EPOS is known more in boardroom rather than the gamer’s rig. But in this particular test the I tried out worked in the classroom, the boardroom and the gamer’s room.
EPOS is well-known for premium audio peripherals. It is a brand borne out of an marriage between
I use the Sennheiser GSP670, a two year old device, with the headset foams replaced twice but still delivered about 10 hours of talk time and crystal clear audio even if I am in the dining table about 8 meters away from my desktop. The 670 is badged only as a EPOS-Sennheiser but is one of the first devices that transitioned into the EPOS family as a solo when the German audio maker Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG announced the end of the joint venture with Demant A/S, mothership of EPOS. So, Sennheiser continued with consumer audio products and EPOS focused on enterprise solutions and gaming headsets.
The EPOS EXPAND SP30T is one of the first devices produced by the independent venture–which by the way continued to share technologies which means crisp sounds and extremely dependable wireless connections.
Before it reached my desk, my dad, a university professor used the SP30T for this classes for two weeks–one class with an experimental “standing up” teaching with a real whiteboard and a wireless camera. It was difficult execution because a wireless headset was actually an obstacle due to signal losses. Using the SP30T however allowed the stand-up class because of its performance as a conference speaker for up to eight people. (His classes are rigid and small–maximum eight people–mostly because of the way the pandemic cut down classes.)
In this role, the SP30T showed excellent connectivity abilities and voice clarity, a superb noise-canceling microphone supported by highly advanced DSP algorithms which meant no roosters crowing from the distance–it came out as inaudible peeps if you listened closely enough. The ultra-low distortion speaker made sure that during recitation, every word was heard properly.
The second week involved sixteen–yes one and six–online meeting and webinars all delivered on the conference table via the EPOS. Four meetings were done on Microsoft Teams. Luckily, the speaker comes with a dedicated button to trigger Microsoft Teams. There are two conferences actually used EPOS equipment on the other side too, so that was very satisfying. A particular conference with the International Association of Privacy Practitioners (IAPP) hinted on the GDPR rules–something called the EU Declaration of Conformity for Bluetooth speakers, and guess what, the EPOS had that too!
The device has a very premium feel to it. Not as matt-finished as a Sennheiser but with just enough shiny and textured surfaces. It can be grasped well and is on the heavy side. At 11.8 ounces it does not feel airy or plasticky at all. As soon as you hold it, it is apparent how well the product is built. The top facia is a plastic and metal mesh that has a rather hypnotic pattern and around it are soft-touch buttons along with dedicated keys for volume control.
Under the device is coiled a cable with a USB Type-C port. It has a Type-C to Type-A adapter to connect to most devices. The Bluetooth dongle is hefty even if tiny and hides nicely in its own slot. Pairing on all devices is almost instant and seamless. Operating systems from Android, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, and macOS can be done easily without requiring additional software.
This device is quite pricey at P15,000 but everything about it is premium worthy of the tall price tag.
I used the EPOS SP30T in the last three weeks for gaming and for music, discovering a liberation from the headset. I even watched three seasons of “Manifest” using the device with an Epson projector beaming onto the ceiling. This third and fourth uses officially proves its versatility. The fact that it has about 25 meters of wireless range meant projector, computer and speaker were far enough from each other to provide for a tatami mat.
The built-in NFC also helps to easily detect and connect with smartphones.
Battery life is truly amazing. Be reminded that 10 episodes on Netflix is the equivalent to about 15 hours–which is just one hour short of the 16 hours talk time the product brochure claims. Without using the battery for chatting the listening time is about 30 to 36 full hours. So I ran the speaker until the battery died down and it only required about 4 hours to get a full charge.
For this review, I will give the EPOS SP30T a four and a half from a full 5-star rating, if we do have such a rating system here. On one hand, audio output quality is tops, except that the bass is not full enough for music or for the loud booms of action movies. But it wasn’t built for that. On the other hand, for voice management both on the input and output sides, I give it the full five stars.
Fellow reviewers also give the same ratings with the lack of bass as its perceived downside (though it wasn’t built for music at all). My brother rated the connectivity five stars because it allowed him to literally move his music around his condo with no distortion.
This is not just a Bluetooth speaker that is mainly designed for the conference table because of features like the MS Teams trigger, a mute button, and multiple connectivity options. But let that not stop its use elsewhere. My experience with it is so far awesome. –-with G. Bautista, R. Tribdino
