Platinum Headset

[John The Grudge]

I recently got the Sony Playstation Platinum Headset. It can be set to stereo mode or virtual surround/3D audio mode. I think the headphone plugged into controller solution on the PS4 actually works pretty good but this is a clear upgrade in sound quality. The virtual surround seems to add a little bit of a surround effect but that is limited. It definitely adds width an depth to the sound that you wont get with headphones plugged into the controller. Personally I've never been convinced by virtual surround from a regular surround sound source.

The 3D audio is another story. It's a mode that a few games feature that's specifically created for this headset. It works amazingly well. I tried Uncharted 4 and the sounds seem to be coming from all around you. It doesn't seem like it's coming from the headset at all. The clicking sound when you're scrolling through the games' menu seems to come from the TV. I had to remove the headset to make sure it was actually on. It's a totally different experience to ordinary virtual surround. I gather 3D audio like this will be built into the PS5.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by John The Grudge

I recently got the Sony Playstation Platinum Headset. It can be set to stereo mode or virtual surround/3D audio mode. I think the headphone plugged into controller solution on the PS4 actually works pretty good but this is a clear upgrade in sound quality. The virtual surround seems to add a little bit of a surround effect but that is limited. It definitely adds width an depth to the sound that you wont get with headphones plugged into the controller. Personally I've never been convinced by virtual surround from a regular surround sound source.

The 3D audio is another story. It's a mode that a few games feature that's specifically created for this headset. It works amazingly well. I tried Uncharted 4 and the sounds seem to be coming from all around you. It doesn't seem like it's coming from the headset at all. The clicking sound when you're scrolling through the games' menu seems to come from the TV. I had to remove the headset to make sure it was actually on. It's a totally different experience to ordinary virtual surround. I gather 3D audio like this will be built into the PS5.

I use these with my VR headset that has native 3D spatial audio. It sounds incredible. Playing Resident Evil Biohazard In VR is scary enough but the audio takes it to another level.

[John The Grudge]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I use these with my VR headset that has native 3D spatial audio. It sounds incredible. Playing Resident Evil Biohazard In VR is scary enough but the audio takes it to another level.

I gather the Resident Evil 2 remake uses binaural audio. To appreciate it you just need regular headphones plugged into the controller. I haven't played it yet but binaural audio can be incredible. I think it's a technique that Hellblade also uses.

Hopefully The Last of Us 2 has 3D audio.

[NARMAK]

Whilst i haven't tried the Platinum headset, i had a pair of Silver wired headsets and those broke due to the crappy headband but the "VSS" Virtual Surround Sound was solid. After i got a pair of Golds which basically broke on the hinge and i wasn't impressed by the battery life. Eventually i went back to wired and the HyperX Cloud with the USB dongle from the official Silver headset and with the VSS buton enabled, the sounds are amazing. The Dualshock 4 3.5mm jack can't power certain headsets enough to unlock the full potential so i was really happy i could use the dongle now with the 3.5mm jack and benefit from that VSS because it genuinely makes a huge difference to locating enemies and enjoying game audio.

When PS5 does launch, i may look to upgrade to a 3D audio headset that's compatible if there's others offered if i try it out and it's significantly better.

[John The Grudge]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

Whilst i haven't tried the Platinum headset, i had a pair of Silver wired headsets and those broke due to the crappy headband but the "VSS" Virtual Surround Sound was solid. After i got a pair of Golds which basically broke on the hinge and i wasn't impressed by the battery life. Eventually i went back to wired and the HyperX Cloud with the USB dongle from the official Silver headset and with the VSS buton enabled, the sounds are amazing. The Dualshock 4 3.5mm jack can't power certain headsets enough to unlock the full potential so i was really happy i could use the dongle now with the 3.5mm jack and benefit from that VSS because it genuinely makes a huge difference to locating enemies and enjoying game audio.

When PS5 does launch, i may look to upgrade to a 3D audio headset that's compatible if there's others offered if i try it out and it's significantly better.

The Platinum Headset has a metal headband and seems sturdy enough. I heard the Gold Headset was prone to snapping due to it's plastic headband.

[Derb]

Advise

Keep the Plats on a headphone stand & never fold them.

Learned my lesson.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Derb

Advise

Keep the Plats on a headphone stand & never fold them.

Learned my lesson.

I have mine on a solid plastic mannequin head.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by John The Grudge

I gather the Resident Evil 2 remake uses binaural audio. To appreciate it you just need regular headphones plugged into the controller. I haven't played it yet but binaural audio can be incredible. I think it's a technique that Hellblade also uses.

Hopefully The Last of Us 2 has 3D audio.

Yeah, but those games are flat. It’s immersive as heck being in VR and having the audio. I recommend PSVR if you are after immersive games, it’s incredible.

[Blu Lemmy]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yeah, but those games are flat. It’s immersive as heck being in VR and having the audio. I recommend PSVR if you are after immersive games, it’s incredible.

Wait, you like VR?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Blu Lemmy

Wait, you like VR?

Yeah, have I mentioned it before?

[John The Grudge]

Originally Posted by Derb

Advise

Keep the Plats on a headphone stand & never fold them.

Learned my lesson.

What happens?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by John The Grudge

What happens?

They develop A.I and start spying on you!

[Derb]

Originally Posted by John The Grudge

What happens?

The plastic band (thick part) area that holds the folding lock is made of cheap plastic & can not withstand many pressure points. Especially outer wide pressure which limits the amounts of bends the plastic can take before ultimately snapping off.

Mine collapsed when folding out & applying a little pressure “wide” to fit on my head.

Other than that flaw, they are excellent sounding headphones with great battery life.

[Derb]

Decided to give these Platinums another go.

I think the major contributing factor to why the headband hinge breaks through normal care is because of the actual weight of the ear cup. It’s easy to fold them & hold them in one hand but in doing so, the weight of the ear cup itself is applying pressure to the hinge.

I’ve read some advice from others & they say you can use tape around the hinge so they don’t fold or you can use super glue so they don’t fold. I don’t know if I’ll go that far.

A stand for them to rest on should be ok.

Edit

Forgot how tight these fit. lol

Hopefully this pair will last 1 year.

[Derb]

Month update.

I’ve been using these with no issues yet.
Haven’t folded headband at all.

Comfort is extremely poor. I don’t remember them being so tight. 4 hours max, then pain around ears. Rubber Headband not so much a comfort problem.

Audio quality like my previous Plats are the same. iE - Excellent.

[NARMAK]

It's a shame they're not more comfortable as they're one of the few headsets listed as being 3D audio ready i.e compatible with PS5s new audio tech. Personally hope there's more wired 3D audio surround sound headsets compatible with PS5 as i prefer not running out of battery and game close to the console and TV.

[Derb]

April 7 2020

Originally Posted by Derb

Month update.

I’ve been using these with no issues yet.
Haven’t folded headband at all.

Comfort is extremely poor. I don’t remember them being so tight. 4 hours max, then pain around ears. Rubber Headband not so much a comfort problem.

Audio quality like my previous Plats are the same. iE - Excellent.

So have been Using these on the daily since I got them last March.

4 Month update.

Comfort has gotten better. The ear cups have wear & tear on them now. I clean my ears before & after each use. The cups don’t look inviting to say the least. So a total of 5 months to make these ear cups look like crap.

I can now wear them longer than 4 hours. Though one of two things will irritate me. Either the headband pinches or the ear cups start to pinch. The band itself hasn’t lost its tightness. So I am still uneasy putting them on & taking them off in fear the band will crack. I always hang them on headset stand when not in use.

Audio quality unchanged. I messed with some EQ settings for 1 of the 2 presets. Bass Boost is what I’ve been using (default) for most of the 5 months. My custom EQ setting I made the bass & treble more present. Will need more time to see if I prefer mine over the defaults. Anyway with that said, using my EQ preset these cans can put out some serious bass.

—

Overall

I still would not recommend buying the Sony Platinums to anybody. I’ve had my brand new second pair for 5 months now & they look second hand. I’ll update again in March if the headband doesn’t break first.

I will attempt to use them on the PS5 as well.

[emailking]

Developers seem to have stopped offering custom mix modes for the headsets. Days Gone was the last big game to get one.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by emailking

Developers seem to have stopped offering custom mix modes for the headsets. Days Gone was the last big game to get one.

Personally speaking i would say you want to only use the custom EQ to tune the headsets. Usually you can have up to 3 presets and tune to what you feel is best for you. Not something 3rd party headsets even have or sometimes a customisable EQ on them.

I can personally say its been interesting in that i have used a HyperX Cloud II with the USB soundcard from the Silver wired headset which broke and then used the HyperX Cloud IIs own soundcard but it sucked imo and wasn't as clean as it seemed the Sony USB soundcard was kinda tuned to the console. Since getting a replacement, it sounds "cleaner" to me.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

Personally speaking i would say you want to only use the custom EQ to tune the headsets. Usually you can have up to 3 presets and tune to what you feel is best for you. Not something 3rd party headsets even have or sometimes a customisable EQ on them.

I can personally say its been interesting in that i have used a HyperX Cloud II with the USB soundcard from the Silver wired headset which broke and then used the HyperX Cloud IIs own soundcard but it sucked imo and wasn't as clean as it seemed the Sony USB soundcard was kinda tuned to the console. Since getting a replacement, it sounds "cleaner" to me.

Yeah it’s interesting to me anyway that there are 3 presets you can save but only 2 you can apply. 1 or 2.

Bass Boost is a single preset. Using that in slot 1 or 2 makes the headset EQ default. The bass is very slightly more present. Out of the box new, all Sony headsets have bass Boost in slot 2. Some people may not have known that.

Yesterday, I put bass Boost preset in slot 1 while I used my custom EQ in slot 2. Mid range is definitely better in bass Boost. (Default)