PULSE Explore Wireless Earbuds

Alright so this is my day 1 review. I’ll update it after a bit of time or until something happens that makes me want to change what I said.It took me a long time to figure out if I wanted to actually get these or not. There are an abundance of negative reviews on here that made me question it, but I made sure to take a look at several other peoples thoughts and figured I’d give it a go myself. How good this device is depends fully on what you want to use it for.Do you want all inclusive earbuds for all your devices? DO NOT BUY THIS! It seems people don’t understand that this is primarily NOT A BLUETOOTH DEVICE! Bluetooth is a secondary feature. For those that are not aware, the connection technology used for these, PlayStation Link, is something Sony created specifically to work better for gaming over Bluetooth. I’m not particularly sure of what the technical differences are other than maximizing the reliability and lowering the latency, as far as I’m aware, all you need to use this new technology is the use adaptor that comes with it in the box. It is however mainly for the PS5 and PS5 portal, but I tested it on the Nintendo Switch and it works fairly well. Max audio seemed a tad quiet but that might just be me. Based on that anything with a USB slot would likely work with these! As I’ll get into later though, it’s not for every device since the Bluetooth is not the best.Ok so, how good is this new technology? People have left several reviews here and elsewhere saying they have connection issues occasionally, however, most are from launch day purchases. Like any new technology nowadays, expect software updates. In fact, when I got mine, I had to update them by connecting it to my PS5. The update specifically was for connection issues. So again, if you don’t even have a PS5, please do not buy this. Anyways, they worked and are working flawlessly and the audio is crisp and most importantly, there is none of the slight delay Bluetooth has with some devices. If I experience any major issues I’ll note them here, but I’m expecting Sony to fix any other software issues that might pop up.What about the Bluetooth? Yes. It does have Bluetooth capabilities, but it seems quite rough when compared to Link. You notice it mostly when listening to music. For reference, I use the second generation AirPod Pros and the Pulse Explorer’s are quite a bit worse than those. YouTube audio is fine though, but don’t use the Bluetooth connection for music.However, there is one super fantastic feature I’m surprised is getting overlooked. You can connect to a PlayStation Link connection AND a Bluetooth connection at the same time! What you would want to use this for depends on the user, but you can be playing on your PS5 while on a call on your phone, all with private audio. It works great too!I personally decided to get these mostly because I truly despise corded anything. I move around a lot and end up ripping things off and out of my ears, and I do not like headphones. So, everything being said, if you prefer Bluetooth earbuds over headsets, this seems like it’s easily the best option for PlayStation 5 users. Just be sure not to buy these if you are expecting them to be the best option for everyday earbuds 👍

Im honestly in shock how good these sound. Ive worked in HiFi for over 20 years and have many high end headphones and speakers. From earbuds, closed back, and open back. Ranging from $100-$2000. Very spacious sound(something that is hard for a earbud to accomplish) and clarity. Sound amazing for games giving you a surround feel. They also sound great for music. I also think the fit amazing! I was listening to music today and totally forgot I was listening to earbuds. They are light and the most comfortable earbud I've used. Now everyones ears are different but for me, it fits perfect with the tips that are already on and I can use them for a long time. You can also content them to your phone and PS5/PS portal while you play. If you want to listen to music or take a call, you can do so. Great mics as well. Note, these don't have noise cancellation but do a good job at blocking noice. If you are someone that likes to blast your music, these could leave you wanting more in that way. Also, battery life could be better. They are only rated for around 5 hours of listening and can charge twice with the case battery. That is enough for me but want to mention it if it is concern for someone else. I also find them loud enough but I know some people that like to blast music/games. I keep mine at two notches below top volume and find it plenty loud. If you are looking something portable for gaming and also amazing for music, highly recommend. While they are latching on some features, such as noise cancelling, you are really paying for the sound quality with its planar magnetic drivers and easy use. I personally am happy they kept noise cancelling out as it would likely bring cost up. I prefer to have the sound quality. More than pleased with my purchase and couldn't recommend more.

Okay, I can't take it anymore. Walk with me on this journey of pain.I have a lot of hair, so I tend to buy earbuds and avoid over-ear headphones. I've been waiting for some gaming earbuds for at least five years so I thought these would be perfect! and at a price tag of $200, I assumed I would be getting some very high-end hardware. My patience had paid off!How wrong I was. My fiancée split the cost with me, so I could afford them, so I tried to tough it out for her sake, but even my love for my betrothed is not stronger than my disdain for these headphones.First of all, lets discuss the attention to detail. They're awkwardly shaped and its often difficult to know which is the R or L side. They fit comfortably, but its annoying when I often have to take them out (more on that later) and I'm fumbling in the dark afterward trying to read the tiny print to see which side is which.The second issue is the fact that they still need a USB-A dongle to function. its 2024, a USB dongle of any kind is inconvenient, takes either my front USB I use to charge my controller, or my rear that I use for my cooling fans, or my external hard drive. And then what's worse is it constantly overheats, which disconnects my headphones entirely, often in the middle of a game. And when machine gun fire suddenly blasts through the speakers at 1AM and wakes up everyone in the house, that's a huge problem.Thirdly, lets discuss the range, cause its freaking ABYSMAL. I typically buy $20 earbuds from Amazon of whatever knockoff brand is available. When paired on my phone, i can leave it anywhere in my house, leave, go mow the lawn, work on my motorcycle or car out back, and walk all the way to the street corner, and it will still be connected and transmitting audio. I'm talking 40+ feet of range through walls and doors. These headphones cannot leave the room. I mean sub 15 feet from the dongle in the FRONT USB port, and even less in the rear. I disconnect as soon as I step around a single wall. Want to go to the kitchen for a glass of water? Water down your expectations. Step outside for a smoke break? Smoke the connection before you can light up. Just insanely bad range.But oh, did you think I was done? That I couldn't possibly have another axe to grind? Buckle up boys, girls, and they/thems, cause I'm Paul Bunyan today.The microphone quality is literally lower than a 10 year old, single ear $4.99 Xbox aux headset that I found in a box. I'm constantly reminded in chat parties that I sound like a robot, or that no one can hear me because the mic is too low (the settings on the PS5 are almost always at max). And whenever I get overzealous and step out of range, it disconnects first one, then the other headphone and when it reconnects (not automatically, I have to manually click the button on the underside of each ear first), BOOM, I'm suddenly Will Smith's co-star in I, Robot.Which brings me to the next problem. Whenever this happens they have to be fully reset. Like, put them both back in the case (which is awkward because of their shape), walk over to the playstation, disconnect the dongle, reconnect it, take them back out and wait for them to reconnect.This has to be done during games when I'm trying not to wake my partner after a desperate scramble for the remote to hit the mute button on the TV, during COD lobbies while being shot at, even mid-air in Rocket League. Doesn't matter. Mic goes crazy, only a full reset will solve it.Still not done. The case. My god, the case is abysmal. My $20, Temu brand ear buds with triple the range and mic quality have a built-in battery worth 24 hours of charge. These have none. The case feels like the cheapest plastic available and slides awkwardly to open. The fact that I have to carry it around with me to reset the earbuds makes it worse, cause I can't just charge one when its battery dies (we'll get to that later) and then swap it out. I have to plug the case in (there's no ports near my couch) which means i have to get up (again) to address it. And god forbit the case be in a different room than I am, which disconnects the second bud. Nightmare fuel.BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!Its insane that the batteries are this poor. I've had the headphones for about 8 months and I play for 1-3 hours at a time, usually very late in the evening after work and home life have wound down. After a single session, if I don't gather them up, case them, and plug them back into the wall outlet (remember, my PS outlets are dedicated to the dongle and my other accessories) then the next time I use them, there's zero chance they have more than 1/3 battery remaining. The left one always dies first too, which shouldn't happen but oh well.If I really wanted to, I could continue, but I'm a busy man, and have things to do. Too busy for this crap. Don't spend your hard-earned money on this. Buy a state-of-the-art surround sound system instead, connect with optical audio and link some $20 earbuds to that. You won't have a mic, but at least your friends won't think you've been possessed by Skynet every 20 minutes.