EPOS H3PRO Hybrid review - ANC gaming that's hard to beat


epos h3pro hybrid review esports player wearing the headphones

Gaming headsets are one of the most confusing peripherals gamers have to buy. Which ones have good audio? What devices can you connect it to? Does it have a microphone? Will it break? Luckily, the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid delivers on all of these areas and is one of the best all-around packages you can get for gaming.

The H3PRO Hybrid is a wireless headset with active noise cancelling technology and a removable microphone at its core. It comes with a dongle that you can plug into your PlayStation console to connect wirelessly. This plays especially well with the PS5’s spatial audio feature, offering a wide soundstage that allows you to easily pinpoint which direction sound is coming from.

However, you don’t have to use the included dongle for devices that support Bluetooth. On a smartphone phone or the Nintendo Switch, you can simply connect directly by simply pairing the devices. For use on Xbox consoles, you’ll need to plug the H3PRO Hybrid in via the included 3.5mm cable as Microsoft only allows audio via their proprietary technology.

epos h3pro hybrid review side view of the headphones
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One of the most useful features of these EPOS cans is the fact that you can be connected to two different devices via Bluetooth at once. That means if you’re playing God of War Ragnarok on your PS5 but your friend is on PC, you can chat via apps like Discord on your phone or laptop while also getting the audio from the PS5 at the same time. This is a genius addition and shows how well thought out EPOS have been when considering what gamers really want and need when it comes to a headset.

Sound on the H3PRO Hybrid comes in heavy on the bass. Compared to the more neutral tone of my daily-driver Bose QC45s, EPOS has decided to accentuate noises low in the range. This was most evident when I was racing around the tracks of Gran Turismo 7; my QC45s made all of the sound fairly flat and equal, whereas the H3PRO Hybrid pushed the roar of the engine louder. This is likely to turn off the hardcore audiophiles who crave that flat sound for music-listening, but this is a great thing for gamers as it immerses you in the environment (in this case, inside a car). In saying this, the bass isn’t muddled, and you can’t have the sound profile both ways, so EPOS have definitely made a great decision here.

While the mids are flatter and more recessed, the highs of the H3PRO Hybrid are — like the bass — accentuated. This gives the high-pitched sibilant clicks and clacks a sharper tone that sticks out. This goes nicely with the heavier bass and means that you get a nice level of clarity on smaller noises as well as the rumble of the lows. Again, this might prove off for those who can’t get enough of their music, but it’s a nice move for gamers who want a fuller and more engaging soundtrack to their favourite games.

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The earpads are a great mix of leatherette and velour. The leatherette material is used on the outside of the earpads for improved noise isolation and structure, but the surface of the earpads that contact your skin are made of velour. This is fantastic because it means your ears stay sweat free and the headset sits comfortable against your face, but it also provides the benefits of leather without its downsides (heat and dirt build up).

The microphone that comes with the H3PRO Hybrid is magnetic, although you wouldn’t know it. It clicks into the side of the headset firmly and you wouldn’t think it was detachable until you give it a forceful pull. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound all that great. It’s not bad sounding, but it is noticeably a gaming headset others told me when I entered various voice chats. Of course, it does the job and is perfectly acceptable given all the things this headset accomplishes, but it has to be noted in case that’s a sticking point for you.

EPOS’ H3PRO Hybrid is very well constructed. The company has used lots of solid plastics and metals throughout, and the headband is a nicely padded leatherette strip surrounded by stitched fabric and the whole thing oozes quality. This is echoed once you place the H3PRO Hybrid on your head and it clamps down just right - it’s tight enough to block out noise and feel stable but without giving you a migraine in the process.

epos h3pro hybrid review front view
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The one area where the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid falls down is in the ANC department. Active noise cancelling (ANC) cuts down the noise entering a pair of headphones by producing some unnoticeable static to cancel out the incoming noises. Now, the H3PRO Hybrids have this feature and it works well, but, as I said earlier, my daily drivers are the Bose QC45, which have class-leading ANC alongside the likes of Sony in this department. So, if you’re coming from headphones with no ANC, then you’ll love the feature on offer here; for those coming from the pinnacle of ANC audio, then you might find this area a little underwhelming (though not bad), as it just doesn’t block out as much noise as more expensive headsets.

With this said, and for full transparency, the Bose QC45 is not a gaming headset. They are ANC headphones for critical listening. They have no microphone or any of the gaming features that the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid brings to the table. And this brings us to the overall takeaway: The EPOS H3PRO Hybrid is one of the best wireless ANC headsets for gaming. It’s for those that want great audio and build quality with ANC that immerses you in whatever you’re playing, while also providing the ultimate functionality by being able to connect to numerous devices with ease and a detachable microphone on top. ANC matters to me, and will likely matter to a lot of gamers out there, and I would pick these up over a pair of expensive open-back headsets from the likes of Astro or Sennheiser any day.

If you fall into this use case and find yourself nodding along to this review, then you can’t go wrong picking up the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid.

The EPOS H3PRO Hybrid is available to purchase at Amazon, as well as other retailers.

EPOS H3PRO Hybrid
Great audio and build quality and functionality makes the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid one of the best gaming headsets on the market, even if they are let down a little in the ANC department compared to other top-tier competitors.
gaming
headset
audio
8 out of 10

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