Sony / PlayStation - PULSE Elite Wireless Headset

Avoid these headphones at all costs. I got the Pulse Elites a month ago and they disconnect like crazy and now I can’t even get them to pair with the provided dongle. I’m taking mine back for a refund and getting a different brand because they suck beyond comprehension.

Seconded, I'm coming here for a replacement because the right side of my pulse elite cracked in half. I was not particularly rough on them and in 20 years of using headsets I've never experienced that kind of failure. Rough for a $150 headset.

After spending a day researching, I bought a pair of these yesterday. My main priorities were comfort, sound quality, and visual appeal (in that order). In my less-than-24-hour review, I can say that they feel exceptionally comfortable on my head. As soon as I put them on, they just felt right. The ear cups are soft and create a good seal around my ears, and they stay in place even when I move my head. When I lean back into my couch, they don’t get pushed forward by the cushions. They feel solid while wearing them, though they do move around a bit when not worn, but that’s just due to the design. I’ll be interested to see how the build holds up over the long term. Sound quality is good to great. It’s hard to make a direct comparison, but everything sounded immersive while playing BG3. The average listener probably won’t notice much difference between these and a $300 headset, though audiophiles might. I really like the way they look, unlike many other headsets that appear cheap. I can easily picture other designs for the same price point in a drawer filled with old floppy disks and discarded USB cables. But the Pulse 3d Elite look sleek and serious. For $150, they match the design of my PS5 and controller, which is a nice touch. I also appreciate how the mic hides away in the design. While I haven’t tested the audio quality of the mic yet, from what I’ve seen in YouTube videos, it seems well-suited for its purpose. They were easy to set up, and I quickly got used to the on-device buttons for adjusting volume. That’s it for my first impressions. I’ll check back in a month or so with an update on my experience.

They're solid. I have had it a few times where it's disconnected out of nowhere which is frustrating. Mic quality is decent, nobody has mentioned it being an issue For $150 you could probably find better headphones but for me they look and feel good

Agreed. I like my Pulse Elites. But I like my 5.1 system even more.

Any update now that you've had them for a few months? I tried a pair on several months ago and could hear a slight crackling noise which I've read some people have that issue. Have you had that?

Same here. I was about to throw mine out when I realized you could buy replacement earpads on Amazon. Game changer.

Thank you. I personally love the comparability with the PlayStation ecosystem so I’m okay with them not being perfect. Thanks for the update!

literally the shittiest ps5 headset ever, randomly disconnects, mic randomly stops working, and if you try resetting everything most of the time it won't change anything.

Funny thing is i came here because my pulse elite’s side just cracked while just putting it on. Do not waste money on those. They sound great but the build quality is really really bad. There’s a whole thread on reddit and it is a very common issue. They all end up cracking mostly on the right side

This is why I went with the pulse elite. It does audio over wifi. Almost no latency. 

It's done with a USB dongle connected to the PS5. It's called Playstation link. Your actually right it's not wifi. 

I used the original Playstation Pulse for the last couple years and they were awesome for Siege. Felt like I could hear footsteps and knew exactly where they were coming from. They were starting to breakdown a bit and decided it was time for a new pair. Curiosity got to me and I ended up buying the Steelseries Arctis 7p's which I heard were top notch. You have to download software to get these dialed in to be able to hear what you want to hear. Been a bit of a pain in the ass. Kind of wish I would have just gone with the Playstation Pulse Elites. Grass isn't always greener! If anyone else is using the 7p's and has a good EQ setting for Siege, please let me know!

I have been looking at those. Right now I am leaning towards the Sony Pulse Elite Wireless headset, even though I mostly game on my Xbox, I can use them on it wired, and have the benefits on the PlayStation games. I have an old Razor Krakken, and everything sounds, I guess the best way to describe it, is heavy and dark. I don’t know much about adjusting eq levels and all that, which is why the Arctis 5X caught my eye because it has a lot of presets. Any other thoughts on it?

If you can get one around $100, the pulse elite is the best detail headset over ever used. I sold my Xbox recently and got rid of the Astro A50X, as it was overkill for one console. The planar drivers in the Elites are ridiculous for Siege

sony pulse elite is wireless and much better than all the other closed back options in that price range for gaming wired open back beyerdynamic tygr 300 r if your best bet IEM you can get Kefine Delci AE under $100 even after taxes on sale($89 msrp) from aliex edit:/ also cloud 2s were never made by kingston, just marketed and sold by them, it was a takstar OEM product based on Takstar Pro 80, on cloud alphas they did some more modifications, tuned it more neutral like Takstar Hi 2050(open back) and put nicer earpads from Takstar Pro 82

Sound is good but a bit bass light. As for comfort, I preferred pulse 3d. it was lighter, clamped less and didn't seal as much as elites. Elites makes me hear my own heartbeat

I returned elites and I am using pulse 3d again. Just had to replace Earpads with wicked cushion

Yeah it’s a fucking pain in the ass. Randomly doesn’t work. Nothing worse than coming home after a long day hoping to hop on with the boys and your headset won’t connect for no reason. Literally on this thread March 2025 because I need a new set. Got pissed and threw it at the wall.lol

It's not. The headset only has volume, sync, and mute buttons. They removed all that cools tuff from 3D.

The disconnect issues has nothing to do with internet speed, it's a software problem that Sony needs to fix with an update. I was having lots of disconnect issues as well, but then I found a YT short that helped. My Pulse still disconnects sometimes, not as much tho. Hope this helps. Link: https://youtu.be/gJlYwm5uuME?si=OTmLf8LvjoP5Hifm

Pulse Elite has a patented 3d technology. That's what it's known/good for. If you wanted a regular headset, I think you bought the wrong thing. As for EQ, it's all up to your preference and the game. But this video should help: https://youtu.be/tTfDpmJ8AjA?si=DtL6gvEit6SRKBVQ P.S. This is the best pair of headsets I've ever owned and I used to have a professional studio headset before. It has incredible sound if you set it up right and movies/games feel amazing when they actually utilize everything the Pulse Elite has to offer. Silent Hill 2 does this and probably the best demonstration for the headsets. Checkout Returnal as well.

All the other comments says otherwise and I'm just worried sick now. Apparently it can snap easily? I've never heard of a headset snapping. That sounds poor quality imho.

Even if I only use it for gaming, I game a lot. After reading all the comments I'm seriously having second thoughts. I've heard much better things about the 3D. It even has better features, apparently.

Own Alienware and Audeze even the Playstation Pulse Elite aren't bad Maxwells are amazing but cumbersome this was further made apparent when I used the TurtleBeach Atlas Air no one talks about these open back headsets best Open Back in a decade which in return made putting the Maxwells uncomfortable Alienware Pro a recent purchase are light aesthetically perfect for gaming and I've used them gym wise also. Nice balanced sound and a good thump at the end 

I always enjoy seeing a thread about headset recommendations and just scrolling until I see the audiophile going out of the way to push a headphone with a mod mic. I can see the pro being alright if it's almost similar to 7. Currently using Sonys pulse elite, liked them but the builds cheap and the plastic around the earcup snaps easily.

Agreed! The headband broke on me within a month. Trash design

Mine is in repair atm

I have the pulse elite headset and even after doing the 3d profiles, it feels like a lot of sounds that should be in front of me are coming from behind. Sometimes it doesn't happen but in games like Dark Tide where spacial awareness is a requirement, it gets kind of annoying.

Also the white plastic is extremely weak at the joints and snaps very easily. I'm so disappointed in this and myself for trusting the reviews and hype about it. https://preview.redd.it/zuwvkw0fj5td1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78b6f378f784308d5177181186ca5aedd56d295d The other side is snapped too.

No way, my 3D pulses sound like 7/11 ear buds compared to the elites. Granted… I think my pulses were bunk from the beginning, maybe defective, and so quiet. The Elites are amazing.

I'd stay away from the Sony Pulse Elite. I've just bought them a week ago during black Friday and today I issued my return request due to the following issues: 1) While using them I kept hearing this crackling sound like embers from a distant bonfire; extremely distracting and prone to drive you crazy. 2) They would randomly disconnect from my PS5 and trying to figure out how to reconnect them took me at least 10 mins at a time. 3) I haven't experienced this myself, but there are many other posts complaining of their poor build quality as they are very prone to breaking. I was very excited when I first started using them before these issues were made evident as I really enjoyed the sound quality and their integration with the PS5 interface. However, these issues were a massive dissapointment for an allegedly high-end Sony headset.

Yeah I was considering buying those but given that the Pulse Elite were released to the public with so many issues, I'm not sure if I trust Sony when it comes to gaming headsets. People also often vouch for the Steelseries Arctis series, but personally I'm just going to wait for the next round of sales, January sales or Black Friday 2025.

Worst headset I've ever bought, cannot use mine with the edge controller. Had them less than a year and they are already coming apart. They constantly disconnect and will not reconnect until you unplug and re-plug the USB dongle. Not sure why PlayStations official headset doesn't connect to the system by itself. Do NOT buy this headset.

Here's my takeaway after having them since launch, and they just broke yesterday. -Decent quality. Not quite enough bass. Pretty good at noise canceling. -isnt too heavy and has a wireless charging cradle. -decent battery life, lasts a long time even with Bluetooth connected to your phone too. Important factors: -disconnects now and then, enough to be annoying especially if you're a ranked grinder. There have been improvements but not enough. -very fragile design. I literally dropped it one time and the side snapped. It's held by 1/16th of inch plastic. And right where it's prone to snap, not even tape can fix. -cant control seperate game/chat audio like old PS rose headphones could. If you get gifted them definitely use them and enjoy them. But I wouldn't recommend buying them for 150$ if you need something better

Sony Pulse Elite is the only one under $250 that sounds better than clouds at $150, even wireless clouds are 170 for 3, 200 for alpha, the good stuff is usually all $250+ and hardly go on sale, not sure if Pulse Elite can run on cable tho

This is an old post but how does your pulse elite disconnect all the time ? Mine keeps disconnecting and won’t reconnect unless I shut my system off .

Quality of the headset is trash, I’ve had two of those snap over the past year from simply just putting them on my head and taking them off.

Agreed, have had two break on me in the past year, really terrible quality.

All of these are run via an external sound card + headphone amp: 1) beyerdynamic - DT 770 PRO 2) Sony PlayStation - Pulse Elite 3) Samsung wired earbuds + Woojer Vest 3 if in the mood… I think the Pulse Elites are the only ones from this decade, lmao. Cheers.

Im almost a year into mines and my band just snapped and i have a big head. I put in my repair request yesterday 1/23/25 and my purchase date was 2/25/24, so im still under warranty. They are great headphones and the ability to simultaneously connect to your phone or other bluetooth device is a cool feature. If anyone purchases, remember to keep your receipt.

i brought the playstation pulse elite abd it's amazing (need to be updated with a ps5 tho to stop the random cuts every1-2hrs) but it is a great headphone and the price is a steal.

Yes, still do for various scenarios. I have pulse elite and use it for PlayStation 

I’ve been impressed with them. They disconnect once in a while but not enough to truly bother me. I’m kind of a headphone snob too. lol.

I haven’t had a disconnect in a while. Played cod for 8 hrs over the weekend with no issues.

None of my friends ever complain about my mic. And the friends I have that use them come in clear.

It's literally just soundstage and imaging. There's no such a thing as a "3D audio headphone.". There are headphones with good soundstage and imaging and poor soundstage and imaging. The irony? All the headphones that are marketed with "3D audio" like the Sony pulse 3D are actually pretty garbage when it comes to soundstage, although they do have decent imaging. Except for the Pulse Elite, that one is garbage on both ends. Just do yourself a favor and don't buy gaming headphones.