PlayStation Pulse Elite Wireless Headset

Cons: It seemingly randomly disconnects, but I figured out that it's just out of power and the power meter does not work. That's right. It always says it's at full power, even though it's not.It has less physical buttons, which could be a plus for some.Not a lot of bass.Pros: The sound is more crisp and realistic and noticeably better than the old Pulse headset.The volume buttons are now much easier to find.More comfortable.The sound quality alone is worth the upgrade especially if you play FPSs or GT7. Or Any game on VR2. It's more immersive than ever. But don't use them to listen to Hip hop or EDM because they are incapable of producing a lot of bass, but that's not what they are made for anyway.

Only gripe is the ear pads. They have nearly fallen off. Not very sturdy at all. I'll be investing in replacements. But other than that, they do what they are supposed to and sound great!I did get a refurbished pair. Seems to drop connection randomly. Unplug the dongle, plug back in, reconnect. Problem solved. It does sound like the speakers were blown out. Has that "rattle" noise sometimes. Not terribly upset, it's refurbished. Would advise to buy new but if not, definitely test them out for sound and connection issues.Strong 6/10

Update:After 3 months, you can see that the inner headband has begun peeling, really disappointing build qualityNegative:My main use case for these headphones is what work worst. I'll often hear scratchy noises when using them with the included 2.4GHz dongle, despite being right next to the computer the headphones fails to establish a good connection to them, it seems, as getting farther away from the computer makes this issue more and more apparent.Bluetooth mode works more reliably, but they also have higher latency, which negates the point of using them for gaming.Also be aware that you NEED a PS5 to update the firmware of the dongle and the headphones. They are PlayStation branded so it's not odd that you can update them that way, but when you advertise PC support, and when you've had an android app capable of updating your other headphones, for years, I see no justification for not having other ways to update them. While I wasn't bothered by the default led color that shows perpetually when the headphones are being used, one of the updates changed its color to something most people find less distracting.Positive:I find the headphone generally sound good on Bluetooth mode, so they'd be great if 2.4GHz performed better.Unlike other reviewers, I haven't had the headphones outright disconnect.I wear glasses every waking moment and have no issues with these headphones, they don't put significant pressure on them so they are comfortable to wear.

I bought these for PC gaming after learning these contain planar magnetic drivers for under $200. I have been very impressed. After a month of ownership, these have become my go-to wireless headphones, in addition to being a PC headset.Pros:Lightweight and comfortable. These weigh less than the wired headphones I replaced (Logitech ProX). The headband and cups are unusual, but they give a great fit without needing adjustment. I can easily wear them for hours.Connectivity. These headphones have so many options to connect, wireless and wired! The USB dongle allows lossless wireless audio; it should be your primary connection. The USB dongle itself has great compatibility; it has been plug and play without issue on every device I tested it with. With a USB A to C adapter, I can even use the USB dongle to get wireless lossless audio from my iPhone 15! If your device doesn’t have a USB port, you can connect with bluetooth. Bluetooth will be lower quality than the proprietary lossless wireless used with the USB dongle. A unique feature is to have both connections running simultaneously. I personally have not found this useful, but I can see the use case for console gaming where you want phone audio by bluetooth for music or videos while also receiving game audio from the console over USB. The last option is a wired connection by 3.5 mm audio (aux cord). I love this option for compatibility with in-flight entertainment on airplanes, and a few old devices that don’t support bluetooth audio. This is not a passive wired connection, you will need battery power to listen to wired inputs, and adjust the volume on the headset itself. You cannot utilize any other connection simultaneously with the wired connection. If you use a 4 pole 3.5mm cord, you will utilize the microphone in wired connections too. 3.5mm cord (aux cord) is not included.Audio. Audio is crisp and snappy. You hear everything. No really! Everything! Planar magnetic drivers have a faster response than traditional dynamic drivers; giving more distinct sounds. Lossless wireless audio is a big deal. I love listening to music with these just as much as playing games.Battery life. Not an issue. They claim 30 hours. I never had these die on me, but I am pretty good about charging items not in use.Cons:Microphone. The microphone is acceptable, not good. It does have always-running (software) noise filter; In my opinion this does assist with clarity. People will understand what you are saying; you just don’t sound good while being clearly heard. This is the sacrifice for high quality wireless audio, the bandwidth for the mic. For games it is fine, but I wouldn’t use this headset for conferences.Build. The design is actually quite functional, and style is subjective. I am happy with what was delivered, but there are alot of soft touch plastics in this headset. We shall see how long it lasts. I can see it scratching easily over time.Audio. Audio is shallow. I really like how these sound. You hear everything. These do not sound booming or deep. You will hear the base, it wont sound bad or tinny, but it wont boom. You may be disappointed if you expect deep and booming sound.Mixer and equalizer. Without a PS5, you have no control over the mixer/equalizer. Out of the box these are balanced flat. If you want to adjust your sound profile, you need to do so on a PS5. Once adjusted, the sound profile is stored on the headset. If fine tuning your sound profile matters to you, you need a PS5 or a friend with a PS5 to tune your headset.Documentation. The manuals included in the box are limited. There are plenty of features just not listed in the manuals. It doesn’t even tell you how to turn off the headset! You need to check Sony’s FAQ for this headset online to learn all of its features.System behavior. Two aspects of system behavior annoy me. First, the blue LED that indicates the headset is powered on, is too bright for its prominent placement in front. Second, this headset automatically powers off after a period of no audio input. This period is a little short for me, but the worse aspect is that it does not play a tone when automatically powering off. It can be annoying when you hit play on your music, only to realize the headset is off and needs to be powered on. Please add a tone on automatic power off.Conclusion: This is the best all around headset to buy, even if you use PC and not PS5. You get lightweight, comfortable, great sounding, and wireless headset with tons of features and the unique sound from planar magnetic drivers, for under $200. The mic, while not good, is clear/comprehensible. No software controls for PC may be a deal breaker for some people.