Sennheiser GSP 550 PC Gaming Headset with Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound, Flip-to-Mute microphone, USB connectivity for Dekstop and Laptop compatibility, Open-back ear cups, breathable fabric Headset, black

After some research on headphones, finding which brands seem good, wireless/wired, etc, etc. Quite a few headsets came up that caught my eye. I ruled some out just based of small preferences here and there, and narrowed them down to a select few.But before that, I’ll talk about my current headsets that I was using. For about two years I used the HyperX Cloud 2s, and they definitely got the job done in my opinion. Never had anything wrong with them, and they were comfortable and sounded good. I really enjoyed them, and if it weren’t for a few things, I’d buy another pair. Recently however, they started to create pressure around my ears, and the top of my head, so instead of buying the same pair again, I figured I’d choose a new set so I hopefully don’t run into that problem again. I figured to look for something similar, and hopefully with improvements.Long story short the headset I went with was the SteelSeries Arctis 7(2019 edition). You might be thinking why? They seem so different than the Cloud 2s, and they kind of are, but I wanted to give them a try. They’re wireless for one thing, which I kind of wanted so I could move around my desk, or stand up without a wire getting in my way. They have surround sound which is a nice feature, and sound and feel pretty good in my opinion. All in all, I was pleased with them except for one thing, they’re sound isolation. I could barely hear myself or anyone/thing around me, which for me, was annoying.After getting my refund, something clicked in me, and made me look a bit closer in to Sennheiser and found the gsp 550s. A newer version of the 500s with the addition of surround sound, and the same good comfort and quality. After getting them in the mail and fidgeting with my sound volumes in games and discord and what not, I started to get to some comfortable settings that my everything sound AMAZING. Not only is my voice super clear in discord, according to my friends, but they sound sooo good while playing games(tbh I’ve only tested them in Destiny 2) but I’m sure they’ll sound great in other games as well.At first glance, they do look pretty bulky, and they are, but they are surprisingly light and there’s practically no discomfort while wearing them. There’s plenty of air flow around my ears, and sufficient padding.My one flaw is that the cord isn’t braided so it can probably get tangled over time, and is pretty long, so you might need to bundle some of the loose cord. You could also argue the price is pretty high, but the are newer headphones and for everything these guys have to offer, and the quality of them is definitely worth the price, but yes, cheaper is still always better.So if you’re considering these headphones, and don’t mind the price, then I highly recommend them.

I am truly sad about this item. I really wanted it to be good.I have the Sennheiser Game One's and they were fantastic. Sadly, after a few years one of the earcups no longer works and the cable is finicky to the point that slight tugs cause sound issues. So, I thought I'd upgrade to another open-back headset with a built-in mic, only this time it would come with a USB sound card to remedy the issues that 3.5mm jack cables can have over time. When I looked, I found that there aren't a large amount of open-back headsets with build-in mics to begin with, and almost none with USB sound card's attached. In fact, the GSP 550's are the only headset on the market that fits that description.When they arrived, I installed the driver, plugged them in, and wondered why no sound was playing. It took 3 uninstall/reinstalls of the driver, along with messing with the sound settings, just to get Windows to identify that the Sennheiser driver should be used over the generic one. And when I could finally hear sound, it was awful and extremely low volume. I thought maybe it was the 7.1 being weird, but sadly sound only worked with 7.1 active. When disabled via the dongle, the stereo sound did not work. Also, the mic never worked no matter what settings, drivers, or troubleshooting I did.I am extremely disappointed with Sennheiser. I loved their Game One's, but honestly, I will never buy from them again. This is the result of the Game One's degradation to an unusable state over just a few years, which in hindsight, other headphones I've had lasted to a consistent near-decade mark. Also, their new product to replace the Game One is so unfathomably worse than its predecessor, even with the added new technology of a sound card, that it shows their complete degradation as a company of quality products.If I could give this product a 0, I would. Stay away.