Sony CFI-ZWA2

The Sony PULSE Explore earbuds are one of the worst audio products we've ever tested, scoring a 15.9 overall and a pathetic 6.8 for gaming. The mic and connectivity are both in the bottom 14th percentile, making them a frustrating experience for multiplayer. Even at the lowest price of $199, they're a terrible value.

Let's talk about that gaming score. A 6.8 out of 100 is a disaster, landing it in the bottom 10% of all products we've tested. The sound profile is thin, scoring a 13.8 for music and a 31st percentile rank for overall sound quality. You won't get any meaningful low-end rumble from explosions or a crisp soundstage for directional audio cues. The microphone is somehow even worse, sitting in the 14th percentile. Your squad will hear you, but they'll wish they didn't. Connectivity is also a mess, ranking in the 14th percentile, which is baffling for a device that uses a proprietary PlayStation Link USB adapter. You'd expect a locked-down, optimized connection, but it's one of the weakest links here. Battery life is the lone bright spot, but 'bright' is generous. It's dead average, sitting in the 49th percentile. You'll get a typical gaming session out of them, but don't expect to marathon all day.

Stacked against the competition, the PULSE Explore is outclassed in every way that matters. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra offers best-in-class ANC and a rich sound profile that makes the Sony's 31st percentile sound ranking feel like a prototype. Even the budget-focused Soundcore P31i delivers a more competent gaming experience. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Google Pixel Buds Pro both offer far superior microphone quality and seamless connectivity without a proprietary dongle. The only thing the Sony has going for it is the PlayStation Link adapter for a direct connection to a PS5, but that connection is so poorly executed it's not an advantage, it's a trap.

Pricing is all over the map, with a spread from $199 to a laughable $43,538 across vendors. Even at the low end, you're getting absolutely fleeced. For $199, you can grab a pair of Soundcore P31i buds that will run circles around these for gaming and music, or step up to something like the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro for a premium experience. The PULSE Explore doesn't just lose on performance, it gets lapped. There is no price-to-performance ratio here, just a price and a distinct lack of performance.

The Sony CFI-ZWA2, better known as the PULSE Explore earbuds, lands with a thud in our database, posting a total score of just 15.9 out of 100. That puts it in the 10th percentile overall, making it one of the weakest audio products we've tested. The numbers are rough across the board, but the gaming score of 6.8 is a real gut punch for a product marketed specifically to PlayStation players. You're getting a wireless earbud that struggles to do the one thing it's named after.

Everyone should skip these, but especially anyone who plays multiplayer games. The microphone quality is in the bottom 14% of all products, meaning your callouts will be a garbled mess for your team. If you care about build quality, look elsewhere. The 35th percentile build ranking means these feel cheap and won't survive a fall off your desk. And if you're hoping for any noise cancellation to block out a noisy room, the 32nd percentile ANC is basically a placebo.

Don't buy these. The Sony PULSE Explore earbuds are a rare, complete miss from a company that usually nails gaming audio. A 6.8 gaming score from a PlayStation-branded product is unacceptable. The sound is bad, the mic is worse, and the connectivity is unreliable. There is no data point we can point to that justifies this product's existence. Save your money and get a pair of literally any of the top competitors we mentioned.