Article

MSI Immerse GH70 Gaming Headset
Getting Into The Game

You know, I think it's fair to say that if you don't know who MSI are, then either you are relatively new to the PC gaming scene, or you've somehow avoided them (which would be a very impressive feat). They're basically a household name in the PC industry now, but - to my mind - their entry into the gaming orientated peripherals market is relatively new. I could be wrong, here, but then again I have only been in this since the days of Haswell (i.e. Intel 4th Generation 'Core'). MSI has a fairly wide variety of headsets on offer, and the GH70 sits proudly right at the top of that list.

A notable upgrade (and perhaps it is the upgrade) over the slightly lower end GH60's is the dropping of that venerable 3.5mm jack in favor of a USB 2.0 connection. This allows, chiefly, for the device to be controlled via MSI's own suite of software. I say 'suite', because one bit (MSI Mystic Light) is purely for RGB control, and the other (MSI Gaming Centre) is more for the unit itself. EQ, audio settings, etc. As per normal with a high-end unit, we are also getting a simulation of Dolby's 7.1 Surround Sound. Now, naturally, this is not 'true' surround, and a truly good implementation of the effect is very hard to achieve inside two small earcups with 50mm drivers. That said, it has been done well, as noted in my review of the Asus ROG Strix Fusion 500s, as well as my long-term daily driver, Kingston's Hyper X Cloud IIs. Given that this headset is specifically targeted at gamers, it would make the most sense for this mode to be used in a game only, and I will be using it later on in the gaming segment of this review. Aside from that, the other immediate difference between the GH70 and its cheaper brother is the addition of RGB illuminated ear cups. Say whatever you want about RGB, but it is perhaps the standout and runaway success of 2017, and I do not see that trend dying anytime soon. As a small point, the lights themselves are partially obscured behind two mesh grills that do a decent job of breaking up the LEDs. Aside from this, the GH70's are still very much your 'big' gamer's headset. Big earcups, big headband, and big profile. Depending on what you want, this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It's also good to see (if expected) the presence of 50mm drivers, and this - combined with elements mentioned above - means that the GH70's are very much a headset of 2018, featuring all you would expect in this price bracket, which is a topic I will mention in more detail below.

Before we go over some very basic specifications below, the headset also possesses your relatively standard control unit, featuring a volume up/down wheel, as well as microphone mute and 7.1 surround toggle. It's basic but functional. There is also a microphone (which I will cover later, naturally) that retracts into the headset, rather than be detachable. As per standard, it is both noise canceling and uni-directional, which I would entirely expect of a unit in this price bracket. Actually, shall we talk about price? The headset was actually unavailable on Amazon US, but I did find it on Amazon DE for a shade over 115 Euros. This puts it firmly into the 'high end' price bracket for gaming headsets, though it is still a fair bit cheaper than the Asus Fusion 500's I looked at some months ago. That said, the 500's are wireless, and these are not. Does that justify the 35 Euro difference? I would argue yes, so wireless aside, I would argue that these two units (along perhaps with Corsair's Void Pro's) are all battling each other for top dog. Just quickly, below are the basic specs of the headset:

• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40Khz.
• Sensitivity: 100dB (+/- 3dB).
• Impedance: 32 Ohms.
• Drivers: 50mm Neodymium.
• Connector: USB 2.0 (gold plated, 1.8m braided cable).
• Warranty: 1 year.

And for the microphone:

• Type: Unidirectional + Noise Cancelling.
• Impedance: 2.2 KOhms.
• Frequency Response: 100Hz to 10Khz.
• Sensitivity: -40dB (-/+ 3dB).

Before I go any further with this review, I'll repeat something I always say when looking at gaming peripherals. Products like headsets, mice, and keyboards are inherently victims of massive subjectivity on the part of the reviewer, and thus our conclusions must be taken with a significant pinch of salt, as well as knowing what you as an individual both like and dislike. A feature I may laud as the greatest thing since sliced bread might be one you end up truly hating, after all. With that out of the way, shall we move onto an unboxing of the product?