EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid

EPOS's GTW 270 Hybrid are for gamers that want to carry around a premium gaming audio experience in their pocket. For $199, you get a premium gaming headset experience in an earbud that can connect to anything.

If you’re looking for a pair of wireless earbuds that can fit every element of your life, the EPOS GTW 270 is a solid option. You can head out for a morning run with them via Bluetooth before settling in for a serious gaming session. Just beware you'll lack a microphone for multiplayer sessions and that you'll be popping them back into the case after 5 hours.

The plucky little EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid Earbuds are well-made, versatile, and ideal for gamers that like to pack up their hardware and take it with them on-the-go. For the more serious and stationary gamer, though, a lack of chat support is going to be a thorn in your side.

While they sound great and get decent battery life, the Epos GTW 270 isn’t really a viable alternative to a gaming headset. Since you can’t use its microphone in low-latency mode, multiplayer gaming is effectively out of the question on some platforms, and requires a workaround elsewhere. At $199, more expensive than some of our favorite gaming headsets, these “gaming” earbuds make more sense as a pair of non-gaming headphones that can serve as a better-than-average backup when you need it.

Whatever combination of consoles, computers, and phones you use for your gaming, these hybrid gaming earbuds will effortlessly swap between them, perfectly capturing your symphonic soundtracks, explosions, and directional audio.

The EPOS GTS 270 Hybrid earbuds are a great alternative to standard over-ear gaming headsets, with impressive audio performance and a comfortable design, but the lack of mic support when using low-latency audio could be a dealbreaker for some.

The GTW 270 Hybrid would be very close to ideal if the microphones worked while connected using the USB-C dongle. Alas, they don’t, so using the dongle will be next to useless for those who frequently play multiplayer games with friends. (It’s a slightly different story if you play lots of single-player games and don’t mind not having a microphone for gaming.) Since the earbuds are not all that useful for gaming without the dongle, that means you’re making a big compromise, and it’s one that none of the best gaming headsets I’ve tested (most of which are cheaper than this) ask you to make. It’s your choice.