EPOS has struck out alone with its first own-brand gaming headphones, the GTW 270 Hybrid wireless earbuds. Launching today, the new buds are the first from EPOS not co-branded with Sennheiser, and after using them for this past week I have to say I'm rather impressed with how they've shaped up.
But let's dive into what makes these in-ear headphones fit for gaming. That'd be the wireless low-latency dongle, which EPOS packages alongside the earbuds and carry case for use with a wider remit of devices. While the onboard Bluetooth should be decent enough for most phones, the benefit of a dedicated dongle makes it just that little bit easier to get connected to gaming laptop without delay or lag, which can sometimes render a Bluetooth connection inadequate for gaming.
It also allows these buds to connect to the Nintendo Switch wirelessly, which is particularly useful if, like me, you use your wireless buds for just about everything but find yourself carrying around a pair of wired 3.5mm headphones for use with the Switch alone.
Even consoles are covered by the dongle, if you weren't sorted in that department already.
The buds themselves deliver decent noise isolation too, which makes them a good fit for all the figurative travelling you're likely partaking in right now. The solid fit at least keeps them secure, and you needn't worry about water ingress with an IPX5 rating—which has them able to stand up to a sustained water jet spray at low pressure. Comfortably enough for rain protection.
Still, it's good to have aspirations of resuming travel one day, and the GTW 270 offer 20 hours of battery life in total to see you through. That's five hours per charge, and three further charges in the dock.
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The battery life is a little slimmer than some others I've tested, but it's enough to get you through a day and then some of dispersed use—which is an important enough milestone if you're the type to charge your tech regularly. If you're looking for sustained battery you might want to check out some bigger kit—the EPOS x Sennheiser GSP 370 offers a healthy 100 hours of battery, but they're far chunkier for it.
The headphone drivers are your usual 20-20,000Hz fare, but sound solid and offer a surprising low-end response for their diminutive size. There's also a pair of microphones, one on either earbud, for decent on-the-go mic quality. Not anything close to competitive gaming-grade, mind, but enough for a clear chat.
The GTW 270 Hybrid version goes on sale today for $199 (£179), so they're certainly not the cheapest buds around. There will be a slightly cheaper version later down the line, however, which will arrive sans dongle and rely solely on Bluetooth for connectivity.
