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.

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.

Love this headset's comfort, audio quality and durability. However, I STRONGLY dislike the volume knob. Not only is it very easy to accidentally move/rotate, but by design it becomes broken after not very long. Essentially, it eventually causes static and uneven audio between the right and left, which can be fixed by tapping the right ear cup. I really wish they had opted to not include this dial altogether as it really would have made for a better product. With that said, it can be permanently fixed by bypassing the volume knob entirely using a soldering iron. I still recommend this headset, but just keep in mind it may require a fix at some point in the future.

What else can I say. The sound quality is pretty good for the price, and as an open-back design they let in a lot of the ambient sound which can be an advantage. In a noisy environment this might be a big drag. The open design also means your ears don’t get as hot and sweaty as a closed pair after long hours of use, but have much better sound than a typical on-the-ear style. Because they are wired they are a lot lighter than wireless, again great for long gaming. The cord could be a nuisance but I have been plugging them into my Xbox controller so no long cable all the way to the console. The mic is average, though the way it mutes when the boom is lifted is a nice intuitive way to mute and unmute. These are purely audio so there’s no direct way to PTT on the headset, and no “smart” voice activation built-in. The padding on the ears has a nice feel, soft enough for comfort but not microfiber or fake suede that gets clammy and dirty after a little while. These headphones also have a fairly light “squeeze” around your head when wearing them, which together with the low weight make them great for extended wear. One big drawback of headphones this expensive is that the construction feels relatively flimsy. Almost everything you can see is plastic, and the cup joints don’t look particularly sturdy. We’ll see how they hold up over time. I really like the appearance as well, distinct but muted, but the yellowish color is definitely not for everyone. Would highly recommend.

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.

Pros: Fits wonderfully. Excellent comfort for even the longest gaming/working sessions. Beautiful sound and soundstage. Mic is actually great quality, better than headsets double its price (not broadcast quality though). Side volume dial and flip to mute mic brings awesome functionality. Cons: Price should be no more than $150. Overall: For years, the pc38x has always been revered as one of the best, if not the best open-back headsets. It is an excellent product, having that Sennheiser quality they are known for. Soundstage is a chef’s kiss, especially for FPS games like CoD/Warzone. It’s great that there’s the flip to mute feature so that you can use this exceptional headset as headphones with a dedicated microphone ie. rode mic. It is light weight and comfortable. The clamp force is perfect for me, but others have mentioned it to be on the tight side, but it eases up with more wear. Open-back, wired headsets are rare to come by these days, so the pc38x should be on your short list.

Comparing to other sennheiser headsets I’ve had: Got the PC363D around when it released. Loved it, was a great headset and lasted me a very long time. Although after about 4-5 years the mic got a bit warped from getting caught and pulling in my hair so much. That’s one of the reasons I skipped the PC37x when it released. I tried the 560s since I wanted headphones and didn’t need a built in mic anymore, especially since the audio quality typically suffers when there’s a mic. I saw pleasing reviews about the 560s gaming performance even on other headset reviews. I hated it. I’m not an audiophile so maybe it was my amp, and I’ll be using basic terminology, but the surround sound was absolutely awful and just cloudy, if an enemy was right behind me it sounded closed off and muddy. When playing games with sharp noises it was just grating to the ears. So! I’ve returned to this line after a long love for my PC363D. And it’s so great! As soon as I plugged it in and tested a few games I knew it was the one. One of note was Outlast Trials, made it so much more immersive and clear, the surround sound is great, I can finally track where the enemies are without having to look at them which is something I really wanted in a headset since I play a lot of games that rely on sneaking and sound. Another is Smite, if you’ve ever played it you already know it has the most god awful notification and the hunter characters bow noises are hell to listen to. Those actually sounded fine in this headset which I was surprised by, my 560s just amplified those sharp noises more and it typically sounded bad on the PC363D. These definitely won’t sound impressive to those of you with more experience and an actual headset collection, especially those who already have the PC37x But you’re here looking at gaming headsets, so if you’re like me and was putting off upgrading that’s all the more reason I’d recommend this headset to you. I’d also add that this mic is probably the best you’re gonna sound on a headset mic, admit it, your friends have complained that your mic quality is crunchy, you won’t hear that with this one lol 👍

Just received the headphone. It sounds absolutely amazing! a easy 10/10 headphone

Son de basse profond et agréable, micro correct, bouton de volume bien placé sur l'oreille droite même s'il ne réduit pas le son à zero. Le casque est comfortable avec des lunette sur une longue durée et tient bien sur la tête.

Provenendo da un paio di classiche cuffie da gaming la differenza è astronomica, specialmente se siete anche amanti della musica oltre ai videogiochi. Con ogni cuffia da gaming che ho avuto modo di provare c'è sempre stato un fattore comune: i bassi vengono fortemente esagerati, il che non è del tutto da buttare durante il gaming, ma se provate ad usarle anche per ascoltare della musica non hanno assolutamente il bilanciamento adatto per riprodurre fedelmente un brano. Con queste invece è tutta un'altra storia. Nascono come un paio di ottime cuffie da studio alle quali è stato montato un microfono tipico delle periferiche da gaming e questo gli permette di eccellere per ogni tipo di utilizzo che se ne vuole fare. Per darvi un'idea, dalla mia esperienza personale posso dirvi che riascoltando le mie canzoni preferite mi sono accorto di un'intera nuova gamma di suoni che non avevo mai sentito in passato. Inoltre, se non avete mai provato un paio di cuffie open back come queste, fatelo, è davvero un'esperienza fantastica. PRO: + Qualità del suono eccezionale per il prezzo alla quale vengono vendute + Molto comode, leggere e fresche (essendo open back l'aria non rimane intrappolata) + In dotazione due cavi rivestiti in nylon che vi permettono di collegarle a qualsiasi dispositivo tramite il jack da 3.5mm, ma anche un'ottima busta in stoffa per il trasporto + Per lo più realizzate in plastica, ma sembrano davvero robuste e danno una sensazione premium + Qualità audio del microfono sopra le aspettative, nessuno dei vostri amici si lamenterà del vostro microfono + Ottimo il feedback dei controlli presenti sulle cuffie: potenziometro per il volume e muto del microfono sollevando l'asta + Il design open back vi permette di sentire il tono della vostra voce e evita spiacevoli inconvenienti nelle sessioni serali CONTRO: - Si collegano solo tramite cavo con jack audio da 3.5mm - Open back è sinonimo di assenza di ogni tipo di isolamento acustico: se siete soliti giocare in ambiente rumoroso queste cuffie non fanno per voi; se invece, come me, l'unico rumore presente nella stanza è quello del vostro PC fisso, allora non avrete problemi

Top geluid! Ik hoor precies waar alle geluiden vandaan komen in games. Goed en helder geluid. Microfoon klinkt ook top!

Buena calidad de audio, buen microfono, buen largo del cable. Son cómodos y tienen un buen peso, además de que la caja incluye cojines extra para cambiar cuando lleguen a inevitablemente desgastarse los primeros con el tiempo.