Drop has teamed up with Epos to craft an affordable yet impressive headset for gamers.
The Drop + Epos H3X bears a striking resemblance to Epos’ other headsets including the Epos H6Pro but with some subtle changes to the aesthetic. The sound has been tuned too, with a reduction in the bass and a more natural sound to improve the sound specifically for gaming. So in theory at this price, it should be a great bit of kit. We’ve been gaming with it to find out.
Drop/Epos
DROP + EPOS H3X
4/5
The Drop + Epos H3X features tuned sound for gamers, a subtle aesthetic and an affordable pricetag too.
Pros
- Very comfortable fit
- Excellent passive noise cancellation
- Good quality sound and nice and loud
- Subtle design with no RGB
- Easily detachable cables
Cons
- Mic has no side tone
- Microphone is a bit compressed
Improving on superb foundations
- Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20,000 kHz
- Impedance: 25 ohms
- Sound Pressure level / Sensitivity: 111 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 0.7 V RMS
- Cables: 6.6 ft (2 m) 3-pole PC-cable (2 x 3.5 mm with split TRS connector), 4.9 ft (1.5 m) console cable (1 x 3.5 mm TRRS connector)
When we first got our hands on the Drop + Epos H3X headset it was an immediately familiar experience, especially after having time with various Epos headsets. That’s no bad thing either as Drop has essentially worked with Epos to take an already excellent headset design and make it even better.
The H3X comes in an understated package with a carry bag, two removable 3.5mm cables and the headset itself.
The headset sports a durable-looking headband, that twists and turns easily and expands nicely too. It has large and deep ear cushions and plenty of padding both on the earpads and on the headband as well.
That was one of the things we liked the most about this headset, the comfort. It’s crafted with ear cushions that include a soft mix of materials and faux leather that works well to block out external noise while keeping you comfortable at the same time.
These are removable but we certainly don’t think you’ll need to as they’re pretty magnificent. The headband padding and the sheer adjustability of the headset should mean that it’s easy to wear for almost anyone, even those with larger heads.
This is a stereo headset and one that connects by either a single 3.5mm connection or one that’s split into microphone and headphone connections. So it’ll work with PC but also with a number of consoles too.
Drop says it has flattened the audio with this design and improved the audio clarity, accuracy and sound reproduction. Indeed we found it wasn’t as bass-rich as other gaming headsets we’ve tried lately, but it does have a wider soundscape that leads to some impressive positional audio.
It’s also impressively loud, with 40mm drivers that are more than capable for all sorts of games.
We’ve played a variety of games on PC using them and spent time watching films and listening to music too. The sound is pleasing, though obviously, you’ll need to consider Dolby Atmos or Windows Sonic Sound if you want to add in some virtual surround sound.
The cables are detachable from the headset, meaning you don’t need to worry about them snagging on things and you can also chop and change the 3.5mm connection when you need to as well.
There are a lot of things to like about this design. It’s easy to wear, has a great clamping force that’s not too tight but also won’t fly off with ease and it looks good too. There’s no RGB lighting to speak of and the H3X is fairly understated in its design, which might well appeal to many and means you can use these as headphones with ease too.
Less impressive microphone
- Frequency response: 100 Hz – 10 kHz
- Sensitivity: -39 dBV/PA
- Type: Electret condenser
- Pickup pattern: Bi-directional
Alas, at this price something has to let you down and in our mind it’s the microphone. It’s not removable but it does flip to mute with ease.
Sadly we found it a bit compressed and not terribly rich sounding, but you can only expect so much from a headset mic.
There’s no sidetone either, so you can’t easily hear yourself when talking, which is naturally a problem when you have passive noise cancellation from the earcups.
Verdict
We found the Drop + Epos H3X a pleasure to game with. The microphone might let it down, but otherwise, it’s fantastic. This is a really comfortable headset that sounds fantastic for the price. If you prefer bass in your game audio then you might want to look elsewhere, but don’t get the idea there’s no bass at all here, because there is. The game audio is brilliant and struggle to find many complaints with this one. Especially at this price.