I recently built my first PC. It’s a great thing. I got a pretty decent CPU and GPU so I can play newer games with higher details and not worry about my laptop exploding. But something I overlooked was sound — sure, my motherboard has a built-in sound card, but the volume range and quality was only okay, and additionally my headphones’ cable was just long enough for me to sit comfortably, but any movement and I’d tug on it. And Sennheiser’s GSX 300 fixed all of those issues for me.
GSX 300 is advertised as an external sound card for gamers “seeking enhanced audio performance instead of relying on their PC on-board sound” — just like me. It connects to the tower through a micro USB cable, and has two 3.5 mm jack ports — one for headphones, and one for a microphone in case you are using a headset. On the front you will find a nicely sized knob for volume adjustments and a single button.
And enhanced audio the card did provide — my motherboard’s built-in card, while okay had it’s issues. The one I had the biggest problem with was volume. While maybe good for my ears, the max volume was occasionally too quiet. I now have a giant range of volume to choose from with the highest absolutely destroying my ears.
The quality of audio also got an upgrade once I plugged this little box in. The sound card comes with software — EPOS Suite, which allows for changing volume of different frequencies for both the headphones and the microphone if you’re into that. It can use both the 2.0 and the 7.1 surround sound, and comes with four presets that can be changed with the button for those who don’t know much about exact sound science.
They are Flat (so, default), Music, eSport and Movie. I find myself mostly using the last two — eSport boosts the trebles, which usually show up more in esport games (eg. gunshots in Valorant) and the 7.1 surround helps pick up exactly where the shots are coming from. The Movie preset is useful for outside of gaming or for games where there is a soundtrack — it boosts both bass and treble so the sounds feel more grounded, and you can hear the action better.
A problem I had that might be specific to just me was the cable length — I use the same headphones for everything, so the cable is only 1.2m long (4ft) and because of where I have my PC set up I would often tug on the cable if I needed to move a foot to the left to grab something. The GSX 300 is situated right under my primary screen and near my mouse and keyboard, so I effectively extended my reach as well.
The GSX 300 is quite stylish with a modern high-tech look. It’s quite small at 8cm x 9cm x 4cm and weighs around 240g. The tapered side puts the knob and the button at a slight angle for ease of use. There is a black version and a white version — I received the white one, and it fits perfectly with the rest of my white & pink PC setup.
My only notes are absolutely nitpicky, but I would love another button that could be customized (so for example I could mute my microphone with it). I would also appreciate the ability to change the LED color — currently the light behind the knob is only blue when using the 2.0 and red when using the 7.1 surround sound, but neither of those colors work that well with my setup.
Conclusions
I was a bit sceptical at first if the GSX 300 is going to be of any use for me, but it turned out to be everything I didn’t even know I wanted. The sleek box fits right in on my desk, the audio quality and volume is way better than what my built-in card could muster and I no longer drop my headphones every few minutes just by leaning over to the left too much.
If like me you need some extra reach, or you just want your sound quality to be way nicer, the GSX 300 is a very good product for gamers and general users alike. And oh my gosh, I absolutely love fiddling and turning that dial.
You can purchase the GSX 300 on Amazon.
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