Review: Sennheiser PC 373D Surround Sound Headset

Sennheiser has given us their new flagship gaming headset in the form of the PC 373D. The PC 373D is a high-end, open acoustic experience that delivers an impressive and immersive 7.1 Dolby Surround Sound and clear gaming communication due to the high-quality microphone. Sennheiser’s new headset provides a powerful experience for competitive and immersive game, as well as music, with options to fully optimize to your preference.

What’s In The Box?

As you open the stylish black box, you’re immediately greeted with the view of the headset. The PC 373D doesn’t come with much. Basically you just get the basics of what you need. Headset, cords, and some reading material. That’s it. But to be honest, what else do you need? One thing I would have included is some sort of adapter to make console gaming easier. But as this is a PC designed headset, I understand why they didn’t think of such a thing.

How Does It Look?

The headphones feature a pretty standard look. They’re made of a sturdy, almost metal-like, plastic with a sleek, black finish. The two ear cups are decked out with soft, plushy cushion that make hours and hours of gaming without worrying about discomfort. There is a microphone on the left cup that swings up and down, while in the up position it is muted. The right cup features a volume dial for easy adjustment of sounds. The overall look of the headset is plain, boring, and unappealing, but it does it’s job. 

What It Does Right?

These are actually the most comfortable pair of headphones I have ever worn. I have a big head so finding headphones that actually fit properly and that don’t smush my head is a daunting task. Thankfully, the folks over at Sennheiser had big headed people in mind while designing the PC 373D because it has an incredibly wide stretch as well as over 2 inches in height adjustment. The ear cups are equipped with surprisingly soft, plush rims that keep out environment noise and trap in that beautiful crisp sound. The headset is extremely lightweight, weighing only 12.5 ounces.

The surround sound is absolutely amazing. The headset is equipped with the advanced technology of Dolby’s 7.1 Surround Sound which offers an incredible sense of immersion to any game I tried. I mostly stuck with Battlefront as that game sounds amazing even through my crappy TV speakers. The sounds that came through the headset were breathtaking. The surround sound really does work, I was able to hear the sounds of war all around me like I was actually there on Hoth in the thick of it all.

The equalizer features 3 different modes; Music, eSports, and Game. The music mode works best for, well, music and offers a nice and intense bassy sound. The game mode also offers some bass but not as extreme. Lastly, eSports. I didn’t use the eSports mode too often because I found it made most sounds very tinny, but it works great for the competitive games who often play FPS’s as its great for picking up sounds such as footsteps and gunfire. Of course you can do away with the Equalizer for a more basic sounding experience

What Could Be Improved?

The PC 373D’s are really expensive, boasting a $340 price tag on Amazon. They’re great headphones but I’d definitely wait until they’re on sale. If they could be easily used for more than just PC then my stance might change a bit on the price, which leads me into my next point. You’re pretty much stuck to PC use with these. They will work on PS4 and Xbox One but the features are extremely limited and the volume is poor due to the console’s USB ports just not being powerful enough to work with the USB based headphones. I mostly game on consoles so unfortunately I don’t get much use out of these headphones besides the little I play on PC.

Conclusion:

All and all these headphones are great. If you’re a PC gamer and you’re big into competitive gaming I would consider the PC 373D’s a must have. They’re such an asset as they pick up minute sounds such as footsteps. They’re extremely easy to set up and get going on the PC, consoles not so much. The price is a bit high, but if you’re a competitive gamer (like I said before) this is something that could really benefit your gameplay. They’re extremely comfy and lightweight, and can be worn for hours without your ears getting sweaty or cramped. If you’re looking for a good set of surround sound headphones for gaming, eSports, or even just music, I’d suggest you check out the PC 373D headset from Sennheiser.