Sennheiser PC 333D, 504126

In a nutshell, this headset has good audio, but is so uncomfortable that it is unbearable to use.

COMFORT
If you take a look at other reviews on the Internet for this headset, you will notice that the main complaint is its comfort. Basically, it squeezes your head so tight, that after only a few minutes of use, it is hard to stand it anymore. I have a head size that is a bit smaller than normal, and even so, this headset was way too tight. To make things worse, the ear pieces, which are suppose to be circumaural and go around the entire ear, instead are so small that they press directly on most of the ear. My ears actually felt sore after using this headset. And if things could not get worse, they use imitation leather (leatherette) which feels exactly like it sounds - a strange synthetic material rubbing against your ears. With all the force pressing down on your ears, and this synthetic material, your ears begin to perspire pretty quickly and get hot. The headset is also very heavy, so if your ears don't kill you enough, the top of your head will start aching with all the weight on it. If it sounds like a bad experience, well that's because it is.

QUALITY
My first impression when opening the package was: man this expensive headset looks really cheap. The stuff that looks like metal in the photo is actually plastic chrome, like what you find on a child's toy. In fact, I don't think there is any metal used on the entire headset. It is all very cheap looking plastic. It feels very fragile and delicate. There is no way this headset will be very durable, especially if you do a lot of gaming.

ERGONOMICS
The volume control on the ear cup is very hard to turn. Most of the time, I had to use two hands to adjust the volume.

AUDIO
The sound quality and the microphone quality are actually very good. But what use is that if you can't stand wearing the headset.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Instead of these, I would recommend the Sennheiser PC 163D which has great sound and microphone quality and is very comfortable (and they cost less).

I have owened this headset just over a month now. Most reviews are right, in that when you first get this, it is tight on the head. Tight to the point it caused some discomfort, and I have a small head. After a few day, the headset felt like it was molded for just my head, and is almost unnoticable when wearing. It is lightweight, comfortable, and can go for hours.

The other thing is construction. When I first got them, the felt too light, and plastic like, but compared to the Creative Labs WoW Wireless this is replacing, much more solid.

Sound is amazing, with the G4ME1 USB sound card that is included producing some of the best sound out there. I use this for both work and play, and those who I talk to are clear and well heard. In games, this headset rocks in 5.1 (7.1 seems to loose some of the audio ques in some games) and I am now a lot quicker on the draw thanks to the sounds I am now able to pick out.

I got this set as a refurb, and at the price I paid, would say it is a steal. I would easily pay the MSRP on this, and can't recommend them enough.

Although listed only as being for Windows I found this worked great with a 2011 iMac running OS 10.7 Lion. There are some nice features of this headset. First is the sound quality. It has a very smooth sound with clarity across frequencies. Bass is very nice, strong but not boomy. Another feature is the ability to connect with either traditional headphone/microphone analog jack, or with the use of the included adapter a USB connector. Build quality is excellent. I have tried several of these headsets over the years and usually the mic boom or the earpieces are flimsy and fall apart over time. This one is solidly built. I especially like the way the mic boom is solid but has the ability to be twisted to the best position for speaking. Flipping up the mic boom turns it off. The weight is acceptable and the earpieces are nicely cushioned. I was able to wear these much longer without the discomfort I get with cheaper headsets. The side of the headset has a very intuitive volume control, just put your finger in the indent and rotate to the desired volume. The microphone is also excellent. I made some recordings of my own voice and was pleased with the full, rich sound it recorded.

For Mac compatibiilty just plug and play. You will probably need to open System Preferences>Sound and select the USB headset for Input and Output. For more tweaking you can find the Audio MIDI Setup application in Applications>Utilities. This application lets you control levels and set the surround settings. I did not anything to test surround sound with but I was very pleased with the stereo performance.

Overall, this is a well-made, good sounding headset that is Mac compatible. If you are looking for an all around high-quality headset to use with a Mac you will should like this.