You know, I think it's fair to say that if you don't know who MSI are, then either you are relatively new to the PC gaming scene, or you've somehow avoided them (which would be a very impressive feat). They're basically a household name in the PC industry now, but - to my mind - their entry into the gaming orientated peripherals market is relatively new. I could be wrong, here, but then again I have only been in this since the days of Haswell (i.e. Intel 4th Generation 'Core'). MSI has a fairly wide variety of headsets on offer, and the GH70 sits proudly right at the top of that list.

A notable upgrade (and perhaps it is the upgrade) over the slightly lower end GH60's is the dropping of that venerable 3.5mm jack in favor of a USB 2.0 connection. This allows, chiefly, for the device to be controlled via MSI's own suite of software. I say 'suite', because one bit (MSI Mystic Light) is purely for RGB control, and the other (MSI Gaming Centre) is more for the unit itself. EQ, audio settings, etc. As per normal with a high-end unit, we are also getting a simulation of Dolby's 7.1 Surround Sound. Now, naturally, this is not 'true' surround, and a truly good implementation of the effect is very hard to achieve inside two small earcups with 50mm drivers. That said, it has been done well, as noted in my review of the Asus ROG Strix Fusion 500s, as well as my long-term daily driver, Kingston's Hyper X Cloud IIs. Given that this headset is specifically targeted at gamers, it would make the most sense for this mode to be used in a game only, and I will be using it later on in the gaming segment of this review. Aside from that, the other immediate difference between the GH70 and its cheaper brother is the addition of RGB illuminated ear cups. Say whatever you want about RGB, but it is perhaps the standout and runaway success of 2017, and I do not see that trend dying anytime soon. As a small point, the lights themselves are partially obscured behind two mesh grills that do a decent job of breaking up the LEDs. Aside from this, the GH70's are still very much your 'big' gamer's headset. Big earcups, big headband, and big profile. Depending on what you want, this could be a good thing or a bad thing. It's also good to see (if expected) the presence of 50mm drivers, and this - combined with elements mentioned above - means that the GH70's are very much a headset of 2018, featuring all you would expect in this price bracket, which is a topic I will mention in more detail below.