The fact that PlayStation 5 is facing the final stretch of its life cycle – or at least this is what Sony executives claim – has not prevented the Japanese company from presenting a new range of accessories that renew and improve the experience offered by this popular console. . After the launch of PS VR2 and the PS Portal portable player, the electronics giant has not only put a new lighter model of PS5 on sale, but has also presented updated versions of its main accessories. The Pulse Elite are the second generation of their official wireless headphones, which replace the Pulse 3D and offer a leap in sound quality, design, connectivity (and price).
The first thing that catches your attention is its exterior appearance. Far from the more conventional design of the Pulse 3D, the Pulse Elite have a more extravagant appearance and curved lines – in line with the console itself – but they are also more comfortable. Made of plastic, the new helmets are constructed in such a way that each earpiece has much more mobility than in the previous model, which allows them to adapt to the shape of each user’s head. It doesn’t matter if you look like Princess Leia with her iconic buns when wearing them: comfort comes before any aesthetic taste.
The Pulse Elite improves comfort, even for long periods of time – and with glasses – and the synthetic leather material of its headphones does not transmit a feeling of heat. Once put on, they press on the head slightly less than the Pulse 3D and without losing grip, however, precisely due to their ability to adapt to each person’s physiognomy, they also generate small sounds when moving the head and facial muscles, something which seemed like a very minor annoyance to us.
Connectivity is another of the strong points of the new official PlayStation 5 headsets. In addition to being compatible with the Sony console, the headsets also work on PC, Mac, mobile phones, PS Portal and PS VR2, Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch – although on the Nintendo machine with quite a few limitations. In most cases they can connect both through Bluetooth and through the new Sony PS Link standard, which requires a USB receiver that is included in the box.
PlayStation Link is a new audio connectivity standard owned by Sony that is characterized by offering high-quality lossless audio with ultra-low latency, that is, there is hardly any delay between the moment the sound is generated and when it reaches the user’s ears. This technology requires the built-in USB connector, which must be connected to PS5, PC, Mac, Switch or the device on which the headphones will be used. For those who have several consoles at home, it is important to emphasize that the Pulse Elite are not compatible with Xbox Series, since the Microsoft console has its own audio technology.
If the USB adapter is used, the pairing process of the headphones with the device is practically instantaneous, and not only in the case of PS5, but with other devices, such as PC or Nintendo Switch. In a matter of a few seconds the headphones will be working without having to fidget between menus. Likewise, and as already happens with the Pulse Explore, the Pulse Elite are especially suitable for those people who have the PS Portal portable player, since this device has built-in PlayStation Link technology and does not require the use of the USB connector.
Another striking feature of the Pulse Elite is its ability to simultaneously connect to a device using the USB adapter and via Bluetooth. This allows, for example, that we are playing the console or PC and at the same time we can answer a phone call without having to take off the headphones or continue playing. Another idea: playing a game on the console or computer and at the same time listening to a Spotify playlist that is played from our mobile phone.
The Pulse Elite use planar magnetic drivers. This technology has gained commercial momentum over the last decade and, unlike the traditional dynamic driver design, consists of a diaphragm suspended on two sets of magnets. Explained this way, it may not say much, but it is common to consider that this type of headphones offer a sound rich in nuances and detail. This is especially noticeable in those games in which countless sounds are intermixed at the same time, from music to all kinds of subtle sound effects. They are not headphones with a very powerful or vibrant sound, but they do seem especially suitable for video games due to their ability to clearly represent and place in space everything that is playing.
In the case of PlayStation 5, users can customize sound settings and choose between different equalizations for different types of games, something that, however, is not available on other platforms nor can it be configured through a specific app. . Likewise, it is worth noting that the Pulse Elite does not have active noise cancellation, something that does not seem excessively serious to us considering that they are headphones designed mainly for use in the home environment.
If the improvement in audio quality is noticeable when comparing these Pulse Elite with the Pulse 3D, it is also noticeable in the microphone, which on this occasion is retractable and offers much higher quality when communicating with other players. On this occasion, the microphone uses AI noise cancellation, something that reduces all those noises that are not the user’s voice, but more important is the quality of its capture, with a sound with much more body and less canned.
Although Sony advertises an autonomy of 20 hours on the manufacturer’s box, the truth is that these headphones can reach 30 hours if they are fully charged. In addition, they have fast charging, so ten minutes of charging can provide almost two hours of play. To charge them, you can use the included USB-C cable or also a wall hook that also comes in the box and that allows you to recharge them comfortably thanks to a hidden connector under the headband. As a final note, the Pulse Elite can also be used via a cable with the classic 3.5mm connector, although this is not included in the box.
In the same way that Sony raised the price of the PlayStation 5 mid-generation and in a completely unexpected way, these Pulse Elite are also somewhat more expensive (150 euros) than the Pulse 3D when they came out almost four years ago. However, they are also a much better product in terms of quality, design and functionality. In short, when choosing gaming headphones to play at home, these Pulse Elite are a very good choice.
