PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset Review

Going For Gold

Gaming headsets take up a large part of the headset market, but in the current generation of consoles, there hasn’t been a vast range of compatible headsets. Be it because console manufacturers want you to buy within their ecosystem or just a lack of interested people (we doubt it!)

The PlayStation 4 doesn’t support A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), because of the audio lag and that would make gaming on the headset a pain. The only workaround is buying a supported Bluetooth adapter and headset.

The PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset provides you with 7.1 Surround Sound for your PlayStation 4 at a very affordable price.

Is it worth it? Let’s find out in this comprehensive PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset review…

Design

The headset comes equipped with a full plastic body, but still feel sturdy. The headband is comfortable when worn and wrapped with vinyl. The earpads are soft, but a little shallow. This could present a problem for people with big ears.

The headset clamps down tightly enough to feel secure, but not so much that it causes discomfort. It is worrisome that the earpads are a little small and could cause isolation issues if it doesn’t seal well. Especially if someone wears glasses or has big ears.

If your ears are of the average size, you will find that the headset is quite comfortable and very light. It is easy to forget that you are even wearing a headset once you are sucked up into the game.

You’ll find loads of buttons littered along the headset. In the back of the left ear, there are volume buttons, a surround sound button, and the microphone button. On the front side, you will find a power switch and a volume rocker that controls chat volume/balance.

The headset provides great comfort for gaming for longer hours, just as long as it fits. However, we wouldn’t recommend these if you wear glasses.

How Do They Sound?

The headset sounds good, considering the price range.

First off, when gaming, they sound great. Especially if you use the provided Bluetooth adapter to connect. However, if you don’t connect wirelessly to your PlayStation and opt for the 3.5 mm jack, you won’t get any surround sound.

The 7.1 surround itself is by far the best way to game on headsets and provides you with a fully immersive sound experience. Footsteps in Call of Duty run all around you, providing extra depth to the way you play the game. You really appreciate the sound design of these games and the actual importance it has when playing competitively.

Hearing exactly where your opponent is coming from can be the split-second difference between winning and losing.

The bass has been boosted, as is with most gaming headsets. This provides some extra ambiance, especially for cinematics, which are important for games.

Listening to music isn’t bad, either. The headset provides some decent separation between the instrumentation and vocals with clear mid- and high range frequencies.

Movie apps on the PlayStation 4 that support Dolby Surround Sound will also let you make use of the 7.1 surround sound on the headset. Great for watching movies by yourself, not so much with friends, though.

Using it on the PC provides a very different experience. The headset only supports stereo sound. It sounds fine plugged in, but there are better options if you are looking for a gaming headset for the PC.

The microphone is probably the most disappointing part of the headset.

There is a large amount of low frequency that gets lost, which distorts any deeper voice. Sound clarity is also significantly affected, which could be because of the embedded microphone inside the headset itself. This creates a very thin and tinny sound.

Sony might have been better off installing a boom microphone with the headset, or an attachable external form of microphone. Therefore, don’t plan on using this headset for any sort of voice chat, since you’ll only be frustrating the players listening to your hollow voice on the other side.

Battery Life

Sony advertises eight hours of gameplay, but we found the headset falling short of that number by only a few minutes.

It’s not bad for a headset and charging is easy and can simply be done from your PS4 itself if you’d like. And to be honest, eight hours should cover even most hardcore gamers needs.

Who Are The PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset For?

Any gamer who has a PS4 setup and wants to play games online or enjoys surround sound media by themselves. If you’re a competitive gamer playing FPS shooters, the 7.1 surround sound would be to your advantage as well.

This headset isn’t a great fit for PC gamers, though. You’d be better off looking at headsets like the Razer Kraken around the same price.

For more options, check out our reviews of the Beyerdynamic Custom Game, the Logitech G432, and the superb Razor Kraken.

PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset Pros & Cons

Conclusion

The surround sound is the obvious selling point of these, and they make a great addition to anyone who already has a decent PS4 setup. Even better if your focus is online gaming, which gives you a bit of an advantage.

Overall, you get surround sound and great audio quality for a very affordable price.

Happy gaming.