EPOS H6PRO review – Reject wireless modernity
When it comes to headphones, I prefer things to be as simple as possible. I want my wireless headphones to have a long battery life, as well as connect and disconnect from my phone the instant I they’re taken in and out of the case. When I settle down for a gaming session, I don’t want to deal with pairing problems, I don’t want to deal with low battery life, and I don’t want to worry that my accessories won’t necessarily work with a different console. There are so many reasons to love a good pair of wireless headphones, so many use cases where they’re superior, but when it comes to gaming, I don’t think they’re all that.
Forget about pairing issues, battery life, and compatibility concerns, allow me to introduce you to a wild new concept: a wire. I’m lucky enough to regularly jump between gaming sessions on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and even Steam Deck, but getting accessories that work uniformly across all of them is easier said than done. Many PlayStation headsets – even the official Pulse 3D – require a USB dongle to work, and they often won’t work on an Xbox, while it’s not so easy to get access to a free USB-A port on Switch or Steam Deck. Some devices accept Bluetooth headphone pairing, but many don’t, still, in 2023. Forget about troubleshooting your options: just plug in an aux cable.
This is just the first thing I love about the EPOS H6PRO. They’re simple, wired headphones that plug straight into all of the devices I’ve mentioned above. The audio switches over, the microphone is detected – it all just works in mere seconds. It sounds silly, but the act of just plugging in a cable is so tactile and instant. Even if your usual pair of headphones sync up in seconds, it’s not as swift as this.
The H6PRO headphones have sleek designs.
Next up, the build and audio quality. The H6PRO comes in two variants, a closed-back design, and an open-back option. The open-back option is a bit lighter, and literally feels airy when placed on your head. It being open allows you to hear more of what’s happening in your real-life surroundings, as opposed to noise cancellation – a plus or negative, depending on your use case. It also means that vibrations aren’t literally trapped inside the headphone cups, offering a more natural sound, with slightly lighter – but still powerful – bass tones.
The closed-back option has a nice feature: memory foam ear cups. These are impossibly soft and smooth: they really feel great around your ears. However, they conform to your head so well that, along with the closed-back nature, it almost feels as if you have a vacuum seal around your head. Does a great job of passive noise cancellation, but it does feel somewhat uncomfortable or unnatural when compared to the open-back version. Still, if you want to ensure your sound doesn’t bleed out – and you don’t want to hear anyone around you – the closed-back version should be your preference. Though it really would’ve been nice to get memory foam across both variants.
A variety of color options are available.
Overall the audio quality is great, with some slight differences between the two versions. The same goes for the build quality – both sets feel very sturdy, with a firm, padded headstrap that doesn’t feel uncomfortable or sweaty for my bald brothers and sisters out there. The lack of memory foam cups in the open-back versions really feels like the only egregious missing feature. Both versions have a volume wheel on the right ear cup, which is handy, and blends into the design perfectly.
The microphone is also excellent. The quality is above average for gaming headsets, with a long boom arm that can place the mic right in front of your face. It’s also flexible in the center, allowing you to tilt it away if you’re a heavy breather and your party chat complains.
The boom mic is magnetic and easily detachable.
It doesn’t have any fancy bells and whistles. No dynamic equalizer, no assortment of modes, no software to make it interact with your PC – what you get with the H6PRO is a headset that just works. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, there is EPOS’ “BrainAdapt” technology, and while I did feel as if I could hear enemy positions accurately in FPS games, but it’s hard to attribute that to any particular trademarked buzzwords. As long as the controller you’re playing with is charged, it’ll plug in and play for as long as you can, and that’s what matters.
The wireless future is nice for a lot of reasons, but if you’re often device hopping or you’re sick of pairing and charging issues, then EPOS’ H6PRO is one of the best headsets you can use for gaming. No fluff, just a great gaming headset that works with whatever you manage to plug it into.
