Introduction

Drop has been cooperating with various audio brands to bring us some seriously great hardware for affordable prices. I'm a big fan and a proud owner of many of their past projects, especially in the hi-fi headphones department. However, none of that prepared me for their collaboration with EPOS | Sennheiser—that's what Sennheiser's gaming division is called nowadays—on the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X gaming headset. After all, it's just a gaming headset, so how good can it really be? Well, let me tell you, you're in for a treat!



In its essence, the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X is manufactured and sold as a no-nonsense analog gaming headset. It is based on the once-popular, beloved Sennheiser Game One open-back gaming headset I gave a glowing review and our Editor's Choice back in 2018, and it in turn was built around the Sennheiser HD 558 hi-fi headphones. Knowing the hi-fi roots of the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X gaming headset is important to better understand its performance, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The PC38X is a direct successor to the PC37X, another popular gaming headset brought to us by Drop and Sennheiser. The newer PC38X looks nicer and has improved bass response, as well as a warmer overall tonality, making it a better-sounding choice for games and especially music. The PC38X comes with a pivotable microphone, two pairs of ear pads, and two audio cables. The $169 price tag might strike you as a bit high considering you're not getting wireless connectivity, software driver support, RGB lighting, or anything else of the sort, but there are a couple of great reasons why the PC38X can almost be considered a bargain.

Specifications

• Drivers: Size unknown, dynamic (neodymium magnet)
• Impedance: 28 Ω
• Sensitivity: 109 dB
• Frequency Response (specified by the manufacturer): 10–30,000 Hz
• Design: Open-back, over-ear
• Microphone: Bi-directional noise-canceling (pivotable)
• Connectivity: 3.5-mm analog (4-pole TRRS + dual 3-pole TRS)
• Supplied cables: 1.5-meter 3.5-mm (4-pole TRRS), 2.5-meter dual 3.5-mm (3-pole TRS)
• Extras: 2 pairs of earpads (mesh knit and velour), drawstring travel pouch
• Platform support: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, VR, and mobile
• Weight: 253 g
• Warranty: 2 years

The Package

When you're buying a product from Drop, you're obviously not paying for the design of its box. This is why the box of the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X looking as rudimentary as it does comes as no surprise. Thankfully, the headset is wrapped in a protective layer of foam and placed inside a drawstring travel pouch. It traveled half-way across Europe to reach me and arrives with no dents or scratches to mention.


Inside the box, you'll find the headset, safety guide, welcome note pointing out the frequency response differences between the PC38X and its predecessor, two cables, and an extra pair of earpads, which is velour as opposed to the factory-installed mesh-knit ones. The shorter 1.5-meter cable terminates in an angled 3.5-mm 4-pole (TRRS) plug for consoles and mobile devices, while the 2.5-meter cable has a separate microphone input and headphone output. That's the one you'll use when connecting the PC38X to your PC.