Sennheiser PC 350 Special Edition Noise Blocking Gaming Headset

I was quite disappointed by this headset at first.
 
Please note many people recommend using an amp such as the Asus Xonar DG but my onboard audio is just fine, my motherboard is asus p8p67
 
The mic mechanism for muting is useful, it's easy to know if it's muted or not.
 
Noise cancellation works great.
 
When I got these, the Game One and Game Zero did not exist yet.
 
One thing "missing" with this headset when compared to other gaming headsets is that they are stereo (no built-in surround but apparently it can be simulated by software, see SBX Pro studio, Razer VSS)
 
This being said, I feel a little dumb for not realizing it before : you can adjust the volume with the little/subtle rotating button on the right ear !
 
When compared to Sennheiser HD 558, the PC350 has less bass, the soundstage is wider, the voices sound a little "weaker/cheap" but the music/sound is cleaner/clearer.
 
Some cons when compared to Logitech G933 :
- no presets/options for adjusting equalizer
- no wireless
- no surround
- no side-tone (hard to hear yourself when you speak, it takes time to get used to it)
- expansive (I paid 140$ for HD558 and 190$ for PC350)
 
On the plus side :
- premium look & build quality
- no USB required
- it's easy to know when mic is on/off
- good for people who likes it with less bass

This was my first attempt at purchasing a "decent" set of headphones, roughly a year ago, at the same time as I purchased an ASUS G751JY gaming laptop because my main PC was down. I purchased these on the Sennheiser name alone, I regrettably did NOT do my due diligence in searching for reviews, or even delving deeper into the specs......they were an impulse purchase at a "sale" price. I don't recall now, but I believe they were around $100 US on Amazon.
 
What I WANT from a headphone is excellent musical performance, but with also the capability to game with a mic. I believe I have found that "sweet spot", but not with this headset...that will be another review.
 
My first mistake was not researching the specs. These are 150 Ohm headsets, which is ENTIRELY too much resistance to be adequately powered via standard PC 3.5mm jacks...or at least, while also having the sound signature of this headset. I found I needed to nearly max the volume on my laptop to even approach a satisfying listening volume.
 
Strangely, the highs and mids sound quite veiled to my ears, and the bass could be best described as woefully inadequate. I found that pressing in on the bottom of the ear cups with my fingers improved the bass a bit, but then of course you can't game or use your computer at all.
 
In stark contrast, the soundstage is startlingly wide! I'm not sure how they accomplished this, but I'm still learning a LOT about headphones.
 
I hated these headphones so much, that in the past year, they've had about 10 hours of use on them total....I just refuse to wear them.
 
I see there's a PC350 modding thread, and I'll have to give that a read and see if the mods work on the 350SE as well! I have no compunction drilling holes into these, because frankly, as they stand right now, if I destroyed them it wouldn't be a big loss.
 
I now have a couple DAC/Amps, and even proper power applied can't save them to my ears. I simply have much better options available now to bother with the PC 350SE.