foam padding found in the earcups is on the thin side – albeit still providing plenty of comfort while in-use. Sennheiser has fitted the GSP 300 with a leatherette earpad which does feel quite cool during use. The insides of the earcups do not come into contact with your ear (a huge plus) and have been custom-designed to fit the ear better.

The headband is fairly thin and offers up good adjustment for people that require it. On the underside of the headband, users will find an “aviation-inspired” cushion to help increase comfort levels further. Sennheiser’s branding can be found on both earcups and the headband, leaving onlookers in no doubt to which brand this headset is.

The microphone is found on the left-hand side of the headset and is extremely robust in design. It has a handy swivel-to-mute microphone (like the other GSP models) and is quite chunky in design. The cable is none detachable and rubberized. That being said, it feels pretty robust and should stand the test of time.

Build Quality

I’m always impressed by Sennheiser’s ability to provide fantastic build quality in their headsets, so I was expecting good things when testing the GSP 300.

Fortunately, I was no disappointed. The GSP 300s felt extremely well-made, especially for a headset that comes in at under 300grams. The design is mostly made of plastic, but don’t let that fool you, this headset offers some of the best flexibility I’ve seen. We twisted and bent the headset pretty aggressively (far more than what would occur in everyday usage) and at no point felt like the headset was going to break. We didn’t even hear any creaks from the major joints. This thing felt absolutely rock solid.

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We spent a large amount of time testing the headband on this headset, mainly because that’s usually the most vulnerable area – even more so on a headset that doesn’t have any steel reinforcement. The adjustable mechanism felt a little on the loose side, but I’m not holding anything against Sennheiser for this trait. The cushion underneath the headband is very well-made and is firm in its housing. The stitching is nicely done and, even though it is glued in place, the glue seems to be extremely strong.

Like all GSP models, the microphone has been well-designed using a thick rubberized material for additional longevity. The swivel-to-mute feature isn’t quite as premium feeling as the 600s or 670s but still outshines anything else at this price point.

The cable is probably the worst of my concerns, mainly because it’s made using that age-old rubberized material. That being said, I’ve never actually broken one of these cables, they just feel a little on the flimsy side. Speaking of flimsy, the volume wheel on the right earcup doesn’t really scream premium at all –  offering very little tension and making it feel on the cheap side.

Apart from that though, you have to hold your hands up to Sennheiser once again. They have provided the headset marketplace with another very well-designed, nicely-made headset.

Comfort

Next up, is comfort – an area that usually shines fairly brightly when referencing Sennheiser products.

I have to be honest, this might be one of the comfiest headsets on the market, albeit with one small downfall – which we’ll touch upon shortly. First, the positives.

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The Sennheiser GSP 300 is an extremely well-designed headset, with comfort being one of the main considerations during the design process. The headset is extremely lightweight in design, meaning users hardly even feel this thing during gaming sessions. Pairing the lightweight design with the memory foam padding (found in the earcups and the headband) gives this headset the perfect combination of comforting attributes.

The leatherette materials used for the earpads not only provide a super-soft feel but also offer a cool (in temperature) design that blocks ambient noise out. The headband comes with a good amount of adjustability and provides a comfortable cushion on its underside. The headband also provides just the right amount of tension on the ears. You can feel a little bit of pressure on the sides of the head, but nothing too dramatic. The perfect amount to ensure the headset stays secure whilst locking the sound in during use.

On the downside, however, I feel the GSP 300s could have offered a tiny bit more room in the headband. Whilst my head fit in this headset pretty nicely, I can see how some people may be at the limit in terms of sizing. That being said, I am being quite pedantic at this stage, mainly because Sennheiser has once again knocked it out the park for comfort.

Overall, this might be one of, if not the most comfortable headsets within the GSP range.

Performance

Ok, we’ve taken a look at the design, build quality, and comfort, it’s now time to take a closer look at how the Sennheiser GSP 300s perform in a gaming/audio scenario.

For me, this is the most important part of a headset review. It’s literally the difference between a good and bad headset – regardless of how many features or how comfortable the headset is. For gamers, if the sound performance isn’t up to scratch, they shouldn’t be considering the headset at all.

With all that being said, let’s see what the GSP 300s had to offer.

Sound

I decided to start the sound performance section of this review by playing some of my favorite musical genres. This usually gives me a pretty good understanding of what the sound profile of a headset will be like. I played a number of different genres which ranged from electronic to rap, rock, and soul – all of which sounded pretty damn good.

For a headset that retails at around $100, the GSP 300s had a very well-rounded sound that benefited hugely from the increased bass signature. I wouldn’t say this headset was bass-heavy, but comparing it to the GSP 670s, for example, the bass was definitely more prominent in the 300s. So thumbs up for bass lovers. The highs seemed fairly prominent whilst listening to music, whereas the mids sounded a little muddy and washed out. That being said, my overall impression of the sound performance was a positive one when it came to music.

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I decided to waste no more time and jump straight into my go-to game when it comes to testing gaming peripherals – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. I fired up some deathmatch to get warmed up and the first thing I noticed was the clarity. When comparing the GSP 300 to other similarly priced alternatives, I felt the GSP 300 definitely edged it in terms of audio quality. The bass sounded prominent, making grenades and sniper shots sound boomy and realistic. The highs were also strong enough to allow me to hear enemy gunfire and footsteps from far away. The mids were, again, fairly washed out, but from a competitive standpoint, that doesn’t really make a great deal of difference for me personally.

The spatial awareness of this headset was pretty damn good too. I could easily pinpoint the enemy’s locations from far away and had the ability to hear smokes and grenades from the other side of the map. I went on to play a bunch of other titles including Far Cry 5, COD: Modern Warfare, and Red Dead 2, all of which sounded great for the most part. It would have been nice to hear a bit more clarity in the mids, but, at this price range, what can we really expect?

Comparing these to some similarly priced alternatives – the HyperX Cloud II and Steelseries Arctis 5  – you’d have to say that the Sennheisers really do give them a run for their money. As far as sound performance goes, I’d be willing to say the Sennheisers just edge it.

Microphone

Moving onto the microphone, like the other GSP models, the 300s offer a very efficient microphone, to say the least.

It offered a clear recording of my voice that I felt was extremely well detailed. It sounded great for in-game comms and was equally as impressive when used with a phone for conversations. There was a very minor hiss in the background which was picked up by teammates in Discord. I came to the conclusion that this was probably down to the soundcard on my motherboard. Using this with a mixer does not yield the same results – just keep that in mind.

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The microphone offers up some noise cancellation performance, having said that, background noise was still fairly audible when playing games. I don’t want to be too harsh though, because other similarly priced alternatives sound terrible in comparison.

The swivel-to-mute feature works seamlessly and might be my favorite part of the microphone itself. The volume pickup is on the low-end, meaning I did have to manually boost my microphone in various applications. Furthermore, the microphone doesn’t really offer any versatility in terms of adjustments. It’s extremely stiff and can’t really be moved.

Overall, for around $100, this is right up there with one of the best microphones you’re likely to find. It comes with a ton of features and fantastic recording quality. What more could you want?

Features

That leads us nicely onto the features section of this review. While the GSP 300 headset doesn’t come jam-packed with features, the ones that it can boast are well-designed and definitely improve user-experience. It certainly feels like Sennheiser has tried to concentrate on the sound and microphone performance over extra features in this headset. For me, that’s always a good sign.

Having said that, let’s take a closer look at some of the standout features this headset comes equipped with.

Multi-Platform Compatibility

Multi-platform compatibility isn’t really a new feature as far as gaming headsets go but is something to keep an eye out for – especially when you consider how many headsets in today’s market are tailored for PC users only.

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The GSP 300 is, first and foremost, a PC gaming headset. Having said that, thanks to a handy console adapter that comes with this headset, you can easily swap to another device, including PS4, XBOX One, tablet, phone, or laptop.

Swivel-To-Mute Microphone

As we’ve just mentioned, the main feature of the microphone (apart from the fantastic recording quality) is its swivel-to-mute design. Whilst this feature isn’t revolutionary (and also found on every other GSP model I’ve tested) it’s still one that separates it from the competition. For example, I would much rather have the swivel-to-mute microphone of the GSP 300 over the Arctis 7 microphone which retracts into its housing.

Lightweight Design

A lot of headsets in today’s marketplace do one of two things. They either come equipped with good build quality, or they have a lightweight design. Rarely do you see a headset that offers both. That being said, that’s exactly what we’ve got here with the GSP 300.

The great thing about the GSP 300 is how well-built they feel. When you accompany that with a sub-300-gram design, however, you really start to appreciate the quality construction Sennheiser has achieved in this headset.

Our Verdict

There you have it, our comprehensive look at the Sennheiser GSP 300 gaming headset. Even though this headset did come with a few (very minor) flaws, it’s still one of the best gaming headsets at this price range – albeit now superseded by the Sennheiser GSP 370.

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The GSP 300s are one of the most well-rounded headsets in the under $100 price bracket, offering users an immersive experience that is great for music, gaming, and general-use purposes. The well-engineered lightweight design doesn’t apply any strain on the neck or head, even during the longest of gaming sessions. Letherette is used on the earcups and feels cool and soft around the ears. The material helps lock in the sound and provides pretty good ambient noise cancellation.

Ultimately, the bottom line is this, the Sennheiser GSP 300 is probably one of the best value models within the GSP family. If you’re looking for a headset that offers a great gaming experience and can be used on multiple platforms – also bringing style, great build quality, and a bunch of other features to the table – the Sennheiser GSP 300s might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Sennheiser GSP300 Gaming Headset Review

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