Sony PlayStation Pulse Elite Vs Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro Comparison Review

When it comes to gaming headsets, finding the right balance between sound quality, comfort, and features is essential. The Sony PlayStation Pulse Elite and the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro both offer impressive audio, but each has unique strengths. Let’s break down their features, pros, and cons, and help you decide which one is best for your gaming experience.

What You Get

Look & Feel

The MMX 300 Pro and Pulse Elite are unique headphones to use for gaming. While the Elite takes its design cues directly from the PS5, the MMX 300 Pro is more like Beyerdynamic’s line of studio headphones. I find the MMX 300 Pro to appear more built to last. It uses better materials that make for a sturdier frame. The Elite feels more plasticky, and its fit is looser than the more snug 300 Pro, but I still find both headphones almost equally as comfortable. I also prefer the Elite’s retractable microphone to the MMX 300’s sizable boom arm that isn’t detachable.

Design

Both the Elite and MMX 300 Pro have unique driver configurations for gaming headphones. There are only a few gaming headsets on the market with planar magnetic drivers, and one of them is the Pulse Elite. The MMX 300 Pro uses a dynamic driver, but not a traditional one. It uses Beyerdynamic’s special STELLAR.45 driver, which aims to bring studio-level sound to your games. Most of my time using these headphones was with my PS5, but I did some testing with the MMX 300 Pro on my PC as well. Video game consoles aren’t exactly headphone amplifiers so you’re not going to get the best headroom from either pair of headphones. You get enough comfortable gain from the PS5, but the PC is a lot more versatile at least with the MMX 300 Pro specifically.

Microphone Quality

Although I prefer the comfort quality that the Pulse Elite’s retractable mic brings, the MMX 300 Pro is the far better mic. Its condenser mic gives your voice a lot more clarity when talking through Discord and gaming online. The Elite can isolate your voice more with an AI-enhanced noise rejection system, but the timbre of your voice loses resolution.

Soundstage

There’s one feature that the Pulse Elite has that has the biggest effect on its sound. That would be its 3D audio capabilities, a feature that is absent on the MMX 300 Pro. 3D audio makes the soundstage more of an immersive experience for casual gamers, but if you’re really a stickler for audio, you might find more benefits from the natural imaging of the MMX 300 Pro. In terms of what I am most enwrapped by in the games I play, Sony’s 3D audio through the PS5 is very entertaining. Spatial audio feels enhanced by the Elite’s planar drivers, making the sound appear more open and breathable. Ambient game audio like background effects and some musical scores wraps around you, mimicking surround sound quite well. The MMX 300 Pro doesn’t have that theatrical experience, but it makes up for it in pure accuracy and precision. It can pinpoint sounds to better localize the sonic scenario being portrayed. This will benefit you in competitive games, but I also found the sound more organized and realistic.

Low End

Sony has a knack for bringing the low-end power you are expecting from a pair of gaming headphones. You get a bit of a different experience with the MMX 300 Pro but still expect some significant weight to its tone. Expect the Elite to appear boomier than the MMX 300 Pro, though, even if it’s not as big of a distraction for most games. You get a cleaner balance of frequencies over the MMX 300 Pro, and while there’s an engrossing bloom of sub-bass detail from its foundation, the Elite has the most direct and punchy response.

Mids

This is where the MMX 300 Pro shows its main advantage over the Elite. Beyerdynamic’s headphones are more detailed and balanced than the Pulse Elite in the midrange, which gives more emphasis on dialogue clarity and musicality. Specific effects have more definition to them compared to the Pulse Elite, which still has good articulation but with less transparency.

Highs

While the MMX 300 Pro keeps its level of detail up to the high-end, it might not go down as easily as the Pulse Elite does. Sony’s headphones stay away from bright territory but still offer a fine treble presence that you can easily through the PS5. Beyerdynamic’s headphones usually have some bright peaks, and while the MMX 300 Pro isn’t as aggressive in those areas as their studio headphones, it can be seen as harsher than the smoother timbre of the Elite.

Summary

Both the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro and Sony PlayStation Pulse Elite have their strengths. The MMX 300 Pro is ideal for gamers who need high-performance audio across various platforms, while the Pulse Elite is tailored specifically for PlayStation fans who want a lightweight, wireless solution. Your choice ultimately depends on your gaming habits, platform preferences, and budget.

The Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro is available at Audio46.

You can find the Sony PlayStation Pulse Elite on Amazon.