Audio and gaming are basically synchronous with one another. A silent footstep can utter doom for gamers, especially in competitive games like Fortnite. A faulty audio cue from the headphones can either get the player wearing the headset killed or get teammates killed from bad intel communicated from late in-game sounds. This is where the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid Gaming Headset is superior to a lot of the other headsets I have used. The cost for quality could not ring truer with this gem.

Beginning with my thoughts on the design, the EPOS H3PRO is the highest tier of gaming headsets I have ever felt. It is like a Lamborghini and a BMW had a baby, where performance and luxury coincide. I love the navy-cobalt blue hue of its exterior body—pairing that with one of the softest leatherette, velvety earpads I have had the pleasure of being nestled in. Even the cushioned frame is like having a cloud rest on top of my head.

All this comfort blends with smart button and switch placements. The button placement for the power, Bluetooth connect and ANC (active noise cancellation) switch are located in easy to press areas, so I do not have to take off the headset to go searching for the buttons. My ultimate thoughts on the design are that it is perfectly crafted as a nice studio and gaming headset as it is great for home, work and being mobile—especially since it is very lightweight, weighing just over half a pound.

And if that car reference above was not enough for you, I was able to test this bad boy in the latest preview build of GRID Legends. The car racing and squaring off in wheel-to-wheel battles were not only visually stunning but audibly heart-pumping with each gear shift and tire burn. This is all miraculously enjoyed with the innovative ANC on, which complements the passive noise-cancelling capabilities and takes it a step further. Essentially, the structure of the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid can naturally block out high frequencies, whereas the ANC is able to additionally cancel out low frequency sounds. It is truly a highly functioning, technical marriage of noise-cancelling excellence.

The EPOS H3PRO is versatile, offering a handful of connectivity options. It can work with a regular AUX cord, through the USB dongle and Bluetooth. The awesome part about the Bluetooth feature is that you can really connect to two devices and listen simultaneously. I tried this by playing music through my phone and gaming on my PC. Before you ask, I did this because I had a very active day and I wanted to take my music all over the house in case I was too lazy to switch from music on my PC to my phone. Also, it means I can tell when my partners have revived me in Apex Legends because I died early (as per usual, yikes!).

The AUX cord connection is easy to plug in on both ends and on the EPOS H3PRO, the slot is deep and has a solid fitting that keeps the cord stably locked in. I have a lot of AUX cords that can easily be yanked out due to a flawed design. I would have appreciated a braided or mesh cord for better durability, but the typical plastic was feasible, and the length was fairly standard at two meters.

The USB dongle boasts having low latency or lag-free audio—I would argue this is mostly correct. At first, I thought it was just my PC that had USB issues, but I ended up testing it on multiple laptops and a different PC. I was wondering why the sounds I was hearing had a certain lag, but it was actually the headset going into auto-sleep mode while I was preparing things to play. It is a great feature to have to conserve battery life, yet kind of annoying when there is a one or two-second delay for the sound to be received again—this is where you can take quick bathroom breaks!

On the other hand, I must say the game audio is perfect on whichever console or mobile device I connect with. I feel like I never miss a gunshot heard from any distance, and I am never scrambling to locate which direction the enemy sounds are coming from. It is also great to hear the vibrant sounds of different genres of games, like the stadium sounds of NHL 22 on Xbox One, and then getting jump scared in Resident Evil Village on PC. You can expect the EPOS H3PRO to be like a personal IMAX experience for your ears.

You cannot talk about EPOS headsets without the EPOS Gaming Suite app because things get a little wild and fun! The app is very important for unlocking the EPOS H3PRO’s true potential because the sound goes from 2.0 to 7.1 Surround Sound. It is really great for loud, action-packed shows like Hawkeye or The Witcher. This is not to say the audio quality is horrible for other shows or movies, but if you want the full, dynamic range of sound quality, throwing on a great action show or movie is highly recommended.

The app also has four main audio pre-sets to hear recorded or live sound playback: Music, Esports (Treble), Movie and Flat. If you are a wizard with audio settings, you can also customize your own sound profiles to your liking—I personally stuck with the pre-sets and tried each one for their intended uses. Overall, it got the job done because the music sounded best on the Music setting, and the Movie setting sounded good when a movie was on. So, there is not one sound profile that fits all, which I thought made this app more meaningful as a tool and not just a simple gateway for unlocking the surround sound setting.

Now, in terms of the mic for the EPOS H3PRO, I am familiar with eSports style headsets and their sound quality from participating in LAN events and from hearing shoutcasters sound the same in countless League of Legends World Championship Twitch streams. I want to preface that I think this headset’s mic would be awesome in an eSports/event setting, but at home, it can be a struggle. When I am playing ranked games with my friends at home, I want to quickly jump on Valorant or Apex Legends.

Since the EPOS H3PRO has a lot of technology for noise cancellation and adjusting the noise gate (similar to mic sensitivity), I had to wear the headset in a specific way. If I did not wear it and have the mic in a perfect position to my mouth, the audio would cut in and out. My friends/teammates even told me I sounded very “compressed” and there would be moments where some words did not get through to them. While this is a human error aspect, it can be annoying to find the perfect placement of the mic in relation to your mouth. Perhaps, a solution to this would be to make a bendable mic to ensure the position is correct to take full advantage of this headset.

Aside from the personal struggles with the EPOS H3PRO, I think EPOS has found a great product that could break onto the eSports scene. The audio quality and profiles match the style that I think many pro players are used to. The fact that the mic detaches and can be used as regular headphones adds a lot to the flexibility—making this an all-in-one beast. Who needs RGB-lighting on their headset when they get to have the refined, James Bond class of headsets to grace their ears? The different ways to connect wirelessly and wired are great additions to have in its arsenal as it makes me not want to take the EPOS H3PRO Hybrid off all day.

CGMagazine is  convergance of cutlure and media, looking at gaming, film, tabletop, and technology. With features, reviews, articles and news, CGM is here to keep you informed and in the know on everything new and exciting. 

© 2021 CGMagazine Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. CGMagazine May Earn A Portion Of Sales From Products That Are Purchased Through Our Site As Part Of Our Affiliate Partnerships With Retailers. The Material On This Site May Not Be Reproduced, Distributed, Transmitted, Cached Or Otherwise Used, Except With The Prior Written Permission Of CGMagazine. Manage Cookie Settings