EPOS H6PRO review: "offers great natural game audio"

Just in case you don’t follow the gaming headset market like Gordon Gecko follows the NYSE, EPOS has taken stewardship of the Sennheiser gaming headset line, and this H6PRO is part of the Danish newcomer’s second round of product revisions - the first being more or less a rebadge of the familiar Senny sets. Ergo, you might consider this a successor to the GAME ONE.

Like the latter, this is a wired 3.5mm model with open-backed and closed-backed variants, grown-up looks, and a price that might reasonably make you think twice about how much you care about great sound in the first place. Available for $180 / £150, they’re right in the mix with most feature-rich contenders for best wireless gaming headset from the competitors. But that’s not where the H6PRO wants to cut it. 

Instead, it presents itself as one of the best gaming headsets, almost like the Bentley of headsets - stately, timeless lines, yes, but also a surprisingly sporty chassis at just 322g. Throaty high-end performance via that open-backed design, but long-term comfort is interwoven with it. You don’t have to use it long to wonder why it’s priced in the upper echelons.

Design

Our review sample is the open-backed variant and sings out in that characteristically natural, breezy tone that comes drivers emitting frequencies into a wider space. While a lot of the main players in the PC headset for gaming, PS5 headset, and Xbox Series X headset markets use closed-back designs - very effectively, mind you - for that amplified low-end response and satisfying rumble when you load the more bombastic end of your Steam library, the H6PRO produce a less emphasised bass sound. That makes for a flat response, and space for high-mids and highs to breathe and sparkle. 

It’s not quite on a par with the GAME ONE. Senny’s longstanding stalwart was magnificent at bringing out the liveliness of a music mix or a game with real warmth, and, by comparison, the EPOS revision sounds slightly darker. This is the more affordable headset, however, priced considerably lower than the GAME ONE was when it first went to market and is still a little cheaper today. 

All the other hallmarks you’d expect are present and correct - a substantial microphone with a 10Hz-10KHz response, a pleasing click to let you know you’re muted when you swing it up, and an entirely detachable design that can be covered up with a tidy magnetised earcup plate. The volume dial on the right earcup makes it over from the Senny design too and remains intuitive to use.

Performance

It’s clear what this headset wants to be, then, and it succeeds as a premium wired headset - particularly in open-backed flavour. Perhaps the more salient question is whether it’s worth narrowing your criteria to that extent as the owner. 

This is more or less Arctis 7 territory, which means EPOS is asking you not to buy the Steph Curry of gaming headsets in the name of sophisticated looks and an audiophile-approved connection method. There’s no right or wrong there, just be certain you wouldn’t rather have the convenience of wireless and a physical chat mix control.

There’s a line to be walked between keeping the weight down for comfort and keeping the overall feel luxurious, too. In this instance, EPOS opts for lightweight plastic over heavier metal parts (although there is an aluminium headband forming the skeleton) and breathable soft cloth over the earpad cushions to match the open-backed ‘free the soundwave’ ethos.

That means you don’t get the immediate reassuring heft usually delivered by more expensive models, and that genuinely might affect your enjoyment - after all, the looks and spec sheet are veering towards lifestyle products and away from utilitarian gamer gear. However, it does make for decent long-term comfort and convincing sound.

Should you buy the EPOS H6PRO gaming headset?

The H6PRO offers great natural game audio, and if you put this all else and£180 / £150 is the top of your budget, this one makes sense as it successfully caters for the specific, open-backed, wired headset niche. Others should think long and hard about wireless options though as something like the wireless 'Pro' variant of the Razer BlackShark V2 or for something more console-focused then maybe the Xbox-focused SteelSeries Arctis 9X or PlayStation's SteelSeries Arctis 7P would be worth a look.

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