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Sennheiser gets back in the (video)game, refreshes renowned PC360, PC350 headsets (update)
Sure, many gamers will choose between the likes of Turtle Beach, Astro and Tritton for their headset needs, but let's not forget about Sennheiser. While the German headphone-maker hasn't announced anything too exciting for audiophile gamers in last few years, that's changed here at CES 2013. The ever-popular, and impressive sounding, PC350 and PC360 have finally been refreshed with features for times as the P350 Special Edition and the PC363D -- keep reading for the juicy details. Aside from some aesthetic tweaks, the two headsets continue to sport the look found on its HD500 series audiophile headphones. As such, both units are still wired, stereo headsets at their cores, loaded with swiveling boom microphones -- although non-removeable, placing the booms in the up position serves to mute the mics. The PC350 Special Edition features a closed back design with folding earcups for travel like the original, but with improved sound. Sennheiser claims it's enhanced the audio using "Eargonomic Acoustic Refinement," which aims the drivers more precisely at your ear canals. "What about the PC363D," you ask? The headset has the same velour pads as the PC360, but the back of the earcups have vents instead of grills. The big news, however, is that the headset comes bundled with a Dolby decoder box for virtual 7.1 surround sound that hooks in through your USB port. Essentially, this spares you the need to pick up the likes of a pricey Astro MixAmp or Turtle Beach DSS. (Correction: looks like this is going to be computer-only, folks.) The headsets will be available this month, with no word on pricing as of this writing. Check out the press release after the break for more in the meantime. Update: Despite Sennheiser claiming that these headsets officially launched at CES, some of our readers pointed out that both have been quietly available for at least some weeks now. Currently, Amazon US has the PC350 SE priced at $350, while its UK site has the PC363D set at £209.99 (roughly $337). We've pinged the company for clarification. Update 2: A rep from the company confirmed that Amazon has had a quiet exclusive on the headsets for about the past two months, noting they'll now be released to retailers in general.
Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside
Sennheiser is well known in the slightly more budget-conscious wing of the audiophile community for selling great headsets at prices that won't drop your credit rating by more than a few points. Of late the company has been making waves in the gaming community as well by throwing microphones onto those cans, and now four new models are shaking the pool even more. First and biggest is the $299 PC 360, available overseas for a few months but finally hitting the US and building upon the success of the PC 350. It looks to borrow the open design of the company's well regarded HD555 headset, adding a mic on the left that mutes itself when you pivot it up and a volume dial on the right. The $239 PC 333D model offers a similar design but with more isolating closed cups, mixing in pseudo 7.1 Dolby Headphone, while the $169 PC 330 looks much the same minus the faux surround. Finally, and smallest of the bunch, is the $209 PC 163D, which again offers pretends at 7.1 but in a design that might be a little more... flattering for gamers with smallish heads. None is exactly affordable, but all should rock your world, and all are available now. %Gallery-106082%
