EPOS GSP 602 Gaming Headset review: My new go-to gaming headset

In an effort to offer a great suite of versatile gaming headsets, Sennheiser has officially rebranded its gaming series as EPOS. Sennheiser aims to bring its legacy of audio expertise to the gaming space with a wide range of purposely designed headsets. This smart business move now gives consumers a more clear distinction between the company's studio focused equipment and gaming accessories.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with the latest addition to this line — the EPOS 602 Gaming Headset. As someone who typically prefers wired headsets, I was very excited to test out one of the more premium offerings from the EPOS line. Immediatelly upon opening the packaging, it became clear the EPOS 602 was built with quality in mind. After hours of use and several extended gaming sessions, it's safe to say I have finally found my new go-to gaming headset.

How is the EPOS GSP 602's sound quality? 

In a previous review, I praised the Sennheiser GSP 300 Gaming Headset for its amazing sound quality and clear, high-quality drivers. The EPOS GSP 602 delivers notably better audio thanks to some incredible hi-fi drivers with a range of 10-30,000Hz, whereas the GSP 300 sat at a respectable, but inferior 15-26,000Hz. This noticeable superior extended frequency response range maintained audio clarity even during the most intense action sequences. High-end focused sounds like glass shattering or metallic scraping were bright and distinct, and low-end centric noises like roars or footsteps were present and pronounced.

While replaying the campaign for Gears 5, the character's voices were never lost in the cacophonous wall of constant explosions, which is something I had experienced with previous bass-heavy headsets. If you are accustomed to extremely boosted low-end headsets however, you may be disappointed as those same explosions from Gears 5 lacked the concussive impact of my HyperX Cloud Alphas.

As somewhat of an audio purist, I appreciated the GSP 602's focus on natural audio quality without artificial boosts to sub-bass frequencies. The closed-acoustic design also does a remarkable job of naturally isolating background noise. Even without active noise cancelation, I was able to get fully immersed in my gaming experiences thanks to Sennheiser's expertise in this area.

What I like about the EPOS GSP 602 design

The GSP 602 strikes the perfect design balance between modern, flashy gaming headsets and sleek minimalism. The deep blue color and vivid orange cushions add personality without diving headfirst into the gaudy cliches of many modern gaming headset manufacturers. Subtle, sharp edges, and splashes of a matte metallic finish give it a very premium look and feel. A sizeable volume control knob on the right side of the headset and an adjustable microphone arm on the left side keeps all controls contained to the headset itself.

I also found the fairly sleek frame very reminiscent of something a pilot might wear, so there's some great roleplay potential for all the Flight Simulator fans out there. For folks who maybe aren't as excited about the orange and blue color scheme of the GSP 602, the EPOS GSP 600 is the same great headset in a more neutral black with red option.

How comfortable is the EPOS GSP 602?

In regards to comfort and overall feel, the GSP 602 is an absolute win. The faux-leather ear cushions are thick and cozy. Wearing this headset is like pressing two mini memory foam pillows on either side of your face. The openings for these cushions are also incredibly large, allowing your entire ear to be surrounded. This huge design perk kept the headset feeling great even during lengthy grind sessions in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered.

There's also a fairly dense strip of cushion along the top of the headband, delivering even more sustained comfort. The only issue I ran in to with the band, and really the comfort of the GSP 602 in general, was a gap in the center of the foam, which sometimes pressed my hair in the wrong direction creating the sore "hat-hair" sensation, but to be fair I have a pretty massive head compared to the average person, so that could be more of an isolated issue.

How is the microphone quality on the EPOS GSP 602?

As a low-key audiophile, my expectations for gaming headset microphones are always very low. That being said, I was remarkably surprised by the clarity delivered by the microphone of the GSP 602. It's a massive improvement over the GSP 300 in almost every way and even competes with the shockingly solid performance of the HyperX Cloud II.

There is not much to report in regards to the extreme high or low end here, but doing side by side tests in an Xbox Party chat, my friend group all seemed to agree that of the GSP 300, GSP 602, and HyperX Cloud Alpha, the GSP 602 had the clearest microphone quality. It wasn't able to deliver the same low-end presence of the Cloud Alphas, but during action-oriented multiplayer sessions, that low-end response just gets lost in the chaos anyway. As someone who frequently plays communication-focused PVP games like Gears 5, Smite, and Bleeding Edge, mic clarity is very important and I'm happy to report that the GSP 602 beautifully delivered in this regard.

There's also a clever mute-toggle linked to the arm microphone that offers an obvious indicator for whether or not your mic is muted. Just remember to lower that arm before delivering any crucial in-game battle plans.

How compatible is this headset?

Far and away my biggest critiques of previous models in Sennheiser's gaming headset series have been odd and clunky cable solutions. Thankfully, the team at EPOS has made enormous strides in this department with the GSP 602. The headset includes two completely detachable 2.5mm to 3.5mm cables — one with a single 3.5mm jack for consoles or mobile devices and a second with a dual 3.5mm connectors for PC gaming.

These versatile cable options have made this my new defacto headset for gaming on any of my devices. I've been able to fairly seamlessly use this on my PC, Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch, and even just for listening to music on my phone. The included audio cables are high quality, woven-fiber with respectable lengths for basically any use case. If you're looking for a great all-in-one gaming headset, the EPOS GSP 602 can confidently fill that role.

Bottom line: Should you buy the EPOS GSP 602 Gaming Headset?

With a background in studio audio production earlier on in life, I've been fairly spoiled when it comes to headsets. In the gaming space, I've found myself frustrated because many gaming-oriented headsets producers focus on bright gimmicks and tacky buzzwords to market their products to a younger audience. While Sennheiser is officially releasing these products under the EPOS banner, the 70 years of experience in studio-quality audio equipment remains intact with the GSP 602.

This headset delivers crystal clear audio, pillowy comfort, extreme versatility, and a minimalistic design I absolutely love. All of these great features do come with a hefty price tag however and this will ultimately be the biggest deciding factor for many customers. At around $220, this is certainly a premium wired headset, but the beautifully crafted headset EPOS GSP 602 now stands proudly as the best gaming headset in my house.