EPOS H6PRO Closed Headset review — Hitting all the right notes

After delivering a solid win with the H3, EPOS is back with a flagship headset, the H6PRO. If you’re familiar with the EPOS brand, you’ll know it comes from the master of sound, Sennheiser. If you didn’t know that, now you do. Having such audio pedigree bodes well for the EPOS H6PRO. However, it’ll cost you $179 USD to get your ears into this high-end headset. So, is the extra $60 worth it, or should you save your extra cash and invest in the EPOS H3? I’ll review the specs, design, performance, and feel of the EPOS H6PRO to help you make your decision.

A very important thing to know if you’re looking into the EPOS H6PRO is that it comes in an open and closed option. The key difference between the two is the design of the earcup. The open option lets sound and heat flow through the earcup, while the closed option blocks a lot more noise to ensure your focus is entirely on the sound coming through the speakers. I was given the closed EPOS H6PRO to review.

Sound-focused design

The EPOS H6PRO is unmistakably a gaming headset. But it is a lot more subtle about it than most. There’s a coolness about the design that doesn’t need to be flashy. You won’t find a single LED on it anywhere. And that tells you where EPOS has focused its energy, on build and sound quality. Personally, I love the sophisticated look of the H6PRO. It’s not obnoxious like many headsets out there. You can get it in three colors: Sebring Black, Racing Green, and Ghost White. I was given the Ghost Whites, which I think are the most stylish looking of the bunch. Dirt does show up very obviously on them, though, and the white cable lying on the floor is going to lose its brightness fairly quickly. If you’re specific about keeping your gear clean, you should go for one of the darker options.

The microphone is attached to a solid arm that you can rotate up to move completely out of your field of view. Rotating it up also works to mute the microphone. I love this feature and find it a lot more user-friendly than a mic you need to pull out of the headset, or the software-based mute options. With the H6PRO, no one ever needs to tell me I’m on mute. I know I’m on mute. It’s very reassuring. You can completely detach the microphone if you don’t need it. This will allow you to look the part of an audiophile, and not a gamer, if you’re using the EPOS H6PRO on the go, unless you’re rocking the Racing Green color scheme. There’s no mistaking those are designed for gamers.

Overall, the H6PRO headset feels very sturdy. It has two pivot points where the earcups connect to the headband. The materials used in the pivots and connecting arms feel solid. I have no concerns about these wearing out or breaking. The headset band allows for very minor adjustments, which means you can get it to sit just right. I particularly like the numbers on the adjustable part of the headband. It lets you work out your measurements and, if you ever need to retract the headset to transport it, you can quickly and easily get it back to your ideal comfort.

White is a clean, sophisticated look.

The volume wheel on the side of the headset rotates smoothly to increase or decrease audio. It started a little stiff and I found myself wishing the raised lines were slightly more defined to give you a better grip. However, after a few days it eased up and I’m very happy with its feel now.

The braided cable is two meters long. For me, that was enough to freely move around my desk without fear of it catching on anything. I was able to slide from one end to the other, lean back in my chair, and even stand up without reaching the limit of the cable. If I’m not going wireless, this is more than enough for me.

Feel and performance

When you put the closed version of the EPOS H6PRO on, you feel like you’ve stepped into a sound-dampened room. They block out a significant amount of noise. If there’s sound coming through the speakers, I couldn’t hear anything else. Which is wonderful, except when my wife was trying to get my attention.

The headset sits extremely comfortably on your head. The shape of the earcups perfectly covered my ears and there was no pinching at all. Plus, the pressure on top of my head and around my ears never got too intense. I wore them for roughly 12 hours in a day and could have kept them on for hours more. This comfort comes down to the flexibility of the two pivot points, the suede-like material that rests against your head, and the memory foam ear cups. The lower part of the headband that sits on your head is also very soft. I thought I might miss the floating headband design from my Corsair HS80 headset, but I did not.

While reviewing the EPOS H6PRO, I was playing a lot of Valorant and New World. Clear audio is essential for competitive shooters like Valorant, and I find them an excellent testing ground for audio output. Well, the H6PRO delivered. The sound of footsteps and what terrain they were on was always audible. I felt like the audio information I received was clear, and I could quickly work out the direction they came from. That is exactly what you want in a competitive shooter.

Cloud 9 streamers sporting the open version of the EPOS C6PRO.

As for New World, the sound design of the MMORPG is phenomenal and makes the island feel alive. The H6PRO does an excellent job of helping you absorb it all. It’s a joy to hear the elements moving around you, the sound of the birds chirping, and the faint clang and pop of battles being waged in the distance. There are layers of sound constantly ebbing and flowing and the H6PRO catches them all.

Conveniently, Adele released the first single off her latest album while I was reviewing the EPOS H6PRO. If you’re looking for a voice to put a headset to the test, you couldn’t ask for better. I listened to the song with the volume cranked way up. The H6PRO delivered the high notes she hit flawlessly and then swooped into the lower ranges just as effortlessly. There wasn’t the slightest hint of the audio popping or crackling. If it can manage that, I don’t think it’ll struggle with anything audio-related. However, I do wish the maximum volume output was higher. Not that I needed it to be louder, but I suspect other people will.

The last aspect to touch on is the microphone performance. It’s always tough to review this because you need to record yourself and rely on feedback from others. In my experience, the EPOS H6PRO’s bidirectional mic was very good. It picked up my voice well even when I was talking softly. My friends on Discord all said they could turn my volume down because I was coming through louder and more clearly than before.

To buy, or not to buy

There is very little wrong with the closed EPOS H6PRO headset. My favorite feature is that it blocks out everything else to allow you to completely immerse yourself in whatever game you’re playing. The sound quality is top-notch and will feed you every bit of audio information possible. Plus, the headset looks gorgeous. It doesn’t need LEDs to let you know it’s cool — probably something it inherited from Sennheiser.

A close look at the Racing Green closed H6PRO.

However, I still find myself reluctant to recommend you spend $179 USD on it. You could shoot a little lower and get something that delivers the same audio experience. They probably wouldn’t look as good or last as long, though.

My main issue with the EPOS H6PRO headset is that it left me feeling like I could get more out of it if I just invested a little more. The headset is plug-and-play, which is convenient. But are you going for convenience when you’re spending this much? There’s no software to help you fine-tune your audio experience. However, an amp would absolutely allow you to take full advantage of the H6PRO’s audio range. But then you’ve invested over $200 USD. It’s a tough call to make.

Let me leave you with this: I will be using the H6PRO as my main headset because I know it will give me everything I need in whatever I do. And, the look of the headset always gets a positive comment when I use it on camera. If that’s what you want, then you should head this way.