Match it and crank

Sony’s instant-pairing headset is designed to get maximum sonic immersion from the PS5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech

Unsurprisingly for a sub-R2 500 headset, the Pulse 3D is all-plastic with pleather earpads. It doesn’t feel cheap, though, and isn’t particularly heavy. We can’t say for sure that it’ll stand the test of time, but with no boom mic there’s nothing that feels easily breakable.

The PlayStation 5’s Tempest 3D AudioTech engine is designed to put you in the middle of immersive soundscapes, allowing you to pinpoint where sounds are coming from. While the Pulse 3D is never going to rival a properly assembled home cinema system, it’s still very impressive when paired with a compatible first-party game.

Hearing the hum of the traffic directly beneath you as you swing through the Manhattan skies in Miles Morales adds a real feeling of height, while being able to zone in on every sound as you navigate Returnal’s alien inhabited landscape is a subtly stunning advert for the tech.

Games that don’t support Sony’s Tempest tech don’t sound so impactful, but as a standard stereo headset the Pulse 3D is still a solid performer if a little lacking in the bass department. It’ll work with any source in wired mode, but the instant pairing when you turn on the PS5 is magically good.

The Pulse 3D has dual mics, and there’s a mic-monitoring button that enables you to hear yourself talking so you know how you sound to the people on the other side of the connection.

Tech specs

Connectivity 2.4GHz wireless (with USB dongle), 3.5mm, USB-C charging