Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Headphones Review

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X look very similar to the Sennheiser Game One Gaming Headset. The frame has a gray satin finish, while the ear cups and mic have primary yellow accents. These headphones are available in this color scheme or in an all-black colorway called 'Black'. Unfortunately, you can't detach the mic for a more casual look, and the mic isn't attached to a swappable cable the way it is with the Corsair VIRTUOSO PRO.

The Drop + EPOS PC38X are very comfortable. Even though these headphones have a high clamping force, you don't feel it, and they feel light on your head. The headband is comfortable enough for long gaming sessions, and you can swap out the microfiber ear pads for ones with velour padding included in the box.

The controls are quite limited. Like the Sennheiser Game One Gaming Headset, there's only one control: a volume wheel on the right ear cup. You can also flip the mic upwards to mute it. The volume wheel has a circular indentation to help you turn the wheel, and it stops when you've reached the min and max volume. However, it can be tricky to tell which direction raises or lowers the volume when you're wearing them.

They have mediocre breathability but still have some air circulation due to their open-back design. They trap in some heat, but it's not enough to make you sweat more. If you're getting worked up and into your game, the pads can make your ears feel warmer.

These over-ears aren't very portable. The headphones can't fold into a more compact form, and their ear cups don't swivel to lay flat. They also have a bulky design, making it harder to take them with you on the move. Their carrying case doesn't offer a lot of additional protection either.

The case is sub-par. It's made of thin fabric, which can help keep dust from accumulating on the headphones but won't protect them from impacts or water damage.

These headphones are well-built. The frame is mostly made of plastic with metal grilles on the ear cups to allow sound to escape the cup. The braided audio cable feels very sturdy, too. Overall, they feel like they'll survive accidental drops and falls without taking too much damage. However, their headband also feels like a weak spot and could be prone to breaking over time.

These headphones are fairly stable. They won't move around if you wear them during casual gaming sessions at your desk or on the couch, but they can easily fall off with more vigorous head movements.

• Drop + Sennheiser PC38X Gaming Headset
• 1/8" TRRS to 1/16" TRRS cable
• Y-splitter cable
• Velour pads
• Pouch
• Manual

Using the microfiber ear cup padding, these headphones have a warm sound profile because of their reduced treble. Whether you find this sound smooth or dull is a question of taste. These headphones do lack thumpy low-bass, but their high-bass and mid-range regions are virtually flat, so in-game dialogue and instruments in soundtracks are clear and detailed. Unfortunately, they don't have companion software, so you can't adjust their sound to your liking.

If you swap out the microfiber padding for velour padding, you'll get a touch more bass and a slight boost in airiness due to added high-treble. However, vocals and instruments are slightly more veiled due to a dip in the low-treble. There's no difference in noise isolation or leakage, though. You can see a frequency response comparison between the velour pads and the microfiber pads here.

Their frequency response consistency is good. While they deliver bass quite consistently, their treble delivery varies according to their fit and positioning on your head. You may need to adjust them each time you wear them for a more consistent sound.

These over-ears have decent bass compliance. While they lack a thumpy low-bass and the mid-bass is a touch recessed, the high-bass is virtually flat, so basslines sound full and warm and sound effects like footsteps feel immersive.

The Drop + EPOS PC38X have outstanding mid-range target compliance. The range is very flat and even. As a result, dialogue in games like Disco Elysium and lead instruments in soundtracks are accurate, clear, and detailed.

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X have alright treble target compliance. The low-treble is fairly neutral, so dialogue and lead instruments sound present and detailed. However, the treble starts to shelve off from the upper part of the low-treble down through the mid- and high-treble. This creates a smooth sound that some gamers might like, but can also make sounds like cymbals feel a bit dull.

The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is great, meaning these headphones follow their own sound profile well. The bass and mid-range are both virtually flat. Most of the deviations occur in the treble range, where the response gets a little inconsistent. That might make sounds like sibilants, alternately harsh or piercing, depending on their pitch. For the most part, though, it's unlikely you'll notice these headphones deviating much from their sound signature. 

Sennheiser makes a lot of headphones, but the quality control and ergonomics of the vast majority of those we've tested are very good. That means that most of Sennheiser's headphones also have well-matched drivers and, in turn, high imaging performances. That said, imaging varies across units. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Our unit's L/R drivers are also well-matched in phase response. While there's a peak in the phase response in the high-treble, it's not audible when listening to music or other audio content, especially since we lose sensitivity to this range as we age. There is also a small mismatch in amplitude through the bass and mid-range frequencies, but it won't lead to improper proper placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo field during gameplay.

The passive soundstage performance is decent. The soundstage is perceived as if sound is coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed around you, and it seems small. On the upside, it seems more spacious and open-sounding than closed-back headphones.

Their weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. There are a couple of peaks in the treble range at moderate volumes, but it's hard to hear with real-life content, especially since it affects a very small frequency band. Most frequencies fall within good limits, so your audio sounds fairly clean and pure.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid in this configuration.

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X's noise isolation performance is bad, but this is due to their open-back design. They aren't designed to block out sounds like car engine rumbles from an open window or ambient chatter from roommates. They barely reduce the high-pitched whirl of computer fans, too.

These headphones have a poor leakage performance. Their leakage is concentrated across a broad range and sounds fuller than that of closed-back headphones. If you're listening to audio at a high volume, others around you can hear your audio.

The mic's recording quality is excellent. Your voice sounds clear, full-bodied, and easy to understand.

The mic has good noise handling. It can separate your voice from moderate ambient noise around you, so you won't have too much of a problem being understood by your teammates and enemies.

These headphones come with a 1/8" TRRS to 1/16" TRRS cable and a Y-splitter to 1/16" TRRS cable. Both TRRS connections ensure a nearly latency-free experience, so your audio and visuals will be in sync while gaming.

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X have full audio and mic compatibility on PCs when using the analog cable.

If you plug their audio cable into your PlayStation console's AUX port, you'll have full audio and mic compatibility.

The Drop + Sennheiser PC38X have full audio and mic compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles via an analog connection.