Sony / PlayStation - PULSE Elite Wireless Headset

PS pulse elite or pulse 3d

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.

I use ps pulse elite's. They were a step up from the kraken v3 pro's I had before

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. 

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

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.

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.

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.

Playstation + PC Pulse Elites are great, imo

Playstation + PC Pulse Elites are great, imo

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.

Better than Pulse Elite especially for the audio quality and PS5 gaming integration? Structurally it is a better headset because Pulse Elite cracks and breaks easily.

No issues with mine either

Bought the Pulse Elite when they were first released and have used these daily for both work and gaming since. Never dropped and always handled with care. While I loved this headset I’m not buying another that’ll break in 2 years with regular use. Looking for reviews on the Steel Series Arctis Nova 7P for a replacement if anyone owns them. The battery life on those looks perfect for me as I’m using these almost 10 hours a day.

Same. I had preordered these the day they opened for orders. Zero issues until they just gave out unfortunately. I always thought people were just too rough on these but even being careful they didn’t hold up for everyday use.

I am new to PS switch from XB and I brought over ny Astro A50s to PS, didn't like the performance on PS so I bought Steelseries Arctic Wireless Pro and Pulse Elites. I would return the pulse elites but scracthed them changing out cushions. The Steelseries I really like even better than what the A50s were for me on XB.

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

I played games without sound for years. For, reasons. But I finally invested in the PS Elite headset. The spatial sound is amazing.

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!

I love the pulse elite. It suits me just fine, and for story chill games, there's no better 3d immersion. However, for competitive fps gaming, I'd probably go with the new Astros, but it can be very expensive (but worth it!).

Mine broke randomly yesterday. Plastic headband snapped. No pressure was applied. They just fell apart.

I use the sony pulse elite ones

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

ppl just have to remember about the crackling noise the audeze and pulse elite make. It's annoying.

Just unplug the usb dongle and it work straight away

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?

The pulse elites are the easy choice, I have em, they're very good at 1 thing. gaming on a ps5, they can play your phones sounds through Bluetooth while wirelessly hooked up to yr ps5

I had the pulse elites and mine would disconnect once or twice most play sessions honestly. Have had the audeze Maxwell's a week and haven't had one disconnect yet

Had astro a40s like 8 years and no problems. Got the pulse elites and they disconnected all the time and somehow snapped (genuinely have no idea how it happened). They felt super flimsy though. Now have the audeze Maxwell's and the build quality is night and day

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

Do not get pulse elite. It is badly designed and essentially guaranteed to break. Look on reddit., And there is very little bass and if you eq it, it crackles. Old Pulse 3d was better all around.

Same, and I honestly didn't think it sounded that good

Congratulations, and Welcome!! I love my Pulse Elites. Sound is amazing, sounds so natural, you might think the sound is coming from your actual surroundings, but it's from in game. The mic quality is great, and reduces sound that is not voice. It also slides in out of the way when not in use The headsets are soft, and comfortable, and swivel so it always feels natural. I use mine from morning to night on weekends, and dont feel uncomfortable. As someone who uses glasses, this is a huge deal for me as most other headsets give me a headache after 10 min from the pressure on my specs. Battery life is exquisite. I charge my headsets every two or so weeks. I use them about 2 hours everyday during the week, and all day every weekend. You can also connect a second device via Bluetooth while connected to your console. Of course, there are downsides, the main one is that the build quality is questionable, and many people have reported structural failure where the earpiece modules meet the headstrap. I haven't experienced this yet, but it's a fairly common complaint. Secondly, the dongle used to be prone to disconnecting due to interference, so consider this if you stay in an apartment building or where there are other competing networks and/or devices. I stay in an apartment, and this has drastically decreased over the months, but it still occasionally happens. Switching the headset off and on quickly resolves the issue. Overall, I will definitely recommend these. They are also the official headset for ps5, so a natural choice for many. Ofcourse be aware of the negatives, but in my experience, the good in the headset far outweighs the issues. Happy Gaming!!

I’ve taken care of my pulse headset, never dropped once, and it snapped literally in the exact same spot. I bought the Sony Inzone H9 wireless headset and I love them. Really pricey as of right now. However I bought them for 50% off during the cyber sale in November. They are worth it and recommend to wait for the sale if you’re still looking for a headset.

Enjoyed the tempest spatial audio of the Pulse Elite from Sony and using the USB dongle plugged into the Pro for game/media sound while having Bluetooth for phone or tablet sounds. My dislike is that I could only get a 2-3 hour session before they would start to feel very uncomfortable on the ears. If you have long sessions and prioritize comfort, maybe consider another option.

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 

No. Elites sojnd good when they aren't breaking in less than 3 months 

No. They break easily.

Uhm yes, they do

Elite pulse is what I'm talking about.

Stay away from it. Mine broke both eara 4 months in.

I have been using the original H9s but recently got the Pulse Elite for a second time and the first time I had it there were major disconnect issues. I read this has been fixed with a patch to the dongle and the headset itself and after one week I have had no issues! I wish there was a more modern higher end set that supported chat/game but this will do for now.

I got one about 2 weeks ago, had this issue on first use, and it has been perfect since then thank god

Sound quality wise the Elite is great but I've always had massive issues where they'll just disconnect and take anywhere between 5-30mins to reconnect, which is annoying for solo play but mid-Destiny 2 friends sesh, it's damn-near controller-snappingly rage inducing.

I'd say that works less than half the time - wish I had a solution cooked up that works but it feels like it's whether Sony wants me playing with friends or not that night lol

Mine still does it with a dongle in the front port

I have the Pulse Elite and I love them, easy to use and good menus. Fair price. Not a great built quality but I have mine since they launch and they are still great. Also, the sound quality is really good

Anyone know how they work with a PS5? Do they ever disconnect or have issues with low volume? My second pair of Sony Pulse Elite cracked after just half a year and I’m done with that line. The Fractals look awesome though. Thanks.

I got the pulse and really happy with them

Yes pulse and pulse elite are official Sony headsets

Yes pulse and pulse elite are official Sony headsets

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.

They do not break easily. You are wrong.

Can attest. Mine disconnected twice this morning in middle of warzone match. Had me livid

Pulse elite is great imo. They fixed the bugs it had at launch and works great now.

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.

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.

Pulse elite is great if your looking for a more budget friendly option then the pulse 3d

Not only that but a broken two in the same spot now and went back to the regular pulse just to be told by my friends I keep breaking up and dropping mid sentence. It’s fucking annoying. I need something new. I enjoyed having my headphones connect to my phone or laptop and my PlayStation though. That was cool while it lasted. I’ll never buy another set of Sony headphones in my life.

Terrible unfortunately. The pulse is built better than the elite but worst tech inside. Constantly being told my mic is cutting out mid sentence. The elite was good but the side parts above the ear cup breaks every single fucking time. Which is why I’m here after my third set of elites and now a third set of pulses. I’m tired of it man. I get that your not having an issue but the elite is made factually worst with design issues and constantly disconnects mid game, forcing you to get up and fiddle with it. It’s actual bullshit. I’m really mad about it. Which is why I’m here on this thread looking for something new.

Terrible unfortunately. The pulse is built better than the elite but worst tech inside. Constantly being told my mic is cutting out mid sentence. The elite was good but the side parts above the ear cup breaks every single fucking time. Which is why I’m here after my third set of elites and now a third set of pulses. I’m tired of it man. I get that your not having an issue but the elite is made factually worst with design issues and constantly disconnects mid game, forcing you to get up and fiddle with it. It’s actual bullshit. I’m really mad about it. Which is why I’m here on this thread looking for something new.

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.

Get the Sony pulse elites. Seriously that's all you need and they are awesome

Had mine since the day pro came out. No problems. It's how you take care of shit

I replaced my Pulse Elite with the Audeze Maxwell and love ‘em!

They recently released a update for it I’m no longer seeing the disconnecting issues. Are you still seeing it?

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.

The issue with everyone recommend recommending a different headphone is you’re not considering the lossless transmission you’re receiving on the Pulse.

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.

I use the Pulse Elite. Overall it's a solid headset, but the build quality is definitely very questionable.

I get the "Pulse Elite Disconnected" message 2-3 times a day. What fixes it for me is I unplug the dongle from my PS5 and plug it back in, and then a message in the top right says "Pulse Link Found" or something like that and I just hit the PS button on my Dualsense and click X, and then it reconnects my headset. If I'm too slow, the message disappears, so instead, I'll unplug the dongle, turn off my Pulse Elite, plug the dongle back in, and turn the headset back on and it fixes it. It's frustrating that this happens all the time, but luckily for me I don't play too many games anymore where that could cost me the match. I definitely have had it happen to me in the middle of a round on Rainbow Six Siege though, and that game is all about sound lol.

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

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.

I agree but I can't find headphones that don't give me a headache after about 40 minutes. Gave my ps5 pulse ones to my girl and bought a steelseries to see if it would be better but it's not unfortunately.

Sony's pulse headsets are excellent.

Ive had mine since launch, not had an issue with it. I wonder what the fail/braking rate is as I often dee people saying the main stem broke for them.

Good sound yes but terrible build quality

I like my Pulse hs, sound quality is great, but the constant disconnects are so annoying. Is there any way to improve / fix this that anyone knows of ? Thx 👍

Yes I’ve returned and had no less than 3 Pulse headsets now. I’m resigned to just put up with it now, cause the actual sound quality is great. But yes, I’m out of ideas, I don’t know if the Bluetooth connection is being interfered with by other devices, but I’ve put my Pro in 2 (completely) different locations and it’s still basically just the same.

Ty, I am just trying fiddling about with some router settings, specifically 2.4ghz and 5.0ghz as I heard some folks say that because the dongle uses 2.4 it might be getting interference. So I’m trying to set the router to use 5ghz to see if that helps. Fun lol ! Anyway thanks and GL to you 👍

Great info and advice ty 👍. One thing I haven’t done is raise the damn thing up ! thanks for the link also. Will give this a go.

Yep I think so. 👍. Pro is such a great console but they messed up with the dongle somehow.

Official Sony ones, pulse are great. I paid £70 for mine check online maybe eBay

Got the Pulse headset at launch and have probably used it 3 times max 😩