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.

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.

Great headphones. No issues at all with being too quiet and needing a DAC. On ps5, no difference from any of my previous headphones. No sound leakage either. It’s open back but b it’s not leaking sound as many suggest or say. Happy with the extra ventu

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

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

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.

Das PC38x finde ich vom Tragecomfort und vor allem vom Klang mit der offenen Bauweise her hervorragend. Viele bemängeln am Anfang den hohen Anpressdruck, aber bei meinem Kopf hat es anscheinend gepasst. Es ist sehr leicht und mit den Stoffpolstern auch über Stunden angenehm zu tragen (beiliegende Velourpolster habe ich nicht getestet). Ich teste alle Headsets immer in der Dolby Atmos App an meiner Xbox Series X mit der Sound-Demo „Amaze“. Leider musste ich hier feststellen, dass beim Donnergrollen, also bei tiefen Frequenzen, die Membrane anfangen zu klappern oder zu rasseln. Das habe ich aber auch beim H6pro oder dem Game One von Sennheiser festgestellt. Vielleicht liegt es an der offenen Bauweise. Ich möchte das Headset aber deswegen nicht abwerten, da es im normalen Spielbetrieb nicht wahrnehmbar war. Für die offene Bauweise hat das Headset erstaunlich gute Bässe. Ich habe das Produkt dennoch zurückgeschickt, da meine anderen meist geschlossenen Headsets sehr wohl mit tiefen Frequenzen ohne Verzerrungen umgehen können. Für den Preis (im Sale 140€) möchte ich auf jeden Fall ein tadelloses Produkt. Leider konnte ich bisher kein anderes offenes Headset finden.