The Pulse Elite headphones are great. For $199, this headset intended for the PS5 offers immersive sound with no latency and comes with charger support. And you can listen to two devices connected via PS Link and Bluetooth at the same time, although the configuration is tedious. It smells like it's out of stock.
Posted at 10:16 am.
We love
Like most PlayStation sound peripherals, the Pulse Elite, which officially launches on February 21, connects to a PS Link USB adapter. You plug this USB-A stick into your console or computer, carry out an initial pairing and the Pulse Elite headset can be connected quickly and easily.
This PS-Link protocol allows for minimal audio latency with no loss of quality, giving you that small fraction of a second head start that is so valued in a video game.
If this headset is presented as a PS5 peripheral, it is because it can be configured through this console. By triple-pressing the Pulse Elite's main control button, you'll get a PS5-displayed dashboard where you can adjust the equalizer, volume, left-right balance, and music-video balance.
The headphone volume can also be controlled via a mechanical button at the very bottom on the right side. On the left side there is an extendable microphone, which also has a mechanical switch.
Without emphasized bass like high-end headphones, the Pulse Elite offers good sound quality, very detailed. It also has the ability to play sound in 3D. The immersion here is remarkable and the effect is breathtaking, to the point that you will have the impression that sounds from your game's environment are coming from the room you are in.
But that's not all: the best is still ahead of us. The Pulse Elite also has a Bluetooth chip that allows it to simultaneously connect to and stream audio from a second device, such as your phone or computer. We say at the same time: it is not a question of two parallel connections like Bluetooth 5.0, where two devices follow each other and the one that emits sound gains the upper hand.
For example, the Pulse Elite's dual connection allows you to play your PS Link-connected video game on the PS5 while listening to music streamed from your phone. You can answer the phone at the same time during your gaming session. You will then hear the sound of your game and the person you are talking to. This one, we've checked, fortunately doesn't hear your game.
And when the extendable microphone reaches your mouth, the person you're talking to hears you as if you were in a studio. Terrific. This is the first time we have tested such a dual connection. If it is present on other devices, we could not find them.
There is also a 3.5mm jack for cable connection. The Pulse Elite has a good battery life of 30 hours. Of course, we initially have a USB-C socket available for charging and the battery can be charged quickly.
But we have another, more interesting option: the headset hangs on an included holder that also functions as a charger. The battery is therefore always at 100% when you remove the headset.
With these features, we thought we were wrong when we saw the $200 Canadian price tag for the Pulse Elite. It's the right price.
We like less
We only have one reservation: the unlikely diagram of the controls associated with the Pulse Elite's main button. This is why we had a lot of trouble pairing the headset with a PS5 and then with our phone: if you press too long, the Pulse Elite will reset, forget a device, or turn off.
To illustrate, here's part of what this little button does. Always keep the list handy when purchasing a Pulse Elite.
- Short press before release : Turn on the headset
- Briefly press three times : Displays the dashboard on PS5
- Press for 2 seconds : Disables the current connection and connects to an already paired device
- Press for 4 seconds : Turns off the headset
- Press for 8 seconds : Pair with a new PS Link or Bluetooth device
- Press for 8 seconds, release, press again for 8 seconds : deletes all connections
- Press for 10 seconds : Resets the headset
You buy ?
It's hard to find a more recommended headset for a PS5 owner. The development has been enormous since the launch of the Pulse 3D headset, which appeared with this new generation console. In fact, the dual connection capabilities, minimal latency, and microphone quality make the Pulse Elite a worthwhile purchase for anyone who needs to manage two devices at the same time. But then we lose the dashboard reserved for the PS5.