With a rich history working with Sennheiser for gaming audio, Epos has developed some great-sounding headsets but is now branching out into some other audio products with the B20 streaming microphone. With a sleek modern design, built-in audio out, and plenty of physical controls, the B20 seems to be a great choice for creators and streamers, but at $200, how does it perform? Be sure to hit the video below to check out all the details.
What’s in the box
Getting the B20 out of the box, Epos keeps things pretty simple for contents, but includes a USB-C to USB-A cable, some literature, a circular desktop stand for the mic, and a screw to attach the microphone to the stand.
Epos B20: design
Epos has given the B20 a very modern look. Dark colors with beveled edges and clean lines make the mic look sleek. There is a large logo on the right side of the microphone, a small logo on top, and physical controls on the front and back.
One thing that sets the B20 apart from many other streaming microphones is the mounting arm. It’s to the side of the mic body but still allows the mic to rotate upwards or downwards. It gives the mic a unique look but, I have to admit, it confused me at first.
On the front of the microphone, there is a mic mute button with a small LED status light above it, and a volume dial for the built-in audio output. A USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio out round out the bottom while a gain dial and a polar pattern selector sit on the back of the microphone.
While the included stand works well to keep the Epos B20 positioned on a desktop, it’s also easy to mount the mic on a cheap microphone arm like the one we’ve reviewed from Amazon. This makes it even easier to get the B20 in the best position for your setup.
Epos B20: video
Features
At this price point, it’s good to see that the B20 is more multipurpose, thanks to the four selectable polar patterns. Cardioid, omnidirectional, stereo, and bidirectional make it versatile for different types of content. Recording a podcast with multiple people? Flip it to omni and capture the whole room. Just a two-way convo, set it to bidirectional, and sit on either side of the mic. Streaming? Click it over to cardioid so it focuses on what’s only right in front of it.
How does the Epos B20 sound?
Right out of the box, the B20 sounds great. It’s natural with some good presence but not too much low or harsh highs. It does a decent job of keeping desk impacts down as well. From my testing, it seems to keep down plosives as well with the simple grill. You can pick up an extra pop filter for pretty cheap if you need more. One is even included with that cheap microphone stand.
Epos gaming suite
If you want to tweak the sound of the mic, you can download and boot up the Epos Gaming Suite. In the app, there are plenty of mic adjustments. You can change the EQ, add side tone, turn up a noise gate and increase noise cancellation to enhance the sound of your microphone.
The only downside with the Epos Gaming Suite is that the B20 must be set as the default device in your sound settings for it to even show up in the app and make tweaks. Even if you make adjustments and then select a different audio out, the microphone won’t keep the changes you made and will revert to a default sound. Thankfully the microphone sounds great, but I would much rather the mic be able to keep and make changes when not set as the default sound device.
Competition
As good as the Epos B20 is, it’s up against some stiff competition at that price point. With the Blue Yeti X coming in at $170 and the HyperX QuadCast S at $160, there are other great options out there. Be sure to watch the video to hear how the three compare.
If tweaking your audio is a big deal for your setup, then the Blue Yeti X might be worth a look, thanks to the Blue Voice software.
9to5Toys’ Take
It’s great to see Epos expanding their products even more. They delivered a great-sounding headset with the H3 and nailed the look and sound of the Epos B20 as well. At $200 there are plenty of more affordable microphones, but if you’re a fan of Epos then the modern looks, physical controls, and good sound make it a great microphone.
Buy Epos B20
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