EPOS H3 Hybrid Headset – One Headset to Rule Them All?
EPOS H3 Hybrid Headset – One Headset to Rule Them All?
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Silly Lord of the Rings pun aside in the title, I went in with a bit of skepticism when folks began talking about their review units of this product, saying things like, “It’s the only headset you will need” and “It says hybrid for a reason.” Really, one headset to replace all others in my collection? Get out of here. Granted, I started a bit late on this review for the H3 – a solid week after it arrived was finally when I had time to unbox this thing, but I was not disappointed.
Unboxing and Build Quality
Getting the headset out of the box isn’t as elaborate as other companies, but does it really need to be? I’m paying for the packaging, right? Not hte plastic and cardboard it arrives in. Still, inside is a nice, padded area where the headset sits nicely in a nest created just for itself. It won’t move if you drop the box, it won’t break if the UPS guy inevitably throws it like a Hail Mary onto your doorstep. The packaging does the job, and that good for me! Pulling it out, you’ll be greeted by a fairly bland looking headset. White, with black accents. For those in love with black and white contrasted products, well, you’ll be in love. But there’s nothing fancy, and once again that is OK with me. I don’t need fancy lights, and I really don’t want (or need for that matter) oversized construction to make it “look” cooler without providing necessary enhancements to the audio quality. Mind you, the headset isn’t bad to look at, it just…there? And that’s pretty OK with me!
The build quality is a mix of sturdiness with comfort. Too often we find that sturdy headsets trade that strong build for a bit of comfort, and comfortable headsets trade comfort for build quality. EPOS does a good job of managing both here, and while the headset felt a tad tight on my head, I do recognize that I have a larger than normal head for an adult male – my wife had no issues with these. The oval ear cups fit snuggly around my ears, and despite the aforementioned tightness, were OK to wear for hours on end.
Your removable boom mic is on the left ear cup, and volume controls are on the right. What was a surprising but nice added touch is that EPOS actually provides a cap to fit into the boom microphone hole when you remove the mic. It’s a nice aesthetic touch, but also keeps that internal connection port nice and clean. Along with the headset, the product also comes with a braided cable – YES, braided cables for the win! – for the straight 3.5mm for connecting to consoles and mobile phones, as well as an unbraided USB cable for PC.
The Sound – Good, Bad, or Plain Awful?
Let’s not bury the lead. These sound great, even outstanding from time-to-time! And it doesn’t really matter how we used them. Whether connected via Bluetooth to our phones at home, or via 3.55 MM to our Xbox or PlayStation controllers, we never had a single complaint about the audio we received. Music was great. Games were great. Directional sounds in games like Far Cry 6 were outstanding. No word of a lie, this might be The One Headset to Rule Them All.
GamesReviews is primarily a video game news and reviews website, so we took this device for a spin on all three home consoles: The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. What should be most shocking here is that this headset works flawlessly across all three systems, so whether you own one, two, or even all three, you can swap this headset and move from device to device with relative ease. And for me, that’s huge. Right now I have the official Sony Headset for my PlayStation 5, a Performance Design Products headset for my Nintendo Switch, and an older EPOS headset for my Xbox Series X. To know that I can replace them all with this single, high quality headset, is fantastic.
The most interesting test for me was hooking this baby up via Bluetooth to the Nintendo Switch, which just recently got the bluetooth update from Nintendo. Flawless. Through rounds of Super Smash Bros, Mario Golf, and Super Mario Odyssey, the headset performed with the highest marks when connected via Bluetooth. No issues here – I was worried if the EPOS H3 Hybrid had one flaw, it would be in this regard. Not the case, and I’m ecstatic about that.
Worth the Price?
So let’s get down to the limiting factor for most folks. The price. at 179.99 USD, this isn’t going to be a cheap purchase, and you could even find a headset for all three of your home consoles that, when combined, come to a lower MSRP value. That being said, there is something wildly convenient about having one headset that you move across multiple devices. You aren’t always changing to different headset sizes and comfort levels, so you get consistency. You don’t have headsets taking up valuable storage space around your console either. Not sure about your setup, but I need all the storage space I can get.
So the H3 Hybrid lives in my home for now, until the Pro model launches in the near future. As of right now, it looks like the only model ready to dethrone this one.
Article By Adam Roffel
Adam Roffel has only been writing about video games for a short time, but has honed his skills completing a Master's Degree. He loves Nintendo, and almost anything they have released...even Tomodachi Life.
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