The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X are wired open-back gaming headphones. They were originally a collaboration between Drop and Sennheiser; however, EPOS took over the production of these headphones after splitting from Sennheiser Communications, so you may encounter this model listed as a product of either manufacturer. That said, only the name has changed; both products are the same and have the same Sennheiser drivers. They also look and perform fairly similarly to the Sennheiser Game One Gaming Headset, with an indented volume wheel and open-back design.
Our Verdict
The Drop + EPOS PC38X are sub-par for sports and fitness. These headphones aren't designed for this use case, so it's expected that they lack an IP rating for water resistance. They can also fall off your head with moderate movement, and since they have a wired design, the cable can be a snagging hazard.
Very comfortable fit and feel.
- No IP rating for water resistance.
- Can fall off your head with moderate movement.
The Drop + EPOS PC38X are poor for commuting and travel. They have an open-back design, so they leak a lot of audio at high volumes, which can disturb others around you, and they don't block out any rumbles from bus or plane engines. They're also quite bulky, and their pouch doesn't protect them when you're on the move. On the upside, they have a very comfortable design and feel well-built.
Very comfortable fit and feel.
- Bad noise isolation performance.
Leaks audio by design.
The Drop + EPOS PC38X are middling for office work. They're open-back headphones, so they don't block out office chatter and leak audio at high volumes. This can be distracting for you and your coworkers if you don't work in a controlled environment like a home office. However, they have a very comfortable design and a great microphone, which is nice if you tend to take calls at work.
- Excellent recording quality.
Very comfortable fit and feel.
- Bad noise isolation performance.
Leaks audio by design.
- No multi-device pairing.
The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X are wired-only headphones; you can't use them wirelessly.
The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X are good for wired gaming. These headphones have a comfortable fit, and their flip-down boom mic captures your voice clearly, even in moderately noisy environments. Unlike most gaming headsets, they have an open design, which can make your listening experience feel more spacious. Their wired analog design also ensures a virtually latency-free gaming experience, but this comes at the cost of companion software and limited controls. Our unit performed poorly in some aspects of stereo matching, causing audio cues like footsteps to lean to the left. While driver matching is a function of quality control and varies from unit to unit, it's worth looking out for similar issues if you have these headphones.
- Excellent recording quality.
Very comfortable fit and feel.
- Can fall off your head with moderate movement.
The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X have good audio reproduction accuracy. Their frequency response doesn't deviate much from their flat sound profile except in the treble, where highs and lows in neighboring bands can render sibilants alternately dull or piercing. That said, the drivers are inadequately matched with an audible bias toward the left driver, shifting sound cues off-center. You won't encounter audible harmonic distortion at typical or elevated listening volumes, though. While their design affords some outer ear interaction, it won't sound as natural as an angled stereo speaker setup.
The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X have bad noise isolation performance. Their open design allows most audio out and most noise in—people nearby will hear your audio leak from the headphones, and you won't be isolated from background conversations or noisy environments.
The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X has a great microphone. You'll remain intelligible even with significant background noise, and your voice will sound full-bodied and natural.
The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X has good frequency response consistency. If you take the time to establish a good fit, the headphones' audio delivery will match our frequency response measurements.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 26, 2026:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.1, which removes the Group Delay test and rebalances scoring for the Harmonic Distortion test and Audio Reproduction Accuracy performance usage. For more details, consult our full changelog.
- Updated Mar 24, 2026: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
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Updated Jul 29, 2025:
We've updated the Sound Profile box with a link to a downloadable folder of EQ settings that will help you match these headphones' frequency response to different target curves available in our Graph Tool.
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Updated May 22, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests and side-by-sides.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
When these headphones were first released, their name was the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X. However, in 2020, Sennheiser Communications dissolved their joint venture, creating two different brands: Sennheiser and EPOS. EPOS manufactures gaming and business products and even produces co-branded EPOS | Sennheiser products under a trade license agreement. As a result, you may see these headphones listed as 'Drop + Sennheiser' or 'Drop + EPOS.' However, both models are exactly the same and come in two color variants: 'Black,' which is an all-black colorway, and 'Yellow,' which is a black model with yellow accents.
If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X are open-back gaming headphones made in collaboration with Drop and Sennheiser/EPOS. They offer a similar overall performance to the Sennheiser Game One Gaming Headset, although they come with an additional pair of velour earpads. However, they lack features like an EQ and microphone settings found on software-supported gaming headphones like the Astro A50 X. If you're looking for a similar pair of open-back gaming headphones with a less steep price, it could be worth it to check out the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC37X, which have a slightly different look.
Check out our recommendations for the best gaming headphones, the best headsets for PS5, and the best headsets for Xbox Series X|S.
The Sennheiser HD 6XX and the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X are both great choices for audiophiles, but the Drop are more suitable for wired gaming. The Drop have a boom microphone that's able to capture your voice clearly, even in noisy environments. They're also more comfortable and have volume as well as mic controls.
Whether the Sennheiser HD 560S are better than the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X depends on whether you need a microphone. Both headphones are similarly tuned and have a comfortable fit. The HD 560S's L/R drivers are better matched than the PC38X we tested. However, the PC38X are the better pickup if you need a one product solution for multiplayer gaming. They have a flip-down boom mic with excellent recording quality and feel better built.
The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X perform similarly to the Sennheiser Game One Gaming Headset. While both headphones are well-built and comfortable, the Sennheiser have a slightly better overall boom mic performance. However, the Drop have an additional pair of ear pads in a different finish which you might like.
The Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X and the Turtle Beach Atlas Air are both solid open-back gaming headphones. You can only use the Drop headphones via a wired connection, but they're more comfortable and have superior imaging, demonstrating better quality control. On the other hand, the Turtle Beach can be used wirelessly with PCs and PlayStation consoles, have a companion app to adjust their sound profile, and have a better-performing microphone system.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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