Gaming with the Immerse(s)
For 2018, I thought it was time to add a new game to my regular suite of titles I test with. To that end, I have decided to add the most recent entry into the Civilisation series into the mix, Civilisation 6 - Rise and Fall. I will, therefore, be retiring Project Cars from the lineup, though Battlefield 1 and Doom 2016 will remain as firm favorites. For the tests, I will use both the default audio experience, as well as any tuning that I am able to do with MSI's Gaming Centre software, in order to get an understanding of how much work (if any) will be needed on the user's part for the sake of having the best experience possible. Without any further delay, let's see how well the unit deals with WW1.
Battlefield 1
Two years post-release, I don't think this game needs much introduction. DICE games have always had truly excellent sound design, but BF1 has taken it up another level. The audio experience is a real treat with the right headset, for sure. Incoming artillery, the sound of genuine chaos, battle cries, they're all here. I test on the multiplayer mode, choosing a random 64 player conquest or operations map as my subject. This time, it was the Western Front, in the battle for Amiens. This is an especially intense map, as the action is both close quarters and city based. So how does the Immerse do? Well, the first thing I did was dive into MSI's software, in order to tweak the audio a little. This shouldn't be seen as a bad thing off the bat, as we each like different things in our music and audio experiences. I tend to prefer a richer higher end, whilst toning down the bass. The Immerse does well here, however, and provides an exceptionally solid BF1 experience. I am well acquainted now with Amiens during a 64 player battle, and I felt as though absolutely nothing was missing from my time using the GH70's.
Before I move on, however, there is an elephant in the room that I need to address. The GH70's are the only high-end headset that I have tested that suffered notable noise distortion once in game and Windows volume all pushed to 100%. The full experience was still there, but with a distracting 'crackle' very much noticed in the background. Backing Windows' volume off just a matter of 10%, however, eliminated this problem. I have also surfed the web for other reviews of the GH70 and no such distortion was reported from other sites, so it is possible it is either my particular unit or my personal PC setup that is the issue. Either way, I wouldn't pay too much heed to this. If you decide to plunge for this unit, maybe check it out as one of the first things you do. Again, I am not calling MSI's QC into question here. Anything can happen between factory and reviewers desk, after all.
Doom (2016)
A true masterpiece from the folks over at Bethesda, Doom 2016 takes us back to a simpler time in gaming. No reloading, no frippery. Just a lot of demons, a very angry marine, and some collectibles. What's not to like? Whilst the overall sound design of the game itself is exceptional, Doom really kicks into gear with its choice of background music, a concoction of heavy metal that only serves to pump the player up as he/she continues the rampage. It's an interesting test, this one, as with a good headset, both aspects of Bethesda's hard work in balancing the game and soundtrack should be able to be appreciated, with one preferably not overwhelming the other. As a spoiler alert, the time I had with Doom 2016 and the GH70's was also a lot of fun. The headset proved more than capable of delivering the bass-heavy in game soundtrack where needed, whilst also not disappointing me with the higher end of the range. All in all, a solid result here. The distortion issue I mentioned above was still present in Doom, and the solution was the same.
Civilisation 6 - Rise + Fall
Not a game I am sure many of you were expecting? I chose this for much the same reason as I choose 'Suns and Stars' by Really Slow Motion in my audio tests. Civ 6 has a truly stellar array of in-game era based tunes for each civilization on the cards. For this test, I was playing in the Information Era (with the accompanying 'Atomic Theme') as the Zulu. For those interested in listening to the Civ 6 soundtrack, I will link the relevant track here. Audio enhanced Zulu chanting, the big brass band... I have a big soft spot for this track. My decision earlier to slightly reduce the headset's bass level and up the mid/higher ranges proved to be a good one, here, as the GH70's provided a truly wonderful experience. The brass was bright, the vocals were very clear, and - where needed - the bass of the drums came through perfectly. Distortion? Yes, still there, so not isolated to a single game or track. At this point, I was starting to think the unit may be defective, but as one bad unit cannot put a question mark over MSI's QC, I will put this down to potential bad luck. The issue didn't really dampen the experience, to be fair, and I really think anybody listening to an utterly maxed out game/Windows volume (on a regular basis) needs to have an ear checkup.
The Microphone
The section on the microphone in headsets of this type never needs to be a long one. Our method of testing is fairly standard, a single spoken phrase using Audacity to record and playback the audio, as well as a quick 1 to 1 chat in a Discord server. If you've seen these headset reviews before, you'll have also seen this conclusion before. The microphone is 100% 'fine' for the average gamer who just wants to play, chat, and maybe occasionally record. It's very clear, the uni-directionality works well, and that is all I can ask of an integrated solution. I do wish it was detachable but it retracts into the ear cup well enough to not be a bother. If your work relies on high-quality audio recording, just get a dedicated microphone. Job done.
Some of you might be wondering, at this point, if this headset does anything better (in the gaming audio department) than any of the other units I have reviewed. Well, in three words... yes and no. No comes from the distortion, but that could be a bad unit or my personal setup. The 'yes' comes from a truly excellent and very 'warm' sounding audio experience that I really have to emphasize as being great. I liked the GH70's gaming audio a lot, and the ace in the hole would be also delivering a good regular performance outside of the gaming sphere. With that, shall we move onto the said sphere?
