Being an admitted headphone geek, gaming headphones are a bit of an anomaly to me. Early on in my headphone obsession, I quickly learned that the idea of a “gaming” headphone or headset is really more about clever marketing than anything else. That and an attached mic.
Over the years of collecting, reviewing, and actively using headphones for gaming and enjoying music, I have tried phones from basically two camps: one that exclusively makes audio devices and headphones, the other being gaming peripheral manufacturers. Ironically, it seems that audio camps often target the needs of the “audiophile” while altogether neglecting the gamer. There are a plethora of reasons why this may occur, some of those more debatable than others. This article is about when they don’t ignore us, in fact it’s about when they try and get it right.
I recently decided to add the Sennheiser PC360 to my personal collection after a buddy and fellow audiophile (styles) and I discussed the PC360 at great length. And so I ventured out to the Interwebs and ordered a pair to add to my collection with no intent of writing about them.
When they arrived, I found the packaging to be simple; Sennheiser isn’t exactly Apple or Astro Gaming when it comes to presentation. No frills to say the least. Their boxes are mere vessels for the equipment inside, they aren’t meant to be celebrated or framed as works of art after their task is completed.
Right out of the box I noticed how spacious the ear padding was - they fit comfortably and left a good amount of open air between my ears and the driver. I also noticed that Sennheiser went with velour, draped ear padding, unlike their previous entry, the PC350, which used a pleather rubberized coating. The velour is more in line with their higher-end models, such as the HD598, HD650, etc. These were great modifications to size and material: The velour keeps ears cool and the design allows for a comfortable fit and breathability.
Another key feature is the volume control located directly on the ear cup. I initially disregarded this feature as an add on that I wouldn’t be using, though before I knew it I was fine-tuning each game I played. The dial is rubberized and very easy to adjust with just one finger.
How do they sound?
Sound quality isn’t brought to you just by the driver attached to wiring. Instead, the construction and ingredients of a headset lend themselves to the sound stage. Literally because of the open-air design and open-air feel of the PC360 velour padding, the stage was enormous. And this complemented bass and sounded off as if it filled my office. They offer very tight audio cues in the mid-range. Treble is crisp, complete with bullet ricochets inside my head. These sound fun – almost dramatic in game. Most importantly to me, and gamers in general, directionally speaking they are on point. I can easily detail depth as well as direction and distance.
The hardware component that makes a headphone a headset is the microphone. In my experience it seems a number of manufacturers leave this hardware out on the QA checklist. In fact, if you look at the failure rate on many popular brand headsets, you will find the mics are usually the anemic point in quality assurance. Perhaps Sennheiser took this as a challenge and decided to address this in detail. This military-grade mic may be a bit large, but it’s not cumbersome and is very sturdy. As far as styling, it may be viewed as gaudy when looking at the glossy details and size of the mic, especially since the rest of the styling points are subdued and all business. For gamers who have dealt with mic issues, it should be a refreshing change of pace. The mic also incorporates noise canceling, so while very sensitive, it doesn’t pick up on background ambient noises or ceiling fan buzzing. My teammates were happy about this as well.
There was another added surprise benefit to the mic other than just the sound quality and construction, once in the “up” position it automatically mutes, so no teasing when I get back to the game on what was going on in the background.
Overall, the PC360s are very successful at what they set out to do. Provide high-end sound quality with notions of style aimed at the gamer.
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