Introduction
A few years ago I had the opportunity to review the Sennheiser PXC 550. Nowadays a new variant has arisen, the EPOS, full name EPOS Sennheiser ADAPT 660 AMC. Is this one as good as the previous one?
After the last review of the EPOS Sennheiser ADAPT 563 II it is time to check the ADAPT 660.
Specifications
Let’s kick it off with the specs.
The key features of the ADAPT 660 AMC are as follows:
Switch effortlessly between your favorite devices
Enjoy multipoint connectivity via Bluetooth® to mobile and softphone simultaneously. BTD 800 USB or USB-C dongle connects to your PC.
Dedicated button for Microsoft Teams
One press launches Microsoft Teams on PC via the USB dongle
Stay in touch with your surroundings
Talk Through technology for listening to colleagues without removing the headset
Enhanced call quality
With advanced sidetone algorithms that remove background noise and improve your call experience
Benefit from 30 hours of battery life
Reliable performance wherever and however you work
Designed for mobile workers
Fold flat design with rotating ear cups to switch on and off
Simply swipe and tap
Features a touch pad for easy, efficient call and media control
Convenient charging and headset storage
All charging and wired connectivity accessories come in a handy headset carry case
Enjoy high-quality streaming
High-quality streaming with AptXTM
Manage updates and settings on-the-go
Get updates and select voice assistant and audio profile on the go via the app
Unboxing
EPOS supplied me with the ADAPT 660 AMC.This variant has been co-developed with the Aston Martin F1 team. And that’s noticeable, not just the box.
Upon unboxing there are clear instructions on how the ADAPT 660 is supposed to be connected to a PC/laptop as a mobile device.
The neat thing about the 660 AMC is that they supply a protective casing for it. I can imagine this headset being used in an office, having it loose in your bags wouldn’t be good for the quality of it. The casing is a warm welcome to keep it neat.
The casing is not just a casing to protect the 660 AMC.. Of course it has the Aston Martin logo. And it also happens to be the newest logo of Aston Martin, which is weird considering I’ve had the 660 AMC in my possession for a while now.
Also important to note is the fact that there’s a standard edition of the ADAPT 660 , without the AM F1 team logo. Which is also slightly cheaper.
The casing also has a place for the cables and dongle.
Because the ADAPT 660 AMC can roll up, the casing is a perfect fit and can be traveled with easily.
The EPOSADAPT 660 AMC is being delivered with a dongle, 3.5 mm – 3.5 mm cable and a micro-usb cable. The latter I think is a negative. All new devices nowadays are USB-C, it’s everywhere, but now we still have to bring that old one with us.
As for the ADAPT 660 AMC itself, what a beaut. By brushing your finger over the ears, you can change volume, pause/play and even play the next track.
The ears are fake leather, but a good imitation of leather. The ear pillows are soft, and fit like a perfect vacuum around your ears. This makes the headphone quite passive with ANC. You still have the options for active noise canceling, which I will talk about later.
Back to the earcups, you can take them off which is a thing I really like. It just extends the durability by a mile.
The speaker inside the cup is angled. Therefore the music/sound is played perfectly into your ears.
The other interesting thing about the ADAPT 660 AMC is that it’s quite flexible.
And the 660 AMC fits quite loosely and doesn’t press too much on the top of your head, same goes for the cups and headband.
Despite the earcups being replaceable, the same can’t be said for the headband. A bit of a shame in my opinion. Despite that, it normally outlasts the earcups anyway.
After extending the earcups a black headband is revealed. This fits great with the color pattern of the headphone.
The left earcup is free of any button/switch except of course the microphone.
On the right side there’s a hidden bluetooth switch. It can be found on the front behind the hinge, turning invisible when wearing the ADAPT. Would this have something to do with aerodynamics? Maybe Aston Martin knows…
On the front of the right cup a microphone can be found.
The back and bottom have the remaining switches, buttons and connections.
Top to bottom:
– ANC switch levels 0, 1 and 2. Choose between off, adaptive and on.
– The purple button is a special one. It can be used to answer Microsoft Teams calls and other applications.
– Below that a small LED can be found that shows the headphone going off or connecting through bluetooth.
– And ultimately on the bottom, the micro-usb and 3.5 mm jack.
App
In iOS and Android the app EPOSConnect is available for download. In this app you can personalize and configure the headphone to your liking.
Whilst connecting the 660 AMC on a phone, in this case my personal iPhone 12, I hold the purple button to pair for about 5 seconds to request a connection.
After accepting, the 660 is connected, easy-peasy.
Another interesting note, the EPOS ADAPT 660 AMC can use Amazon Alexa.
The app also displays the remaining battery life of the 660 AMC. Meaning if you’re attentive, it’ll never run out of charge. Through the shown page, you can also turn on/off noise cancellation and you can edit the acoustic mode (EQ, preset).
The following acoustic modes are available:
– Neutral
– Speech, For higher ineligibility
– Club, For more room impression
– Movie, For more exciting entertainment
– Director, Custom setting
With director you can change the following;
Boost – Off, Thump, Rumble, Voice
Spatial – Off, Near, Medium, Far
Reverb – Off, Low, Medium, High
DLC – Off, On
On the second tab of the app all devices can be managed/deleted.
Through device settings on the third tab, the firmware can be updated. Furthermore there are switches for ‘smart pause’ & ‘call enhancement’. Using sidetone you can edit the feedback of your own voice. Meaning you can hear yourself talk. Using the slider you can decide if you want it at all, or at whatever volume you desire.
The last, 4th tab contains a lot of information like the license agreement, a complete help page and a setting for languages.
It’s quite funny, the first PXC 550 review that I did I used the app from Sennheiser, CapTune. This app was a lot more extensive. It even had its own player to listen to music.
I understand EPOS/Sennheiser not wanting this in their app. Nowadays people stream Spotify/Tidal etc. anyway. Why would anyone use an app provided with headphones? The only reason you open the app is to check battery life or change the audio quality.
Long story short, what you can do with EPOS connect, the app has everything you need. And thankfully the software isn’t the primary reason to get headphones like this…
Sound quality & Ease of use
What does matter is the quality of the audio. I’ve used the headphones for an extended period of time during Microsoft Teams meetings, connected through the dongle. My colleagues were able to hear me clearly, and vice versa through the ADAPT 660 AMC. It’s quite a nice headphone to use on a working day. The band fits great on your head, doesn’t push on your ears and it has a soft feel. A thing I find admirable is that the headband itself isn’t that thick. You’d expect a broader band to be more comfortable with less pressure on the top of your head, but they somehow managed to negate that. Even after a consecutive 6 hours of wearing the 660 AMC. That, including the 30 hour battery life, the user is settled.
Using bluetooth or micro-usb you can connect it to whatever you desire. I’ve enjoyed the 660 AMC on my phone too. It’s incredibly clear when it comes to sound. The songs sound like they’re intended to. Whether you listen to classic, EDM or even harder styles. (NL, zin kapt af)
The earcups react like a touchpad with movements or taps from your fingers. And that is something that makes life a lot easier. You can easily switch songs or adjust volume due to this. There’s also an option to enable auto pause through the app, meaning that if you take your headset off, the music pauses. Just don’t start cleaning on the floor in your house. If you pick up something from the floor, it’ll pause for sure…. 😀
When it comes to music and watching movies the experience is great. Using the director preset you can edit this to your liking if you don’t like the standard presets.
In my opinion, the club preset for harder styles of music is an ideal solution with the abss boost. But for anything else described below here, the neutral preset is king.
Just like in all my reviews, Above & Beyond makes a comeback. This helps me identify the high tones and hearing the separate instruments. And it’s a joy to listen to.
The ADAPT 660 AMC makes it feel like you’re in a ballroom. Annie Drury’s voice comes through beautifully. With ANC on, it makes it feel like you’re isolated, listening to a private concert.
The mid-highs sound perfect in my opinion. All the instruments get the same treatment.
The great thing about a headphone like this is that all music can be played on it. Once again on neutral, Masego en FKJ is played with ease. Truly enhanced by the ADAPT 660 AMC. The beat is lovely, full & to the point. Both the saxophone and his voice are crystal clear.
Conclusion
EPOS releasing the ADAPT 660 AMC managed to bring out a worthy successor to the PXC 550 series. The ADAPT 660 can be purchased standard, and as AMC variant. As a lover of Formula 1, this variant was a pleasant surprise to me. And just to show you how much of a fan I am, I was there in 2021 at Spa, in the rain…The Aston Martin logo and the color palette truly finished the look of these headphones.
A protective sleeve, dongle and 3.5 mm jack being supplied with it is great. Having to use micro-usb, not so much. It’s another cable you’ll have to schlep around in the world of USB-C, at least you can put it in the pouch… Thankfully it has a 30 hour long battery life, meaning you won’t need to use the cable that much anyway.
The EPOS ADAPT 660 AMC is not only a good headset for Teams meetings, it also functions great for music listening sessions. The tones are spot-on. Even whilst wireless.
The reach is also impressive, using bluetooth you can roam wherever you want in your room.
The quality is excellent. I thoroughly enjoy the tones and I love that the headset is closed. Meaning that if you want to read a book whilst listening to music with noise canceling on, time can truly fly as the world around you just doesn’t exist. Something very important in a noise cancelling headset. Having never listened to the Bose QuietComfort I can’t adequately judge the difference between the two. As an avid fan of high-end audio hardware I can personally say that the ADAPT 660 AMC not only sounds amazing, but the build quality is up to par as well. It’s a sturdy, lightweight, great headset.
The earcups having touchpad capabilities is another great option. As a user it’s incredibly easy to either change a song, or swiftly adjust the volume to your liking, without any stunts trying to find a button or take the headset off.
Pricing being at 400 Euros is steep, but in my opinion looking at all the options it has to offer, a worthy one. Of course you can also find a cheaper variant of the 660, and in my opinion, both of them rightfully earn 5 out of 5 stars.
