Sennheiser G4ME One Headset Review

Today we are going to take a look at one of the latest gaming headsets from Sennheiser, the G4ME One. This particular model is targeted at those users who have a lot of money to spend and are looking for a premium over-the-ear headset which is specifically designed for gamers. Sennheiser are renowned for producing high quality audio products across all markets, not just gaming. They have a large following of gamer advocates, though, who appreciate the impressive sound quality of their products. The G4ME One differs from most high-end gaming headsets because it features an open acoustic design, meaning it isn't ideal for noise isolation. An open design should improve sound quality, but comes at the expensive of noise isolation. Specification: Colour: White Style: Headband Impedance (Headphones): 50 Ohm Connectors: 2 x 3.5 mm for desktop/laptop Frequency Response (Microphone): 50 - 16000 Hz Frequency Response (Headphones): 15 - 28000 Hz Sound Pressure Level (Headphones): 116 dB Ear Coupling (Headphones): around-the-ear, open acoustic design Cable Length: 3 m Weight: 300 g Pick-up Pattern (Microphone): Noise Cancelling Sensitivity (Microphone): -38 dBV at 94 dBSPL Sennheiser package the G4ME One in a medium sized box wrapped in a cardboard sleeve. This sleeve features a white livery which corresponds with the white design of the headset within. The front of the box features a large image of the headset alongside some subtle branding. Turning the box over reveals a detailed breakdown of the features and specification of the headset alongside a large diagram to illustrate some of the key features. The box itself feels very good quality and features plenty of protection for the headset within. There wasn't anything else included inside the box with the headset. While the general design of the G4ME One is fairly similar to previous Sennheiser models, they have chosen to give it a more exciting appearance by integrating gloss-white plastic and metallic red elements into the design. Even though gloss plastic tends to feel less exclusive than matte, Sennheiser have made it work well for this headset. The G4ME One feels very well put together and all of the materials used appear to be of the highest possible quality. The plastic headband actually feels more sturdy than a number of metal-backboned ones we’ve seen in the past. It features a matte-black finish which contrasts nicely with the gloss-white of the earcups. There is a subtle Sennhiser logo on the outer edge which is offset to one side. Perhaps the most differentiating feature of the G4ME One is the open acoustic design. While the series of slots in the back of each earcup may appear to be purely aesthetic to an untrained eye, they are actually a functional part of the design. We will discuss the performance implications of this aspect of the design later on in the review. Sennheiser have decided not to use an inline control with the G4ME One, instead opting for a volume control dial on the right earcup. We prefer this location to an in-line control as it’s easier to locate the volume control dial without looking. The only notable omission from the in-line control is a microphone mute switch. While the headset features an inbuilt switch that activates and deactivates the microphone when it is folded down and up respectively, many users will want to mute their microphone without having to physically move it. It is clear that Sennheiser have paid careful attention to making the G4ME One as comfortable as possible. In fact we would say that the G4ME One is one of the most comfortable headsets of this general design that we have ever tested. Sennheiser have chosen to use velvet earpads which let your skin breathe, meaning they don’t become uncomfortable when gaming for long periods of time. These fit around the ears, pressing gently against the sides of your head. The inside of the headband features a large pad which helps distribute the weight of the headset across your head. It is also adjustable on either side so that you can achieve a comfortable fit. When it comes to performance, the G4ME One doesn’t disappoint at all. Sennheiser kindly supplied us with a copy of Hitman Absolution to test with the headset as it was developed using their own sound recording equipment. It performed very well with this game rendering game sounds with remarkable precision. However, we concentrated our testing on our usual suite so that we could more accurately judge its performance against other headsets we’ve reviewed previously. In Battlefield 4, game sounds were reproduced with impressive precision. The explosions were rendered with presence, but didn’t completely overpower other sounds. This headset has a more balanced sound stage than many other headsets which are often a little too bass-biased. As the G4ME One is a stereo headset, the sound-panning isn’t very good when compared with a virtual surround sound headset. This was also noticeable in our movie tests, where the headset otherwise exhibited excellent performance. Moving on to music playback, the performance of the G4ME One was a cut above the average gaming headset. The balanced sound stage makes the headset well-suited to most genres. Both the treble and bass piano tones in Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 were rendered with complete clarity. Even though the G4ME One isn’t significantly biased towards the lower registers, it also performed well with more modern drum and bass tracks. We mentioned that the G4ME One features an open acoustic design earlier in the review. This type of design should reduce distortion and improve sound quality. We don’t find this hard to believe because the headset performed very well in our tests. However, it causes a lot of sound leakage from the earcups and fails to prevent outside noise from getting in. This means this headset wouldn’t be well-suited to noisy environments like LAN parties. Overall we are very impressed with what the Sennheiser G4ME One has to offer. The aesthetic design is attractive and interesting, without looking too ostentatious. We also have complete confidence in the build quality of the G4ME one which feels very solid indeed. The most impressive aspect of the G4ME One is the sound quality, though. Throughout our gaming tests it exhibited excellent performance, rendering all frequencies with impressive clarity. The balance of the headset also proved well suited to a wide range of music. The only slight disadvantage of this headset is the lack of sound-panning which was noticeable in both our gaming and movie tests. The headset is comfortable and could easily be worn for a number of hours without discomfort. We would prefer leatherette earpads to the velvet that Sennheiser have chosen to use, but this will be down to personal preference. At a price of £189.99 from Sennheiser’s online store, the G4ME One certainly is a serious investment. Even though they are expensive headphones, the stellar sound quality makes them a very compelling purchase indeed. Pros: Excellent sound quality. Solidly put together. Attractive design. Cons: No virtual surround sound. Expensive. KitGuru says: An excellent gaming headset with a steep price tag.

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Sennheiser G4ME One Headset Review

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