🙋 Direct support and advice in our Telegram group
📹
It doesn't happen often to review a product and find yourself with your hands tied in having to absolutely advise against it. Today we are moving towards the review of the EPOS H3 Pro Hyrbid, wireless gaming headphones hybrid.
We would be more happy if our partners always provide us with valid articles, well positioned in the market and with fair prices. Unfortunately this is not always the case, and in cases like what you are about to discover, it is correct towards the readers but also the producer, to highlight abnormal criticalities.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • A leap of faith for Sennheiser
What EPOS? Sennheiser, a brand of absolute value and universally recognized as one of the industry leader in the audio industry for the PC, but also for the equipment from study and for musicians, he founded EPOS, its gaming division.
Today testers le H3 Pro hybrid, hybrid wireless gaming headphones, with connectivity not only for the PC but also with devices bluetooth. In other words, the “all-rounder” headphones.
Will this be the case, however, in which the "handyman" turns out to be smoke in the eyes of the users? Unfortunately yes: these are the worst gaming headphones that we have tested in years of experience in the field of 'Hardware e del gaming.
Let's quickly find out what the functions and technical specifications of this product, then moving on to considerations of a broader nature, which will highlight the serious problems that compromise the product in a very evident way.
It must be said that we were not the only ones to stay disappointed from these headphones: also on The Amazon the average review is the lowest I've seen on a product costing almost 300 euro.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Package Contents
What's inside the package of H3 Pro Hybrid at EPOS?
- Instruction manuals
- Audio cable for GSA30 console
- GSA H3 Pro USB wireless
- USB extension cable
- USB Type-C power cable
La packaging is nice from an aesthetic point of view, solid and safely holds the components inside.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Technical Specifications & Functions
The goal for which these headphones are born is certainly as commendable as it is controversial: the H3 Pro Hybrid they are hybrid headphones, with the possibility of connecting multiple devices at the same time.
However, what is holding back this product at the outset is precisely this. They are headphones with structure and design clearly from Gaming, who would like to use them in public environments or on a train, by connecting them to their smartphone? Probably none. And the reasons are not exclusively aesthetic, but also of sound quality.
Although these implement the technology Active noise canceling (ANC), which works adequately, have just enough music reproduction quality. But we will come to this in the following paragraphs. The ANC function is supported by the presence of a second microphone designed for this use.
Le headphones implement Dolby Surround 7.1 activated by key or on the dedicated software, which like any virtualization seen on stereo headphones, is poor and to be forgotten.
But at least this is a common aspect that affects virtually any model of headset da gaming stereo, with virtualized surround.
La battery is listed by the company for 30 hours of continuous play. It must be said that theANC it really impacts a lot on battery life, and it's a tool that can also be left off at home.
La headset compatibility is ensured with Plastystation4, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch and of course PC, as well as devices equipped with bluetooth such as smartphones.
The official price is 279 euro approximately, at present, and the product is covered by an official 2-year warranty.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Design, materials and comfort
Il design dell’headset as already mentioned it is strong, aggressive, compared to the most common headphones for listening to music. In fact, it is difficult to imagine them H3 Pro Hybrid as headphones outside the scope Gaming.
They come in three colors: black (which is actually a dark blue), white and green.
La build quality of the headset is not bad, but if we remember the amount we are spending, clearly the considerations to be made about it change completely. The structure is almost completely made of plastic, for heaven's sake, good quality plastic, but still plastic.
The headband is flexible and resistant, well trimmed with fabric that makes it comfortable for the head.
The buttons present are arranged in positions that are not entirely comfortable, and the one for adjusting the volume is very uncomfortable (it is a wheel placed on the side of the headphones).
Il microphone it is not easily adjustable, like many devices of this type, it is difficult to lock it in a certain position (due to the rigid elastic plastic material with which it is made).
This can be easily removed, and reinserted. AND' magnetic therefore these operations will be very simplified. In its place you can put a small lid, designed for non-gaming use of the headset.
I pavilions are small, among the smallest I have tried. Someone with larger than average ears may find themselves uncomfortably in it. No they can be reclined to hang the headphones around your neck. They remain in a position that therefore makes the headphones bulky and clumsy if we want to lay them on our shoulders as often happens when we are not using them.
Always and pavilions I am in memory foam very soft. They offer a good sound insulation.
We understood how the peculiarity of these EPOS gaming headphones both the mix of functions and ideas interesting, accompanied by one often disappointing achievement.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Sound and microphone quality
We come to what I have always considered the essential point in the evaluation of a couple of gaming headphones, for studio, for listening to music or whatever you want: the audio quality.
From this point of view we would have expected much more. We are dealing with a product that touches i 300 euros in price. For a similar figure the sound quality it should have been flawless.
Well instead, the headphones have several audio problems, among which above all abad equalization, which makes the product worse than it could potentially make.
These headphones are a far cry from the concept of correct and weighted balance of the audio frequencies which constitute the reproduction spectrum. They are not headphone net, as indeed none headset da gaming, they don't have to be, but they have to come close to it minimally.
THEequalization it is so disbanded that it returns a compromised audio, different from the actual one, with basse not very present, and with several dB of boost in the mid-highs, which make the audio croaking, aggressive but dirty, inaccurate, nothing to do with the audio reproduction of headphones, for example Normal Sennheisers. Of the HD599, which cost 1/3 the price, have a hundred times more legitimate and truthful audio reproduction.
All the considerations made concern the “flat” profile of the audio [which has very little of flat].
We do not take certain that the EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid they do the same job, but they cannot distort and spoil the audio to such an extent that it is not recognizable from the original.
We also noticed the presence of a hissing, a high frequency whistle, exclusively in the right pavilion, easily perceptible both when playing low volume music, that when there was no content being played.
This white noise, high frequency, which in technical jargon is called hissing, made the headphones de facto unusable, beyond the unconvincing audio quality.
This is certainly a problem due to the faulty unit, yet ours is not an isolated case: we have found more evidence of similar flaws in the pavilion. This means that the quality control in the EPOS house is truly zero.
Only positive note: the microphone quality, is certainly superior to most of the products we have tested so far.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Software and controls
Only paragraph of the guide in which I can express myself a honors and with positivity (net of my amazement) is the one concerning the Software.
Il Software EPOS is one of the best I've tested for the world of PC headphones: aesthetically appealing, simple to use and very intuitive, as well as functional and practical.
I integrated audio profiles they suck, especially those for music, where the protagonist is a wicked equalization and at the limits of the consonant on the high and low frequencies.
To make these headphones usable, you should have good acoustic awareness to perform aequalization to compensate for the bad job done a priori by EPOS.
Le headphones are equipped with a smart button adjustable via audio management software.
EPOS H3 Pro Hybrid Review • Conclusions
It is the first time in over 7 years of our blog's history in which I find myself landing a product so heavily: it is certainly not a pleasure for us to express ourselves so negatively, but it is an obligation to do so when necessary, respecting our readers and with the hope that this and other similar reviews will help EPOS in understanding what were the missteps committed.
In EPOS product lineup there would seem to be many infinitely more valid alternatives, also well reviewed by users and experts in the sector. Our misfortune was that we started with what we can universally recognize as the most unsuccessful product of their entire production.
Il purchase price of 279 euros it is wicked in relation to the proposed audio quality: just think that with half of the budget we can buy many headset gaming wireless much more balanced and valid, such as the HyperX Cloud II Wireless, some models of Fnatic, different models of Logitech, but also Razer and so on.
Not to mention that we would easily be able to buy headphones like the HD599 and combine them with a quality external sound card such as the Focusrite 2i2, spending exactly the same amount. There are many valid solutions, even at home EPOS, like the H6 Pro, which although not directly tested by our editorial staff, boast a different reputation.
The only ray of sunshine for this review isgreat software and good quality of the microphone.
The price does not make the quality, but it must be the quality that makes the price.
