We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 9 min read · Independent comparison
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 is my top pick for PS5 because it pairs a genuine 80-hour battery with a flip-to-mute mic and 50mm drivers — a combination that just works for long sessions without constant charging.
• Turtle Beach Stealth 600 — best for marathon gaming sessions; pick this if you want an 80-hour battery, a flip-to-mute mic with A.I. noise reduction, and 50mm drivers tuned for spatial audio on PlayStation.
• SOULWIT Earpads — best for reviving worn-out Sony Pulse 3D cushions; pick this if your original pads are flaking or flattened and you want a direct-fit replacement with a plastic install tool included.
• WC Freeze Pulse 3D — best for hot-eared players on the Pulse 3D; pick this if you want cooling gel layers, a wider ear opening, and thicker memory foam for long listening sessions.
• Avantree C81-Gaming — best for using your own Bluetooth headphones on PS5; pick this if you already own AirPods, Bose, or similar and want a USB-C dongle with aptX Adaptive and aptX HD support.
This is a full wireless gaming headset built for multiplatform use — Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Steam Deck, and mobile — with 2.4GHz wireless plus Bluetooth 5.2 running side by side. On PS5, that means you get the low-latency wireless link for gameplay and a Bluetooth channel you can use for a phone or other device at the same time. The QuickSwitch button flips your audio and chat source between the two connections with one press, which sounds like a small thing until you actually want to take a call mid-match without tearing the headset off.
The spec that stands out most is battery life: 80 hours average. That's the kind of number that changes how you use a headset — you stop thinking about charging it every night and start thinking about it once every week or two. Quick-charge is supported, so a short top-up buys you play time if you do forget.
Audio is handled by 50mm Nanoclear dynamic drivers with a 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range and 32-ohm impedance. Turtle Beach tunes these for spatial audio on PlayStation, and the headset ships with built-in EQ modes plus a Superhuman Hearing preset that lifts quiet footsteps and reload sounds. The Swarm II app (PC and mobile) adds a 10-band EQ, microphone EQ, and firmware updates, so you can tune the sound rather than accept the default. There's also a mappable wheel and mode button if you like custom controls.
The mic is a unidirectional flip-to-mute design with A.I.-based noise reduction. Flip it up to mute, flip it down to talk — no button hunting. The cushions are memory foam wrapped in athletic weave fabric, and Turtle Beach specifically describes a glasses-friendly design, which matters if your frames normally get pinched against your head after an hour or two. Weight is 320g, which is mid-pack for an over-ear wireless headset.
The trade-off: there's no 3.5mm jack at all. Connectivity is wireless only — Bluetooth and Wi-Fi — so you can't plug this into a controller or a wired source. Noise control is listed as none, so there's no active noise cancellation, just passive sealing from the around-ear cushions. If you want a wired fallback option, this isn't it. In my opinion, it's the strongest all-rounder here for someone who mostly plays on PS5 and wants one headset that also handles PC and mobile.
These are replacement earpads, not a headset — and that distinction matters before you buy. They're made specifically for the Sony Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, and SOULWIT explicitly states they do not fit the Pulse Elite. If you're not sure which model you own, check before ordering, because a replacement pad that doesn't match the mounting ring is useless.
What you get is a pair of earpads plus a plastic installation tool and a user guide. SOULWIT estimates the swap takes about five minutes, and the included tool is the reason — prying the original pads off a Pulse 3D without one is fiddly and risks scratching the housing. The pads themselves use high-density foam with high-grade protein leather, and the enclosure material is listed as faux leather. The design goal is a clean seal around your ears, which is what actually preserves bass response and isolation on a closed-back headset.
The honest case for these: worn earpads degrade sound. Flattened foam means a weaker seal, which means less low-end and more outside noise leaking in. SOULWIT claims its pads are precisely modeled so they won't alter the sound performance of the headset while making it look new again. I can't verify that claim from a spec sheet, but the logic is sound — a fresh, correctly shaped pad restores the seal the headset was designed around.
Who is this for? Someone with a Pulse 3D whose stock pads have cracked, flattened, or started shedding. The trade-off is that this is a maintenance purchase, not an upgrade. You get no cooling gel, no extra thickness, and no wider opening — it's a like-for-like replacement in black faux leather. There's also no warranty listed, which is worth knowing. If your pads are still in good shape, there's nothing here for you yet.
Same idea as the SOULWIT pads, different philosophy. These are also replacement earpads for the Sony PS5 Pulse 3D headset only — WC states they fit that model and nothing else. But instead of matching the original, they change it in three specific ways.
First, cooling. WC builds in dual-layer cooling gel — one interior layer, one top layer — combined with a hybrid of sports fabric and PU leather. If your ears run hot after a couple of hours, that gel layer is the entire point. The breathable fabric portion gives heat somewhere to go instead of trapping it against leather.
Third, fit and finish. The enclosure combines memory foam, PU leather, and cooling gel, and WC includes a step-by-step video for removal and installation. There's also a 365-day full warranty listed, which is a real difference from the SOULWIT option.
The trade-off is that thicker pads with a wider opening can shift how the headset seals and sounds. WC argues the improved memory foam conforms better and blocks more noise, but a looser seal is a real possibility depending on your head shape — and the added thickness adds a bit of bulk. This is the pick for someone who loves their Pulse 3D but finds it hot or tight, and is willing to accept a slightly different fit to fix that. In my opinion, if heat is your main complaint, start here.
Avantree C81-Gaming
This one is a completely different kind of product, and you need to understand what it does before buying. It's a USB-C Bluetooth 5.3 audio adapter for PS5 — a small dongle (roughly 1.02 x 0.55 x 0.28 inches, 10g) that lets the console send audio to Bluetooth headphones you already own, like AirPods or Bose models. It doesn't include headphones.
Setup is plug-and-play in the audio sense: insert the dongle, set the PS5 audio output to "C81-G" once, and it auto-reconnects afterward. The Bluetooth 5.3 radio uses a Qualcomm chip and supports aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, and aptX Low Latency for low-latency, detailed audio with compatible headphones.
Here's the catch, and it's a big one: low latency only happens with headphones that support aptX Adaptive or aptX Low Latency. Avantree specifically names AirPods, Bose QC45, and QC35 as not supporting aptX Adaptive, meaning those may experience audio delay. So the premium-sound pitch applies to a narrower set of headphones than most people assume.
The second catch is the microphone. Due to Bluetooth bandwidth limits, mic input won't work through Bluetooth headphones at all. Avantree's guidance is to use the PS5 controller mic for voice chat, and you must manually set PS5 Settings > Sound > Microphone > Input Device: Microphone on Controller. That's a real limitation for anyone who wanted headset chat.
Third, compatibility is narrow. It's for PS5 only — not Xbox, not PS Portal, and notably not the PS5 Pulse 3D headset or any 2.4GHz wireless gaming headset. It also can't go into TVs, cars, projectors, or printers. It does list PS4 as a compatible device, and an included USB-C to USB-A extension cable helps with port access. There's a 24-month warranty with registration covering the first 12 months of return shipping.
So who should buy this? Someone with a good pair of Bluetooth headphones already in a drawer who wants to use them for PS5 game audio and is fine using the controller mic for chat. If you want a proper gaming headset with a boom mic, this isn't the answer — buy the Stealth 600 instead.
We compared published specs and features across these four products — battery life, driver size, connectivity, mic design, materials, and PS5 compatibility — and weighed how each one actually behaves in daily use. The ranking is our independent editorial opinion, based on what the data sheets say each product does well and where it falls short. No brand paid for placement, and nothing here is sponsored.
how to use headphones for ps5
It depends on the headset. The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 connects wirelessly to PS5 over its 2.4GHz link with no cable, while the Avantree C81-Gaming dongle plugs into the console's USB-C port and transmits audio to Bluetooth headphones. If you're using the Sony Pulse 3D, the SOULWIT and WC Freeze pads are replacements for its existing cushions rather than separate audio devices.
how to connect headphones for ps5
For the Stealth 600, power the headset on and pair it to the console wirelessly — Bluetooth 5.2 is on board with a 10-meter range. For the Avantree adapter, plug the USB-C dongle into the PS5, then set the audio output to "C81-G" once; it reconnects automatically after that. The two earpad products don't connect to anything — they install onto the Pulse 3D headset itself.
how to headphones ps5
If you already own Bluetooth headphones, the Avantree C81-Gaming is the route: it's PS5-only, plugs into USB-C, and sends audio to your headphones. Just note that low latency requires aptX Adaptive or aptX Low Latency support, and voice chat must go through the PS5 controller mic, not the headphone mic.
how to use bluetooth headphones for ps5
Use the Avantree C81-Gaming adapter. Set PS5 Settings > Sound > Microphone > Input Device to Microphone on Controller for chat, since Bluetooth bandwidth limits prevent mic input through the headphones. Headphones without aptX Adaptive — Avantree names AirPods, Bose QC45, and QC35 — may experience audio delay.
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