EPOS GSX 300 - External Computer Sound Card - High-Resolution Stereo & 7.1 Surround Sound - LED Volume Dial, Customizable Smart Button - Windows 10 Synchronized - Snow Edition (1000307)

If you have a high end motherboard, you don't need this.Sound quality is marginally better on normal sound output devices. Higher end speakers/headphones/earphones may well see better improvement.The Software is easy to use but installing it and getting the device to be detected is a pain.

This is an unusual gadgetry targeted at gamers but I find this to be indispensable for anyone with an ear for details and looking for sound quality in terms of enhancement of resolution. It just crystallizes the sound source and opens up the soundstage instead of filling it with echoes which other “virtual 7.1 sound cards” do. So “sheerness” is a five star- I would give a bonus star if I could, given the price point you will only be able to get soundcards that makes everything you hear blurrier and more “echowy”.One thing I disliked is the requirement for the installation of standalone software (even if it comes with equalizer function) that just gets in the way of being an external hardware completely, which is what it appears and was marketed to be. Volume control was somewhat N/A for me as I used volume knob on my keyboard to control instead of the GSX300 knob.After having a satisfying experience with both music and games, I cannot help but recommend with some reservation that this purchase will only embolden you to buy the GSX1000, which does not require software installation on your computer to function, and gives you an extra (I think 30% more) “sheerness”.Don’t get me wrong, you won’t regret this purchase if the inconveniences I described does not apply to you. It is an unbeatable performance at this price range. I recommend you get this and spend more money on getting a proper openback headphone with a good soundstage. Just remember you are stepping into audiophile territory when you deal with openback headphones, and this sound card cannot drive anything higher than 100 ohm in impedance.

The item works and looks great. Just way smaller in my hand than I thought lol

Pros: good build quality, simple design, aesthetically pleasing on the desk, sounds quality ok for the price but warm setting on the mic is a nice touchCons: really really low volume, didn't expect that my kraken is louder without it. if that smart button can be mapped to other things it would be a plusEdit: after reinstalling the software and a bit of tuning it works as expected thus this edit change from 2 star to 4 star

It really made the sound in my EPOS H6PRO headphones. the purchase is justified and I am thrilled with it

I was really curious to know if this would work on PS5, but couldn't find any information about that, here or anywhere else. So I decided to buy it, try it, and report back.If you're interested in game audio, but turned off by Xtreme Gam3r features like RGB lights, ultra mega bass, and the promise to ruin your EQ to emphasize footsteps, the world of gaming DAC/amps rapidly shrinks. Hey, guy: not everyone is focused on competitive shooters. Some of us are over here playing Death Stranding, feeling the feels when the desolate landscape opens up at the same time as the lonely soundtrack. I was left looking at this GSX 300, and the Fulla E. The Fulla is beloved when it works, but costs more and the company has a bad rep in quality assurance. It made sense to start with the GSX 300, risking the Fulla E if this doesn't work out.It does work! Despite the Q&A section here being full of assertions from EPOS that it absolutely needs a Windows 10 PC and their special software to operate, right out of the box it is detected by the PS5 as a headphone output and a mic input. Up and running in seconds. It does seem to need the console's front USB port to power it, as the others did nothing.Sound quality is subjective, but I challenge you to compare this with the congested sound coming directly out of a controller and not be impressed. I've seen tests showing the GSX 300 delivers a genuinely flat EQ, so any tonality is really down to your headphones. I'm driving a pair of EPOS Sennheiser Game Zeros, the latest version, which I think are 50 Ohms, and getting a nice balanced sound, with a taut, clean bass that reaches low, and some bite in the mids and highs when you turn up. These phones are great at making sounds in the game world feel solid.The biggest surprise after plugging in the GSX 300 was that Sidetone mic monitoring was also working right away. If you have access to a PC, then Hallelujah: against all odds, changes you make to the Sidetone level using the EPOS Gaming Suite software are retained when you reconnect to the PlayStation. By default it's at around 30%, which is subtle but enough to avoid that screaming into the void feeling on closed-back headphones. I like it around 50%.That's about it for advanced features. The button on the front does not function when connected to a PS5. So no switching through custom EQ profiles or enabling simulated 7.1 surround. This is as I'd suspected, and suits me fine as I was really just shopping for a flat EQ and 2.0 stereo.That volume knob on the front is not a real mechanical volume pot, with a beginning and an end; it's a digital parameter wheel that spins and spins. As such, the GSX 300 forgets where you've set the volume each time you switch off the power, which is not super convenient. Luckily, it defaults to a sensible, usable level each time you switch on, probably 50%. My last gaming DAC/amp, a tiny thing from HyperX, would default to 0% volume every time, which became irritating. The GSX default volume might not be thrilling, but it's enough for casual day to day gameplay, and I can clearly hear my friends and the game's audio. If you want more, reach for the dial.While we're on volume: everyone seems to have their own requirements, but to me, with these ears and these headphones, with both the PlayStation output and the GSX cranked all the way up, it's just on the edge of being uncomfortable. Gunshots have a hard movie-theater bark, and bass develops that strong sensation of pressure. I wouldn't play like this for long. However, it won't go to crazy levels. If you like to feel like you've always got more in the tank, this may not be for you. Curiously, on both PC and Mac (yes, it works on my MacBook, too; the knob natively controls the system audio level) it's about twice as loud. I don't know why console audio is attenuated by half, but it seems we can't blame EPOS Sennheiser, as it's the same deal with my old HyperX DAC/amp. This is after the latest firmware update, which promises increased max volume.One last caveat. The blue LED around the volume control is large and bright. It seems predictable that a device like this will end up near your screen, whether that's your desktop monitor or a TV, and therefor in your field of vision. Making it as big and distracting as it is feels like an oversight. I hoped to find a control in the EPOS Gaming Suite software to lower or disable this light, as AV amps tend to allow, but no luck. I find myself facing the device away, which is a shame, as it's an otherwise lovely, simple piece of design, so much visually quieter than the usual gaudy gamer hardware. The white version compliments the PS5 nicely.