Products
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X
Turtle Beach Atlas Air
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Jul 29, 2025 07:20 PM
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Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated May 22, 2025 01:29 PM
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TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Flat
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Our Verdict
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X
Turtle Beach Atlas Air
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 that demonstrates better quality control. On the other hand, the Turtle Beach can be used wirelessly with PCs and PlayStations, have a companion app to adjust their sound profile, and have a better-performing microphone system.
Variants
- + Sennheiser PC38X (Black)
- + EPOS PC38X (Black)
- + Sennheiser PC38X (Black/Yellow)
- + EPOS PC38X (Black/Yellow)
- Atlas Air (Black)
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Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black
Atlas Air
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Black
+ EPOS PC38X
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Black
Atlas Air
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Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black
Atlas Air
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Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
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Black
Atlas Air
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.7
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
1,050 Hz
Bass Amount
-2.0 dB
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
Treble Amount
2.2 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
Sound Signature
Flat
Frequency Response Consistency
7.6
7.8
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.98 dB
0.44 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
7.4
8.1
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.5 dB
4.0 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
29.76 Hz
27.89 Hz
Low Bass
-7.59 dB
-5.39 dB
Mid Bass
-2.91 dB
-0.05 dB
High Bass
-0.47 dB
1.2 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.74 dB
1.57 dB
Low Mid
-0.64 dB
-0.32 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.9 dB
-1.97 dB
High Mid
0.34 dB
1.21 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.6
7.7
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.63 dB
2.7 dB
Low Treble
-1.13 dB
2.53 dB
Mid Treble
-4.92 dB
1.69 dB
High Treble
-8.32 dB
2.12 dB
Stereo Mismatch
5.8
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.68 dB
2.32
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.87 dB
1.8
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.7°
21.3
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
5.4
7.1
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
2.84 dB
4.05 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
2.22 dB
5.34 dB
PRTF Distance
8.7 dB
7.11 dB
Openness
9.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
6.9
Harmonic Distortion
9.0
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.08%
0.267
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.23%
0.123
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
4.1
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No App
Dolby Atmos
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
V6.96.1480
Power
Passive
On
Connection
Wired
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
Turtle Beach Signature Sound
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Boom
Boom
Imaging
6.1
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
1.13
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.7°
21.3
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.68 dB
2.32
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.87 dB
1.8
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.8
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.08%
0.267
WHD @ 100
0.23%
0.123
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
No
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.55 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
1.4 lbs
0.6 lbs
Controls
5.6
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
No
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
Yes
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
No
Bluetooth + Multi function
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
5.5
5.2
Portability Picture
L
7.4" (18.9 cm)
8.1" (20.5 cm)
W
6.7" (17.1 cm)
7.5" (19.1 cm)
H
3.6" (9.2 cm)
3.9" (10.0 cm)
Volume
181.42 in³ (2,973.00 cm³)
238.94 in³ (3,915.50 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
5.5
6.5
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
Pouch
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
1.5
1.9
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-3.45 dB
-4.25 dB
Bass
0.21 dB
0.71 dB
Mid
1.00 dB
1.13 dB
Treble
-12.79 dB
-16.19 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
1.5
2.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-2.44 dB
-3.57 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-2.67 dB
-4.16 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-3.04 dB
-3.72 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
N/A
Leakage
3.1
4.1
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
57.66 dB
53.53 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
Yes
Yes
Detachable Boom
No
Yes
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.7
8.3
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
20 Hz
132.62 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
1.6 dB
1.16 dB
HFE
8,010.97 Hz
6,267.15 Hz
Weighted THD
0.176
0.257
Gain
27.08 dB
9.94 dB
Noise Handling
7.5
8.5
SpNR
SpNR
35.95 dB
62.15 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
On/Off Toggle
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
8.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
8.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
0.0
9.5
Battery Type
No Battery
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
57 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
0.0
Total Battery Life
N/A
57 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
1.75 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
Yes
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Yes
Charging Port
None
USB-C
App Support
0.0
8.5
App Picture
App Name
No App
Swarm II
iOS
No
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
Yes
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4.23 ft (1.29 m)
6.56 ft (2.00 m)
Connector
1/16" TRRS
1/8" TRRRS
Latency - Analog
0.3 ms
0.1 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
8.1
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
5.2
Multi-Device Pairing
No
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
N/A
180 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
No Bluetooth Audio
SBC
AAC Support
No
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
8.4
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
150.92 ft (46.00 m)
Latency - Dongle
N/A
38 ms
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
3.4
Type
No Base/Dock
Wireless USB Dongle
USB Input
No
Yes
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
USB
Check Price
Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Atlas Air
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
+ EPOS PC38X
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Atlas Air
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
Atlas Air
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
Atlas Air
SEARCH
B&H
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Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X
Turtle Beach Atlas Air
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Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X vs Turtle Beach Atlas Air: Main Discussion
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