Sennheiser Game One Review — Gorgeous But Overpriced

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i'm sorry but i do not find this review to be very helpful nor do i agree with it for a few reasons:

-the game one is $155 now on amazon. you keep mentioning $250 (msrp) in the article and yet this is not the current price which you can actually purchase the unit at nor are products normally sold at msrp. you should be comparing it to products available in its current price range. apples to apples. yes its original msrp is much too high just like many other products msrp tend to be however compared with the going price of the 518 and 558, its really not much out of line.

-a boom mic makes a device not able to be transported? what about the 90% of headsets on the market which also do not have removable microphones. are they trash too? while i do agree a removable microphone would be nice and the fact should be noted i'm not seeing how this is a big deal.

-the game one is based on the hd518 ($80-100) or hd558 ($130) headphones and will sound very similar to those models which are well respected as being good quality at least in the entry level headphones category even by audiophiles. perhaps a little more bassy (like the hd518 vs hd558/598 sound) but still in that same region of quality. calling the game one bad sounding is like calling that line of headphones bad sounding which if you look at popular opinion is far from the truth..

-the game one (and hd518/558/598 lineup they are based on) have a more neutral sound signature to them. this is not as vibrant sounding as many gaming headsets which use a v-shape signature emphasizing treble and bass nor is it meant to be. while it may lack excitement, its also more tonally accurate. headphones and headsets with a v-shape sound signature will always be more fun sounding which is why they are marketed as such however that signature is not meant for everyone just as neutral is not meant for everyone. another thing to keep in mind is that sennheiser headphones tend to be a bit laid back sounding which is why they are very easy listening for long sessions. this means that they can sound a little slow or dull to some people but at the same time are less fatiguing than headphones which are more bright and vibrant..

-the game one is marketed as a stereo analog headset not a usb model with integrated soundcard and virtual surround. it is also not the only headset to be marketed in this way (for example the hyper x cloud). it is marketed for sound quality instead of gimmicks. want virtual surround sound just like most stereo headsets use yet claim surround sound? use your onboard or dedicated slot soundcard. those are better than the cheap ones put in usb headsets in most cases anyways.

-while i agree that the game one design may have a little clamp this can often be fixed by stretching the headband out if required. there are guides on how to do this. with this said, no headphone is perfect for every head so it may be that it just is not meant for you. also, i think it is unfair to judge soley based on a poofy hairstyle as we all know its hard to have a one-product-fits-all when it comes to heads/ears/hair.

-you speak about audiophiles not liking the game one and yet it is only one of a few headsets somewhat accepted by audiophiles. it, along with the mmx300 (based on old dt770 premium) and the ath-adg1/ag1 (based on ad500x/a500x) along with the older pc363d (based on hd555/595/pc350se) round out the very few headsets mostly based on headphone designs. in fact, the hd518 which the game one is based most on is considered one of the best budget headphones for gaming (along with the ad500x if you want bass light advantageous for fps gaming sound).

now i do realize everyone is entitled to their own opinion and opinion may vary but i feel the judgement calls were rather poor and open ended, lacking real weight. headsets/headphones are often that way - everyone has their own taste in sound while not all products fit. we see this in mice, seats, gloves. there is no universal one size fits all.

my $0.02
 

mikemefistous

Commendable
Jun 3, 2016
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Those ain't $0.02 SSDDX

That's a full blown out review of a review.


Jokes aside. I own the headphones myself and comfort/price is not my issue.

My issue is this: Coming from logitech g35 ($80 3 year old headset with virtual 7.1 surround) i was disapointed with the GAME ONE, when it came to FPS games.

Specificaly R6S/BF1 that i tested it with. I couldn't tell where the sounds were coming from. I had no awareness and i wouldn't recommend it to any competitive gamer.

It's so bad when it comes to competitive gaming and positional audio accuracy, that i sadly have to still keep my g35 plugged in to be able to perform in those games.

Maybe i am too used in virtual audio, but my issues didn't stop with the lack of positional audio accuracy.

Whenever i tried software to get my GAME ONE, to sound virtually surround, none of them were working and all of them were causing the exact same issue.

They all sounded echoy and the sound quality instantenously got ruined.

I tried:

Razer Surround

Creative SB X-Fi 3

Some other programm that i can't remember and pretty much all 3 of them were rendering my GAME ONE headset useless.

The sound was unbearable and there was no virtual surround other than that Echo.

The sound wasn't crackling or anything, but the echo was so bad that i couldn't tell apart anything. I didn't last more than 5 minutes with any of that software before ragequiting and unintsalling them and plugging back my G35.

I am using my onboard audio but it's far from bad. My MOBO is Z170x Gaming 3. It has this onboard audio: Realtek ALC1150 115dB SNR HD Audio

with it's own pre-installed amp and swapable amps.


Another issue i encoutnered, was when turning on the amp from my MOBO, for some reason, only my right earcup took over and it sounded louder than my left one.

And it doesn't seem to be my unique case where it's happening. I've read on tom's forums 2-3 posts where other people complain about the exact same issue, of the right earcup being louder than the left, but thankfully for me, it's only occuring when i am enabling my onboard AMP, so i have to keep it off.

That said,i 'll give the headset another chance and i'll go buy a soundcard : Creative Sound Blaster Z in hopes of getting that virtual surround for games, but i doubt i'll avoid that nasty echoy artifact that all the other software for surround sound has given me.
 

Vestitor

Estimable
Nov 18, 2015
3
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4,510
I have the Game One. Use it through a Soundblaster Z and have no issue with positioning enemies in FPS games. I have friends that use Logitech G930's and I can hear details that they miss. My mobo has the same AC1150 audio but you can't configure it was much as I can with the Soundblaster Z. The controls for the Soundblaster lets me setup surround sound so that I can position whats going on in the game.
 
@mike

sorry for the late reply (i mostly post on TH not TG)

i believe logitech uses dolby virtual surround in the g35 (dolby headphone) but you may want to check for sure. this is found on asus soundcards. creative soundcards use sbx (previously known as cmss3d). people often favor one or the other (cmss3d/sbx, dolby headphone.. not so much razer). it could very well be that you are very used to the settings used on the logitech set you had before and do not care for the new software. some people also either prefer or dislike virtual surround at all (honestly whether or not its useful depends on the game coding as well). also be aware that there is sometimes a setting to control the amount (strength) of the virtual surround sound.

keep in mind that all virtual surround sound is distorted audio of some manner (this is how virtual surround works). there will always be distortion but the echo effect would be a failure in the software not the headset.

onboard audio (such as alc1150) is not far from bad, it is mediocre at best. generally even the best onboard, even nowadays, is at best equal to low end soundcards like a xonar dg. while good quality onboard is generally not terrible and in most cases is adequate for many people lets at least be honest for a moment.

the left earcup louder than the right earcup does not necessarily point towards a headset issue. it could certainly be that your amplifier is not good and has a fault in the design. to know for sure would require testing on a known good amplifier/soundcard.

tldr;

it sounds like your issue is mostly to do with virtual surround sound. you may want to try a soundcard with dolby headphone and adjust it to suit your preferences.

 
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