EPOS | Sennheiser ADAPT 560 Bluetooth headset review

EPOS is a relatively new name on the audio scene. Established in 2019, the EPOS brand encompasses the enterprise and gaming segments of Sennheiser Communications, previously responsible for headsets like the Sennheiser GSP 370.

Sennheiser spent two decades producing high-end audio equipment for both home and office environments, and now EPOS is doing the same. The EPOS | Sennheiser ADAPT 560 Bluetooth headset occupies the enterprise bucket, promising clear and reliable call audio for folks who spend a lot of time in online meetings, video conferences and voice chat with clients, customers and colleagues.

For all its pedigree, however, the ADAPT 560 fails to deliver value worthy of its hefty price tag.

Design

Design

• Light and compact design is great for working on the go
• Soft ear cushions maintain comfort for all-day use
• On-ear design is less stable than over-ear headsets

• Read more about the ADAPT 560's design

  EPOS makes a good first impression with the ADAPT 560. The headset's simple grey design aligns with the austere aesthetic of many office environments. Its slim headband and compact ear cups give it a low profile that stays out of the way when you're on the go, whether the headset is sitting on your ears or resting around your neck.

  Portability is a key part of EPOS's pitch for the ADAPT 560. At just 229g, it's light enough to wear all day without discomfort. The attached boom mic slides away neatly alongside the right ear cup when not in use, muting itself in the process. When it's time to pack up, you can fold the ear cups inwards for convenient storage in the included carry case.

  To maintain its compact footprint, the ADAPT 560 features an on-ear design rather than the more-common over-ear format. I'm not the biggest fan of on-ear headsets, as I find that they lack the stability and noise isolation afforded by fully-enclosed ear cups. The ADAPT 560 didn't change my opinion. Multiple times during my testing, the headset slipped off my ears as I moved my head, even when those movements were slow and gentle.

  On the plus side, the ear cushions themselves are soft and cool, even after extended periods of use. So too is the padded headband, which you can adjust to accommodate a wide variety of head sizes.

Performance

Performance

• Mediocre audio quality doesn't live up to the hefty price tag
• Mic quality, on the other hand, is excellent
• Active noise cancellation is lacklustre at best

• Read more about the ADAPT 560's performance

  With its $480 price tag and the pedigree of Sennheiser behind it, the ADAPT 560 should be a fantastic-sounding headset. It is not. Audio quality is mediocre at best, a fact that becomes immediately apparent when playing music. Bass notes are weak and ephemeral, while higher frequencies sound muddy and muted. It's quite damning when you can get much better audio quality from budget headsets that come at a fraction of the ADAPT 560's price.

  That said, EPOS positions the ADAPT 560 as a productivity headset for making and receiving calls, and it meets this intent competently enough. Voices come through sufficiently clear, though again, the quality is nothing to write home about.

  Volume is another area where the ADAPT 560 stumbles. Even at 100%, the audio is remarkably quiet. This is a conscious design decision, a consequence of EPOS' ActiveGard technology that protects against potential hearing damage. ActiveGard limits audio output to 108dB so as to minimise the impact of loud sounds. As a result, it feels markedly quieter than many competing headsets.

  This could have been offset somewhat by the headset's active noise cancellation (ANC) feature, but that too is lacklustre. With ANC turned on, there's a constant buzzing noise in the background, audible even when other audio is playing. Worse, the ANC does little to block out ambient noise. I could still hear my TV and background noises from outside just as clearly with ANC on as with it off.

  It's not all bad news, though. The ADAPT 560's boom mic is excellent, capturing my voice clean and clear despite the sizeable distance between the mic and my mouth. Mic sensitivity is equally impressive, picking up whispers as well as handling loud shouts without peaking.

  A solid battery life helps the ADAPT 560 deliver on its promise of on-the-go productivity. EPOS rates the headset for up to 46 hours with ANC off, or 24 hours with it on. This tracks with my testing, where I easily achieved over 40 hours off a single charge with ANC disabled for the majority of that time.

Features

Features

• On-ear controls let you manage calls quickly and easily, even when you're on the move
• Support for simultaneous device connections is a boon for multi-taskers
• Lack of software-level customisation is an odd omission

• Read more about the ADAPT 560's features

  If there's one aspect of the ADAPT 560 that could justify its premium price, it's the versatility afforded by its communication features.

  You have two options for wirelessly syncing the ADAPT 560 with a device: over a standard Bluetooth connection or using the included USB dongle. Both support the Bluetooth 5.0 standard. The headset can remember up to eight paired devices at a time, with the ability to connect to two simultaneously. You could, for instance, be connected to your phone for standard calls as well as your PC for Internet calls through services like Skype and Microsoft Teams.

  This is where the call management features of the ADAPT 560 come into play. If a call comes in from one device when you're already in an active call on the other, you can use the "Hook" button on the right ear cup to accept the new call and put the current call on hold, accept the new call and end the current call or simply reject the incoming call. You can also jump between an active call and a held one with a couple taps of the button.

  Folks who use Microsoft Teams can benefit from a few extra features when connected to a device using the included USB Bluetooth dongle. Not only is the ADAPT 560 certified for use with Microsoft Teams, but the USB dongle will pulse purple if you have unseen Microsoft Teams notifications such as a missed call or a meeting invite. Tapping the Hook button brings these notifications up on screen so you can see them in more detail.

  Beyond the Hook button, the ADAPT 560 sports three other on-ear controls: a power/mute button, a settings button and a multi-function button. The power/mute button should be pretty self-explanatory, whereas the settings button lets you toggle ANC, check the current battery level, enable or disable voice prompts and activate TalkThrough. The latter feature pauses audio playback and ANC so you can hear people around you without taking the headset off. Last but not least, the multi-function button controls volume and audio playback while listening to music.

  Curiously, the above features can only be adjusted using the on-ear controls. Even if you have the EPOS Connect app loaded onto your PC, the only options you can tweak there relate to default audio devices and other operating system settings.

Should you buy the EPOS | Sennheiser ADAPT 560?

It's hard to recommend the EPOS | Sennheiser ADAPT 560 Bluetooth headset. Crisp mic audio and handy on-ear call controls struggle to offset its middling sound quality, feeble noise cancellation and steep price tag.

There are plenty of cheaper headsets out there that offer superior features and performance, both in the enterprise arena and the gaming headset space.

Pricing and availability

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Specifications

Finder score: 2.5

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