There have been more and more companies that focus on gaming audio adding earbuds into their product lines. With the growing popularity of mobile and cloud gaming, gamers have wanted to add high-quality audio to their kit. Over-the-ear headphones are fabulous and deliver fantastic sound but they can take up a lot of space in a bag. That’s where the addition of gaming earbuds to your setup becomes very valuable.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Gaming Earbuds deliver great value in a small package. For the normal headphone specs, you have IPX 5 water resistance, a portable charging case that allows for up to 20 hours of playback, and a compact ergonomic design. There are some additional features that set these earbuds apart from others on the market. Like the original GTW 270 earbuds, the Hybrid model supports Bluetooth but it also comes with a USB C dongle that allows for low latency audio on supported devices. You may notice when watching a video with some earbuds or headphones that there is a slight sync issue. The USB C dongle eliminates that issue and also lets the user take advantage of things like 5.1 surround sound.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid is compatible with the PS4/PS5, various tablets, the Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile phones. When connected to a PC, the earbuds can be paired with the EPOS Gaming Suite software to adjust and create custom sound and voice profiles. Out of the box, the EPOS default profile sounds pretty good. I do wish there was an option to adjust profiles on mobile devices or a way to create custom profiles and save them to the buds.
The build quality may be some of my favorites in quite some time. The case is larger than some but it is solid and the hinge on the lid stays very secure. The case seems to be built from aluminum and feels a lot better than most other earbud cases that are plastic. I like the addition of the multiple lights on the front of the case that allow you a view of the battery level with a push of a button.
These earbuds are almost perfect but there are a couple of changes that I would like to see. There is only one button on the earbuds that control the music and various phone controls. The button can also be hard to reach at times, so maybe at least changing the placement would help. The included USB C dongle is great but there is nowhere to store it. It comes with a rubber cover that allows you to connect it to a keychain but it would have been great if it could be stored inside of the case itself.
You can get your hands on the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds for 149.99.
