Sennheiser draw from their expertise to create the GAME ZERO gaming headset. It features in-house developed transducers and a pro-grade microphone which may help to catch the attention of audiophiles and gamers alike.
Product on Review: Sennheiser G4ME ZERO
Manufacturer: Sennheiser
Street Price: UK: £199.99, US: $299.99
Sennheiser, if you weren’t aware, was founded in 1945 post-war Germany and have since shaped the audio market with the innovation and manufacture of professional grade microphones, headphones, monitoring systems and more. In modern times their success and renown for their high grade products makes their name a staple amongst audio enthusiasts around the world. They have a wide selection of gaming headsets but lately, it appears Sennheiser are redoubling their efforts into the gaming scene.
The GAME ZERO comes in as what looks like a refreshed version of the PC350 and features drivers that are expertly crafted by Sennheiser, a high quality noise reducing microphone that is mounted on a high quality, foldable frame. Made to be compatible with every current platform, be it Mac, Windows, Android, PS4 and Xbox ONE, Sennheiser have ensured cross compatibility.
Overview by Sennheiser
Acoustic Refinement” technology, the GAME ZERO delivers the ultimate in sonic accuracy and clarity. The updated closed design provided by the custom-made painted steel ear cup grids lets you hear even the faintest detail of your game.
Technical Specifications
Color: black, white
Wearing style: Headband
Headphones
Impedance: 50 Ohm
Connector: 2 x 3.5 mm (PC/Mac) & 1 x 3.5 mm (Console)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 26.000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL): 108 dB
THD, total harmonic distortion: < 0.1%
Ear coupling Headphones: around-the-ear, closed acoustic design
Cable length: 3 m (PC/Mac) & 1.2 m (Console)
Weight: 312 g
Microphone
Frequency response: Microphone: 50 Hz – 16,000 Hz
Pick-up pattern: Noise Cancelling
Sensitivity: -38 dBV at 94 dBSPL
Wearing style: Headband
Headphones
Impedance: 50 Ohm
Connector: 2 x 3.5 mm (PC/Mac) & 1 x 3.5 mm (Console)
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 26.000 Hz
Sound pressure level (SPL): 108 dB
THD, total harmonic distortion: < 0.1%
Ear coupling Headphones: around-the-ear, closed acoustic design
Cable length: 3 m (PC/Mac) & 1.2 m (Console)
Weight: 312 g
Microphone
Frequency response: Microphone: 50 Hz – 16,000 Hz
Pick-up pattern: Noise Cancelling
Sensitivity: -38 dBV at 94 dBSPL
Packaging & First Look
At the front, the white box has a slightly clinical aesthetic, with the product name and details clearly shown. The Blue accent with the Sennheiser log makes it clear who made the product, while the 2 year warranty notice is also hard to miss.
On the reverse side we get more details about the features in various languages where it is difficult to not notice the use ‘Extreme’ and ‘XXL’.
Inside, the box contains a good quality hard back carry case which features the Sennheiser logo on it.
Once opened you can see the GAME ZERO headset folded neatly inside.
The GAME ZERO headset features a 3.5mm jack each for headphone and microphone, though there was no other cables included for out the box full compatibility with the PS4 and Xbox ONE.
Closer Look
The GAME ZERO is available in black and white, we have the white version to look at, which is accented with a red trim. The earcups are rather large, which should give good ear coverage.
Opening up to take a look at the earcups, there drivers are deeply setback from the ears and there is a large amount of room to accommodate peoples ears. The earcups, like the headband is given a generous portion of soft pliable memory foam for extra comfort.
The headset can be easily extended by pulling down on the earcups to assist with comfort, the joint by which the earcups are attached to the frame to allow the earcups to offer folding and collapsing motions.
The sidecups have rubberised ridges and is a closed back design with the intention in mind to prevent external noise leakage.
The boom microphone is large with a flexible centre and can auto mute when raised. The overall aesthetic is enhanced by the quality of the construction though with the white version it is a shame that the headband isn’t white too but the overall effect is still attractive.
The GAME ZERO can also fold in addition to being able to open out flat.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Setting up a headset which connects via 3.5mm jacks will be relatively straight forward as there are no drivers that need to be downloaded or installed, though, if you intend on using the GAME ZERO with a PS$ or Xbox ONE you may need to dig around for a 4pole adaptor as there doesn’t seem to be one included. Sennheiser do have an adaptor available which will cost you an extra £8/$10 which seems fairly steep.
The second you pick up the GAME ZERO, you can feel the softness in the memory foam and the plyability of the braided cable. This instantly gives a high quality impression. On wearing, the triple layer memory foam pads on the earcups get to work and the large opening easily surrounds your ear for complete circum-aural comfort which provides passive noise cancelling from the outside world. The comfort we would rate very high, easily amongst the most comfortable on the market, maybe just falling short of the supreme comfort of the Siberia V3 Prism.
The volume dial on the right side earcup is easy to access and rotates smoothly, and the microphone is the highest quality boom microphone we have encountered. There is a definite tactile click which tells you when it mutes/unmutes as you raise and lower it, and the flexible centre is easy to position exactly as you want it. These functions built into the headset remove the need for an in-line remote, something that we advocate is a good thing, as inline remotes often create a weakpoint in a hardlined cable to your headset.
Multimedia
As with all our audio tests, we first start by doing some subjective listening to familiar audio tracks which are in mp3 320/ or flac lossless format with all audio enhancements (either by the headset or audio drivers) disabled. This allows us to recognise the accuracies and characteristics of the sound created and judge the precision relative to other headsets. After listening through various tracks, ranging from bass heavy electronic music such as that found here to Metal/rock and pop tracks. The GAME ZERO does indeed have that next-level superior audio accuracy comparatively to the run of the mill headset. The audio playback has impressive clarity and natural sounding audio, with well pronounced separation between the bass, mids and treble. The bass is felt and heard, but lacks a real deep punch which some gamers may prefer, but Sennheiser are known for the perfect balance, which is represented by the GAME ZERO.
In gaming, the impressive soundscape created by the GAME ZERO gives an impressive stereo experience, though as a gaming headset, some may prefer a virtual 7.1 experience in regards to directional audio (Razer have a solution for this), though this doesn’t stop the GAME ZERO from giving minute, off screen details. The lack of punchy bass created a strange, less stressed ‘in-your-face’, experience in FPSs (Battlefield 4/CS:GO) but the clarity gave for a more realistic level of immersion.
Microphone
The microphone was a joy to use being easy to mute by raising and unmute by lowering. In Skype, my voice was loud and clear with low static and noise picked up and was said to sound good quality and natural.
Conclusion
The GAME ZERO came as an interesting solution and should certainly be considered by gamers looking for that next level precision from their headset. The sound quality is amongst the best you can get from a ‘gaming headset’, the microphone is top quality and the comfort too is amongst the best around. This recipe alone hits the pillars of what a gaming headset needs to do, and so should be turning heads at every level.
If you are looking to buy, but find the price a little unpalatable then right now you can even get hold of it at a much more reasonable price at Amazon for just £135! (At time of writing).
As always, we need to be critical about the product at hand too and whether it commands its price and if there are any flaws to consider. As a gaming headset, it does lack in that larger than life, deep brooding bass and while it does give a wide soundscape, the level of accuracy it provides seems to cause a more noticeable jump from ear to ear when relying on the stereo surround. This could have been solved by be shipped with a USB soundcard/dongle which could provide virtual 7.1 surround processing.
As a product, the quality shines throughout and being Sennheiser, there is certainly a premium aura about it. Though this doesn’t mean it will necessarily be the best choice for gamers. Considering its price range the direct competitors from the gaming world would be the SteelSeries Siberia Elite Prism (AKA Siberia 650) and the Creative SoundBlaster EVO ZxR. The EVO ZxR is a good quality wireless and versatile headset, but in the audio quality race, the battle would be between the Siberia Elite Prism (SEP) and the GAME ZERO (GZ). Unfortunately I don’t have a SEP for direct comparison anymore but the sound quality when paired with a good quality soundcard/headphone amp was insane and could easily divide people by preference between the SEP (more bass) and the GZ (Natural Sound). In the comfort race, the Sennheiser would likely be the winner and could be the deciding factor for some. Then again, the GZ lacks the bells and whistles featured with the SEP including Dolby Surround which is becoming a more important aspect of peoples decision making towards a gaming headset. Arguably these things are something Sennheiser have rarely focused on with their main drive being to provide accurate, good quality sound.
Another consideration to make is, our testing is carried out using a Creative ZxR soundcard which still commands a £150 price tag on the market, if you are spending £135-200 on a headset which you will then plug into your £60 motherboards Realtek ALC 883, your sound quality from such a product will be severely degraded in both the output and input (mic). So a high end product like the GAME ZERO will need better support to get the best out of it, though this is true for any good quality headset/headphone.
The bottom line is, the Sennheiser GAME ZERO doesn’t display any individual key strengths but shows solidarity in all important aspects of what a gaming headset should be, highly comfortable for long hours game play, provide excellent audio precision, and have a great quality microphone for intense in-game multiplayer action.
The GAME ZERO lives up to the Sennheiser name by providing gamers with a perfectly balanced, high quality headset which will have their back in any situation.
Pros.
+ Precise and clear, natural sounding audio
+ Very Comfortable for long sessions
+ High quality, auto muting microphone
+ Foldable and collapsible
+ Included carry case
Cons.
– Price
– Not wireless
– Could have more bass
+ Precise and clear, natural sounding audio
+ Very Comfortable for long sessions
+ High quality, auto muting microphone
+ Foldable and collapsible
+ Included carry case
Cons.
– Price
– Not wireless
– Could have more bass
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
