EPOS H3 Hybrid Review

When you’re looking for that perfect gaming headset, it’s never easy to find the perfect fit. Some headphones don’t feel comfortable. Others aren’t compatible across all the different platforms you use. And some just don’t sound great.

What you need is a combination that brings all of these factors together. I think the EPOS H3 Hybrid is about as close as it gets to ticking all of these big boxes perfectly. This hybrid headset gives you wired connectivity when you want it and Bluetooth when you want to be free.

It also lets you connect to more than one audio source at once. Pretty cool, huh? So here’s my EPOS H3 Hybrid review for you to learn all about this groundbreaking product.

Contents

All About EPOS

EPOS is a Danish brand that’s owned by Demant Group, but they have nothing to do with pastries. Instead, this company has over 100 years of experience in the production of audio equipment. The Actual EPOS brand is new – it came out in 2019 – to tap into the headphone and soundcard markets.

The EPOS name may be new to most, but their products are making a big splash. With their headphones, earbuds, mics, and soundcards selling well, you should expect to hear a lot more from this brand in the future.

H3 Hybrid Headphones – Overview

The Build

We’re looking at a plastic, metal, and foam composite body. The headband is lined on the inside with memory foam for improved comfort, although the outside may not be all that durable. The foam also thins out to put less pressure on the top of your head, which is a place most users complain causes them fatigue.

The earcups are angled back to follow the shape of (most) human ears. Additionally, the cups themselves are covered with a leatherette lining on the outside for added durability. However, the insides are lined with a synthetic suede-like material that is a lot less sticky and hot than leatherette.

This gives you a nice comfortable contact between your skin and the foam underneath and allows for a bit of breathability. However, it blocks out less sound than leatherette can. That said, these are some of the most comfortable headphones on the market.

Our rating:

(4.2 / 5)

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Hooking Up

You have connections for both 3.5mm and USB cables if you want to connect these headphones to different devices. They come with a double-ended 3.5mm cable and a USB-A to USB-C connector.

Also, on the headset, you have an “infinity” volume wheel that lets you turn the volume up and down easily. It also includes a “Smart Button” that can access several settings when you’re connected to Bluetooth.

Communicating and Calling

You have a detachable boom mic that swings down to pick up your voice or up to mute. If you take it off, there’s still a built-in pin microphone that you can use if you need to pack these headphones around and use them on the go. They come with a cap that covers the connection pins when you remove the boom mic that can be replaced. Because trust me, you’ll lose it.

However, you can replace the cover, boom, mic, cup covers, and cables through EPOS should anything go missing or belly-up. The whole thing comes in at just under 10.5 ounces (298g), which is pretty standard fare for a quality set of headphones.

Sound Performance

Looking inside, these headphones are powered by 40mm drivers. This can be considered just mid-sized for over-ear headphones, but they still get the job. They produce a frequency range of 20-20,000Hz, which covers the full range of human hearing.

They also have very low total harmonic distortion at just 0.5% @1kHz 0dB FS. In other words, you’re getting a full range of solid, clear sound with these headphones.

Wireless as well

As I mentioned earlier, these guys can connect via 3.5 mm cable, USB, and also Bluetooth. They use Bluetooth 5.2, which should afford you perfect audio and quick connections with all devices, with ultra-low latency.

You do need to keep in range, which is about 30 feet (10m) line of sight. They also support simultaneous Bluetooth, which allows you to connect to multiple devices at the same time. More on that later, but needless to say, these are some of the most compatible headphones around.

Powering Up

Finally, the battery life here is impressively long. On regular Bluetooth, you’re looking at around 37-40 hours of use off a full charge. Impressive. Of course, this will drop to about 19 hours if you’re using simultaneous Bluetooth.

But it can also stretch to way over this if you’re using these as wired headphones. Although the battery will still slowly reduce even when they’re connected with 3.5mm or USB.

Durability

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Having all sorts of bells and whistles is nice, but how do these headphones perform?

First off, let’s talk about durability. While the headset is solidly built, I would have liked to see the frame made out of aluminum instead of plastic. This would allow it to be more flexible and also withstand impacts better. Even a drop of three feet off a desk or the headrest of a seat will be enough to crack this plastic casing.

An area of concern

Likewise, the detachable microphone could be a source of failure if you detach it often. While the magnetic connection holds it in place well, repeatedly detaching and re-attaching it could cause the pins to get damaged.

On top of that, the small cover that protects these pins when the mic is detached is definitely going to get lost. This will leave the pins exposed when they shouldn’t be. However, the rest of the unit seems pretty tough.

Comfort

I have to give EPOS points because this headset is truly comfortable to wear, even for long periods. The fabric lining the ear cups is soft and slightly breathable. The clamping pressure for me was just right.

Furthermore, the frame is length adjustable for people with big heads like me. So, these are great headphones for big heads. And the memory foam on the inside of the frame makes this set easy to wear for hours.

I can see an issue for people with bigger ears – I’d say mine just barely fit in these earcups. So, if you’ve been called “big ears” your whole life, you might find these are too small for you.

Compatibility

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Just how compatible are these headphones with different devices out there? I’d call them quite robust in their ability to connect to all sorts of devices and modules.

Right off the bat, the Bluetooth is 5.2, so it’s up to date and should be able to connect well to everything. And stay connected. This includes PCs and Macs, phones and tablets, and even the Nintendo Switch. These are some of the most versatile headphones you can buy.

All you devices

You can use the USB cable to connect to PCs that don’t have Bluetooth or just for a super-reliable connection. This will also help you connect to PS4, PS5, and Mac computers, too.

The 3.5mm audio cable also lets you connect to PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch. You can plug right into these modules or into controllers with the standard 3.5mm port.

Bluetooth range is pretty decent

You’re looking at a solid 30 feet (10m) of good range before the signal starts to get patchy. Now, if you’re gaming 30 feet away from your screen, you’re way out of my league already.

However, if you’re listening to music, you might mind that your range diminishes a fair bit if you move away from the source to a different room. Like all Bluetooth devices, walls can provide enough of a barrier to disrupt your signal.

The best feature is the Simultaneous Bluetooth connection

With this function, you can receive and mix two channels of Bluetooth input at the same time. For example, you can connect to a gaming console to hear your game audio while at the same time Bluetooth to your phone to chat with a teammate.

The onboard volume wheel will control the game volume level, and the phone’s volume buttons can control that volume. In other words, you can get a perfect level mix of sound from two sources at once.

Performance

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Sound-wise, these phones are decent. I would say that the bass is less intense than you might find elsewhere. So, if you want that rumble, this might not be the headset for you. However, the mid-range and the highs are clear and crisp, so you can hear what’s happening at all times. Gaming is where these headphones shine, of course.

You can modify the sound by downloading the EPOS Gaming Suite sound controller and setting your EQ, and more. If you’re playing on a PC, you can turn on 7.1 virtual surround mode which gives an excellent immersive sound experience. Too bad this mode doesn’t work with all the other gaming platforms. Still, these are high quality gaming headphones.

A great microphone

The detachable mic, anyway. It has a nice narrow range of 100-7500Hz, which means it’s only going to pick up sounds in the human vocal range. Unless you’re a deep baritone, this will have you covered. The other end can hear you clearly and distinctly. Plus, there’s built-in mic monitoring so you can hear yourself, and therefore, control your speech level.

The pinhole mic is a lot less accurate, though. With the detachable mic off, the pinhole mic automatically takes over microphone duties. Only it’s farther from your mouth, and that lets a lot more outside noise bleed in. I’d say it’s unusable for intense team gaming unless you’re in a dead quiet room. Although, it could be used for regular phone calls in a pinch.