Audio Performance

I'll split the audio performance analysis into two parts—gaming and music. Even though the headset produces the same sound regardless of what it's being used for, you won't necessarily look for the same things while annihilating your virtual opponents as you will when listening to your favorite tunes.

Gaming

As mentioned in the introduction, the Cooler Master MH751 is most likely a rebrand of the Takstar Pro 82, but with a microphone. The Takstar Pro 82 are "regular" headphones positioned in the studio monitor category, known and liked for their low price and detailed sound with good imaging and a wide soundstage. Those are the exact words I'd use to describe the sound of the Cooler Master MH751 too, thus solidifying my assumption that the MH751 is indeed a rebrand of the Takstar Pro 82.

The overall sound signature of the Cooler Master MH751 is quite neutral. No part of the frequency range sounds artificially boosted or annoying to the ears. They aren't necessarily the most exciting headphones to listen to—the low-end could do with a bit more slam and bite—but everything comes together nicely. They're capable of reproducing a hefty amount of detail in the mid and high range, which, when gaming, translates into plenty of information about the whereabouts of your in-game targets. I had a great time using this headset in my PUBG, CoD: Black Ops 4, and Battlefield V sessions, never feeling like someone could sneak up on me without being heard or not knowing where I'm getting shot from.

Even though the MH751 doesn't have a massive amount of bass, I can't say I found it lacking in games, although that doesn't change the fact that some competitors do a better job of shaking your head and increasing your heartrate when you crash your virtual car or a nearby tank fires its front cannon. Having said that, the MH751 generally sounds well-balanced and unusually spacious. I'd have no trouble recommending it to anyone looking for a nice-sounding sub-$100 gaming headset.

If you own a good sound card or an external DAC/amp, you'd be interested to find out that the built-in 40-millimeter dynamic drivers don't distort at higher listening volumes and respond quite nicely to equalization. I'm mentioning this as an obvious option to add more bass to the sound signature if you find it lacking.

Thanks to the closed-back nature of the ear cups, the Cooler Master MH751 doesn't leak sound in any direction.

Music

The neutral nature of the Cooler Master MH751's sound makes it suitable for a wide selection of music genres. Rock, metal and anything else that's heavily guitar-driven manages to stay clean and crisp; fast drumming won't turn into a sloppy mess, nor will the bass guitar stick out too much. More subtle types of music (think Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen and such) sound intimate and lovely, which is achieved by pushing the vocals somewhat forward without letting the high frequencies run loose and become piercing.

The only thing missing is—you guessed it—the bass. Once again, don't get me wrong: the bass is definitely present, and there's enough of it for the Cooler Master MH751 not to sound sterile and dull. It just isn't particularly deep and thick, doesn't have that meatiness and slam that makes everything sound more fun and enjoyable. Just for the hell of it, I plugged the headset into my NAD C 326BEE hi-fi stereo amplifier and boosted the bass through the amplifier's front-panel dial. The transformation was beautiful—the music performance of the MH751 went from good to pretty damn great, especially for the price Cooler Master is asking for it. This headset responds extremely well to equalization and high volumes with no distortions or related anomalies of note.

To sum it all up: in terms of sound performance, the Cooler Master MH751 punches above its weight. It sounds clean, detailed, and surprisingly open. If you have the option to equalize it, which will depend on the sound card/electronics you connect it to, definitely do boost the low end. The results are great.