Product Reviewed: GTW 270 Hybrid Wireless Earbuds
Manufacturer: EPOS
Version Reviewed: GTW 270 Hybrid with USB-C dongle
Retail Price: £179

As with anything, the right audio can improve a person’s experience with a film, song, or video game, ten-fold. The subtle and not so subtle audio cues help us, the listener, to know what we should be feeling in the moment, how we should feel it and as a result, memorable moments are created.

It’s because of this, companies like EPOS exist, audio and video solution companies that are in the business of developing products such as headsets and earbuds, to help deliver high-end audio experiences and with a new product so close to release, we were recently sent the GTW 270 Hybrid and with this new product being revealed to the world, we’re on hand to share our full thoughts on them.

Appearance and Features:

When appearance is everything, the actual earbuds themselves look glamourous in their own right and have been extensively designed to that extent that EPOS’s parent company Demant, scanned 800,000 ears just to ensure the earbuds sit comfortably in every ear that wears them.

They’re also well-made thanks to acoustic seals that help to deliver perfect in-ear acoustics, whilst also providing protection from light rains and sweat what with IPX 3 water resistance and because one size doesn’t fit all, there are even varied rubberized ear tips available, which can be swapped out rather effortlessly.

Still, it’s not just the earbuds themselves that are fashionable in their appearance, as even the whole packaging is rather fanciful. From the product’s box to how everything is laid out and presented, there is a lot to visually enjoy when opening up your brand new GTW 270 Hybrid wireless earbuds.

When examining everything, be sure to take some time to check out the supplied carrying case. Although it looks like matte black, it’s gunmetal silver in color and provides a safe place of refuge for storing your earbuds when not using them and when you wish to charge them, the earbuds and carrying case employ magnets, which are very useful for making sure the earbuds are stored away correctly.

It is worth noting that while the GTW 270 and GTW 270 Hybrid are solely for mobile gaming, they can, in fact, be used for console and PC gaming as well. Of the cables supported, depending on which version of the GTW 270 Hybrid you go for, the one that comes with the USB-c dongle that enables Bluetooth connectivity to your Nintendo Switch and has a suggested retail price of £179 or the £149 version (simply titled GTW 270) that comes without the dongle. In the more expensive set, one cable is for charging the carry box and the other is for connecting the USB-c dongle to your PC or PlayStation. 

There are also three informative manuals, a small protective sleeve for the dongle to sit in and 3 additional sizes of the interchangeable earbuds, in addition to the earbuds, carry case, and version dependant, the dongle I mentioned earlier.

Charging and Battery Time:

For such an expensive product, it should please consumers to know that the earbuds require only 90 minutes to charge and can hold said charge for up to 5 hours, however, thanks to the handy carrying case that doubles as a charging unit, an additional 20 hours of charge can also be obtained.

Connecting to your Switch and mobile devices:

Be it connecting to your Nintendo Switch or your mobile device, the process is relatively simple. With the Switch in handheld mode, it’s simply a case of inserting the dongle into the Switch via the USB-c connection and syncing the earbuds via the carrying case.

When the Switch is docked, however, consumers need only to connect the dongle into the USB-c to USB adapter cable and connect it into the Switch dock, whereas with mobile devices such as a Samsung S7 and S10, it’s a case of turning Bluetooth on your mobile devices, scanning and then connecting to the earbuds and away you go.

Performance:

The audio quality, as far as the GTW 270 Hybrid wireless earbuds are concerned, can be considered a bit of a mixed bag. When listening to music or playing video games, the sound quality is incredible and really immersive, but just because they can also be used for phone calls, it doesn’t mean they should be.

During regular calls, Messenger calls and even WhatsApp, while I could hear the other person effortlessly, it was not the same for those on the other side of the line. To them, the microphone quality could do with being better, so as to ensure I came in clearer, but on the plus side, there is quite a range to the Bluetooth function that even when I was on one side of my house, having left my phone in the opposite side, the quality of sound was never affected.

As a final note, in terms of comfort, they are pretty nifty to wear in the ear and to date, are the most comfortable thing I have personally adorned. I have always been funny with things like earpieces and earbuds, often finding them to be uncomfortable and intrusive, but I found the GTW 270 Hybrid earbuds to be a lot more forgiving.

CONCLUSION: 

From headsets to earbuds, EPOS certainly know what they’re doing. Sure, the mic quality for voice chats can do with some fine-tuning, but sound quality when listening to games and music, is almost second to none and can really help enrich one’s gaming experience. Five minutes with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition was all I needed to really feel it. By no means are the GTW 270 Hybrid wireless earbuds the cheapest available on the market, but nor are they the most expensive either, but they certainly do live up to everything they promise.

 

THE VERDICT:

Pleasant

 

*Products were provided by EPOS for the purposes of this review

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