Drop + Sennheiser PC38X Gaming Headset — Noise-Cancelling Microphone with Over-Ear Open-Back Design, Velour Earpads, Compatible with PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox, Mac, Mobile, and More

I'm comparing these headphones to my Sennheiser 598SE open backs and Sennheiser 598C closed backs. I wanted to find a good pair of open back headphones with a better mic (sourced from the 598C's cable) versus the inline one on my older 598SE, which makes me sound underwater unless I hold the mic right up against my mouth. I have relatively big ears and I can't stand on-ears or around-ear headphones that are too small.Clamping force: My initial impression with the PC38X is it clamps harder than both my older Sennheiser headphones (598C and 598SE). I found that my 598SE is more comfortable than these, but it's too early to tell. I might rest these headphones on some books to loosen it a bit.Ear comfort: Comes with two sets of pads, one more vinyl-y feeling, the other more of a velour feel. I prefer the velour one for comfort, not sure how much it affects the sound as I almost immediately switched out the pads. My ears, since they are relatively big, still touches the inside of the cup from time to time, but this might be related to the clamping force mentioned above too. I still give my (older) 598SE points for comfort, but it might just be because it's well used and loved.Sound: Improved over my 598SE. I cannot compare this to the PC37X which in the packaging is explicitly mentioned as an improvement. As is my experience with open-backs, the bass isn't earth shattering, but I do hear more of it with these and I think it's just the right amount. The 598SE was pretty flat, but I do like a slight more bass which I got with this PC38X. Sound stage sounds a bit more expanded with these over the 598SE, but it's only been 3 days of listening to music all day, so take that with a grain of salt. It does sound like snare drums for example are crisper, so I still perceive an improvement.Microphone: The 598SE only has an inline mic from the cable I swapped over from my 598C, and is relatively no-frills. With the PC38X however, I love the boom mic. It automatically mutes when put upright, which is great versus finagling with my Zoom or Slack calls' mute buttons. The biggest pro for me here is the sound quality, which is largely in part of the mic sitting much closer to my mouth. I can be heard much better now, but while it's not going to be as good as a dedicated external condenser mic, this is still very good for my intended purpose and I am very pleased.Volume control: The 598Aesthetics: The 598SE and 598C headphones that I have are both just black, which are pretty classic and understated in my opinion. With the PC38X however, you do have a bit more flair, but it's not super loud like "look at me I'm a GAMER" kind of loud with all the RGB lighting in the world. The yellow accents on the outside of the cups and on the mic are not overdone and I gladly accept it. I would've preferred a different color but hey it's not just red or overdone. The cable supplied with the PC38X is black with interweaved yellow accents on it, which I think looks nice. It is worth mentioning however that the cable on the PC38X is not compatible with the 598SE and 598C, which are interchangeable between the two. The 3.5mm jack on the PC38X is also a right angle one.Final thoughts: I really like these headphones and I've spent about half a week listening to music all day and occasionally played some games with them. I'm very happy with my purchase and I'm hoping to get years of use and love out of them like I did with my previous Sennheiser headphones.

Pros:- The sound quality is superb. For context this is my first open back headset, comparing it directly to my closed back noise cancelling Sony WH1000-XM4 and Steelseries Arctis 7. The soundstage on these are amazing. I played a few genres of music, played the open-world videogame Horizon Zero Dawn with them and watched Lord of the Rings and in every category it excelled my old headphones in the audio experience department.- The build quality is amazing too, it makes my Sony and Steelseries feel cheap in comparison.- The most comfortable over the ear headphone I've ever tried, it hugs the sides of my head nicely in a firm but not too firm sort of way that I almost forget they're on. Big fan of the velour earpads, does not get as hot as the leather earpads on the Sonys or as uncomfortable as the cloth earpads on the Steelseries.- The microphone quality is top notch, considerably better than the Sony's built-in mic and the mic on my Logitech C930e webcam, and marginally better than the Steelseries.- Comes with an extra long braided cord so had no issues connecting it to my desktop, also comes with a shorter cord and extra ear pads (which is a nice touch)Cons:- I wish the mic was detachable.- The max volume is not super loud, but once connected to a desktop amp of any sort and you'll be able to get the most out of the headset.- One of the disadvantages to any openback headphones is that anyone near you can easily listen to what you're listening to, so sucks for privacy.Neither pro or con:- It doesn't have any sort of active or passive noise cancellation, I can clearly hear my keyboard and what's going on around me. Which on the bright side means I can clearly hear my voice when I speak into the mic so I don't end up yelling, and I'm fully aware of my surroundings. But could be bad if you get easily distracted and/or in a loud environment. You know yourself better than I do so decide if this is a pro or con in your situation.I'll update if I think of anything else!

Good sound, open-back (hard to find), comfortable. Comes with two different set of ear pads, one plush and one smoother. I get lots of compliments on video calls about the mic quality.Takes a while to break them in, I stretched mine gently on the box they came in for a few weeks between wearing, but then again I have a big head. Have had these for well over a year now, wearing many hours daily, dropped many times, no damage. Much more comfortable than the Sennheiser game1 (game0? whichever one is open-back) which this model is actually based on.Only minor gripe is that the analog volume knob on the earpiece seems to have a mind of its own, often somehow gets turned down despite not doing it on purpose. Also if turned all the way up, one side or the other cuts out. Have to dial it up to 99% which is a little fiddly, but becomes an easy habit.Be aware that open-back earpieces are not for everyone. They let ambient noise in (so you feel less isolated), but leak a lot of sound to the room. They are also marginally cooler than closed-back phones. But the biggest reason for me is that you can hear yourself talking normally, whereas with closed-back phones it's like you have plugged ears while talking, which is really weird when on video calls if you're not used to it.Note also this model comes with standard headphone/audio phone jacks, no USB dongle included. If you need USB, spend a few extra bucks for a higher quality A/D converter dongle, get higher quality sound. Don't pair it with a cheap one, you'll regret it.