Drop + EPOS PC38X

Disclaimer: I'm not an audio expert or even an audiophile, so bear in mind that despite the lengthy review, I am not a qualified "expert" and this is just my opinion based on my limited experience with this product. The PC38X is a light, comfortable headset which at first glance almost gives off a cheaper vibe due to its light weight, and heavy use of plastic rather than metal materials. The weaker initial appearance is immediately redeemed by its comfort as soon as it's placed on your head, as its lightness is actually an advantage, favouring comfort - I can easily wear this all day without getting a sore head or neck. The ear pads are soft enough to comfortably fit your head and ears shape, and firm enough not to compromise the isolation. The clamping force is just right, an improvement over my previous HyperX Cloud Alpha headset which always lacked clamping force which ultimately resulted in compromised bass levels. They also come with what appears to be a spare set of smaller, softer replacement pads - clearly, Sennheiser valued comfort for this headset, which makes sense considering it is part of their selection of gaming-oriented headphones. The sound quality is good, with an extremely noticeable bass boost over the HyperX Cloud Alpha. The bass is rather well balanced, although it can sometimes overpower the mids. The high are crisp and clear; hats, cymbals, and other thin sounds are clear and can be heard through other heavier, deeper sounds. The mids such as vocals however, tend to lack that extra crispness I would hope for when listening to music. The bass may be a bit too loud to allow the mids to rise to expectations, but overall the benefits of hearing clear bass and highs alongside generally good mids makes me overlook the mids' shortcoming. These are open back headphones, so I'll add a little note here in case you are not familiar with what this means - these are not noise-cancelling, like, at all. Expect to hear almost completely clearly through your headset, and people may hear through your headset. This favours audio quality, but may not be the right choice if you are in a noisy environment, or you don't want anyone around to hear the sounds coming from your headset. The microphone's audio quality isn't the best thing in the world but it works just fine, and meets my expectations for a headset microphone. I immediately loved that the mic boom is completely outside of my field of vision when flipped up, something I had been concerned about when ordering the PC38X, coming from a headset with a removable mic. My only criticism would be that the lack of distance adjustment results in me having to lower the mic completely to prevent breathing noise from my nose, and this results in my mouth being too far from the mic to be heard clearly at times. Included is also a carrying bag which is pretty standard and nothing to call home about, but is an appreciated extra item. Otherwise, it comes with the usual cables and whatnot. The cable seems a bit small compared to what I had on my HyperX Cloud Alpha and therefore gives off a cheaper impression, but otherwise it's a nice, braided cable which has no noticeable flaws. Overall, I would recommend this headset for comfort and audio quality if you're in the market for open back headphones you can wear for hours on a daily basis, and you're ready to pay a bit more than your typical standard gaming headset. I work 8 hours shifts, and watch videos/listen to music as well as gaming outside of work hours, wearing these well over 8 hours daily. I've only ever felt my ears getting sore once, after a very long day of work and then gaming, so I don't blame the headset at all. Hope this review helps shoppers make an informed decision.

First and foremost, this is an excellent headset. I am sold on this brand. If/when my current PC38x gives out, I will be buying a new one or purchasing the successor, whichever is out at the time. If you are on the fence - just buy it! Another item to note, I purchased the PC38x used from the Amazon Warehouse in "Used - Very Good" condition. There were very minor signs of previous wear but nothing major at all. Some reviews mention a rather strong clamping force on your head, however I have found the used pair to be incredibly comfortable. I have had multiple gaming headsets through the years. It started with the Turtle Beach X12 on the Xbox 360. I've used the TB Stealth 600's for the PS4, and most recently I used the SteelSeries Arctis Pro + Gamedac for the PS4 and PS5. I can confidently say this headset demolishes all of them. I will say that I was content with the Steelseries Arctis Pro, however it's microphone is not compatible with the Xbox Series S I recently purchased. The PC38x works flawlessly on both Xbox and PS consoles. It is as simple as plugging the headset into your controller and you are good to go. Once you get your game/chat mix adjusted in the part chat settings, master volume is easily adjusted on the dial of the right-ear on the headset. The sound quality and depth the PC38x provides greatly surpasses all of the headsets I have used before. I've been playing the old Call of Duty's on Xbox and I can easily tell exactly where enemies are by their footsteps. Of course, other headsets also do this but the PC38x has been better than the previous products I've used. Compared to the Arctis Pro + Gamedac, I love how simple the PC38x is. The Gamedac encourages you to tweak the audio settings to boost your performance (I never found it to make a huge difference, and mostly just to be a bit gimmicky). With the PC38x you just plug it in and it does what it is supposed to do, which is produce an excellent sound. The mic quality is also excellent. Just search for a video review of this headset on Youtube and you will likely find a clip of someone demonstrating this. The mic also easily mutes by flipping it up, you get an audible "click" to confirm that you are muted or unmuted. It should be noted that the mic is not detachable or retractable, it just swivels up and down. The only downside to this headset that I have so far is that since it is an open-back headset, you can get a fair bit of noise if you don't have your volume high enough. Not a big issue at all for me, but I could see this being an issue for some people.

Revising this review after a few months of owning it. TL;DR: Sounds really good, mic also sounds especially crisp. Build is lightweight and comfy for extended hours of use, but sturdy and flexible. I'm using these for multimedia (music, shows, videogames) to be able to get a decent spectrum of sound. First and foremost the sound quality reproduction is top notch. The audio drivers are originally a Sennheiser design and nothing spells out audiophile better than Sennheiser. The driver's base frequency response is not fully flat, though. I found the bass to be a bit overpowering out of the box, while certain high frequencies around the 5.5 khz to 6 khz range are a bit on the weaker side. Nothing that can't be fixed with some EQ adjustments through EQ software. I should point out that I'm not using any kind of pre-amp hardware to modify the signal in any way. On that note, the max output volume that the motherboard's audio driver can drive the audio drivers is a bit on the low side. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 599 headphones that I run through a separate sound card for music production and they can reach much louder levels, thus I assume the PC38X can reach similar loudness volumes without distortion. I believe this is a good thing because listening for extended periods at high volumes can produce permanent hearing loss so the headset and Window's output levels are saving me from myself. All-in-all, sound quality is a 5/5 for me. The headset is very lightweight and feels fragile at first inspection but after putting it through it's paces for a while (and one accidental drop from about 4 feet of height) I've realized the build quality is very sturdy. These things are great for extended hours of use. 5/5 If you get these, do yourself a favor and switch the ear pads to the included velour ones. They feel much better.

This has the classic Sennheiser sound (analytical and accurate with a large soundstage) and it is PERFECT for gaming. No other headset will even come close and if you need accurate sound for competitive gaming it's not even a choice you need this one. However, the volume wheel is prone to breaking (mine hasn't broken yet but I have to be careful with it.) I love that it comes with 2 pads (velour pads are better, the pads it comes installed with are more breathable however) but there is one thing holding it back. THE CLAMPING FORCE IS TOO MUCH. I don't know what Sennheiser is doing lately but with their new plastic headbands (HD 560s) the clamping force hurts my ears. You pretty much have to take the ear pads off to prevent them from being squished and put them around yoga blocks or some books for a night or 2 to stretch. They break in naturally but if you're like me you want them to be comfortable day one. Otherwise, these have a very analytical sound (slightly more V-shaped than 560s) and are very good for gaming and music in particular. Microphone quality is also exceptional but they really should include a pop filter with it. Keep it a fair bit away from your mouth to prevent pops, otherwise incredible PC gaming headset.

I bought these to help me in Fortnite Ballistic Ranked. My squad mates hear so much more than I do, and one suggestion was to buy a better headset. I kept getting jumped without knowing someone was right next to me. So, after much review with Grok and ChatGPT, these came up in a top 5 wired headsets. I figured for the price to try them. I will say, these are so clear. I can hear the bullet shells falling in Fortnite now, I didnt even know that was a thing! Have they made me better, no. Do I know when I am about to die, YES! These are open back, not sealed, so you can hear a little sound in a very quiet room. They also do not cancel outside noise. What they do is provide a very clean sound compared to sealed speakers of the same cost / quality. I have Beats fit Pro (my fave), Beats Solo 4, wired and wireless versions of Xbox headphones (which are great until they arent), and many more. But as of now, my favorite gaming headset are these. They even make the sound quality in Hell Divers II sound good. They are different in that you wont sweat in your ears from them not being sealed, you will hear loud outside noises if you game in a noise filled area, and you will hear more detail in game then you ever have if you are moving from low/mid quality headsets. I highly recommend these if you are a PC player and have the ability to use the Input/Output cable. Downsides, needs adjusting to reduce what can feel like a tight fit on your noggen, but that is already starting to feel better. But value, function, ease of use, durability, that all checks out. They dont feel cheap, the cables are nice and it just works. My new gaming faves. Gonna get some for my kiddo as well.

Heard great things about the microphone and sound quality. So spent the extra money for the new PC38x. But, this was yet another gaming headset mistake, behind the Astro A40 TR, which BTW is another disaster of a headset with serious flaws. Immediately I take it out of the box, looks good, plug it in, nice they give you two cables that are braided, albeit kind of thin ones, but it worked immediately. The I notice when trying to put the headset on, how tight they were over my ears, and I don't have an Arcity's size noggin. In fact, I would say my head is smaller than normal if anything. But anyway, so as I'm stretching them out normally to put them on, I notice a weird hitch near the top/apex of it. But, didn't look at first, just put them on and wondered why they are so tight. So, after taking them back off I look at the top and realize the entire headset is made of plastic. $150 for plastic? Not even the top/retractable pieces are metal??? Nope. So I inspect it closer and though there was a purposeful design and split top piece to help provide flex since they were tight feeling. Then realize the piece isn't center, an realize, it is snapped in two the plastic top headband piece an the foam is peeling off the plastic. Oh great, yet another over priced piece of cheaply made gaming headset by a so-called "Renowned" brand Sennheiser. Sure enough, I magnify it with my camera with a photo and the top plastic piece is snapped in two right out of the box. So, back to Amazon for a refund and never again Sennheiser. The sound while I had them and the microphone was pretty good overall for gaming. No issues with that. But the poor plastic build quality, lack of flex obviously is a no-go for me. I went back to my Logitech G535 wireless which are super light, not tight on your head, and sounds great and costs $50 less. Another lesson learned that I already knew but couldn't resist. Stop listening to reviews by so-called experts and don't expert premium brand names to produce anything better than an Amazon basic brand. Good luck. Wish it wasn't so poorly made and entirely plastic, and the mic wasn't so chunky, would have loved to kept them.

Sound quality: 5/5 - Warm bass and clean highs, rich soundstage Comfort: 3/5 - Average comfort, clamping force a bit tight, but offset by how light it is I'll start by saying that I'm not an audiophile but I do have a high expectation of sound quality. My previous headset was a HyperX Cloud II which was my favorite for years. The sound quality between the two was close when I compared the PC38X against the amplified digital surround of the Cloud IIs. However the PC38X had a more crisp and clear soundstage with zero enhancements. I find that digital surround can sometimes sound a bit muddy, while the soundstage on the PC38X was wide and immersive while capturing the full integrity of dialogue, music, and sound effects. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to digital surround when these sound so good just from hardware alone. The PROS: The bass is warm and has punch to it without being overpowering. The high notes are crisp and the quality of the sound is rich and clean. These are a good middle ground for gaming and music listening. I listened to Tartini's violin sonata and it was like hearing it for the first time, the sound was so incredible. I also play games such as Nier, Genshin, and Baldur's Gate, and the sound was immersive and directional. The PC38X are more bass heavy than an audiophile set but preserve much more sound clarity than a generic gaming headset. I absolutely love it. I'm used to wireless headsets so I was worried about switching to wired. I'm pleased to say that the cord is very light and unobtrusive. Speaking of light, this is also one of the lightest headsets I've ever worn. It barely feels like you're even wearing it. This is also my first experience with an open back headset. It's hard to describe how it feels like your ears can breathe when the sound isn't being reflected directly back into them like from a closed back set. It's extremely comfortable and much more natural feeling. The CONS: The biggest complaint I have about the PC38X is the clamping force. It's not an "uncomfortable" set, per se, but it's certainly not one of the more comfortable headsets I've worn. It's slowly breaking in, and the lightweight nature of it helps offset the tightness, but I wear glasses and I find myself pausing to stretch it out every now and then. Open backs are sort of a pro and a con depending on your environment. Do be aware that you will hear sounds through them and everyone else WILL hear everything you're listening to. My roommate has commented that they can hear them through the other room, so it's something to be mindful of. OVERALL: I personally have loved appreciating just how good everything sounds in this headset. It's just the right amount of bass and clarity. While it's not the most comfortable headset I've worn, it's not offensive either. Switching to open back has drawbacks if you live in a loud environment, but it's revolutionary in how you'll perceive sound.

This headset is basically the pinnacle and flagship of open back gaming headsets rn assuming you need mic + sound, not just sound. God tier comfort, god tier sound. Also, if compared to Sennheiser game one, which I owned before, this is a definitive upgrade in the sound quality (different better driver) and looks (no more cringe gamer aesthetic). Also the ear pad material on pc38x is way better than Game one, they are pretty equivalent in comfort, but game one had more of a velvet material which would attacks every tiny dust and hair particle and would be impossible to clean, the material on this has none of those issues. Game one had better and more premium packaging tho, this one has pretty cheap and bare-bones packaging, better for environment maybe? Who knows. The build quality and plastic squeaking could've been better though. My unit does a clicking sound when I spread the ear cups apart before putting it on, which is not a huge deal, but I'd prefer none of it for 170 usd. Speaking of price, definitely overpriced, should be like 120 usd, but since there is almost nothing else on the market in this specific product category, aka open back all-in-one gaming headset, and given how good this sounds and feels, it still gets 5 stars ez.