Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?
Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...
Apr 23, 2024
First, the GAME ONEs are exceedingly comfortable. At the time I bought them I had never (and probably still haven't) worn a more comfortable pair of headphones. I now use my HD 650s and the Antlion ModMic 5 together as my primary headset, but I'm not going to be getting rid of the GAME ONEs yet, because the GAME ONEs are slightly more comfortable for long gaming sessions.
Another thing I like about these gaming headsets from Sennheiser is the hardware mute function. Flicking the mic up out of your way engages the hardware mic mute, preventing noise in your room (like mom or a significant other) from getting broadcast to your teammates (or, preventing Cortana from analysing all of the talk going on in your home).
Because they use 50ohm drivers, your average motherboard soundcard is not generally going to be powerful enough to generate the power to really give you the full frequency response and volume you expect. This is generally from where bad reviews of sound quality come. I would recommend that these headphones be paired with a quality USB DAC and headphone amp. I have been using the Sound Blaster E5, but even something relatively cheap like the Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1 sounds far better than onboard sound from the motherboard (I used this for a few months before I got the E5).
The detachable cable is awesome to have. I've almost yanked the headphones off my head more times than I can count, but instead, the cable just gets disconnected from the headphones. If they had used a permanently-attached cable (especially if it didn't have the braided sheath for protection) I might have already ruined my headset.
I'll also do a quick expression of gratitude for the hardware volume knob. I've saved my hearing a couple of times when I had forgotten that I was listening to music loud the night before and the music player volume had been low, while the volume was adjusted using the main Windows "master" volume. Then I open a game or a Youtube video with its volume maxed and reach in reflex for the headphones, finding the volume knob. If it had used software sound control, the volume adjustment would wait for the computer to register the adjustment, then lower the volume one step at a time. With the hardware control it is instantaneous.
Finally, my main recommendation when it comes to gaming headsets is that you choose a [pair] of headphones/headset with two high quality drivers and use virtual surround over a headset with 6-10 smaller, cheap drivers to create a "real" (this is arguable, anyway) surround effect. If you spend the money on a couple of high quality drivers, you will get the frequency response, soundstage, and power you need to make efficient use of virtual surround and if you ever listen to music with the headset it will sound much more realistic. I was blown away by how easy it was to close my eyes and be able to spin and shoot sound sources (I was always close, but I could actually hit things with my eyes closed about half the time) when using the GAME ONEs and either Razer Synapse Virtual 7.1 Surround or the hardware DSP virtual surround built into the Sound Blaster E5. In addition to the gaming sound quality, I was blown away by how much better music sounded... even better than my Bose headohones. The GAME ONEs were my first real audiophile experience, and these look like they are pretty close in design. The only drawback is that I then had to go buy my Sennheiser HD 650s and later the Noble 3 universal IEMs. My wallet now lives in fear.
The PC37X has a cable terminated in a 3.5mm headphone plug and a 3.5mm microphone plug (there's a y-split at the end). Meanwhile, the GSX has separate headphone and microphone jacks, and it was designed/voiced with the PC373D (substituting the cable included with the PC37X).
Personally, I need something for consoles as well as PC, but for PC the GSX was an ideal pairing (unless you're willing to drastically increase your budget).
Edit: it's back on Sennheiser. Can't tell if it's braided or not though. Ordered one anyway. If it isn't braided, cough can we get some kind of collaboration? :)
Of course, surely everyone here would LOVE to see a photo of somebody gaming with the Orpheus.
A good number to call about product inquiries in general, like our microphones, is 1-(877)-736-6434. See if you can ask for microphone suggestions as well, they may have just the suggestion for your type of application.
If there is a usable volume at all, then it's probably not the headset. Could be the mic plug isn't all the way in and it's bridging between two contact points, or it could be that there is some other setting hidden somewhere. The reason to check for this before mailing out your headset and waiting till it gets mailed back is so you aren't left to discover that you still have an issue.
Both Sennheiser and Massdrop have customer support options, maybe they would have some configuration suggestions or if the headset really is faulty they can replace it.
To be perfectly honest, and with all due respect, I think you guys could have done a better job of shipping this headset ready-to-use. It is a gaming headset after all...and using it while plugged into the PS4 controller is about as predictable a scenario as I can imagine. If you would like to know more about the experience I have had since receiving the headset, please see the detailed comment I wrote a few minutes ago.
Great sound, extremely comfortable, and I thought the price was very good. Thank you for the work you, Will, and the rest of the team have put into this project but I think it's time to update the product and the product listing.
Fyi I bought their GSX 1000 DAC to pair and it’s freaking awesome!
I hear you on the GSX 1000! A very convincing binaural “surround” result, with low reverb it often makes me double check its actually playing through my headphones and not my speakers. I wish they made a version for game consoles.
so these make more sense if you want to save $20, like all black and dont mind having to get a dual 3.5mm to single 3.5mm adapter for a few bucks? that makes sense. (sorry if that sounded sarcastic. it really makes sense to save $20, as long as you dont mind waiting a bit longer to get them compared to prime, and to having to buy a 3rd party adapter or 1st party short single 3.5mm cable).
if i didnt already have the game one, and didnt need them in a hurry, i would jump on these.
only other note, "better looking" is opinion since i happen to like the few red external accents on the game one. personally all black is a little to plain for me. but again, neither color option would be a deal breaker for me.
Amazon is very competitive and have dropped the price since then. I know the GAME ZERO comes with both cables and a case, but I think the GAME ONE originally just came with the same one cable as this one. Furthermore, the white GAME ONE is still $149... so I’m looking at the current Amazon price for a black one as more of a back to school sale, or maybe even an end-of-life sale.
Sennheiser has also released the GSP 500 this year, which seems intended to be a replacement for the GAME ONE. So, this PC37X still seems like a lower priced option than that, while still being priced above the entry level GSP 300.
i know the latest version does come with 2 cables. not sure your point in comparing to the older model that does not exist anymore. and yeah, if you want white, you only have 1 option, i agree with that.
i did buy the GSP 500 as well, along with like 3 other sets. i returned them all for the game one. the only thing better on the GSP was the material of the pads, its like a neoprene. i wish i could find ones with the same material for the game one's.
My point in mentioning the original package for the Game One (with just one cable) was that was the other option available when I wrote my review, and I assumed it was a similar situation two months ago (which is why I said “I think the difference is...”) when the other guy asked. I usually don’t talk too much about price because things fluctuate all the time, but it was definitely worth mentioning at the time because it was great option at any price, and Massdrop had managed to secure a really good deal compared to what was out at the time.
Even now, $20 savings is still nice, and Amazon 2-day shipping isn’t really free if you pay $120 or whatever per year to get the luxury, especially since Massdrop has these on hand and 5 days free shipping is a negligible difference compared to $120 2-day shipping year round unless you forgot to plan ahead for gifts or can’t do without Amazon Prime’s other benefits (of which there are many... but I can do without). In PA, I’m always charged sales tax on electronics, so...
I am also on my second Creative G5, but I just have the worst luck with this model, and the Katana is working better for me when I want some surround with my game consoles.
It is top-notch for PC gaming purposes, but it also makes a good showing for audiophiles. Reviewers claim that it performs better than the Fiio products in its class (I read reviews for days when trying to decide on a portable DAC/Amp to use with my Sennheiser One and HD 650). You can probably easily find something better in a desktop stack/unit if you throw another $150 at it, but I don't think you could find many portable competitors without a couple hundred extra in your wallet.
The Sound Blaster G5 was exciting to me when I first saw it, but it appears to be very sub-par in comparison reviews with its elder sibling.
I don't have the luxury of having been able to AB-compare the E5 to other DAC/Amp combos, so I am only really a heresay source having read many reviews for things in the $200-300 portable market from 2 years ago. Depending on your budget, whether you care about mobile use, and what new products are now available I could be wrong. It is also possible Google led me astray. If you can find a way of listening to it and/or other DAC/Amp products, your ears will be a much better judge than any of us (audio is so subjective that you might be happier with a product that other people bash in reviews).
In the end, though, I am happy with my purchase.