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On a personal level, I don’t really wear earbuds often, but I was very interested in the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid. After all, EPOS made my favorite gaming headset and has made several quality microphones. With that in mind, I put these hybrid earbuds through the paces to see how I felt about them.
One thing that definitely sets them apart from other “gaming earbuds” that I’ve seen over the years is that it includes a USB-C dongle, which can connect the earbuds to a variety of platforms.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid has an amazing sound when it comes to audio, a solid, weighty feel, and decent battery life. It’s not all roses though, because I noticed some issues worth noting.
EPOS’ first solo device apart from Sennheiser is the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid
This is EPOS’ first solo project, and while I do like them, I have some mixed feelings after spending a few days with them. On the whole, they’re a solid product, and I enjoy using them with my phone to listen to music while I’m cleaning around the house, or playing on my Nintendo Switch. However, there was one major hurdle I had to clear that was worth discussing.
One of the first things I noticed may not be a problem for everyone. My router had both a 2.4GhZ band and a 5GzH band, and both were turned on. After doing some research, this is why I have had such notoriously bad connectivity issues with Bluetooth on my PC over the years.
There was some interference in the signals, making things just not work the way they should. The earbuds would immediately disconnect as soon as I put them on. Thankfully, the issue is sorted. I decided to add this to my review in case others have the same problem.
How is the physical appearance and usefulness of the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid?
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid are “true” wireless earbuds, they slide right into your ears like Air Pods might. I like the physical design of these more than the Air Pods though. They have a heavy, weighty feel to them without actually causing discomfort.
One drawback to me was that there’s just one button on the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid that controls all facets of audio. It answers calls, plays music, pauses, playback, et cetera. It’s a very small button too, so for me, this was not worth messing with. It’s much easier to just press a button on my phone.
The earbuds also come with several tips for a variety of ear sizes. I used the default, because I loathe replacing the rubber tips on headphones, and thankfully, they felt great! This is going to vary from person to person, so keep that in mind.
They also come with a solid carrying case that charges the earbuds, and also serves to start networking for Bluetooth devices. It is a little annoying to pair via Bluetooth because the instructions need to be done in a very specific order.
One thing that frustrated me though is that the earbuds’ connection is very sensitive to its surroundings. If I plugged the dongle into the back of my PC, it was useless.
Thankfully, the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid comes with an extension cable that I could just plug it into the top of my PC, and that helped a ton. Otherwise, it will drop the connection frequently, or simply not connect at all.
The carrying case also felt weighty to me, and that’s again a good thing. They don’t feel light or cheap. The material they’re made of is solid, and there’s no difficulty in putting the earbuds into the case to begin charging.
The battery on them is incredible, too. I carried them around all day for a few days, putting them in the carrying case when not wearing them, and found the charge time to be solid, and the battery life to be quite good. They hold a charge for about 4 hours and 55 minutes, and the charging case has 3 charges in it before it runs out. That's a solid 20 hours right there.
Listening on the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid is amazing; the mic, not so much
I have to say, that I adored using these to listen to music. Whether on my PC, on my phone, or gaming on my Nintendo Switch, the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid delivers. The sound is soft, but incredibly clear.
I had no connectivity issues on my phone unless I left the room and my phone remained behind. It has a pretty decent range. I spent some time testing the microphone on my PC via Discord. However, while the microphone works, and it’s clear enough, it picks up a ton of background noise.
Anything going on around me was picked up, so it’s not a substitute for a quality standalone mic or gaming headset. When it came to listening to music, they were fantastic.
I also had some connectivity issues on the PlayStation 5. I included some footage of my review of The Last of Us Part 1’s remaster, where I was using my EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid for both audio and the microphone. It cuts out a few times towards the end of the footage.
I would say that while the low-latency audio that was promised was accurate, the microphone is no substitute for a decent gaming headset. Gaming while using it as a Bluetooth earbuds is a mistake, though. There was a bit of lag here, and it made things quite frustrating. Thank God it came with that USB-C dongle.
If you aren't a gamer that desperately needs a microphone to play, you might find some enjoyment in these earbuds.
EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds Speifications
Product: EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds
Item Weight: 13.1 ounces
Batteries: 1 Lithium Polymer battery
Listening Time: Up to 5 hours, up to 20 with charge case
Charging Time: 1.5 hours to fully charge the earbuds, 1.75 to fully charge the case
Ear Coupling: In ear
Transducer principle: Dynamic, closed
Connectivity: Low-latency and Bluetooth
Extension Cable Length: 1.5m USB cable
Connector Plugs: USB-C
Compatibility: Dongle: Nintendo Switch, Android, PC, PS4 / Earbuds: Bluetooth devices
Microphone Pick-up Pattern: Omnidirectional
Headphone Sound Pressure Level: 100 dB
Warranty: 2 years, international
In Conclusion
I know I’ve nitpicked at this pair of earbuds quite a lot, but I do love them. They’re great for listening to music while I’m doing things around the house, or traveling, but when it comes to gaming, I’m not as keen.
I had a wonderful time gaming on my Nintendo Switch, though, while I was traveling. There was no disconnecting, I didn’t perceive any audio lag either. The microphone, on the other hand, did not seem to feature low latency, so there was a bit of lag between things I said to people online. However, I’m not sure that the $149 price tag is worth it for the lackluster microphone.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid is no substitute for a good gaming headset, even EPOS’ own headsets, but they’re a solid backup and do offer quality sound.
