[hvizuett]

Hey everyone,
 
I'd like to get some feedback on this headset: http://us.playstation.com/ps3/accessories/higher-end-stereo-headset.html
 
Does anyone own this headset, and would you recommend it or not?
 
It's fairly new and I wasn't able to find much info on it.
 
Thanks!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Looks interesting. I'd love to try them. They're pretty new, and Head-fiers don't tend to buy headsets. A couple of turn offs are pleather pads, and that bass impact technology, which sounds like a gimmick.

 

[Angels and Air]

Since Sony makes some quality headphones compared to rival headset competitors, I'm sure it has pretty good sound quality, even if it's bass emphasized.
 
Although for the price of the headset, I could buy myself a Fiio E17 with a Optical Out cable so I could use my own headphones while playing my PS3...

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The E17 doesn't do virtual surround. I'd take that money and invest on a Mixamp instead. Virtual surround by itself is worth it over the stereo superiority of the E17.

 

[damian73]

I've been considering picking a pair of these up. If anyone has tried them, please post a review.
 
I currently have a wireless Mixamp and Denon D7000 headphones. My decision to buy them was largely based on reading MLE's Headphone Gaming Guide. I am extremely pleased with the Denons, but I'm a bit annoyed with the Mixamp setup. Even with the wireless Mixamp, I have to manage the headphone cord, the mic cord and the USB charging cable. It's bothering me a lot more than I thought it would. It sure would be nice to be able to switch to a wire free setup (other than charging). I've been considering trying the Pulse Elite to see if I can live with the sound quality downgrade. If they sound good enough for gaming, I'd sell the Mixamp and only use the Denons for late night music or movies. Also, I worry about wearing out the Denons too quickly with daily gaming sessions and you can hear a bit of a buzz from the Mixamp when things are quiet in the game. I think MLE might have mentioned hearing that in his thread, too. It's been awhile since I read that.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yes, that's because the D7000 is a very sensitive headphone. It's prone to picking up amp imperfections like that.

Not sure I believe you'd live with a massive downgrade like that, to be honest, though I really do understand the desire to go completely wireless.

I know I'm missing the D7000's sound more than anything. It annoys me that there isn't a velour padded equivalent.

 

[PolkManiac]

I picked up a pair of these yesterday, and have to admit that I'm very pleasantly surprised.  They're great for gaming obviously, but the surprise is how good they are for music as well.  They're not going to replace my PSBs anytime soon, but they are surprisingly good for music.
 
A couple notes of interest:
 
-  These come with a 3.5 cable so that they can be used with virtually any audio source
-  The wireless transmitter (USB) also has an input for the 3.5m cable, and will transmit that signal as long as it has power.  So I can plug the cable from my phone into the USB thing, then plug the USB thing in anywhere (a computer, console or even a wall charger) and then walk around the house with the headphones on.  I use this setup to pair them with my Xbox 360 last night and it worked and sounded great.

 

[vivalacarlo]

is this good for normal listening? How is the bass mids and highs? I also want to use them for gaming but in primary use i want it for music. 

 

[NamelessPFG]

I'm mildly curious about a different PS3 wireless headset.
 
I wouldn't run out and buy one, but on the off chance I get one bundled with a PS3, part of me wonders if it's worth keeping around or selling off, and particularly how its brand of surround sound compares to Dolby Headphone. (Many people say the directional cues aren't as pronounced, but I'll be the judge of that.)
 
Interestingly, the way Sony seems to do it with their headsets is that it's actually mixed by the PS3 (hence why the surround option seems to be affected by firmware updates) before being piped out to the headset. Makes me wonder if they're working on improving the HRTF mix and possibly even offering a proper binaural mix down the road instead of settling for just virtual 7.1.
 
And as for the PULSE model, that BassImpact gimmick already sounds repulsing and undesirable. If you're gonna offer deep bass, offer sub-bass tones reproduced with authority and clarity that don't drown out the rest of the spectrum, not a skull-rattling headshaker. (Yeah, probably asking way too much out of a gaming headset there.)

 

[PolkManiac]

I"m assuming then that you listened to the Pulse headset and didn't like it???  There's really no comparison between this and the headset you linked, everything is much improved on this set.
 
I think the bass reproduction is actually quite good, without the bassimpact feature.  I don't like that feature and keep it turned off, but can see where some people may like it.
 
For $150 I don't think you can find anything that's close to these in terms of features and sound quality.

 

[NamelessPFG]

I wasn't comparing the two headsets at all (in no small part because I have never auditioned either of them), just wanted more information on the one I linked. The fact that it's so generically named doesn't help at all.
 
If the sound quality's decent enough with that vibration turned off (and more importantly, has positional cues at least on par with Dolby Headphone), maybe I'll consider it...but only for a low price. Can't trust gaming headsets, after all, especially not wireless ones. There's a reason that the real way to go is a headphone surround processor + audiophile headphones + standalone mic (preferably a ModMic).
 
Also, the bidding on the PS3 auction that just happened to have that linked headset went way up past my desired price point, so my curiosity has subsided since I don't see any other immediate eBay listings with either headset bundled.

 

[HaggisMacJedi]

I have both of the Sony Wireless headsets, and they are both VERY good for use with the PS3.  I have used my ATH M50's and Turtle Beach X1's with my PS3 as well, and they simply do not compare with the Sonys for use with the PS3.  Gaming headsets are very specialized and need to be set up differently than music headphones.  The Pulse feature is not intended to "fake" bass tones and make it feel like the bass is deeper than it is.  It is not a gimmick.  It is intended to give the listener the sensation of what is happening in the game right there in their lap.  For instance, in the "shooter" mode, the Pulse headphones emphasize explosions, footsteps, etc with a pulsing of the earcups in addition to the sounds.  You FEEL the explosions as well as hear them...just as you would in real life.  These are not intended to compete with high end consumer music headphones.  They ARE intended to compete with high end gaming headsets, and they do that very well.
 
As a bonus, they do sound nice with music, especially if used wirelessly with a MacBook Pro, or while using the PS3's "Music Unlimited" service.  They do not have the clarity of the ATH M50's in the mid range or highs, but they aren't far off.  I think it's a generous bonus that my gaming headphones work as pretty decent music phones.  I didn't get them to rock with my iPhone on the commute to work; I got them to blast the enemy in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
 
I do think these are improved in every way over the original Sony Wireless PS3 headset except for comfort.  The originals are lighter, and the headband is cushier.  For what it's worth, I'm keeping my originals instead of selling them.
 
My bottom line is if you are a PS3 gamer, don't waste your time or money with more expensive (or cheaper) Turtle Beach or Astro headsets because these will out perform them on the PS3.  If you are looking at these simply for music, I would recommend the ATH M50's for about the same money.

 

[b43k]

Took the words right out of my mouth!  I was about to write up a similar review, but HaggisMacJedi couldn't have explained it any better!  I guess another way to compare the bassimpact technology is to compare them to Butt Shakers, in other words, they enhance the surround stage by letting you feel low end freuencies through the transducers on em.  Now if you wanted the BassImpact tech to hightlight bass you can always turn it's mode to: Music

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Took the words right out of my mouth!  I was about to write up a similar review, but HaggisMacJedi couldn't have explained it any better!  I guess another way to compare the bassimpact technology is to compare them to Butt Shakers, in other words, they enhance the surround stage by letting you feel low end freuencies through the transducers on em.  Now if you wanted the BassImpact tech to hightlight bass you can always turn it's mode to: Music

Ooh, sounds nifty

 

[ronswanson]

I'm not an audiophile (I just like to lurk here), so take this with a grain of salt, but here are my initial impressions from testing them out for the first time last night:
 
So far, I'm quite satisfied. The surround sound simulation worked fairly well with BF3 and Infamous 2. I could distinguish the direction of sounds all around me, as well as depth.
 
It's a fairly fun headset without the bass being too overbearing (even with the pulsing base impact feature turned off). It has a good balance for my needs of using them for both gaming and movies/TV. The highs are clear enough to hear footsteps and other small details useful in shooters, but it still has enough mids and bass to immerse you in a movie. The Game EQ setting felt the most neutral to me, but I'll have to test the other modes more. I'd still like to find a setting where the bass is reduced a tad, but it's not a deal breaker.
 
Compared to the Tritton 720+ headset - which I previously owned but returned because of a bad buzzing sound - I'd say Sony's VSS is just a slight downgrade compared to Dolby Headphone processing. But the difference is really negligible for non-competitive gaming.   Bonus for these though is that the noise floor when hooked up to the PS3 is pretty much zero as far as I could hear. 
 
Comfort-wise, I played for a few hours last night and these felt pretty good. Ideally I would have preferred velour/cloth earpads, as I can see these faux leather pads getting hot in the summer. The clamping force also could be a bit lighter, but it didn't bother me really. The clamping force on the Tritton 720+ headset was terribly tight in comparison.
 
The wireless connection was perfect, with the exception of when I tried powering the usb dongle on my TV's back usb ports to wirelessly watch TV using the dongle's 3.5mm jack. That caused a few sound drops, but was fixed by using a usb extension cable to bring the dongle out in front of the TV. 
 
I'm pleasantly surprised by the pulse feature. It's much better than what your standard controller rumble feels like. I was expecting to always leave it off, but in certain situations actually did add to the immersion. I won't always use it, but will definitely turn it on at a low setting in some games and movies. As good as it works, I'd expect that the PS4 controllers will use this pulsing technology to replace the rumble that are in the DS3 controllers now.
 
It's a minor disappointment for me that VSS only works through the PS3, but the 3.5mm input on the dongle works well enough for TV viewing. I didn't notice much difference in sound quality through the 3.5mm input, but I'll have to test more.
 
Are these the best headsets you can get? No. But they're a pretty good bang for your buck, and very convenient for PS3 users.