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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless vs Sony PULSE Elite
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 21, 2025 05:16 PM
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BestBuy.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Apr 22, 2025 12:55 PM
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BestBuy.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
MicYes
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble AmountSlightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureBalanced
Variants
- PULSE Explore (White)
- PULSE Elite (White)
Our Verdict
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
The Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless and the Sony PULSE Elite are both designed for gaming and are equipped with planar magnetic drivers, but the similarities end here. The PULSE Explore are in-ear buds with a more stable and portable design. They deliver audio very consistently across different gaming sessions. By contrast, the PULSE Elite struggle with audio delivery consistency. They have an over-ear design which is too bulky to be portable. On the other hand, they have an excellent microphone, and their continuous battery life is almost ten times that of the PULSE Explore. You can also use them with a wired connection, which gives them greater versatility.
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.2
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
850 Hz
1,350 Hz
Bass Amount
3.2 dB
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Treble Amount
-2.6 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
Sound Signature
Balanced
Frequency Response Consistency
9.3
3.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.15 dB
3.47 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.4 dB
3.5 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
21.65 Hz
Low Bass
4.18 dB
-1.16 dB
Mid Bass
3.09 dB
4.4 dB
High Bass
1.89 dB
1.8 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.76 dB
2.14 dB
Low Mid
-0.12 dB
-1.78 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.89 dB
0.84 dB
High Mid
-0.1 dB
-1.18 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
5.0
6.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.02 dB
4.6 dB
Low Treble
-1.29 dB
-3.21 dB
Mid Treble
-4.37 dB
4.4 dB
High Treble
-12.16 dB
-1.33 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.3
6.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.49 dB
2.04 dB
Dips
1.95 dB
2.59 dB
Stereo Mismatch
5.6
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.09
0.9 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.35
2.1 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.47
4.7°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
1.1
6.9
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
4.11 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
4.41 dB
PRTF Distance
N/A
14.2 dB
Openness
5.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
0
Harmonic Distortion
8.5
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.401
0.12%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.138
0.38%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
N/A
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
2.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
Yes
Test Settings
Firmware
0137
0136
Power
On
On
Connection
Wireless (Proprietary)
Wireless (Proprietary)
Codec
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Default
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (medium)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Boom
Imaging
8.8
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.12
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.47
4.7°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.09
0.9 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.35
2.1 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.5
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.401
0.12%
WHD @ 100
0.138
0.38%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
Over-Ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Yes
Transducer
Planar Magnetic
Planar Magnetic
Comfort
7.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.75 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0.83 lbs
Controls
5.2
5.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
No
No
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
No
Bluetooth + Multi function
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
9.4
5.2
Portability Picture
L
1.4" (3.7 cm)
8.4" (21.3 cm)
W
1.0" (2.7 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
1.1" (2.9 cm)
5.1" (12.9 cm)
Volume
1.77 in³ (28.97 cm³)
259.90 in³ (4,258.94 cm³)
Transmitter Required
Yes
No
Case
7.0
0.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
No case
L
1.5" (3.9 cm)
N/A
W
3.5" (8.8 cm)
N/A
H
1.7" (4.2 cm)
N/A
Volume
8.80 in³ (144.14 cm³)
N/A
Build Quality
7.0
6.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
6.2
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
4.5
3.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-10.71 dB
-7.80 dB
Bass
-2.06 dB
4.00 dB
Mid
-10.23 dB
-7.92 dB
Treble
-21.70 dB
-21.95 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.9
3.2
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-11.13 dB
-5.77 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-11.67 dB
-6.47 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-12.60 dB
-6.87 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
N/A
Leakage
10
5.9
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
9.74 dB
45.46 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
No
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
Yes
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.4
7.9
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
84.76 Hz
113.14 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
8.46 dB
0.99 dB
HFE
13,279.64 Hz
6,736.4 Hz
Weighted THD
30,625.132
1.821
Gain
-14.58 dB
8.46 dB
Noise Handling
6.3
8.8
SpNR
7.69 dB
63.8 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
9.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
8.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
5.9
8.9
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5 hrs
53 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
15 hrs
53 hrs
Charge Time
0.9 hrs
2.5 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
0.0
7.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
PS5 Inferface
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
Adjustable Level
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
8.4
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
1/8" TRRS
Latency - Analog
N/A
3.8 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.0
7.4
Bluetooth Version
5.3
Unspecified
Multi-Device Pairing
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Bluetooth + Console/Non-BT Wireless
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
282.15 ft (86.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
265 ms
325 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
No
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
8.9
7.7
Line Of Sight Range
203.41 ft (62.00 m)
104.99 ft (32.00 m)
Latency - Dongle
27 ms
26 ms
Recorded Latency
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Analog
No
Audio + Microphone (Not included)
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
Audio + Microphone
Audio + Microphone
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio + Microphone (Not Included)
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
3.4
Type
Wireless USB Dongle + Charging Case
Wireless USB Dongle
USB Input
No
Yes
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
USB-C
USB
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White
PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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PULSE Explore
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PULSE Elite
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Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless
Sony PULSE Elite
Comments
Sony PULSE Explore Truly Wireless vs Sony PULSE Elite: Main Discussion
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