by Jayden Leggett, Editor

Attention audiophiles! Prepare for some sweet audio lovin’ for your earhole with the Sennheiser PC 360 Gaming Headset.

Upon first wearing the PC 360, the first thing that I immediately noticed was how incredibly super comfy this headset was. The earpieces were superbly cushioned, and I really appreciated the padding over the length-adjustable headband piece that made sure my dome was equally as comfortable as my ears. The microphone (which unfortunately was the only part of this device that I wasn’t able to test) folds down from the left ear and is perfectly adjustable to suit any gamer’s needs, while the volume dial is located on the right ear. Connections were split into two different jacks, one for the audio input and one for microphone output.

After coming to terms with the physical aspects of the PC 360, it was time to treat my ears. Using iTunes as my first testing grounds for this unit, I initially found the sound to feature slightly too much bass for my preferences, until I found that if I turned down the sound source (in this case, the volume controls on my iMac) and turned up the volume on the unit itself, the bass became less dominant as more treble became noticeable in my music. The results? Frankly, I don’t have any idea how I ever enjoyed music without these bad boys, thanks to the crisp and crystal clear sound quality that let me hear elements of my favourite songs that I had never heard before, like extra voices in live recordings. I now also had the ability to easily focus on each single instrument being used and every individual note that was being played, such was the precision of this device.

Listening to music is all well and good, but when you are forking out a substantial amount of money for a gaming headset, chances are it is because you want to actually use it for gaming. Thankfully, the PC 360 delivers in spades.

As should be expected from a renowned brand such as Sennheiser, playing games becomes one hundred times more awesome, as the sound transforms from being a mere companion to the visuals to becoming an exciting feature on their own. Games with brilliant musical scores such as Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon were simply made for this unit. Or rather, the PC 360 was made for the music and sound effects from these types of games, as the audio from Blood Dragon in particular really made me feel like I was inside of the game, experiencing these sounds as if they were occurring in real life (with the added bonus of having kick ass electro theme music playing in the background).

Thanks to its brilliant portrayal of surround sound, even average shooters like the Rise Of The Triad remake became more fun and way more enjoyable in terms of both gameplay and audio quality, as I was able to pinpoint where I was being attacked from solely from where the gunshot sounds were coming from within my headset.

If you happen to be a pocket gamer, chances are you are well aware of the limitations that come with the tiny speakers that are featured on your tablet, smartphone or handheld console. Naturally, using any old headphones will make these devices sound better, but the PC 360 blows everything else I have used so far right out of the ocean!

The only minor complaint I really have with this unit is that it doesn’t feature any noise cancellation, but that is a deliberate move to ensure that the user is able to be aware of their surroundings (great if you are using public transport or want to be able to hear what you are saying in to the microphone). When I realised that this unit wasn’t intended to block out your surroundings, I decided that my initial disappointment was ultimately unjustified. In other words, I quit acting like a whining baby.

All in all, the PC 360 is an excellent headset that will suit gamers and non-gamers alike (I got just as much enjoyment out of it watching cartoons and movies as I did playing games). If you are just a casual gamer or somebody who just wants to hear noises without worrying too much about sound quality and all that jazz, then there are obviously a wealth of much cheaper options out there, but for sound junkies and audio aficionados, the PC 360 ticks all of the right boxes.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives the Sennheiser PC 360 Gaming Headset 4.5 out of 5 satisfying ear orgies.

Keep listening (get it?) to ComicsOnline.com and sound out our Facebook and Twitter pages for more PRODUCT reviews, news and everything geek pop culture!