Sony - PULSE Explore
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 10, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
9
7
"deliver a high quality sound experience as a near perfect companion to the Playstation PS5 and Portal that truly brings out the sound design details of games. ... Exceptional sound quality, especially for detail, clarity, and separation at low volumes ... While they are specialized for gaming, they will make your music library absolutely sing in quiet listening environments ... I can play the Pulse Explore earbuds at a drastically lower volume with increased detail, clarity, and separation and my primary concern is hearing loss and my tinnitus. ... Yes. Details and separation are one of the key strengths of these earbuds planar technology. ... You have be able to appreciate how well the planars reproduce detail with unrivaled clarity to understand why $200 is a relative bargain in the grand scheme of things."
"Pulse Explore has the best 3D sound stage (imagining). Sound is real 360."
"Thank you. Will try these tips out. Really enjoying the sound quality the more I listen so if I can upgrade to a true comfort fit for $10 it’s gonna be worth it. ... Yes, they are worth it. Better fit."
2
7
"Because they are on their own network you can connect the Earbuds to Portal and your phone at the same time. ... Background music, taking calls etc is seamless. ... Having got used to that feature I wouldn’t want Sony to switch to open Bluetooth, the simultaneous connection would be lost."
"Yes, paired as a Bluetooth headset and you can listen to music/take calls while connected to the Portal simultaneously."
8
8
"Can't stand headphones for longer than 15 minutes so Pulse Explore for me. ... are very comfy!"
"The cushions for the explores make it the first set of buds that actually stay in my ears."
"If you haven’t upgraded the tips for optimal fit then you have not heard the clarity, sound staging, and bass response with comfort fit when properly EQ’d in PS5 audio settings."
4
7
"I figured I’d just go with the Sony ones as couldn’t deal with the chance of audio latency"
"Zero latency while gaming ... the only wireless earbuds compatible with the Portal ... Completely wireless on Portal; requires a dongle for the PS5. ... But no other brand can connect wirelessly to the PSP Portal with zero latency and no bluetooth dongles."
"Those last one use some kind of Sony audio codec to have no latency with the PS5 or ps portal."
1
3
"Once I turned this option down (so you can hear yourself during chats), the wind and noise issues were resolved. ... That makes perfect sense, since the mics were live broadcasting the environment (arguably the exact opposite of noise cancellation!) ... Turning down the sidetone controls resolved it for me."
"If you haven’t upgraded the tips for optimal fit then you have not heard the clarity, sound staging, and bass response with comfort fit when properly EQ’d in PS5 audio settings."
"EQ has significant effects; bass boost is very noticeable (controlled on PS5 but applies to all sound connections)"
Disliked most:
1
7
"after only an hour or so of wearing them my ears hurt already."
"I find them an odd shape and not particularly comfortable (especially if you wanna play for a while)"
"Even the smallest does not fit my ears well."
2
2
"according to my friends I'd constantly cut in and out or sound robotic in calls"
"didn't like the microphone switching to Pulse Explore over headset (closer to mouth and better quality)."
0
8
"These would be awesome if they didn't just decide to disconnect in the middle of games or chats and are fully charged. ... The amount of money you pay for these for this to be a common issue almost everytime I try and wear them is not worth it. ... But I just can't use them more than half the time without them disconnecting for no apparent reason"
"the one on the right side broke in less than two months. ... It started disconnecting and then stopped connecting... ... It was a huge waste of money."
"Disconnecting is really annoying. ... No, it’s disgusting and should not exist for the headphones that cost $200."
3
15
"they seem to just suddenly die despite being charged"
"Random disconnects still happen quite frequently"
"These would be awesome if they didn't just decide to disconnect in the middle of games or chats and are fully charged. ... The amount of money you pay for these for this to be a common issue almost everytime I try and wear them is not worth it. ... But I just can't use them more than half the time without them disconnecting for no apparent reason"
1
4
"They are very ‘tinny’ and lack any real depth/base"
"The audio is very high pitch. ... I run mine with full bass and lows yet they still have no punch."
"Overpriced and sound like shit tbh. ... sound like ass. ... the irony is i can connect my airpods to my bravia tv via bluetooth and it works just fine *and* sounds a thousand times better."
The pulse explore buds are pretty good once you replace the pads. They’re a bit cheaply made but they do the trick and sync to the portal quite nicely.
r/PlaystationPortal • Best PS5 Headset To Buy Right Now? ->There are the Sony pulse Explore earbuds. Those were made with the PS5 and ps portal specific in mind. They come with the playstation link usb dongle to connect them with the PS5.
r/SonyHeadphones • Good wireless earbuds for PS5? ->Yes, audio from those brands like Sony, bose Sennheiser will be (significantly) better. But for gaming those are not good choices. They tend to have high latency. The gaming earbuds usually work with some form of reduced latency. Usually because of a USB dongle or a different audio codec. I own these steelseries ones, the Asus cetra true wireless earbuds I have as well, and also the Sony pulse buds. Those last one use some kind of Sony audio codec to have no latency with the PS5 or ps portal.
r/ROGAlly • Best Earbuds ever! ->Can't stand headphones for longer than 15 minutes so Pulse Explore for me. They sound great and are very comfy!
r/PlaystationPortal • Headset or Ear buds ->I've tried other options, but I stick with the included ear buds for most of my time played. The Pulse Explore earbuds were light with better sound, but didn't like the microphone switching to Pulse Explore over headset (closer to mouth and better quality). I have the Pulse Elite which I use when playing Helldivers 2, but I don't feel like using that with the PSVR2 for reasons below: * Added weight / discomfort over already having a VR headset on my head. * PSVR2 uses the faster port in front (left) that Pulse Elite works more reliably with. If the Pulse Elite would work reliably using the slower port in front (right), then I would give it a try for PSVR2 for less physically active games for the better audio and mic. For more physically active games, I think I will always prefer the included wired earbuds that are light and can't fall off since they are tethered to the headset.
r/PSVR • Included headphones good enough? ->I bought those explorer earbuds, and the one on the right side broke in less than two months. It started disconnecting and then stopped connecting... It was a huge waste of money.
r/PlaystationPortal • Best headphones for the Portal? ->I bought the Explores used and purchased the foam tips. Even the smallest does not fit my ears well. I actually run them with no tips. The sound isn’t awesome but they do stay in comfortably for my ears.
r/PlaystationPortal • Best headphones for the Portal? ->The cushions for the explores make it the first set of buds that actually stay in my ears.
r/PlaystationPortal • Headset recommendations for Portal ->Do NOT get the PS Pulse Explore earbuds. Disconnects all the time. No mute button. Needs a dongle to use even though it’s a PS product.
r/playstation • Best EARBUDS for PS5? ->I had trouble keeping them in my ear until I learned how I was actually supposed to put them in. I didn’t realize you were supposed to place them in facing horizontally screw them into your ear 45 degrees…. Been fine ever since
r/PlaystationPortal • Best headphones for the Portal? ->Well All of that is true. Disconnecting is really annoying. No, it’s disgusting and should not exist for the headphones that cost $200. Also, that crappy dongle is not USB-C, but USB-A… but… Anyway, for quality: Pulse Explore has the best 3D sound stage (imagining). Sound is real 360. Drivers are the best on the market. Plus, it works with PS VR2 because of its form factor. For stability: SteelSeries Apex Nova Pro Wireless. No connectivity issues, great sound, great 3D sound stage. All works perfectly, but firmware updates via PC or Mac. Not compatible with PS VR2. You will need another headset for that or use standard ones. Not great, not terrible: SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds. Mediocre. Huge bass. Medium quality. No issues at all.
r/playstation • Best EARBUDS for PS5? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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