In this comparison article, I want to compare the open-back version of the H6Pro to the PC38X. The only other reviews or comparisons I could find on this topic were people comparing the close-back version of the H6Pro to the PC38X, which was weird. There’s something wrong with comparing a close-back to an open-back headset, but I figured people searching for this topic specifically would want to know how the open-back stacked up to each other.
Both of these are phenomenal headsets that I’m happy to recommend. This will not be a simple A; it’s a better-than-B comparison. The most significant difference between these two is the sound, not the audio quality, but the sound.
Sound
The H6Pro offers a much boomer gamer-ish audio that is much more akin to a close-back headset but in the open-back form factor, whereas the PC38X gives the classic open-back experience with that crisp, clean sound that a lot of us are familiar with. Both of these are great in their ways.
Personally, I love the H6Pro, but I can see how they’re not for everybody. If you’re an audiophile and hearing any bass or booms is going to mess your day up, then yes, consider getting the PC38X. But if you want that more traditional immersive gaming audio, and no, I’m not talking about that Turtle Beach, but actual good immersive audio, then the H6Pro might be a great option.
Audio Quality and Comfort
If you’re still sitting there saying, which one should I buy? I’ll have to reply with a question: What matters most to you in a gaming headset? I’ve always said that audio quality and comfort are the two most essential things in a gaming headset.
The headphone can be made of gold and encrusted with diamonds, but if it sounds like crap and is uncomfortable to wear, I’m not buying it. So, what matters most to you? Because in my category of those two things, the PC38X still reigns supreme, which is why I still happily recommend it to anybody, coworkers, friends, and people on this website, because it is that great of a headset when it comes to those two categories.
H6Pro, however, will be perfect for some people. Both the audio and comfort are relatively subjective topics in the customer’s views. People complain that the audio could be more crisp and clear than open-back headsets should be because it’s like a semi-open back.
Then they also say that the clamping force is too tight and uncomfortable, which I can’t entirely agree with. But again, what’s comfortable to me might not be comfortable to you, but we’ll go ahead and get into this kind of open-back. So when you’re talking about open backs, the PC38X, like I said, has that classic, full-blown open-back experience. That means that when I have them on, I can hear myself as clearly as if I’m not wearing anything.
The H6Pro, on the other hand, is a bit more muffled than they are, but they’re nowhere near as muffled as a closed-back headset. With a closed-back headset, you constantly find yourself shouting by the end of the night because you want to be able to hear yourself when you talk.
I started buying open-back headsets because I needed to hear my surroundings and the people in my household, especially once I had a little kid. The thing that I was the most worried about when I swapped to the H6Pro was that with that semi-open back, I would be losing that ability, and I was wrong.
The other night, I was in the middle of playing Destiny 2 with my friends. We were in the middle of a gunfight, people were talking, and I could still hear my daughter two rooms a day away with the door shut, having a nightmare, and crying. That was really reassuring to me because if I cannot hear my daughter while I’m gaming, then I’m not keeping the headset.
I would’ve returned the next day, but I was able to hear, and to me, that was incredibly reassuring. So I hope that anecdote helps us wage any fears about whether you can listen to outside noises.
Build Quality
So a big area where the H6Pro stands out from the PC38X is the build quality. It’s just noticeably more excellent right out of the box.
You can tell they paid a lot more attention to detail. It has that lovely leather headband up top versus the split cloth design. It has the gold accents on the Racing Green version, which is what I got. It has the engraved EPOS logo versus it just being printed on the PC38X.
The open-back design is different, which is quite hard to see on the H6Pro, but it’s different from how they did that. But most noticeably, the ear cushions are significantly thicker and more profound. They went with the ear-shaped design versus the oval on PC38X. Something to note is that these differences aren’t an endorsement of one being better.
They’re just different. As I said, the attention to detail on the H6Pro is excellent. When I opened the box up, I was definitely impressed. They look and feel fantastic, like that $150 price tag.
Similarities
In terms of similarities, they both have that rotating volume dial on the right ear cup. They both still use the same connection, which is lovely. If you own the game ones, the PC38X, you’re sticking with the same connector. Thank you, Sennheiser EPOS Drop or whatever, for not swapping that stuff around.
So you can use the cables from your previous headsets in the box. You get the short 3.5-millimeter one, and you get the longer one that splits into the dual headphone and microphone jacks.
You don’t get swappable ear cushions with H6Pro as you do with the PC38X, but that should not be an essential factor in your buying decision. The microphone on both are flipped to mute, and the mic quality is phenomenal. Where it differs from the H6Pro is the ability to detach it magnetically.
You can pop the microphone off and use one of the little included plates to cover it up, and then all you have to do to get it off is apply a little bit of pressure, and it slides right off. All right. At first, I thought this was just a stupid gimmick. Still, it is excellent if you’re not going to be gaming with any of your friends that night to remove the microphone instead of having it sitting in your peripheral vision or, for some reason, having it down.
Epos said it was a feature for streamers or broadcasters so that they could buy these. But here’s the thing, if you don’t plan on using the microphone for gaming or never using the microphone, I won’t buy them. If you all need an excellent pair of open-back headphones, there will be a better option.
Comfort
The price point includes the microphone, and the microphone is excellent. These are definitely gaming headsets, so keep that in mind. So in terms of comfort, this might be a subjective topic, but the PC38X is upper-tier. I wore the PC38X every day from the day I bought them until I bought the H6Pro, and I cannot overstate how comfortable they were to me.
The H6Pro worried me initially. I wouldn’t say I liked the GSP line’s design, which follows the same path. So I was afraid I wouldn’t find them comfortable or the clamping force would be too tight, as people were saying. But I have to disagree with all that. These are very comfortable.
I’ve worn them for unhealthily long gaming sessions and never experienced any discomfort. So take that for what you will. I’m 6 foot 4, 205 pounds, so I’m a bigger person. You may have a bigger or a smaller head, but these are very comfortable for me.
The only time I had any discomfort, which I’ve had with every single headset, is when I wear headphones with glasses for up to three hours. Anytime you have the sides of your glasses pushing into your face for that long, it will be uncomfortable. There’s nothing to knock about these for that.
Audio
I’ve already talked about the audio bit, but to revisit it, I love the sound on both. I spend about 80 to 90% of my time on my pc, so I have no problem with the more “gamerish” audio that comes out of the H6Pro.
If either of these headsets were to show up at most people’s homes, they would be happy with the product they receive without ever having to try the other one out. It is easier to ascribe if you try them on yourself.
If you’re coming from a close-back headset, the H6Pro might be a perfect stepping stone. If you want that pure open-back audio, then the PC38X will be the way to go in the audio department.
The microphone on the PC38X sounds phenomenal. It’s the same one they had in the game, one pretty legendary at this point regarding how clear you sound when you’re talking in discord or the game, whatever it may be.
I’ve tested H6Pro and PC38X a couple of times, and these sound precisely the same. I love the fact that they use the same connection. It makes swapping easy, although I wonder why anybody needs to switch midway through anything. This is the same microphone, which is impressive, considering you can pop it off and right back on.
My Verdict
One of the things I pride myself on with this website is the ability to give you guys honest opinions versus canned bullshit advertisements. I bought both these with my own money, and it would be disingenuous to say the H6Pro is better.
I would only listen to people who say The H6Pro is newer; therefore, it’s better cause that’s just not true all the time. The PC38X is still a phenomenal headset, and I’ll never stop recommending it. I like the H6Pro because it’s more fun-sounding. As weird as that may come across for the games that I play, World of Warships, Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, and Rocket League.
I like having more boomy explosions. I enjoy it. It sounds more fun to me, which is why I will stick with these. This comparison helped out in some way, shape, or form. This is a challenging topic because it’s so subjective. What I like you may not, and more importantly, how do you convey to an audience what something sounds like if they can’t hear it for themselves?
So I hope it helped out in some way, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, leave them in the discussion below. More importantly, let me know what I could have done better. I enjoy making these for you all.
I hope you have a great rest of the week. Until next time.