MSI Unleashes a Symphony with Its Latest Gaming Headset, Featuring High-Resolution 40mm Neodymium Drivers

[Tsing]

The MAESTRO 300, a new gaming headset that is said to set a new benchmark in MSI's headset lineup, featuring fine-tuned, high-resolution 40mm drivers; a lightweight, sturdy build; and other premium features, is now available for purchase in most MSI global regions, MSI has announced.

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[Niner51]

This naming makes sense, but to name one of their cases "Maestro", eh not so much. Though mine did end up making a rattling sound over time so maybe that's why they named it that..

 

[David_Schroth]

I think this is the one I tried out at Computex this year. Sounded good overall - may look into grabbing one to review.

 

[Riccochet]

At the very least they could mention a price.

That being said I've never been impressed with any "gaming headset" regardless of the features and specs.

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

I've been pretty happy with my Astro A50s.

One thing that's annoying is when the mic is open (not flipped up) I get a weird "white noise" that goes on. Not sure what that is or how to fix it. Kind of reminds me of the noise a TV will make when it's on a channel that isn't getting a signal. If I am playing a game or sound is going through them I can't hear it, but if I am in something like discord voice and no one is talking I hear it pretty well.

The other thing is the micro USB ports on both the headset and headset base. They suck. Unless you got a really good cable and don't move it it wont get a good connection. Which means charging while wearing the headset is nearly impossible. Just moving and it wont charge itself. So I pretty much have to keep it on the base to charge which means if I forget, no sound for me.

 

[LazyGamer]

One thing that's annoying is when the mic is open (not flipped up) I get a weird "white noise" that goes on. Not sure what that is or how to fix it. Kind of reminds me of the noise a TV will make when it's on a channel that isn't getting a signal. If I am playing a game or sound is going through them I can't hear it, but if I am in something like discord voice and no one is talking I hear it pretty well.

This sounds like preamp noise from the mic - could be cause by anything in the signal path, but since the ADC is part of the headset, it's a headset problem unfortunately.

The other thing is the micro USB ports on both the headset and headset base. They suck. Unless you got a really good cable and don't move it it wont get a good connection. Which means charging while wearing the headset is nearly impossible.

I feel that this will be the case with most; no USB connector has been designed to survive much movement aside from the massive A- and B-connectors. USB-C might be better, might not be; every peripheral I've seen from a gaming company has come with a uniquely shaped plug body to keep the USB-C plug connected.

Just moving and it wont charge itself. So I pretty much have to keep it on the base to charge which means if I forget, no sound for me.

Main reason I've stayed away from wireless for desktop gaming... that, and I prefer separate audiophile / studio mics and headphones.

 

[Endgame]

You guys should do a headset deep Dive. I’ve been using a Kingston hyperX cloud (or something) I got at a microcenter Black Friday sale like 7 years ago. They are fine, but not amazing, and are wearing quite a bit…. But they were $25. I’d really like a wireless that I can move between my work PC and gaming with the push of a button that have a great mic and also sound good, but I don’t even know where to start.

 

[Riccochet]

No reason to do a headset deep dive. They're all equally garbage in terms of fidelity and quality. The fidelity can be summed up by the extremely small discrete DAC's and amp's they put in them. They can put the best speakers and magnets on the planet inside these headsets and they'll still sound like garbage. Anyone with any kind of hearing loss or tinnitus, like me, they sound even worse and don't get loud enough.

Even a cheap pair of cans with a dedicated external headphone amp is going to sound better.

Fosi P2 $50
Sennheiser HD 280 $85
Cheap azz Fifine cardioid mic $35

That setup right there is going to sound 1000x better than the best gaming headset on the planet. For a lot less.

 

[Endgame]

No reason to do a headset deep dive. They're all equally garbage in terms of fidelity and quality. The fidelity can be summed up by the extremely small discrete DAC's and amp's they put in them. They can put the best speakers and magnets on the planet inside these headsets and they'll still sound like garbage. Anyone with any kind of hearing loss or tinnitus, like me, they sound even worse and don't get loud enough.

Even a cheap pair of cans with a dedicated external headphone amp is going to sound better.

Fosi P2 $50
Sennheiser HD 280 $85
Cheap azz Fifine cardioid mic $35

That setup right there is going to sound 1000x better than the best gaming headset on the planet. For a lot less.

This kind of info is fantastic. So maybe less a deep dive in gaming headsets, but more a "forget the gaming stuff, here is how to build something much better". Kind of like comparing a AIO to a custom water cooling build.

 

[David_Schroth]

You guys should do a headset deep Dive. I’ve been using a Kingston hyperX cloud (or something) I got at a microcenter Black Friday sale like 7 years ago. They are fine, but not amazing, and are wearing quite a bit…. But they were $25. I’d really like a wireless that I can move between my work PC and gaming with the push of a button that have a great mic and also sound good, but I don’t even know where to start.

The Corsair HS80 MAX that I looked at last year (and have spent most of this year using) is one worth considering - functionally, you'll either be swapping the USB dongle between machines (or via a KVM) OR having one machine on the dongle and the other on bluetooth. It does get a bit funky when say, I'm on a call on the PC and the phone (connected via bluetooth) rings.

There's one that ASUS was demoing at Computex that's supposed to combine the sources - i.e. phone rings, but it'll keep the game audio in the background while you deal with it - hopefully I'll grab one of those as well.

This kind of info is fantastic. So maybe less a deep dive in gaming headsets, but more a "forget the gaming stuff, here is how to build something much better". Kind of like comparing a AIO to a custom water cooling build.

Interesting consideration... It starts getting out of my expertise pretty fast though...

 

[LeRoy_Blanchard]

The problem for me with "non-gaming" oriented headsets is they don't have built in mics on the headset. So you need an external mic. I want my mic to be built in to the headset and not have to talk towards a mic that's mounted somewhere else.

Do they make a good pair of headsets that also have a mic? I do prefer wireless, because I like to freedom of getting up from the desk and still being able to talk to my gaming buddies when I go do whatever I have to step away to do.

 

[Endgame]

The problem for me with "non-gaming" oriented headsets is they don't have built in mics on the headset. So you need an external mic. I want my mic to be built in to the headset and not have to talk towards a mic that's mounted somewhere else.

Do they make a good pair of headsets that also have a mic? I do prefer wireless, because I like to freedom of getting up from the desk and still being able to talk to my gaming buddies when I go do whatever I have to step away to do.

I'd agree with this 100%. Mic built into the headset is not optional, especially if I'm moving from my work PC to my Game PC with the same headset.

 

[Riccochet]

The problem for me with "non-gaming" oriented headsets is they don't have built in mics on the headset. So you need an external mic. I want my mic to be built in to the headset and not have to talk towards a mic that's mounted somewhere else.

Do they make a good pair of headsets that also have a mic? I do prefer wireless, because I like to freedom of getting up from the desk and still being able to talk to my gaming buddies when I go do whatever I have to step away to do.

No. Definitely not wirelessly. The limitation is exactly that. In a wireless platform there simply is not enough room to fit a decent DAC and amp, along with all the other electronics that make it wireless, for it to be good.

You can add a ModMic or Antlion mic to any headphones though. Or a Rode wireless lap mic. All three options are going to be a better mic than what comes on any gaming headset.

 

[Grimlakin]

No. Definitely not wirelessly. The limitation is exactly that. In a wireless platform there simply is not enough room to fit a decent DAC and amp, along with all the other electronics that make it wireless, for it to be good.

You can add a ModMic or Antlion mic to any headphones though. Or a Rode wireless lap mic. All three options are going to be a better mic than what comes on any gaming headset.

Would love to see some comparisons on that. I have doubts. I'm the mic quality to any gaming headset. The higher end Corsair headsets have a decent mic in my experience.

 

[Riccochet]

Would love to see some comparisons on that. I have doubts. I'm the mic quality to any gaming headset. The higher end Corsair headsets have a decent mic in my experience.

There are plenty of videos on the tube showing the quality differences in the mics I mentioned versus gaming headsets.

 

[Grimlakin]

There are plenty of videos on the tube showing the quality differences in the mics I mentioned versus gaming headsets.

Oh I don't doubt that. I have a corsair CE or whatever with a 'broadcast' qualkity mike and a external hyperX condenser mike as well. Each have their purpose. The all in one wireless is more important to mem than ultimate sound quality.