Chris InglisLast month, premium audio brand EPOS released a limited-edition bundle designed to give gamers enhanced audio experiences beyond what some on-board sound systems can provide. In my early PC gaming days, I would always have a Sound Blaster or some other sound card to get the best surround sound for my gaming. As time and technology went on, motherboards came shipped with decent 5.1-7.1 surround sound built-in so I saw no real need to pay extra for a standalone sound card. This new bundle from EPOS contains the H6 PRO & GSX 300 External sound card and wow; it had been so long that I had forgotten the difference a sound card makes.
I reviewed the EPOS H3 PRO Hybrid headset at the end of 2021 and the audio quality was fantastic. Those are closed-ear headphones (meaning the back of the earpieces is closed and are noise cancelling), can be used wired or wirelessly, super comfortable to wear and the hybrid version can be used on consoles and PC with ease. The H6 PRO also released last year, is wired only, and the version I received in this bundle is the open-ear variant. This means the back of the earpieces is open mesh so I can hear sounds beyond my gaming room.
The H3 PRO and H6 PRO headsets are very similarly designed with adjustable headband, 42mm drivers in the earpieces, detachable magnetic mic boom arm and easy volume control on the right earpiece. For the full immersive gaming experience, I do prefer the closed ear variants, but these tend to get warm after a while, especially in summer. The open ear variants are much more breathable which is a good thing but you do hear things around you in the house. I don’t mind this as I can keep an ear out for my daughters, but it will come down to your own personal preference.
Once I started playing some music, I could still hear my wife laughing at the TV show she was watching in the adjacent room. Turning up my music volume helped to drown out that background noise somewhat, but it means sound escapes the earpieces such that someone sitting in the same room can hear what you’re listening to. If you game alone then it’s no big deal. The sound quality on default settings of the H6 PRO was fine, though I could only use 2.0 sound settings and it lacked some bass. The only minor negative for this headset is that the volume control on the right earpiece doesn’t visually show the sound volume percentage changes in Windows. It physically changes the volume of what you’re listening to but it’s not synchronised to the Windows volume control.
When combined with the EPOS Gaming Suite and GSX 300 external sound card, what an amazing difference it made. Music sounded great and cycling through the four presets by pressing the small button to the left of the volume knob, the music preset sounded the best for music playback and gaming. Adjusting the volume on the GSX 300 changed the volume percentage in Windows which is what I prefer as I usually keep my headphones volume at 40%. I switched to 7.1 surround and found the music quality decreased slightly but games that rely on spacial sound were much better for it. The EPOS GSX 300 external sound card originally released back in 2020. Having used it now, I can highly recommend getting one if your headset doesn’t natively support 7.1 surround sound on its own. I listened to several bass and surround sound test videos on YouTube and the sound distribution and effects were phenomenal.
The H6 PRO comes with two cable variants – both have a 3.5mm jack but one has headphones and microphone jacks while the other just has a headphone jack, the latter of which I used as I prefer my AT2020 microphone for voice chat. The H6 PRO cord is quite short, and I was lucky I could plug it into the top front of my PC case which sits on the floor. If I had to plug it into the back of my case, it would not have reached back to where I sit. This is where the extra cable length from the GSX 300 solved that. The GSX 300 is black which melds with my black desk, and I only notice it’s there because of the blue ring around the volume knob.
On their own, the EPOS H6 Pro Open Gaming Headset has a RRP of AUD259, and the GSX has RRP of AUD129.90. This H6 PRO & GSX 300 limited-edition bundle comes to RRP AUD349 so it is an investment but the GSX 300 makes enough of a difference to justify the additional cost. For more information on the bundle, head over to the official EPOS Audio website.
Overall, the EPOS H6 PRO & GSX 300 bundle is well worth the extra cost to have that external sound card power to boost your headphone sound quality. It was night and day before using the GSX 300 and then plugging it in, both for music and for games. EPOS may not be the first headset brand you think of when looking for a new headset solution, but the H3 PRO Hybrid sold me last year, and now I can highly recommend the H6 PRO as well if you’re more a wired headphone fan. Definitely do yourself a favour and consider whether the GSX 300 external sound card could enhance your current set up.
This review utilised units provided by Power UP PR.
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Yonan