When I first laid eyes on the GTW 270 Hybrid earbuds from EPOS, I suspected I would be in for a good experience. After all, I already own and use a pair of the company’s over-ear gaming headphones. And no matter how many different pairs of headphones I try, I keep going back to those from EPOS because, well, they’re just that good.
Suffice it to say I had high expectations from EPOS for the GTW 270 Hybrid. And I think they will do a really good job at defying other people’s expectations of how good (or not good depending on your outlook) true wireless earbuds can be for gaming. Even though they’re true wireless earbuds, they still have the capacity to put out some truly amazing sound. There are multiple reasons for that of course. But there are some factors that play a more significant role than others.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid are versatile, which is one of their greatest assets
One of the reasons these earbuds are as good as they are is because they offer some nice versatility. Thanks to the inclusion of the aptX low-latency USB-C dongle. With this, you can easily connect the earbuds to any device that can output audio as long as it has a USB-C port.
This means you can use it for games on the PS5 just as easily as you can on your smartphone and/or Nintendo Switch. You could even use it on laptops and desktop PCs if they have the USB-C port as well.
Let’s not forget that these are a hybrid pair of earbuds and that part of the name does mean something. They connect through Bluetooth. Giving them even more compatibility. For my own personal use, I would flip these back and forth between the PS5 and my smartphone, both of which have USB-C ports. But had I wanted to connect through Bluetooth, which I had done on occasion, I could.
This ease of use is one of the best parts about these earbuds. Sure, they sound amazing. But initially the very first thing that I found myself falling in love with is that I could so easily transition from one gaming platform to the other. And with less effort than any other pair of headphones or earbuds that I own or have tried.
That’s a feature that shouldn’t be overlooked. And is very likely to be a major selling point for many consumers.
You’ll have to connect using Bluetooth if you want voice chat features
These days, games deliver exceptional multiplayer experiences and a big part of that is having the ability to communicate with your teammates.
Whether it’s for pure fun or you’re trying to be more strategic, voice chat is an important, and fun feature to have. You can use these for voice chat. However you’ll have to connect these through Bluetooth if you want to use it. Because the mics won’t work for chat when the earbuds are connected through the USB-C dongle.
This is a tiny setback on some levels. It means I can never use these for voice chat when playing on the PS5. The platform I routinely like to use these with. However, you can still use these for voice chat on devices that except a Bluetooth connection. Which means your smartphone, or computers.
This isn’t a deal breaker, but it is still a slight letdown since I’ve been playing more games with voice chat on the PS5 these days. If this doesn’t bother you at all, or if you never really planned to use voice chat anyway, then there’s likely very little you won’t love about the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid.
Having said all that, the voice chat quality is more than fine when you can use it. I would still opt for my EPOS GSP 670 headphones where I have the option. But these do just fine when the situation calls for it. Like say, when the battery on those headphones need a recharge.
The EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid are quite comfortable over long periods of time
Comfort with true wireless earbuds is hit or miss. Not all are created equal when it comes to design. Which makes some earbuds very uncomfortable after only an hour.
I don’t think that’s the case with the GTW 270 Hybrid. With a battery life of up to 5 hours on a single charge, I can wear these for the entire 5 hours while playing games and not get uncomfortable. While that won’t be the same for everyone, it’s a good bet that it will be the same for many people who try these.
And comfort over a long period of time is almost as important as how these sound. Because it won’t matter how good the audio quality is if you can’t wear them long enough to enjoy it.
I can proudly say that the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid are comfortable enough to enjoy the audio quality until the batteries are dead. Allowing you to get the full use out of them.
There is one more downside and that’s volume control
I mostly loved everything about these earbuds but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. If there’s anything that’s a downside to the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid, it’s the lack of volume controls.
There is absolutely no way to adjust volume on what you’re listening to from the earbuds themselves. Again this is something that is minor and isn’t a deal breaker. But it would still be something that would be nice to have.
Because you can’t adjust the volume of audio from the earbuds, you’re forced to adjust it from the source. This is less of an issue with phones. Because it’s easy enough to reach into your pocket and touch the volume keys on the phone itself. Where I found it to be a little bit more of a hassle was when using these with the PS5.
To keep myself immersed in my games as much as possible, I found that I had to find a sweet spot for the volume before I really began playing. On the PS5, this requires hitting the PS button on the DualSense controller to bring up the quick menu, then navigating over to the sound icon.
While not a major hassle, a volume button or touch controls for volume adjustment would have gone a long way here. That being said, I imagine touch controls would have had the potential to lessen the battery life. And EPOS clearly wanted to have only a single button on these earbuds, which adding a volume button would have taken away from.
Lots of little touches add to the overall quality and experience
The big features make up the majority of why these are so good. But EPOS has added lots of little touches that do nothing but enhance the experience.
For example, the charging case has little blue LEDs on the front that act as a charging indicator. These are both pleasing to look at and deliver a useful function. The charging case also uses USB-C. Which means they’ll charge up faster than if they used micro USB.
You get extra ear tips in the box to fit varying different ear sizes. And both the earbuds and the case come in a very sleek gunmetal color which goes with just about anything, which is great. That is if you care about the color of your tech accessories.
Sound quality that won’t be easy to top
It would be a little too bold to say these are the end-all-be-all for gaming earbuds or headphones. But, they are very good. So good that they won’t be easy to top in terms of sound quality and overall experience.
EPOS knows gaming audio and knows it well. And it has continually proven that it can deliver on a top-notch pair of audio peripherals. The same is true here with the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid. While they can’t have as large of drivers as over-ear headphones, nor as long of battery life of wireless over-ear headphones, the experience of using these for gaming is still excellent.
The noise isolation keeps distractions away so you can focus on the sounds of your game. Which I found helped me really get into the game I was playing. While not quite spatial or surround sound, audio did always feel somewhat directional and this made audio sources in the game feel more alive and ever-present.
This isn’t something that has the same level of value in every game. But for some RPG titles, MMOs, shooters, or any game where the audio of the surrounding environment plays a larger role in the overall experience, it’s a big deal. And EPOS has definitely nailed this aspect.
Should I buy the EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid?
As stated the earbuds do have a couple of drawbacks, but there are few users who these wouldn’t work for. If you don’t play games, at all, then there is probably a better pair of true wireless earbuds out there for you.
Although, these do still provide an wonderful experience for music and videos. If you do play games though, these are excellent. About the only gamer who these wouldn’t benefit as much is the one that needs or wants voice chat capabilities and the low-latency audio.
In such a case, something like the SteelSeries Arctis 1 might be a better option. As these also have a USB-C dongle for low-latency audio, but they also let you use voice chat while connecting through it. Aside from the voice chat feature, these are nearly the perfect audio solution for gamers.
They provide extreme portability, while delivering immersive and clear sound in games for consoles like the PS5 and numerous other devices. In short, if you’re not hung up on the lack of voice chat while using the aptX low-latency connection, consider buying these earbuds.
Because they rival, if not surpass, the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro which we absolutely loved. And that’s not an easy accomplishment.