Cooler Master MH630 Review: Fuss-free Gaming Headset

When it comes to the best gaming headset, some people want something with an enviable mic, flashy RGB, a wireless connection or 3D sound. For others it’s all about comfort, and some want a pair of cans that’s versatile .The Cooler Master MH630 ($60 as of writing) sacrifices a lot of the flash for versatility and comfort. 

Cooler Master's MH630 gaming headset provides a clear sound experience across a wide selection of devices and platforms. Using a 3.5mm jack, the headset can connect to almost anything with a standard headphone jack. When evaluating the MH630, it's hard not to compare it to the Cooler Master MH650, which goes for $90 these days. In fact, the two headsets are nearly identical in specs, differing mostly in the connection-type and RGB, making the MH630 look like a relative value buy.  

 Cooler Master MH630 Specifications

Design of Cooler Master MH630 

When it comes to gaming headsets, audio performance is king, but looks can make or break your final decision. The MH360 settles in between with a sleek, stylish look that fits in your gaming den or even on a video call with your boss. There are no RGB lights in this headset design. If you want something flashy, you’ll want to look at something like the MH650 instead (it's almost identical to this headset, but with USB support and RGB lighting). The MH630 is definitely the more visually muted option between the two. 

The MH630 headset has a solid black design from the earcups to the headband. The earcups are round with a flat surface on the outside. The MH630 design is what I would consider simple and minimal. It gets to the point without making a spectacle of your hardware.

Cooler Master opted for a plastic frame when producing the MH630. This gives the headset a lighter weight and it’s easy to clean. The unit weighs 0.67 pounds and starts to feel a little heavy after a few hours of gameplay. For comparison amongst similarly priced gaming cans, the Razer BlackShark V2 X is only 0.53 pounds, and the SteelSeries Arctis 5 is 0.61 pounds.  Despite the plastic frame, I found the headset to be a bit bothersome weight-wise after extended use. It's nothing to write home about, but it wasn't the lightweight experience I would prefer. When gaming, it can be a bit of a distraction to constantly adjust and remove your headset. If you want something you can wear and almost forget about, the BlackShark V2 X has a leg up. 

One nice thing about the MH630s’ frame is that it doesn't attract dust and can be periodically wiped with a microfiber cloth. The biggest drawback to using plastic, however, is durability. The frame has some give when bending and could catch a scuff if you're not careful.

When it comes to comfort, you want a custom fit. The MH630 can be adjusted to fit almost any sized head by sliding the earpieces away from the headband, which is steel and plastic and has foam cushioning covered in mesh fabric. However, you don't have much of an option in the way of tension. If the headset is too tight for your taste, you're stuck with it. I didn't find the pressure from the earpieces to be a problem when testing, but your mileage may vary.

The earpieces are padded with foam inserts. These can be great for isolating audio, but the interior fabric is mesh, which can attract more dust and debris. If you aren’t careful about storing the MH630, you may find yourself cleaning the inner earcups (anyone have a piece of tape?).

Cooler Master throws in a velvet-like storage bag with the MH630. It’s not fancy but is a nice gesture. The earcups also twist flat for easy storing.

Audio Performance of Cooler Master MH630 

The MH630 connects to your PC,.gaming console or smartphone via a 3.5mm jack and also has a separate plug for the microphone.

The official specs from Cooler Master list a supported frequency range of 50 Hz to 18,000 Hz on the MH630. I decided to put this headset to the test by playing audio with a wider range to see how well it stood up. True to their word, the headset speakers were audible and relatively accurate from 50 Hz all the way up to 18,000 Hz.

What good is a headset test without a few zombie runs? I put the MH630 through a few rounds of Left 4 Dead and blood moons on 7 Days to Die. The games’ surround sound effects came through beautifully for an immersive experience that helped me track my enemies in-game.

I also explored the Appalachian wasteland in Fallout 76. Gunshots still pierced through classic radio music and general apocalyptic mayhem. On that note, guns also had an ever-so-satisfying boom in Red Dead Redemption 2. Overall, the MH630’s bass was low and distinguishable enough to lend to a clear sound environment with no white noise or drowning out of the mids or highs. 

One of my biggest pet-peeves with gaming headsets is white noise in silence, which is distracting from the action. The MH630 showed a consistent but very low amount of white noise when handling silence. This is pretty annoying and not the mark of a premium pair of cans. The good news is I experienced minimal audio pops, if any, during tests.

Leatherette tends to do a  better job of blocking out unwanted noise, but the MH630’s mesh fabric did a good job too. It wasn’t as isolating as a leatherette pair of cans, but I could easily drown out the sound of TV with these cans once they were in action. 

But what about when you’re gaming around other people? I like to play games and watch videos with as much immersion as possible. This means cranking up the audio. I asked those around me for feedback during my testing and found that no one could hear that I was playing audio -- even when the volume was at its max - -until I removed the headset. (Bass tones and high treble spikes might be audible when fully cranked up but I didn't want to hurt my ears.) 

In the spirit of the classic headphone port, I not only tested the MH630 on my smartphone but also on an original Game Boy Color. The Survival Kids 2 soundtrack came through just as well in 2020. If you're intro retrogaming or making music on the Game Boy through apps, like LSDJ, this headset is definitely up to the task.

Gaming aside, these headphones are more than capable of providing a nice experience with general media. I watched through a few YouTube rabbit holes and had plenty of movies to test with reliable sound clarity. 

Microphone

The headset comes with a removable and omni-directional boom mic that’s supposed to block out background noise. When using the mic to chat with teammates on Team Speak and Discord, they asked me to switch back to a dedicated USB mic for better quality. The mic on the MH630 just wasn’t clear enough to win over my teammates’ ears and made my voice sound more distant and muffled. 

The microphone isn't attached and can be completely removed. Whether you don't need it or just prefer the confidence that no one is listening, an option to unplug the mic is worth points in my book. Just don’t let the port get dirty or damaged. 

Features and Software of Cooler Master MH630 

The MH630 gaming headset doesn't require any special software to run nor does it use the Master Portal application from Cooler Master. This is preferable as the headset works with a multitude of devices and you don't want to be limited because of something like software compatibility. This headset is plug-and-play for most machines and consoles. Whatever driver it required was automatically installed on my Windows 10 machine when I connected it. 

Bottom Line 

The Cooler Master MH630 is a frills-free headset with reliable and accurate sound production. Its 3.5mm connection, lack of software and RGB keep things simple. Yet, you’re not sacrificing audio quality. The sound quality is very consistent with the MH630 and reliable for mainstream gaming. You'll have a loose mic cable dangling by the side of your PC when not in use, but the headset’s audio quality and versatility more than make up for the awkward cable.

However, the microphone quality could be better and the fit a bit lighter on the cranium. If you want something flashier with software-supported features, check out the Cooler Master MH650 for $30 more than our review subject. It’s very similar to the MH630 but connects via USB and features RGB LEDs. And the Razer BlackShark V2 X offers an ultra light fit for the same price as the MH630. 

Overall, this headset looks nice while you wear it and provides solid sound quality for the price. If you want a no-fuss pair of cans, the MH630 is worth a look.