

SONY PULSE 3D FULL
The acoustic guitar plucks in the opening to Yes’ “Roundabout” sound nicely full and rounded, with a bit of string texture coming through in the higher frequencies. The bass is strong, bordering on unsafe at high volumes, with solid low frequency response that you’ll feel in your ears even if it won’t rattle your head. It handled the bass synth and kick drum of our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” at maximum volume with no distortion. The Pulse 3D is a capable headset for listening to music. Of course, we recommend a dedicated USB microphone if you plan to really capture your voice. Your voice will come through on the Pulse 3D, but you shouldn’t rely on it for serious recording or streaming. A boom mic like the ones on the Astro Gaming A20 or Razer Nari Essential (an Editors' Choice pick for gaming headsets) would have produced much cleaner sound. Test recordings made from the Pulse 3D result in speech that can be clearly heard in the context of a conversation (or in-game voice chat), but they sound hollow and a bit distant, as is typical for pinhole microphones built into headphone earcups. This results in middling voice performance. Instead, it relies on pinhole microphones located in front of the power switch and above the chat/game audio rocker to pick up your voice. Like the previous Sony headsets for the PlayStation 4, the Pulse 3D doesn’t have the boom microphone most gaming headsets use. If you use the Pulse 3D with a PC, though, it’ll only function as a stereo headset and any 3D effect will have to be added through software. This isn’t an issue on the PS5, which provides the same effect to any connected, compatible headset. The headset relies entirely on the connected device’s 3D audio processing for any simulated surround effect. The 3D part of the Pulse 3D’s name doesn’t come from the headset itself, but from the 3D audio it’s capable of when connected to a PS5. The 3.5mm port lets you connect the headset to the PlayStation 4 or any mobile device with a headphone jack. It’s also compatible with the PS4, and PCs and Macs. The Pulse 3D is designed to work with the PlayStation 5, using the included wireless USB transmitter. The controls are tiny, but arranged to be easy to discern with your fingertips: The volume and audio rockers are separated by the clicky monitoring switch, the mic mute button below the volume rocker sticks out a bit more than the other controls, and the power switch is safely tucked in front of the headset’s ports where you won’t accidentally move it. The power switch, mic mute button, volume rocker, chat/game audio rocker, and voice monitoring switch are narrow buttons and switches that sit alongside the USB-C charging port and 3.5mm aux port. Best Malware Removal and Protection SoftwareĪll controls and ports are found along the edge of the left earcup, along with pinhole microphones.
