Open Back H6Pro vs PC38x
Hey everybody, this is a tough topic. Both the open back Epos H6Pro and PC38x from Drop are phenomenal headsets that I can easily recommend. Long story short, if you want the classic, crisp open-back experience with a wide open soundstage, then the PC38x is still going to be the headset to buy. However, if you want a more traditional, immersive "gaming" audio then the new H6Pro is definitely worth taking a look at.
The H6Pro definitely has the edge in terms of build quality, but I do not believe that should be the deciding factor in your purchase. In my opinion, it 100% comes down to which sound you prefer. If you've only used closed-back headsets in the past, then the H6Pro is a great stepping stone down to that true open-back experience. I truly believe you cannot go wrong with either of these. They are both comfortable, highly adjustable, and feature phenomenal microphones. I am personally going to continue to use the H6Pro because I just enjoy the sound. I mainly play games with "BOOMS" - World of Warships, Destiny, Overwatch, Rocket League - and all of them sound amazing with the open-back H6Pro.
So, to sum it all up:
H6Pro - better quality materials, equal comfort, more "gamey" audio
PC38x - equal comfort, amazing, truly open-back audio. Cannot go wrong.
If you liked the video please give it a thumbs up, if you disliked it, give it a thumbs down and please let me know what I could have done better. Thank you for watching!
0:00 - Introduction
0:20 - Summary/Conclusion
2:18 - Open Back Comparison
3:34 - Build Quality Comparison
6:18 - Comfort Discussion
7:49 - Audio Discussion
8:33 - Mic Comparison
9:27 - Final Thoughts
I’ve watched a ungodly amount of headset reviews and this one is honestly one of the best. No trashing one but just an honest opinion from someone that actually purchased it with their own money. Having kids myself I now see the need for open-backs. I’m currently using the H6 Pro closed backs and love them but they block out everything which no longer suits my needs. Got the PC38x recently and honestly love them. Considered the H6 Pro open-back but I got the 38x for a great price.
I am in a similar situation. I got a kid now and I find myself just wearing one headphone on my current headset just so I can listen out for my kid and wife. I've never been a fan of open-backs since I love my bass. Headphones come in this weekend, hoping it'll satisfy my needs like this. :)
Super helpful, and one of the best comp/reviews I've seen. Very well done!!
Great review. Short and to the point with relevant concerns and opinions.
Awesome review. Each headphone does something a little better than the other and the one that fit your specific need is the one you went with. Thanks for making a video on it!
thanks for the review. i'm in the market for a good set of wired headphones that have good sound quality for both gaming and music. your video really helped narrow down my choices.
This video helped out a lot. Thank you! Looking to upgrade from worn HyperX Cloud Revolver S (Original). Been watching a lot of videos comparing these two headphones and I'm beginning to lean towards the H6Pro. I sort of like the idea of taking off my mic for Sim Racing peripheral purposes. The PC38x mic does flip up but I'm used to detaching the mic right now and it's a nice feeling.
Thanks for the comprehensive comparison
That type of reviews I like. Straight the point, but importantly, what the reviewers think personal about the product and prefer the product, the reason why (would) invested the money in the product. Thank you for the video! Keep up the good work!
I was truly stuck between which one of these headsets I wanted more until this video, thanks!
Love your "no bs here are my thoughts dude" attitude. Thanks for your take!
Thank you for sharing, its always a challenge trying to find good quality products that withstand day in day out wear.
I've also tried both headsets and 100% agree with everything you have said. The only thing I would add is if you have ears that stick out a little (like mine), they're probably going to touch against the frame/driver on the PC38X due to the shallow pads and weird bump inside toward the back.
Great video thanks for the inputs bro :)
Thankyou! This is such a good review! got yourself a sub and like.
Helpful thanks I'm upgrading from a HD595. The pc38x seem familiar in looks and sound but the h6pro are on sale right now at almost half price and I'm very tempted.
I love your very casual, yet genuine and informative style. Easily the best headset reviews I've seen, and you helped me make a decision. Really appreciate it!
Thanks for the feedback buddy. Glad I could help out.
Honestly, your vids have been great! The only video I've seen comparing these two headsets in depth👍. I am on console and am concerned about not being able to drive these with my xbox controller... Do you find one is louder than the other? And apart from being able to hear the outside wold (your family), do you find the semi-open design of the h6pro is still open enough to achieve the large soundscape sound? Thanks!
I’ve been looking for a video like this for the longest time, no one has made one. I don’t really subscribe to people on the first video that I see but you deserve it.
Same..the tl;dr in the beginning is clutch too
This is great! I wanted to offer my brother a choice between these 2 specific headsets
Video helped out a ton with my decision, right now PC38x is $180 on Amazon the H6's are $144, which to me not a huge difference but worth considering, for my case, I work from home, and play games, mostly simulator type games, so the open back is a requirement for me as I too need to be able to hear my surroundings, but the slightly "boomier" sound is what I feel like I am missing from my old HD598's (have had these for years and they work great but starting to show some severe wear and tear)... also the detachable mic is a huge win for me, I would use the mic for work, then use my condenser mic for games, so being able to remove it is a huge plus. Thanks for the review, it was exactly what I was looking for!
Thank you. These are the reviews I love. I believe even the 38x isn't fully open even though it may appear that way. I still have the PC360 (which is an awesome headset to this day - just missing some bass due to how open it is), and I compared it to the 38x recently. There is much more bleed from the 360. The 360 is also more comfortable btw. I think the only way they were able to get more bass at this price point was by starting to make the subsequent products partially closed. I'm staying with the 38x because I've tried about 5 other setups - the new ATH M50xts (slightly superior mic), some broadcast headsets, desktop mic. All have their pros and cons, but once you hear the nice neutral Sennheiser audio quality, it's difficult to go with anything else.
Hey @Mercury_tv great Video at first! Very authentic way of explaining the Details,i Loved that. You mentioned that without the Microphone there are better alternatives Out there. Me myself i am looking for great comfort and Specials amazing directional audio. I got a Desktop mic. Would you still Go for Something Like the h6 pro?
Awesome review brother!!!!
O seu vídeo fez eu fazer a escolha entre os dois. Comprei o PC38X e estou esperando chegar. Obrigado pelo conteúdo! 🇧🇷
comprou aonde mano? achou no br ?
I am always pleased when the algorithm actually does a good thing. I enjoy. Thanks
Great video, made me feel a lot better about purchasing the PC38x's before learning about h6pros. Now I'm confident that I won't regret purchasing the "older" model
Yeah you’re in good shape man. The 38x is badass and will be for a long time to come.
Happy holidays and loved your no bs review! Was wondering what dac/amp set-up was in the video if you have one.
Thanks man! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I used the Steelseries GameDac in this video. Actually I recently made a comparison between that and the Astro MixAmp. They’re both fine, nothing extraordinary - I just like them for the minor boost but more importantly the game/chat volume mixer they both provide.
Thanks for the vid, subbed
I've been leaning toward the H6Pro and have watched and read a ton of reviews and this is the first one that talked about how outside noise with the semi-open back compares to other fully open back headphones. My current headphones are fully open and I also want to hear sound in my house but I like the idea of the H6Pro being at least a little bit muffled.
I think you should give them a shot then. Might be pleasantly surprised. Just make sure you get someplace with a return policy. I think Amazon has thru January now since it’s end of year.
0:54 got a good laugh out of me, great review. Thanks!
This is by far the best headset I've ever seen in general, finally somebody who isn't trying to hype up or sale me something and just giving me their genuine thoughts on the product.
Ein super Video, ich habe auch grade beide Headsets hier und bin mir noch nicht zu 100% sicher welches ich wieder verkaufen werde, wobei das PC38x bequemer ist also wird das wahrscheinlich bleiben.
Thanks for to you, I livi g outside US so hard for me to buy from drop, since I use pc37x till now,I worries that I don't have replacement for my lovely pc37x.
Hey! I’ve loved this review!! I’ve been using my pc38x’s for a couple years now and they are starting to break after wear and tear. I was worried that when I buy new headphones I would be disappointed of the new ones because of how perfect the PC38x’s are. I saw the H6pros and was on the fence of buying but this video reassured me that I won’t be downgrading!
Trust me the H6pro is not a downgrade at all, just a different sound stage, I've been collecting senhesier for years & have both the above and them some.
It would be interesting to hear your opinion of the open vs closed h6 pros
Hello, thanks for the video, good job. Just a question, what do you complain on turtle beach sound? I have some products from them and i realy like them, my all day amp/dac is theri TAC... I use it with my beyers mmx300 gen2, also have sennheiser game zero and some othergaming headsets but I also have some Hifiman and topping and loxjie stuff. I think turtle beach is super confortable, good sound, good replacement parts, god TAC and the prices are not that tall... Best regards 👍
Hi bro, could you make the comparison of the pc38x with the beyerdynamic tygr 300 r, if you have already tried them can you tell which one is better for fps games
Great test I use sinnheiser hd599 almost identical sound to pc38 as a second pair check out Corsair hs65 closed with a semi open sound stage but directional sounds are the best iv ever heard
Love your videos by the way Pc38x are open back and are quite expensive for me i am getting the h6 pro closed for half the price should i buy them i listen to music alot watch movies and play story games on my pc should i buy the h6 pro closed back or give me another headphone suggestion
I've owned dozens of headsets over the decades and the PC38x are probably the top headset ever for gaming. Everyone knows Sennheiser has been making headsets for years but something that isn't often told is that this specific headset design and hardware has been sold by Sennheiser for 15+ years and counting. The headset changed names many times, they used to be called the Sennheiser PC 360 at one point, then the EPOS lineup came around and I think they were the EPOS Game One and now they are the PC38x. All of them were popular and no doubt in a few years they'll be called something else still. They are like this old man that went by many names and lived countless past lives but to this day he's still alive and kicking and still the same old man lol. For gaming I still have and use daily the original PC 360 headset which are now probably about 14 years old. They are older than my daughter who is 7 and even older than my marriage... Apart for the ear cushions being a little dusty (they just need to be cleaned) I am astonished how well they've held up. I've accidentally dropped them onto a hard floor a hundred times at least and they have yet to break. They still sound as amazing as they did on day 1. If they ever break or crack I'm going to buy the PC38x... or whatever they are called at the time.
Thanks for the great video! I've got one pair of this and also a Philips shp9600 and shared same thoughts as you. For a one stop gamer who wants a mic intergrated, this is a easy go. Plus the build quality is there and you can feel it right after the box. But for those who just prefer better sound stage and clarity, there are more better open back options as h6pro might be a bit muffled. But it's also warmer so really depends on personal preference.
Hey! Thx for the vid! You earn a sub! For footstep audio, which one do you recommend? Specifically for Warzone
Honestly I think you will be 100% okay with either of these for WZ. I've been using the H6Pro since this review and can confirm they're great for footsteps and hearing lootcrates nearby.
I love that you give a full summary at the beginning rather than at the end but part of me thinks "man this guy is probably shooting himself in the foot for channel growth if he doesn't do all the annoying stuff everyone else does." Appreciate you putting this stuff up, though. Anyway, my Astro A40s crapped out even though I take great care of my stuff so I've just purchased the PC38X to try out with and without the Astro MixAmp which is still working just fine. On the Astros the soundstage for pinpointing directionality was leagues better with Dolby turned on than with it off in stereo mode. People online crap on the simulated surround but in this case it was far superior. Maybe on PC it's a different story, but on PS4/PS5 it was a no brainer to keep Dolby on. Eager to see if I made the right choice rather than just getting another set of Astros which left a bad taste in my mouth with their failure. They never sounded "good" like you'd use them for music or watching a movie, but they were a great tool for the job of competitive FPS gaming. Having played around with the Steelseries Arctis 5 I got for free from a friend, it made the Astros look a hell of a lot better and made me realize I only want open back headsets for gaming. Lastly, have you seen the Hel 2e from Schiit Audio? I know there are some youtube reviews already, but I'd be curious to see your take on that for PC and console gaming.
The whole reason I started making videos was because I was tired of clickbait or waiting for 8 minutes for someone to get to the point. I have a good day job, KZhead won't ever be a career for me. I used the PC38x with the Astro Mixamp and then the Steelseries GameDac. Both were good. No I haven't seen that yet. Might have to take a look thanks for letting me know.
Any comments on the directionality? I like stealth/shooting games and the ability to triangulate based on noise is super important to me.
I think the mic difference is that the h6 pro has a tiny more high range picking up a sissing sound when making the S sound which you can hopefully equalize, because this sound comes a bit more forward in my voice and is anoying😅 still thinking about buying the h6pro 😇
Oh and I actually love the racing green color scheme of this and did not realize they offered both a wired and open version of this. I may have to also purchase this and compare myself at home. I saw some reviews about the drivers bottoming out on the PC38X with bass heavy scenes. Have you experienced any of that? I like your reviews but are these all being driven straight from your motherboard or do you have an external DAC/amp? PS: I saw a tip somewhere that if you have a headset with too much clamping force you can just set them up on a yoga block for a while and they may relax a bit.
Before I review a headset I spend plenty of time with it plugged into my motherboard and plugged into my amp/dac. And no, I never really experienced that with the PC38x, but also don't know what would cause them to do that. Thanks for watching.
I was fairly torn between these two headsets. Went with the 38x because: 1) I’m used to and prefer that Sennheiser open back sound signature and sound stage. Plus the mic is pretty great for a headset mic. 2) I can wear the 38x’s all day and I’ll never get fatigued from them. Both because they’re light and comfortable and they never sound harsh. I gave the EQ a very slight tweak for my personal preference tastes. For reference: I have a 58cm hat size. 3) Open back means I can hear myself and not have to fuss with mixing my voice in the mix. One less level to worry about. Also means I can hear my surroundings. Which is a plus for me.
just thanks. Good video. Rly
Tried the H6 Pro and returned them after 1 day of use. Gave me a headache and earache due to how much excessive punchy treble they have and lack of bass. Used them with a mixamp as well and sounded too echoe-y. Very comfortable and nice looking but damn, I've never gotten a earache from any previous gaming headsets.
Brooo 💀 we need more reviews like this! Now you have my suscription These reviews are the best. No bullshit or pure advertisements, no. Just honest opinion in a short video, thank you!
Love seeing feedback like this. Thanks a lot for watching.
Glad you brought up hearing your kids when you’re gaming. I bought the PC38x partially because of that.
How is ear hotness? Great review. Especially mentioning the kid component. I have a 14-month old and like to hear him at all times. Also, I appreciate that you compared open-back to open-back. I'm transitioning away from closed-backs, so closed vs open didn't make sense to me.
It’s very minimal on both. No real issues with hotness - good open backs let your ears breathe. I’d say if I had to pick one as being better it’d be the 38x
@@MercuryTV Very helpful. Thanks. I currently have the beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R. Love em, but I want to go back to a headset with a mic. And not a mod mic.
I have both plus yours, I would say the H6pro because it's a totally different sound stage more bass in a clean way still though
Thankyou for the great video! I wonder if there's any noise from the cable when it rub against clothes?
Not at all. If you grab the cable and rub your fingers up and down it you can hear a faint noise but during normal use (which for me is probably close to 1000 hours) I've never noticed a single thing in terms of the cable and my clothing.
Thanks for doing this very niche comparison. It's helped me out a lot in terms of deciding what to purchase. I was contemplating going with the H6PRO or PC38X but decided to settle for the Game One in the end. This was due mainly to availability and price. Cheapest brand new H6PRO I could find where I'm at was around US$130, PC38X was around US$135 but, Game One was around US$65. Only the PC38X was not available locally and had to be ordered internationally and shipped in if I wanted it. It was a no brainer so I bought the Game One. With the $ saved, I am now contemplating if I should get a gaming DAC preferably one with an amp and a mic input (incidentally, the GSX 300 can be purchased for about US$40 here). However, I've seen/ read some reviews where users have stated that the GSX 300 DAC provides little to no improvements over sound quality and/ or output depending on the current motherboard's sound chip/ card. I will try it out with my motherboard's default sound card and see if the sound experience is adequate for me before I decide on any upgrading route. I'm running an Asus B-550 board. It has a High Definition Audio CODEC S1220A that can purportedly handle 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input, and supports up to 32-Bit/192kHz playback. Let's see if this is plenty enough for me or leaves me wanting more.
Game One is a phenomenal choice, and yes, I would absolutely get an AMP to use with it. Just go with Amazon and keep the boxes so you can return whatever you don't like. I've used both the Steelseries GameDac and Astro MixAmp and liked them both for ease of use and the game/chat mixer.
I got h6pro open and i love them for gaming but the problem are the earpads because i use glasses and after 1 hour is a but uncomfortable. In these weeks im gonna buy the wicked cushions hoping they are more comfortable as the reviewers says
I have the game one, mic is very quiet. Even with the 30db boost. Is the mic the same as these 2?
Great comparison! Which one has more bass? I’m coming from the GSP 500 and I love the bass it has.
If you love the GSP 500 sound, I don't know if I would look at buying either one of these. The PC38x has those same drivers but in the form factor of the Game One (which is insanely comfortable in my opinion), and the H6Pro just has a slightly differently tuned sound that might sound more muddled comparatively. I like the H6Pro for exciting games, but for almost everything else I find myself coming back to the PC38x. Neither come close to a closed-back headset in terms of that BOOM but I don't miss it. So, the H6Pro might take the edge for the bass alone, but you have to balance it against the other factors.
That's a great review! I'm starting to look at both of these headsets as my picks right now. I'm switching from Arctis Pro (+ GameDac). Would you recommend using GSX 300 DAC with either of them? I could buy a bundle of H6Pro+ GSX 300. And I'm still wondering about whether H6Pro is better Closed or Open (I don't care about the sound leak).
Thanks for the positive response. I haven't used the GSX 300, but I do use the Steelseries GameDac with the PC38x and H6Pro and love it. As far as open vs closed back, I personally love open back and doubt I could go back to closed after multiple years of using them. The audio quality and ability to hear my surroundings (kids, etc) are tough to beat. So the amp + open back would be my pick.
Love my pc38x stretch em out for the clampin force by outtin em on somethin wide overnight and use the velour pads feels and sounds great Plugged into my astro mixamp i can hear wherever ppl are and the sound isnt all washed out and its comfy. I bought a 6 foot cable and mic cover off amazon def do reccomend. Way better than my astro a40 trs were.
"Hearing any bass or boom is gonna fuck your day up" had me cracking up
Did you use an amplifier or connect the P2 connections on the motherboard?
Are the H6Pros fine out of the box just plugging straight into my motherboard? Without any external hardware?
I just exchanged my 38x for the H6 pro simply because I want the removable mic. I hope it at least has decent mids and highs because I would like to use them for listening to music as well as gaming.
Is the H6Pro better in your opinion?
@@1stFraVeI tried them both and pc38x sounds better to me.
I am literally browsing headsets for Destiny 2 and this is the perfect review for me 🤣🤣🤣
One of the best, no bullshit reviewers I've ever seen. This guy should be more popular for casual reviews.
Like and subscribe then
I have the pc38x and they are honestly phenomenal. Only issue is the clamping force is way too tight.
Headphone gain is especially important. The H6pro is 28ohm. Headphone Gain needs to be properly set if your soundcard offers that option in its settings.
Which one better for rpg console gaming
"If you're an audiophile and a headset with bass is gonna fuck your day up." I died lol. As far as the headphones, the H6pro open are the most comfortable things Iv ever put on my head. I love the whole audiophile scene and have had hd660s forever but for gaming i just need something comfortable with a mic.
Hello i have a cloud2 only for playing cs go and i have a senheiser hd599 for playing piano. I like hyperx cloud 2 but i would like buy pc38x. What do you think? the reason is because closed headphones cause me a little fatigue thanks
Give the Pc38x a shot - I'm willing to bet you'll love them.
I would buy the H6Pro ($80 / massive discount) but the big problem is EPOS headsets are discontinued / dead brand so if I end up loving them then I won't be able to buy it again or newer versions.
Okay so I got the H6Pro in today and initial thoughts are that it doesn't hold a candle to the PC38X in terms of detail and accuracy. Seems like the soundstage is much less wide, while it has more bass it is often muddier like you said. If you listen to music at all it's a complete no brainer toward the PC38X. I will say though that the H6Pro really has a quite premium feel to it from a build standpoint vs the more studio/professional grade feel of the Drop set. So credit where it's due. The H6Pro also might be the most comfortable headset I've ever tried on. Those huge, deep, ear shaped cups are just so great. I can't comment yet on how they wear for hours at a time. The clamping force is much less than my PC38X as well where I feel like my ears just barely fit within the cups (and I don't even have large ears). Good breakdown but guess I'm the audiophile you're talking about. I honestly wish I could just have H6Pro headphones that sound like the PC38X do because it might be the best of both worlds.
I don’t disagree with anything you said. You know how the GSP 500 drivers were an upgrade to the Game One’s? I wish that’s what this had been vs a sort of sidestep. Like I said, the sound is a little more fun for video games but that’s been about it. I hope this time next year we have a true successor to the PC38x in both build quality and sound.
@@MercuryTV Yeah I gave them a good go on Apex Legends tonight and love the deep earcups and thick earpads, but the cloth heats up more than the velour I'm using on the Drops. I expected these to be a lot more similar than they are given they're sort of from the same company. Cheers
I would say the H6pro imaging is excellent not as good as the pc38x or the 560S but still damm. Good a lot better than most gaming headsets especially now it's on sale in the UK for £79 Currys a bargain.
Nice wee review, I've narrowed my choices to these 2, but the one thing I'm really looking for is accurate positional audio/soundstage. I had a pair of Plantronics GameCom 788 a decade ago which had exceptional positional audio but had poor mids/highs, switched to Sennheiser 600/Beyerdynamic 880 for the audio quality, but always missed the accurate soundstage so I ended up using Shure IEMs for the positional audio. If you could give me some feedback I'd appreciate it.
Anytime there’s a toss up between these two I always recommend the PC38x. They’re just too good and solid all-rounders for gaming + good audio + comfort in my book.
@@MercuryTV I bought the PC38x, great headphones overall. Now that I've them for 3 weeks in multiple FPS games I have to say the soundstage is excellent, nothing weird or out of place, everything exactly where it should be.
Which of the two would you recommend for single player games and also for watching movies and TV?
What type of single player games? If it's going to be story driven RPG stuff I'd go with the 38x.
so now i want to buy either one of them, but i also want to buy their gsx 1000 , does it necessary, does it improve the situation?
Any Dac/amp is going to improve the situation. If I were you I’d just get into the PC38x with the amp and call it a day. I think you’ll love it.
There is only 1 thing ive noticed with the PC38X that i dont like, and that is the cables that comes with it, they are hard and kink a lot compared to the H6s :/ my only gripe, unless they have changed that recently, ive just ordered another pair of the PC38X in all black
Unfortunately I doubt they’ve changed. I’ve seen them package the same cables from the Game One to PC38x and now the H6Pro. No kinking on my end but boy do they get twisted fast. Constantly having to unplug, unwind, replug over the years.
How do these compare to the Game zero and Game one?
PC38x is better than the Game One, Game Zeros are closed back so entirely different sound profile.
Do you have experience with the Coolermaster mh751?
No I’m sorry I don’t. Have you heard good things about it?
@@MercuryTV they are a takstar 82 with a mic on them basically. Apparently they're very popular for their price range
I think pc38x is for gaming but for music too, and the h6pro more for gaming.
Pc38x at $180 or H6pro with gsx300 amp for $129 ? 🤔
I basically only play call of duty, what do you recommend?
Honesty for open back either of these will be great for COD. I’d probably always recommend PC38x as a default. Especially since Epos has stopped the gaming headphone business.
lol i keep staring at your pc case and wondering why the fans are facing toward the desk
They’re intake fans on the Fractal Design Torrent case. They are facing the right way it just might be tough to tell in the video.
I want to hear footsteps in Call of Duty from the farthest away I can. Which one am I buying??
Pc38x
BUT WHICH IS BETTER? :D
I'd say just get the PC38x.
@@MercuryTV are you sure
audiophile = a little bass gonna make headset unusable
usually takes some more reviews for buying gaming gears, but this one make me instabuy h6pro superb review, hope u have a wonderful day
Awesome to hear - I hope you enjoy them.