EPOS B20 Review: Streamer's Dream

If you're new to streaming or podcasting, it can be tough to work out what you need. USB connectivity is often preferred because of its ubiquity across devices, but there are still so many choices.

EPOS (previously known as Sennheiser Gaming) may have just the thing, with its B20 specifically designed for streaming. It looks great, sounds great, and is likely to be the new first step to building your streaming setup.

Read More: Anda Seat T-PRO 2 Gaming Chair Review

Got The Look

The first thing you'll notice about the B20 is just how unassuming it is. With its included desktop stand and minimalist controls, it just kind of blends into a setup – and that's kind of the point if you want your viewers watching you and not your tech.

There's a mute button and volume for headphones on one side, with gain control and the option to switch between pickup patterns on the other (more on those shortly). On the base, there's a headphone jack and a USB-C charging port.

Keep It Clean

As you'd imagine from a USB mic, setup is simple - plug in, and go. While we didn't test the B20 on a console, on PC the B20 uses EPOS Gaming Suite as its software.

As you'd imagine, this means you can tweak your voice and settings, and the direct monitoring from headphones was invaluable. When it came to actually playing online, though, I connected my wireless headset (sans mic), set the B20's gain to a reasonable level, and actually had it positioned a little way away from me – and it worked perfectly after some tweaking.

That tweaking was primarily required because the B20 is very sensitive to all noise, not necessarily the ones you want it to hear.

That can be improved with the various pickup patterns, but it's something to keep in mind. The B20 supports Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Stereo and Bidirectional recording, meaning it's equally adept at recording two sides of a conversation for a podcast, for example.

I'm Blue

Prior to using the B20, I'd been using Blue's Yeti X for my recording needs. Blue has made a name for itself in the podcast and streaming world, and for good reason – it's solid, dependable, and offers great software for the price.

While Blue's effort certainly feels a little more powerful in terms of its software, it would be fair to say that the B20 is a better-looking and smaller device, and perhaps a little more flexible, too – it can be mounted on any standard mic stand, which for someone with more than a few of those lying around, gives more than just the standard desk-based position.

Verdict

EPOS' first gaming mic is a very solid effort, and while it offers an excellent foray into the world of streaming and content creation, it can't quite dethrone Blue's Yeti X for more general-purpose usage.

Still, if you're looking to share your personality with the world, its combination of flexible positioning, sleek appearance and excellent audio quality make it an easy recommendation.

4/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer