Final Words and Conclusion

Final Thoughts

The MSI GH70 sits in a bit of an odd place (well at least for me, anyway). It's certainly a high-end headset, given the rich feature list, great sound quality (a bit distortion aside, though I really cannot hold that against MSI as I saw no evidence of this issue anywhere else on the net, leading me to believe that I had a defective unit), and good comfort. Yes, it also has RGB but that's as big an 'if you want it' feature as there can ever be. That said, the RGB is great on this unit. Tastefully done, fairly subtle, and highly customizable.

Though quite why MSI chose to not allow the dragon logo to be turned off or change color is a source of mystery for me. Colour I can understand, as red is MSI's color (so to have it as another color would be off brand), but to have them always on..? Not sure about that. However, my 'weird' place with this unit also affects other high-end gaming headsets such as the Asus Strix Fusion 500's that I was looking at some time ago. Audio-wise these units are great, and they offer a good experience to anybody wearing them. However, significantly cheaper units like the Cougar Phontums and Corsair HS60's provide similar (i.e. to within 'margin of error' levels) quality with the same drivers and big ear cups. Sure, you may sacrifice RGB/software control (and potentially wireless), but then it is up to you whether the extra premium you'll pay with these higher end units is worth the non-performance affecting added features. By 'performance', there, I mean the audio quality.

Wearing Comfort

One area that isn't in doubt is the GH70's comfort levels. In a word, it's good. The unit is extremely sturdy, sits nicely on the head with a minimum of fuss, and also manages not to clasp the wearer's head (even if it's particularly big, like mine). There isn't much more to say here. Comfort is good. Adjustability is good. Added earcups (i.e. cloth and not leather) are a nice bonus. Good job here, moving on.

Software + Use

The Gaming Centre offers exactly what I would expect from software aimed at headphone control. This is an area where despite reservations I have regarding the necessity of two suites, the functionality of MSI Gaming Centre isn't in doubt. It was easy to use, offering a wide range of options, and if MSI could just roll Mystic Light into it, I think it would be up there with the best of software suits. Just remember, however, that I was using the headset on its own for this review, and MSI Mystic Light did seem to have issues with two or more connected devices. That was also where I ran into problems of usability, as the UI of Mystic Light was... well, in a word, poor. This time around, it was better, and I will give MSI that. Would the software stop me buying this unit? No. It works and works just fine. Would I hesitate if I had multiple MSI peripherals? Potentially, though this is where the single application issue comes back, as incorporating Mystic Light and Gaming Centre together would legitimately solve about 95% of the problems I ever had in the first place. Ultimately, the software is 'fine', but needs work to become a more cohesive package.

Conclusion

For give or take 110 USD, can I recommend this headset to our readers? If you are going for the whole MSI suite, then sure, go for it. Keep in mind the software considerations and I think you'll be very happy. Would I recommend it independently? Well, still yes. It's a very nice unit, but the reader has to be aware that cheaper headsets also offer great audio quality. What you are gaining here is software, USB connectivity, and RGB. Wireless is another price bracket up, depending on what product you are looking at. Would it be worth it for me? I have to say no. I would rather spend more money on a genuinely audiophile grade set of cans, or go cheaper for a still decent gaming headset. That is, chiefly, my issue with high-end gaming headsets in general. They sit in both a strange price and performance bracket, even if to most of us they sound good (and by and large they do). Not helping matters is the fact that 2018 has seen its fair share of releases that sound pretty solid for a lower asking price. Don't make the mistake of thinking I didn't like the GH70's. I did. They were fantastically built, sounded good, and had a lot of users allowed control. To some, if not most, that might well be worth the higher asking price alone. I just feel as though it, and other higher-end headsets, do not offer enough quality over their sometimes significantly cheaper cousins to justify a notably higher asking price. However, that for this review is about as subjective as we get here at Guru3D.

ATH +++

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