Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis
As with all the audio products we review here at APH Networks, it takes quite a bit of experience and training of the ears before we can begin making a fair judgment. Even for the best of audiophiles, it can be hard to produce an exact and accurate evaluation of a product without a thoroughly familiar product to use as simultaneous reference. While I will not claim to be the reviewer of all reviewers for headphones, I can say quite a few other computer review sites have editors lacking in training for reviewing anything audio related. Give them anything and all you will get is some vague description of “awesome bass, amazing midrange, nice treble, no muffles, 10/10”. Do not get me wrong though; there are knowledgeable audio reviewers out there on respected online media outlets, but they are far and few. There are no true objective measurements for audio sound quality. As the reviewer, however, I will put the Cooler Master MH670 through a series of subjective tests to try to come up with the most objective rating as possible. The tests were conducted with the MH670 wireless adapter plugged into a USB port.
After over 50 hours of break-in time -- well above the typical required period -- we put the Cooler Master MH670 to the tests. All tracks are uncompressed or high bitrate audio files. Equalizer settings were manually set to flat for testing purposes. For gaming, I played Overwatch and League of Legends. First-person shooter games are probably the most crucial games to test these headphones, as gameplay can heavily rely on hearing additional sounds. The other games have aspects where audio is useful, but this is less of a factor.
In most gaming situations, it is to a player’s advantage to get a greater emphasis on the lower end for spatial awareness in games. This can translate to various sound effects like footsteps or heavy movement. At the bottom, the Cooler Master MH670 offered a decent amount of bass with a good oomph. It provided a deep and solidly rounded sound. Riffs in the bass guitar as well as bass drum kicks were heard with presence and punch. Some may find the bass to be a bit boosted, and even more so when compared to the MH752, but considering its gaming application, this is not too surprising.
At the middle of the frequency spectrum, the frequencies in the middle were slightly recessed, which follows the typical V-shaped qualities. Male vocalists in the lower midrange region sound natural with a good amount of resonance and wetness. Guitars and pianos in this region still have the natural wooden resonance and ring, but they are slightly dry at times. Moving to the higher regions like female vocalists, the output here also was not as detailed as I would have liked and had a drier and sharper feel here. In gaming situations, the midrange is generally less crucial for game awareness, but it still is important for voice communications or cues in certain games.
Finally, at the top treble range, the output from the Cooler Master MH670 was sharp and bright. Once again, we had the V-shape feel with emphasized highs. This is especially heard in higher range instruments like violins and electric guitars, as well as percussion elements like high-hat and ride cymbals clashes. These were produced with a sharp and tight feel and with the same dryness. Overall, the whole sound was very much a V-shaped sound, with some recessed mids and boosted bass and trebles. They were also notably more V-shaped compared to the MH752. Most gaming headphones provide a V-shaped sound because this results in a fun sound signature and its usefulness in gaming situations.
When we move to the soundstaging and imaging, the Cooler Master MH670 was capable of producing an image with good width and depth overall. I did find it to be a mostly natural image with a slightly centered bias. Even without the virtualized surround sound, I was quite pleased with the soundstaging capabilities of the Cooler Master headset. Turning on the virtual 7.1 and setting it up in the software can allow for a deeper and wider sound without too much distortion. This was probably one of the better implementations of the virtual surround, though I do not personally use it for gaming.
As for layering, the Cooler Master MH670 was adequate in providing detail and precision, even in more complicated situations. With more voices and instruments added, I started to slightly lose some detail but it was still alright. Frequency ranges were notably separate, but it was almost too separate as I noticed some dips during the transitions of the layers. Overall, the sound was clean, even with the wireless transmission.
Due to its closed-back nature and pleather earcups, the Cooler Master MH670 was good for sound isolation. The ears sealed around my head and using it in noisier areas should be fine as the leather create a good seal against your head. Obviously, this closed-back design does affect other acoustic properties like soundstaging, so you should buy these based on the environment where you will be using the headphones most often.
As for the microphone quality, I utilized Audacity to record and exported the captured audio as an MP3 file. From this, you can hear the microphone is able to pick up voices naturally, albeit with some muffling and hiss. It does not sound too nasally, though the cut off at the bottom frequencies is still noticeable with this microphone. For voice chat and light streaming, this microphone is alright, but I would probably recommend something that has a more open sound for professional recording or more serious streaming.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
