You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/epos-h3-gaming-headset.1811/

Taking the H3 headset out of the box for the first time, I felt incredibly conflicted. They’re light. Really light. Before even trying them on, I threw them onto the kitchen scales to see them weigh in at just 274g. The body of the headset is a white plastic with a metal band lying within. It looks cheap. With the weight, you wouldn’t be wrong to say it feels cheap. These are preconceptions you have to get past if you want to experience what this headset has to offer, because to be blunt, this is the comfiest headset I’ve used in recent years. Maybe ever.

There are a few parts that play into this. You have the weight of the headset as I’ve already mentioned, but you also have the headband and unique earcups. Looking at the weight first, you can appreciate exactly why a plastic body was used. I barely feel them when in use, and in the month I’ve owned them, they’ve been used extensively. Up to eight hours a day since they’ve been my go-to headset for working from home. The lightweight nature of the headset is supported brilliantly by the memory foam cushioning on the headband. Memory foam is somewhat self-explanatory, and you can probably see the extent of the peanut head that sits atop my shoulders that I’ve mentioned in other headphone reviews. It’s comfy, it’s light, and it’s thick enough that there’s never any contact between my head and the band lurking beneath.

The real stars of this show are the earcups though. Featuring an oval shape to better fit the shape of your ears, they block out sound in a way as to match and perhaps outperform the only real noise cancelling I’ve had the pleasure of trying in the Bose QuietComfort earbuds. I don’t want to mislead people here, there’s no active noise cancelling on offer, the fit is just so perfect that little sound manages to make its way in. My only complaint is that I’ve missed more than a few doorbells while working because of this.

Of course, comfort is only one part of the equation. No amount of comfort can save a poor sound. Fortunately, this isn’t an issue here. Despite there being no fancy bells or whistles, the H3 perform admirably in their intended use case. Game audio is clear and sounds as it should, with a rocker on the right earcup to adjust volume on the fly.

Where some may feel somewhat let down however is in the odd choice of cable to connect the headset. To give due credit, the cables provided are of great quality. They’re braided and you get one for your single-jack devices like phones and consoles, and another for your PCs where you need a separate jack for your input and output. If you happen to misplace the one you need though, you’re stuck looking for it, instead of just being able to reach for one of many standard cables you may have lying around.

The microphone is a large part of the H3, quite literally. A bulky offshoot of the left earcup, the headset features a non-detachable microphone for your gaming convenience. Being attached to the headset it features auto-mute functionality when moved to the upright position, but whether this is enough to balance the non-replaceable nature of it will vary from person to person. The bulk and overall look of it also goes a long way in detracting from the headset’s usability as a normal set of headphones, for those of us looking for an all in one solution.

Small gripes aside though, I did appreciate the microphone a lot. Using this as my primary working from home headset as previously mentioned, the muting functionality has been great for me in meetings, and the quality is more than adequate for Microsoft Teams or calls to friends. If you want a clearer idea of what it sounds like, you can check out my recent GPD Win 3 coverage where I used the headset to record my voice clips.

All in all, the EPOS H3 is a headset I didn’t expect to like half as much as I did. Though my first impressions left me underwhelmed, its comfort and build quality won me over. Lightweight and easy to wear for long durations, this has become my most used headset by far, and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. I cannot recommend it enough.

You can find this review in full at GBAtemp.net:
https://gbatemp.net/review/lucidsound-ls50x-wireless-headphones.1799/

Fairly new to the gaming accessory business, LucidSound entered the gaming peripheral space in 2016 as a small team of game industry veterans wanting to make their mark. Acquired by PowerA in 2020, they’ve released a series of headsets targeting different systems. Up for review today is their Xbox-centric flagship, the LS50X.

On the surface, the LS50X is a wireless headset that’ll work on modern Xbox consoles with no mess and no frills, but when you look a bit deeper, you’ll see there’s a fair bit more to it. Out of the box, you begin to get a feel for LucidSound’s overall aesthetic choice. At a glance, I wouldn’t assume the headset to be specifically gaming oriented. Rather a stylish high end generalist product, garnished with a sewn headband and cool metal frame. Everything about this headset screams premium, and at its $249.99 price point, it’s a good thing it does.

Each earcup is designed with a layer of cooling gel and memory foam to make them as comfortable as possible through long play sessions. Even wearing glasses I’ve found them quite comfortable, my only real want being a bit more cushioning on the headband for the peanut-headed like myself. The earcups detaching incredibly easily, you’ll also have no problems should a pet sink their claws into them, or if they just happen to need replacing down the line. Looking to the outer side of the earcups, you can find two sets of volume controls, one on each cup. Controlling these was a bit of a learning curve for me, but it was worth it in the end.

The headset features two modes: gaming mode and Bluetooth mode. Gaming mode connects to the USB dongle for low latency gaming goodness, while Bluetooth mode will connect to, as the name might suggest, any Bluetooth device you have handy. One of my favourite things about this headset is the fact it can simultaneously connect to its dongle and a Bluetooth device, with the active mode affecting which device you’re interacting with using the earcup controls. Using this with the Xbox, it would also allow you to connect to your phone or PC to use something like Discord to talk while still being able to hear the game audio.

It’s about this point I’ll say I don’t actually have an Xbox, though I’ve still been able to make great use of the headset thanks to the USB dongle being detected as an Xbox controller on Windows. Through this, you’re able to select it as an audio output and input device as normal. I mention this here because if you’re not actually using an Xbox, the controls on the right earcup don’t really do much in gaming mode. Usually allowing you to mix the game audio and voice chat to your liking, I haven’t found it to make any difference running on Windows, this something you can easily do by playing with sound settings anyway. You can still press the button on the right earcup to mute the microphone though. In Bluetooth mode, the right wheel allows you to move to the previous and next track.

The left cup houses the same wheel and button, the wheel this time controlling volume. Holding down the button will let you switch between gaming and Bluetooth mode, with the volume wheel affecting the device of its respective mode. Using this, I was able to tweak the audio balance of the music I was listening to via Bluetooth mode, and the game audio I had from my PC in gaming mode. It’s all seamless once you know how it works. Tapping the button in gaming mode will also mute all audio, while tapping it in Bluetooth mode is your traditional play/pause button.

For how few components there are, you have plenty of control to be working with. As previously mentioned, this did take me a short while to fully get accustomed to, but in the end it was definitely worth the effort. 

Looking to the audio quality, it just sounds right. No matter the game I put against these, the audio comes through exactly as it should. It doesn’t have the frills or enhancements I came to love with Creative’s SXFI features, but it doesn’t feel lacklustre either. The microphone is also clear and incredibly easy to detach and put elsewhere should you want to take the headset on the go. With up to 20 hours of battery life in gaming mode, and going beyond that if sticking with Bluetooth devices, it really is a headset for every occasion.

Having said that, is it worth the £249.99 LucidSound are asking? Maybe. For people like myself without an Xbox, there are far more competitive offerings at a similar price point, and while this does work brilliantly with Windows, you’ll find there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well. If you are in the market for a great headset for your Xbox and beyond though, and have a decent budget, they’re definitely one to consider. With a slimmer market of compatibility and quality, the hefty price is at least a little easier to justify, and the premium product will make sure you don’t regret it.