(NEW) EPOS I Sennheiser GAME ONE Gaming Headset

I've owned several pairs of these, going back to as early as May 2015 when they were called G4ME ONE (note the 4 vs. A). Sennheiser began "phasing out" the G4ME ONEs, replacing them with GAME ONEs, which are more or less the same (there are slight changes to the design, but I'm talking extremely minor).I've gone through 6 pairs from May 2015 to April 2017, including 2 RMAs. This should give some indication as to the quality and recurring problems. I wanted to go over those issues in detail for the benefit of anyone considering these cans, especially considering their price tag. Sennheiser has a history of making excellent quality (non-gamer) products, which is why this review may come as a surprise to some.The build quality of these headphones is the biggest issue. Excluding the drivers and microphone, almost everything is constructed out of plastic and a few screws. Even the "height" adjustment band (for the length of your head), as well as the "width" adjustment band (for the width of your head), are plastic. Pretty much everything is plastic-on-plastic. Along the cups and underside of the headband is a soft felt that is glued/taped on. The microphone "arm" also contains some kind of weird rubber.As noted by only one other reviewer, these headphones after about 6 months begin to "creak". The GAME ONEs tend to fit snugly against an average-sized head; the first "creaking" I heard was when putting them on, emanating from the centre of the top band. I dismissed it, as it happened only when taking them off or putting them on. Over time the situation amplified, coming from the "hinge points" where the headband intersects with the ear cups. A few months later, the cups themselves -- during normal use! -- began doing the same thing. Even slight movements of your head would cause the problem. It was especially prominent on the left side, which is where the microphone is (more on that in a moment).How I became aware of the "creaking" was when co-workers of mine on Skype, and teammates of mine on TeamSpeak and Discord, began complaining that my mic was making a noise they couldn't easily describe. It was loud enough that voice activation would pick it up. I thought it was the mic at first, then something with recording levels or my audio drivers, or even bus/electrical noise (a common issue with analogue output (i.e. 3.5mm jacks vs. USB)). It wasn't any of these.The microphone, which is a decent quality, is housed in plastic and directly connected to the left ear cup. So, as the "creaking" problem worsened, eventually the mic began picking up the "creaking" through vibrations in the housing. I did some recordings in Audacity to give myself an idea of what it sounded like, and I agree with my cohorts that it's difficult to describe, but annoying and distracting. It's loud enough that it's picked up even with very restrictive voice activation level detection settings.To further complicate the matter, wearing glasses somehow made the situation more noticeable. My best guess is that the cups get pushed out slightly (more tension), which triggers or amplifies the decibel level of the "creaking". The felt also tends to make a weird noise if rubbed with certain kinds of coated metal, which the mic also picks up (i.e. adjusting your glasses while wearing these will cause the mic to pick up said noise).A completely different problem I dealt with, resulting in RMAs, was with the felt itself: particularly along the inside of the ear cups. Over time the inside edges of the felt would wear down, eventually becoming some kind of hard plastic or rubber or something (I have no idea what). This began to irritate, and in one case cut (!), the edges of my ears after a couple hours of wear. It's not something you'll notice when getting a new pair, but after prolonged use it'll begin to happen. If you have large or wide ears, or ears that have a more "convex angle" (e.g. stick out more), this will certainly cause you problems down the road.The audio cable that runs into the left ear cup is *extremely* sensitive to contact. That is to say, if you tap it, hit it on a desk, rub it, etc. the noise is very easily heard in the left ear. It's also very easily picked up by the microphone. This is an extremely common problem with many headsets, but wanted to note it regardless.Another issue that I had happen on a single pair was that the volume knob began to loosen over time, eventually becoming so loose that I had to use electrical tape to hold it in place. This likely indicates a low-quality (cheap) potentiometre being used, one which wears out much quicker.Finally, it should also be noted that these headphones have an impedance of 50 ohms. This is substantially higher than the more common 28-32 ohm range, meaning you might need a headphone amplifier to drive them. Otherwise, even with the volume knob at maximum, they'll be too quiet. Some onboard audio chipsets and sound cards can handle 50 ohm impedance just fine, so YMMV.The current pair I have was purchased September 2016 and exhibit the "creaking" problem, with signs of the felt wearing down beginning as well, while the volume knob is holding up nicely. But I suspect they'll last another 3-4 months before I have to do an RMA. RMAs take about 2-3 full weeks, with the owner having to pay shipping to send the product to Massachusetts (return shipping is free). The warranty period on the Sennheiser GAME ONEs is 2 years.Major negatives aside, here are the positives:The microphone is decent quality, though without a mixer device, tends to be extremely quiet, even at a recording level of 100. In some audio drivers this can be rectified by increasing "mic boost" by +10dB, but then hissing is somewhat present. At +20dB, hissing is extremely noticeable. Unlike several other headsets, the GAME ONE mic should be placed about 1-2 inches from your mouth at a slight offset (e.g. somewhat near your chin), not alongside or in front of your lips. The microphone "arm" can be adjusted freely in all directions/angles (including slight twisting!) and actually stays put! This is in contrast to, say, the SteelSeries Arctic 3/5/7 where the mic won't stay put no matter what you do (and requires you put the mic very close to your mouth).The audio quality from the drivers is above average. To my ears, they sound almost as good as a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A900s. The levels of bass, mids, and highs are not overdramatised. All this is a matter of preference of course, but I found the overall audio quality and "mixing" to be quite nice (ex. no excessive bass, no excessive filtering of treble).Overall, these feel more like US$75 headphones. The US$170 price, with an MSRP of US$250, is no where near justified. The construction and component quality is just too low for the cost. The price hasn't changed much over the past 2 years either, only decreasing by US$10. Sennheiser must be making a killing off these.