Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware and Software
As this is in the same lineup as the MH670, it should not be surprising that the design and appearance of our Cooler Master MH650 is very similar to the wireless edition. Thus, we have a full black exterior with the same exception of the Cooler Master logo outline on each side of the ear. The headset is muted in terms of design with a typical appearance without being too specific for gaming. It does have a translucent ring around the ear to allow some RGB lighting to shine through, but this is pretty much the only thing that gives the MH650 a gamer aesthetic. Otherwise, it is still the same Cooler Master look that I enjoy for a conservative but functional design. The whole shell is clearly made up of plastic with a matte finish to prevent dust from appearing. One big difference we have on the MH650 is the use of fabric on its ears and its headband rather than PU leather. I personally like fabric more, but each have their pros and cons and each affect the audio output differently, as we will find out. The headband and the ear cups are covered in this mesh fabric, while the internal frame and extending arms are built with steel. Everything is held together well with no creaking or unwarranted noises under pressure, which makes me think they reused the same shell and frame in this lineup. Down the left ear, we have another difference on the MH650, which is the USB interface it uses to connect to the audio source. This braided USB cable measures 2.2m in length and stretches quite long enough to work further away from your desktop PC. It has a ferrite bead on the cable near the USB plug at the end. Otherwise, the cable is flexible enough for a gaming headset, but it may still get caught on table edges or corners.
Starting at the ears, the cups are wrapped in a mesh fabric with an adequately thick amount of foam. The foam has a sufficient amount of give to be comfortable without collapsing. The Cooler Master MH650 ears are oval to fit most ears. Under the mesh, we have a thinner fabric marked with L and R to indicate the orientation of the headset. This thin layer also prevents users from feeling the plastic frame underneath. At the heart of the MH650, under the thick ear cups, are the 50mm neodymium drivers. According to Cooler Master, these drivers offer a frequency response range of 20Hz to 20kHz, which matches with the audible frequency for humans. They also have an impedance of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 110dB. Otherwise, the ears sit between two arms that allow them to tilt about to fit to your head. The ears on the MH650 can rotate around and be turned so that they rest flat if you wear the headset around your neck.
Moving up, you can see the arms that extend out so that you can adjust the size of the Cooler Master MH650 when it is on your head. They do not have any visible marks as to how far they extend out, but they are at least notched so you get a physical feel when it is increased in size. As mentioned previously, the rest of the headband is plastic with an internal steel frame. At the top we have a thick amount of foam covered in the same mesh fabric. It is comfortably thick and offers a good amount of cushioning to ensure the rest of the plastic enclosure does not touch your top of your head. It also reduces the amount of pressure that you may feel at the top.
In terms of overall comfort, the Cooler Master MH650 is a much more comfortable headset to wear compared to the MH670. They both have a sufficient amount of foam on both the ears and the headband to keep this gaming headset comfortable. The MH650 clamping pressure is adequate without being a nuisance, as the headset is quite secure but also easy to wear. However, the main difference is the lighter weight of the MH650 at 282g without the cable. This reduces the amount of pressure felt at the top of the headband. As expected, the MH650 does not have to carry the additional battery or wireless components, so this is not too surprising.
At the bottom of the headset are where a handful of useful controls and inputs exist for the Cooler Master MH650. Starting on your left ear, which is the right side of the photo, you have a volume scroll wheel, microphone mute button, and an opening for the included 3.5mm microphone. The volume wheel allows you to adjust the volume independent of the system it is plugged into, and offers enough resistance so that it does not move when you brush your hand against the headset. The microphone mute button is a push button that stays recessed when it is muted. Unfortunately, we do not have the same audio or visual feedback when you mute or unmute the microphone. Meanwhile, the microphone hole is covered by a rubber flap that opens up when you want to use it. On the right ear, you have two buttons flanking around a small LED light. The first button closer to the back is marked "7.1" which refers to the switch used for activating the virtual 7.1 surround sound. The other button is marked with a light bulb to rotate between several RGB lighting patterns on the MH650 or turn it off altogether. You can also see Cooler Master has used the same enclosure for the headsets, as there is a cutout for what would have been the micro USB port on the wireless headset. Instead, this hole has been filled back in.
The Cooler Master MH650 utilizes the same software as their other recent peripherals. This is called MasterPlus and it can be downloaded directly from Cooler Master's website. It will automatically detect all of the supported Cooler Master products connected, as you can see above.
The software experience for MasterPlus is pretty straightforward with configuration and settings for the Cooler Master MH650 split into three tabs. The first tab is marked Lighting and it lets you set the lighting color for the RGB lights on each side of the headset. You can choose between a standard color cycle or a single-color static or breathing pattern. You can also turn off the lights if you find them distracting. There is not much customization here, but it is not a big deal considering the user will not be able to see this light anyway. The second tab is marked Sound. This area lets you change the different levels for volume and microphone as well as set equalizer settings for your headphones. You can save them into a profile for quick recalling. The third tab is marked 7.1 Surround Sound, which lets you configure the virtual surround experience. When it is active, you can change the perceived location of the seven virtual tweeters as well as the single virtual subwoofer. You can also rotate the orientation about. Overall, it is pretty neat to see this, and those who would like to tinker with it are given the opportunity to. Otherwise, I do not have any complaints about the MasterPlus utility, as it is an intuitive application to use.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
