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

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.

Like everyone points out, the EPOS program is a POS. The button to toggle presets or surround/7.1 sound doesn't work 90% of the time, the program crashes and freezes all the time, and it's generally clunky to play with. HOWEVER, the soundcard itself sounds great. The only issue I've had with it is that I'm using powered speakers instead of headphones so when you turn off the computer there is feedback. Luckily my speakers have their own power button, so I just turn those off along side the computer to solve that issue. Unfortunately in my experience the card doesn't work without the application so read the reviews and just be prepared to install a very poorly made software that requires you to sign up to the EPOS newsletter just to download it after already giving them your money for the device.

Very good like new condition gives me 7.1 surround like stated

UPDATE: After two months of using the device, it has started to fail and malfunction. I tried to use the 2 year Sennheiser/EPOS warranty but for the past 10 days they have still yet to honor their 2 year warranty. DON'T BUY. No wonder Sennheiser didn't want to use their name and had to resort on EPOS. Bad company, bad practices. ----------- Before I begin, to those that dismiss this product for better alternatives. That is very true there are better alternatives and more audiophile oriented dacs. But to those that just wanted to have 7.1 surround sound without meddling with programs that can drive your headphones and headsets (range of 25-75 Ohms). This is the device for you. User friendly at its finest. Steps to enjoy 1. Plug it in 2. Install program 3. Update 4. Restart 5. Enjoy No need to learn and worry if the HeSuVi program is working properly, this device does it for you. It even has a mic configuration of which you can use Noise Cancelation (and base on my zoom meetings works wonderfully). You have a noise gate that the mic only sends the mic input in a certain threshold. Gain works well but the side tone is a different matter. I really just bought it to add 7.1 surround sound on my Sennheiser HD 599 with a mic attached to it and it went beyond my expectations. I hope they add more options, allow louder settings for both mic and headphones and maybe additional presets for specific headphones.

Picked this up with a new pair of the drop/Sennheiser PC38X and was wildly disappointed. The PC38X is not a particularly hard to drive headset but this lil guy just doesn't have enough juice. At 100% across the board it's just not loud enough. Audio quality is good enough out of the box, the software is basic but let's you change enough to dial it in, but it will always feel like you're at 70% volume. Other issues I've run into in some games is a crackling/stuttering noise which appears to be caused by the low bit rate this is limited to as plugging into my motherboard and upping the bit rate eliminates this. My Asus B450 motherboards integrated sound card outperforms the power output and is nearly right on point with the audio quality/EQ capabilities including the 7.1 audio profiles. I'd have to say pass on this unless you have an extremely dated system or need a new sound card. Otherwise most mid-tier or higher motherboards will perform better every time. Sadly I'm past the return period for this as I kept myself in denial thinking it was okay so I have a nice looking paperweight on my desk 😑

Solid build. Easy installation. Sennheiser | EPOS software is great on giving information at what each adjustments do. Great sound quality. Once you finally found the right settings, it's great. Just need your friends to help you out on setting the mic quality/sound from their end- that way your "initial" word/syllable doesn't get cut off when you start talking because of the mic "gate" ..... and that annoyance of hearing the other person's/your keyboard clicking. find the right setting so it doesn't pick up the keyboard clicking but also the right mic gate that your voice doesn't get cut off.

--------------- EDIT ---------------------- As of 03/23/2021 The device is no longer being found in the EPOS Software, the "Gaming Suite" is no longer able to provide me with EQ Settings (Which I used a lot) or enhance the Mic quality via the software (which I used a lot too and was one of the main features I wanted to get out of this device) Throughout the last few months EPOS/Sennheiser were able to fine tune this device through firmware updates and it NO LONGERS DISCONNECTS which is somehow great that they fixed that specific problem through just firmware updates. Props on that to Sennheiser/EPOS however. I can't recommend this device any further to anyone, unless there's a software update that allows for the EPOS Gaming Suite to find my device again. -------------------------------------- I got a PC7XX hooked to it, certainly looks nice on my desk. enhances the volume since this headset does need a little boost I decided to buy this USB soundboard/DAC. The EPOS software tool is "fine" but not polished and will need a lot work from the devs, the EQ features and voice modifiers are nice addition to the overall experience of using this device. The device feels good and looks good as i mentioned. As others have mentioned, it does disconnect from time to time. Which is why i gave this a 4 Stars out of 5. It looks like the Micro-USB port in the back of the device has issues keeping the thing powered on, which is why mini V8 is trash and we should all be using Type-C from now on. After opening the device, this issue however feels like it's a Quality Control issue at the factory where this is built. The overall experience you may have with this device may vary depending on how you feel about the EPOS software. And how you feel about leaving the thing alone and not moving it, since you must be very gentle with micro v8 connection in the back of the device. Others have said bad things about the volume wheel, however mine feels very nice and works flawlessly.

I use a laptop for backing tracks for my musical duo. My headphone outlet had become worn and unstable, and I had bought a couple of USB based alternative which didn’t work very well. I purchased the Epos Sound Card and was very impressed with how it worked. I particularly like the fact it has a volume dial on it, very handy! I was most impressed also with how quickly it arrived to NZ from the UK! Less than ten days!