The EPOS ADAPT ANC 160T USB-C is the latest entry into EPOS's line of work-from-home headphones. The brands have been working together for some time now, making headphones for both in-office and gaming use. So, when the headphones showed up at the Digit Test Centre, we spent some time with the headset, trying out its calling, and much-advertised ANC capabilities. Here’s what we found out –
Build and Design
The ADAPT 160 ANC USB-C headset has a quintessential Sennheiser design language, borrowing a lot of its design elements from the Sennheiser HD 2.30G headphones. The only addition in terms of the design that makes them different from the 2.30G is the retractable boom microphone and the in-line control. The EPOS | Sennheiser branding on the headband is also something that makes these headphones visually stand out.
The materials used in these headphones are also robust and have great build quality with the materials feeling worth the money you'll be shelling out. There’s enough room for adjustments no matter the size of your head. The firm yet comfortable clamping force and soft cushions on the ear cups made these headphones comfortable to wear during long calls and gaming sessions. Yes, we used these headphones for gaming because why not!
The cable is unbraided, which might irk some people. As for the in-line control, the housing has a two-tone finish. The trim has a glossy finish, with the rest of the body having a black matte finish. The buttons are clicky and responsive, and the dedicated ANC and mute buttons came in handy in day-to-day use.
Features
As for the features of these headphones, there’s not much to talk about, as is the case with any headphones from this class. As we primarily use Google Meet for our daily calls, we were not able to get a complete hold of the Microsoft Teams certification that has been talked about a lot by EPOS.
Regardless, the UC certification on these headsets did make them a great pair to drive using our calls. And, if some of you are still attending your school or college classes from home, then these headphones make for a great pair for the daily drive too.
The microphone is also complimented by the EPOS Voice™ technology and the in-built noise cancellation on the mic worked well too! We won’t be talking much about the microphone performance here, as that is reserved for the next section.
One thing that we’d like to warn you about before you go to buy these headphones, is that there are different connectivity options in the same series of headphones by EPOS in collaboration with Sennheiser. The one that we received was the USB-C variant. This means that the connectivity was limited to devices with USB-C. If you are looking for a more universal experience, then we’d recommend you go for the one with an AUX connection, as the last variant, which is available, is the one with USB-A, which would again limit connectivity.
Performance
When trying to weigh in the performance of these headphones, we primarily focussed on the quality of vocals reproduced by the drivers that ADAPT 160T ANC USB-C headphones come with. And, in our time with the device, we did have a hard time finding flaws.
There were some conditions, especially while gaming when we wished that these headphones had slightly enhanced mids. However, overall, during calls, when the only sound being reproduced by the drivers was of the person on the other end of the call, these headphones held their own.
Given that the sound signature of these headphones is focused on vocals, they make for a decent pair of headphones for content consumption like watching videos or movies and even listening to podcasts. When listening to music and songs, these headphones also performed well, but are of no match to the ones that are purpose-built for listening to music. And, given the positioning of these headphones, we did not expect them to do well either way.
Now, let’s talk about the microphone performance. As we had prefaced earlier, these headphones have a mic that holds its ground in most conditions. If you are in a quiet room or in a larger conference hall setting with people chatting in the background, the chances of your voice, when on calls being affected is very less.
If you don’t mind the design and decide to take these headphones out on roads, where the background noise is much higher, you might get some complaints about background noise. But, then again, that is a condition where most headphones fail to achieve perfection.
The bottom line
The bottom line when it comes to the EPOS ADAPT 160T ANC USB-C headset is that if you are looking for a pair of headsets that will serve you well in a WFH or office setting where you are taking calls almost through the day, then these should be on your list of contenders. For any other use, you should look elsewhere. If you are gaming or listening to music primarily taking calls and attending meetings, then you should be fine with these headphones.
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
