Customer Ratings & Reviews

I was really excited when I heard about Sony releasing these earbuds. I have several headsets that I use one wired one wireless plus airpods for music. So when I heard I could use these for my PlayStation, my PC, My iPad and phone I was in! Once I opened up the box I could see that they were a good quality product. they didn't feel cheap so that was an immediate plus. Set up was pretty easy, although the instructions are kind of generic so be prepared to fiddle around a bit or watch a video if you're confused. I will say I was surprised to see a dongle to connect the earbuds to my PS5. I would have thought as a Sony product it would just connect but not so. If you're lucky enough to have the Portal, then they will connect to that no dongle needed. Ok the important thing. How do they sound? I was disappointed initially with them. I'm used to having bass boost going and being able to adjust the sound on the fly. These do not do that. They are also not noise cancelling but it does have something call noise rejecting. so basically if you're talking (phone call/ game chat) it uses AI to filter out the background noise. Supposedly. I assume it works I have not had a chance to use it so I can't speak from experience on that. I was surprised that there wasn't more adjustability. The settings on the PS5 are very generic basically turning on 3d sound or not. and not much else. Anyway, all that being said, once I hit the internet to find out more about these earbud (I should have done it first I know - don't judge me) They are NOT meant to compete with Beats by Dre or anything in that range. They are meant to be a GAMING HEADSET. If you approach them with that filter they aren't bad. I used them all day today and they did grow on me. Voice lines are crystal clear, Sound FX is good, music is good. They are pretty comfortable and have multiple pairs of ear pieces for as close to a custom fit as they can get. they are smaller than they look in pictures but they are still way larger than air pods so keep that in mind. I wouldn't say they are heavy but you will notice them for a while until you get used to them. there are volume rockers on each bud which is nice. If you have the Edge controller you can also change the volume via the menu buttons. It does have Bluetooth as well so you can connect it to your iPad and phones no problem. The important thing about having Bluetooth, is you can utilize both the link and Bluetooth at the same time. So you can answer a call while gaming and hear both at the same time, or listen to music from your phone and chat to friends in your game at the same time. which is nice. So what do I honestly think? I think they are a good product best for a very specific type of person. If you are looking for something that can easily go from PlayStation to PC without having to pair it, have the ability to answer your phone, chat with your friend and hear your game. Then you'll probably like these a lot. For what they are (earbuds) they are good. I give them a 4 out of 5. They are well made, they cram a lot of versatility into a pretty small package. I commend them for that, however Personally I feel like there should be more integration between these buds and the PlayStation 5 (and maybe it will down the line) so for me they are a little underwhelming.

Takes a bit to get used to the fit of these since it’s counter intuitive to what I assumed they would fit like. But once I got used to the feel of them as they are intended to be worn, they feel good like any other earbud. They last through play sessions or mowing sessions, good sound quality, they aren’t noise canceling when worn but they feel like they are somehow so that’s a nice bonus. Something else I didn’t expect is that they can be synced up to multiple devices at the same time and used simultaneously. For example I have them synced to the portal and use them and also have them synced ti my phone and can listen to a podcast at the same time as I use them with the portal. That’s also a nice touch.

I want to give them 5 stars. I really do. I used these exclusively for gaming sessions where I needed to hear my games as I’m accustomed to but also needed to pay attention to my surroundings. (Kids & Wife). First and foremost, they sound phenomenal. Sounds come through crisp and clear and the bass does not drown anything out and gives a clean experience. They do not have ANC but I knew that going in. I really enjoy the fact that I can remove one at a time as needed and not skip a beat in the game audio. The fit takes a little getting used to. Try the different tips. The ones that come installed hurt a little after prolonged use but once I found a better tip, Battery life is good. They last about 4-5 hours but charge very quickly. My one issue is that they seem to catch a lot of interference when plugged in to the back of the PS5 and would randomly disconnect and reconnect. Moving the dongle to the front made it a little better but my kids would constantly remove it and was a no go for me. They work perfectly fine on the Portal so no issues there. Overall, if you have the extra money, don’t prefer over the ear headsets, or don’t have another gaming headset, these are great buy. If you have something like Astros or H9’s, unless you’re looking specifically for buds, I wouldn’t recommend.

I bought these for my PS5, and in that specifc use case they pretty much work how I’d want. They connect quickly and felt comfortble once I figured out which way I was suppose to wear them. They sound excellent when gaming. The Playstation Link adapter makes the game audio very clear, detailed, and take advantage of the system’s 3D audio tech. The only downside is that very rarely they will disconnect for like a split second, other than that, the gaming audio experience is very good. I would not buy these to use as a daily set of earbuds. I own a pair of airpods pro, so I don’t need them to be that. The Pulse Explore case is too large to carry around and the bluetooth audio is lacking, along with volume control and noise cancelling. These are great at being gaming earbuds, specifically. But don’t expect them to be much more than that.

I have had these for a bit now and all i can say is that they are pretty solid earphones and worth it for the ps portal and using these earphones to listen to music, talk to others on my phone while also hearing my game audio. It is really versatile in that due to the usb providing that to the earphones. The big downside is the lack of max volume it has. I wish it had more volume to it or alteast had a setting like the pulse headphones to mess with the sound.

I spent a lot of time deciding between these and SONY's InZone buds, settling on the Pulse Explore thinking it has the best sound. But i never considered how much they'd disconnect. They disconnect a lot. And it's not an isolated issue. It's widespread if you look at user reviews. One time it disconnected and didn't reconnect. i had to remove the dongle and insert it again. Unacceptable for $200. Unacceptable for the PlayStation brand. I'm returning these and getting the inZone buds when they restock. Oh, sound was really clear and crisp. Bass a bit lacking but not flat or tinny. I would totally keep these had they not disconnect on me ever 10 minutes.

Do I think these are an excellent 5-star product? Def not but I feel like I have give them that to counter more than half of these reviews which are for either Best Buy or Sony for a bad launch. We get it you're hurt you had to wait a week. So write Sony a BBB neg. They dropped the ball. People are here to see if these are good or not. THAT SAID, these are a 4 star product with lots of fine print - these are very decent for my needs. I have tons of great earbuds for music and other types of low latency gaming like VR, but bc Sony is Sony none of them work with the PS Portal which is my primary driver here. A bonus for the PS5 imo because I just don't want another set of cheap plastic cans in the pulse series. YOU SHOULD GET THESE IF: you're looking for good sounding earbuds to use on the Portal and the PS5. That's it really. They sound great with 3D audio and have a nice warm tone. The 3D stereo effect works just as well with these as the pulse 3Ds I've been using for years. Anyone complaining about the sound for gaming on these is mainly focused on bass. I initially wished they were heavier on the low end but after a few hours I think the tone for gaming is great. Connecting is easy for both Portal and PS5 and after 5-6 hours playing, I've not had a single earbud disconnect. They are incredibly uncomfortable and stupidly designed. But I also think all thin silicon tipped earbuds are uncomfortable and will be replacing them with foam which I'm sure will help that. They look dumb the case is too big to carry, and they probably don't sound great for music. If you're looking for something to do all kinds of heavy lifting this ain't them. But that's not what they're marketed as. If you want really good sounding 3D stereo drivers for the PS Portal that will also serve as good pulse audio series upgrade on PS5 without the big plastic cans, these are def satisfying. I got mine open box for $150 and that does factor into my rating. $200 is a hard sell for big plastic Sony gaudiness. 4/5

The Sony PULSE Explore earbuds are a great choice for anyone who wants gaming earbuds that sound good and are easy to use. I’ve been impressed with the sound quality, especially when playing games where you need to hear small details like footsteps, gunshots, or background sounds. The earbuds are also comfortable for longer gaming sessions. They come with different ear tip sizes, which makes it easier to find a good fit. The case is compact and makes carrying and charging them convenient. Only downsides are the price and that they can start issues after <2 years of constant use (they are my daily carry, so probably the low end)

First off, i got these open box “excellent” condition. While the physical condition of the earbuds themselves was perfect, whoever returned them mustve at least tried them on because the default eartips that were on were completely gunked up with earwax. That was a truly nasty experience to clean, ive never see so much wax. On to the earbuds..at first, i was hesitant but really wanted a wireless experience for my portal. I had a wired set of earbuds but i just didnt like the wires. I play a lot before bed, in bed, if i didnt i wouldve purchased the elite over ear headset. These sound fantastic, i can hear the smalled details in all my games, from webs stretching as i swing in spiderman, to the a breeze carrying over cloud in final fantasy VII Rebirth. I have had airpods pros, several samsung headsets, razer, and i have never heard so much detail coming out of a headset. It sounds better than my sound sytem i have on my tv, although that obviously has ambient sounds mixed in around me. The comfort is weird to explain. At first they felt uncomfortable, i found the right eartips to use and they just felt huge and heavy, but after playing for around 5 minutes, they became suddenly very comfortable. I still have trouble getting them adjusted just right, but once i do, they are comfortable and stay in my ears. Thats one problem ive always had with earbuds, they all fall out constantly but whatever material these are made of, they seem to hold in my ears ridiculously well so much so that i never have to adjust them while im playing. I would definitely say for the portal they surpassed my expectations. I bought these simply because they are one of only two wireless headsets that work right now, but they ended up being quite good. I would definitely recommend as long as you do some research and know what it is you need out of them.

When these work they are 5 stars. When they don't, it can be as bad as a 1 star. Pros: Great sound, especially when you turn on the 3d settings. Comfortable, don't fall out. Come with 4 sets of ear pieces. Compact so great for traveling with your Portal. Pairs to your phone too so you can have any audio going on it overlay with your PS game, really nice feature. Cons: Quite the pain to set up. They connect to your PS5 or phone easily enough, but the Portal won't see it at first. You have to turn your Portal all the way off, turn it back on but not connect to your PS5, then open the case. Super bizarre and hopefully will be fixed one day. I only had to do this once to initially pair and then again later once more when they wouldn't connect randomly. The range is really bad. Like 10-20 feet bad. Granted you are likely to be close to your system, but if your PS5 is across the room just be aware. The disconnects. On my phone I haven't had any disconnects and on the Portal only once. The PS5 though is almost unplayable. It is constantly dropping and reconnecting over and over. I am guessing it has to do with the dongle you plug into the PS5 to connect, but that shouldn't be an issue for this price. An update came out that fixed this for some, but it's still really bad for me. If you have a Portal these are nice to have with it. Otherwise, maybe check out the other headphones Sony just came out with.

The moment I found out there were earphones that could connect to the PS5 through Bluetooth, I went to buy them that day. Unfortunately they had connection issues and would periodically lose Bluetooth connection, ultimately, having me restart my PlayStation in order to reconnect to the console. I took the bad headset back to Best Buy and did a swap. I haven’t had any connection issues with the new pair. Sound quality is good and more comfortable to use that a head set if you want to game or watch movies for a few hours.

Pros: Great sound, comfortable fit, Charges fast. Great for parents who want to keep an ear on their kids while they sleep and want to play PS5. Con: Initial connection to PS5 not intuitive, and frequently disconnects. I would still recommend because when it does work it’s great. So I put up with them. You need to make sure you physically connect to your PS5 to update earbud firmware otherwise earbuds do not work at all. Even if previously connected.

Bought these to use along with PS5 and playstation portal. They sound great and once i figured out the goofy shape they fit comfortably. Dual connection is a plus. I have experienced minor sound cutouts during use, but very rarely. Seem a bit expensive for what is really a dedicated use item. Mainly wanted them since sony decided not to add native bluetooth on Portal. Really wish i didnt need a dongle for PS5(i know i can use bluetooth, but you lose a few features).

I got these since I like the in ear type headphones instead of the over the ear ones. Syncing them up with my portal wasn't hard. The only thing I don't like is that if I want to use them with my PS5 I have to resync them with the device. I have not tried connecting them to my phone and don't plan to so I really don't know how they work with that. I do say that they are very comfortable to wear and the sound is what is expected. Yeah price is a little high but it's Sony so what do you expect

altho it could maybe do with better rubber tips, nice earbuds all around. sound pretty good, don't fall out like you'd think, & you can control them with the dualsense edge. also can connect to phone. at the same time as ps5 if u want. have had a few connection issues, but fine other than that. just like with the dualsense edge, if u have the extra $ to drop on them, nice addition to the ps5, as well as being able to use with phone

The sound coming from these is so crisp and clear. Game and chat audio is very comparable to a pair of over ear headphones. Simultaneous Game and Bluetooth audio is very convenient for phone calls or watching guide videos on phone/tablet. There are very occasional cut outs but the buds will quickly reconnect. No built in sidetone is a shame. Great to wear with glasses!

I own a pair wife own pair love them mostly convince. She like bc she wears glasses. Now we both dislike bc of range and disconnecting issue. Also if you own a pro the usb is only on back not so great with heat. I bought usb adapters have switch every port possible to see if connection issue/range issue is coming from that no luck. Id would of recommended them a year ago now not so much i switch to sony inzones. There issue there with settings but that adaptable.im currently looking at steel series earbuds for wife. If your pc gaming and up on your desk top these would probably be fine anything pass about 2 ft to left right 3 ft in frobt NOT SO MUCH. AND YES THAT HOW WEIRD THE RANGE BECAME

Sony really missed the mark on these. Dont get me wrong the sound quality is stellar and the battery life is exceptionally long and they're pretty comfortable as well... HOWEVER, the reason these earbuds get a 2 star rating is because they are notorious for connection drops. Some days you could get hours of play out of them and other days you would have to cast a spell or pray to the gaming gods in order for them to stay connected longer than 15 minutes. I wouldn't personally recommend these, I would wait until another generation or firmware update.

My normal at home headphones are the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless headset. They are amazing in every way, but don’t work very well when traveling. These fill that gap perfectly. I absolutely love having dual inputs, allowing myself to hear two audio inputs at the same time. This allows me to work with them on, watch tv while playing, or listen to music. They connect without the USB dongle to the portal, however, will need the dongle for the PS5/computer. I’m hoping future consoles will have this build in much like the Portal. This is important as Bluetooth needs to be used for the other Audio input. They connect well and instantly. They have had connection issues multiple times. These are good for a very specific thing. Listening to two inputs at the same time. If you don’t plan on using that, or don’t want buds specifically for the ps5, for the price, you can get much better Bluetooth headphones that will do everything these do and more. The sound quality is just okay. All around, these headphones are very good, but they’re far from great.

If you aren’t using them to pair with PS5, PS Portal or another game console, they are most likely not worth the price. That said, when properly fit to your ears (trial and error with the ear tips) they sound fantastic!!! I was able to hear sounds that I had NEVER heard before with surround sound or other headphones. Overall when using with both my PS5 and Portal, they are Amazing! Using them with my phone, they are just ok. They definitely aren’t nearly as bad as some ratings would have you believe.